Ever since I was a child, I have been concerned with poverty, not my poverty, but that of others, especially in Third World or developing countries. This concern led me to create a profound fascination with the study of economics, the inequality between developed and developing countries, in particular, and a search for creative directions in which to foster economic development on an international level. Now, I very much want to push ahead with this interest, studying towards a graduate degree in economics. I have chosen to apply to XXXX University for several reasons, especially the renown of the faculty for exploring questions of economic development in creative ways. I am also especially attracted to the highly international character of this university, along with its cosmopolitan location near the heart of Los Angeles.
I have long been interested in international economics and relations because they have permanently affected my life. While in junior high school, I had a chance to visit North Korea for three months for a music/performing arts exchange. Although I stayed in Pyong Yang, the capital of North Korea, I witnessed incredible poverty, many local people wearing ragged clothes, and fragile malnourished children searching for food in the streets. The government controlled all information and people did not have economic and political freedom. I was shocked by the glaring economic disparities in North Korea.
During my first year at university in Japan, I participated in a two-week summer school program at XXXX University in Thailand. Although Thailand's political and economic structure is more open to the rest of the world than North Korea, I was intrigued by why the economy has not developed to the extent of other Asian countries such as Japan, China, and South Korea. While visiting a "HOYA" factory, for example, one of the world's major producers of lenses, I learned that such factories had recently greatly expanded as a result of investment from developed countries as a result of a program promoting alternative methods of economic development.
As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to present my research on sex trafficking at an annual spring symposium. I researched the tragic reality of many women in the Third World. They engage in human trafficking and the sex industry as their ultimate means to survive and protect their families. Due to the ineffective national economic policy and international economic regulations established on behalf of many Developed countries, I am concerned that this problem is likely only to get worse. I am especially interested in studying how wealth disparity aggravates international and domestic tensions and is often the primary trigger of global and internal conflicts.
After obtaining a master's degree in Economics, I strongly hope to work in the sphere of economic affairs concerning international economic development. I feel that the professional experience that I have gained so far also helps to strengthen my candidacy for admission to your program. In 2003, I volunteered for the non-profit organization People for the Advancement of Cambodian Education (PACE), and since September 2005, I have worked as a computer lab assistant at XXXX University. After graduating from XXXX University, I started to work for the XXXX Company as a full-time sales associate. This company is a significant importer of oriental food and supplies in the United States. Through this job, I appreciate how local and international businesses are connected. I have learned how to cope with problems efficiently with professional manners and establish relationships with co-workers as a team. I have also acquired leadership skills that I hope will help me in the future to realize my long-term goal of working in some capacity with the United Nations.
Your program will provide me with the kind of academic foundation that is required for the career that I seek. I see your Economic Developmental Programming at XXXX as a superlative MA program on the West Coast that is a good match for my academic needs and professional goals. I especially look forward to lectures directly relevant to quantitative economics and mathematical as well as economic development. I genuinely believe that a graduate degree in Economics from XXXX will be the optimal way for me to prepare myself for meeting my future as a professional that is profoundly dedicated to helping the Developing World to make sustainable progress. I want to thank you for considering my application.
