Nur Izzat Aiman is currently a first year undergraduate reading BSc in Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science. This personal statement is part of his successful application to the LSE, City University London, University of Bath, University of Warwick and University of Liverpool for Accounting and Finance.
Would you fix a leaking faucet? One might look at it and see just water. But if this hypothetical tap were a company, then water would be a resource, and the leak a loss in revenue. Would you fix it now? I see life as a business and all our actions as investments, with the sole purpose of maximising utility. If the world were a skyscraper, finance would be its foundation and accounting would be the blueprint to its inner workings. This mindset, coupled with my love for mathematics and the desire to further understand this ever-evolving field is why I choose to pursue a degree in Accounting and Finance.
Being a practical individual, I am captivated by the dynamic world of accounting and finance, especially in the field of managerial accounting. One managerial concept that fascinates me is the Six Sigma, a set of techniques that teaches that effectiveness does not rely on the extent of our resources, but how we utilise them to improve efficiency. This philosophy has assisted me in allocating time for my academic and extracurricular life. I had the privilege of participating in a case study competition on banking and finance judged by a partner from Ernst and Young. By applying knowledge from A-Levels Accounting and Economics, I used concepts like ratio comparisons to engage in a healthy discussion with my teammates on mergers and acquisitions to prepare for our presentation. When we were announced champions, I knew where my passion lay, catalysing my pursuit of a career as a professional accountant.
In the past, I kept up-to-date with global financial and economic news to engage my father during our Sunday golf trips. While initially more interested in the golf than the discussion, it was the issue of Ukraine’s accession into the European Union that turned this weekly chore into a steady passion. In my opinion, the decision to allow Ukraine into the EU is comparable to making an investment. The policymakers in this situation play the role of the stakeholders, speculating whether this investment will pay itself back in the long run, all while factoring in the risk of being sanctioned by Russia. I am enthralled by how financiers place a value on an investment and how they tell wise and foolish investments apart. My pursuit of this knowledge has led me to read financial publications such as The Economist, online articles, and books written by the likes of Graham and Malkiel. However, I find that the more I learn, the more I realise that there is an abundance of knowledge of which I have yet to acquire.
On an extracurricular level, I have participated in a variety of clubs, particularly the Young Enterprise Programme where I was elected to serve as the Managing Director. Here, I learned valuable lessons in the running of a successful enterprise and had the opportunity to broaden the extent of my knowledge of the business world. As part of the English Debate Team, I played the role of the third speaker, or ‘whip’. Though it required that I pay extra attention to the opponent to form a strong rebuttal, our efforts nevertheless propelled us to the runner-up position of the state finals. Debate has ultimately strengthened my communication skills, my critical thinking skills and my rhetoric which I believe are essential to a student of Accounting and Finance. Above all, I believe my experiences as a head prefect and the elected president of my college’s Model United Nations Club were the most valuable, as both have prepared me with the necessary management skills needed for this course.
Not many are passionate or even interested to learn the language of business, but I am here to master it, to equip myself with the education that this university has to offer and to turn my lifelong passion into a core aspect of my being. I am eager to prove myself worthy of the knowledge that your university provides her students with to face the real world.
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