BSc Accounting and Finance Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

My interest in the world of business was sparked by my father who is a company CEO. It was from him that I learnt the basic rudiments of how to run a company with good business acumen and to look out for as well as to deal with the pitfalls and snares. Apart from my family’s influence, the core principles guiding me are integrity and trustworthiness, hence newspaper articles headlining corruption and money laundering cases attract my interest, and fuels my goal to understand and tackle these unethical corporate malfeasances. As a qualified accountant, I would be enabled to handle these issues in the most professional manner. Driven by curiosity to learn more, I resolved to pursue a career in accounting and finance.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Studying Economics at A-level provides me with a more in depth knowledge to the ambitious world of finance. For instance, from case studies of multinational corporations (MNCs), reading Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's written by Ray Kroc and watching The Founder, I learned the success story of McDonald’s, an idea originally conceived by the McDonald’s brothers. Also, I am more aware that due to some individual’s self-interest, cases like collusion between oligopolistic firms happen, thus giving rise to corporate malfeasances. Furthermore, studying Mathematics at A-level refines my ability to approach problems in a different manner. In 2016, I was one of the five students of the year honored with one of the most prestigious award, the Principal’s Award. This award recognises students who have demonstrated organisational skills, been part of the management process of school events, mentored juniors over a sustained period of time, maintained good grades and a clean disciplinary record throughout secondary school.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

A major stepping stone in my decision to build a career in accounting and finance was my internship at a small automotive business firm (Global Marque Auto Sdn Bhd), shadowing and assisting the CFO of the firm. By using a cloud accounting software to bookkeep documents, I realised the importance of integrity and trustworthiness in a financial system. As it was an automotive business firm, I was exposed to a different perspective of the financial world as I dealt more with car sales, car loans and depreciation of car values and other car accounting components which I self-learned to keep track of and be ahead of what I was doing. After my internship, it made me question how the information would had been dealt with in other countries as accounting principles vary from country to country, and also to consider the possibilities of vertical innovation in financial reporting to reduce accounting scandals, which is rather stagnant. Apart from my academic life, I currently hold a 2nd Dan black belt, under recognition of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). Throughout my experiences as a taekwondo fighter, the ability to analyse and predict an opponent’s next move is crucial to winning, and I find this skill useful and applicable as an accounting and finance student. Besides that, I also represented my school and college for sports competitions. Due to my active involvement in sports, I was elected Vice Captain for my house, which improved my leadership skills, as I learned to organise, take on responsibility within a team and lead the house to glory. I also learned to manage my time well and be more disciplined. Currently, as the treasurer of the HELP Model UN club, I had the opportunity to ensure the right accountability of the club. I look forward to continue taking part in activities and exploring more about Accounting and Finance in university in UK.