Graduate School Application Essay

For more than twenty years, my mother has been working as a financial accounting expert in Vietnam. Throughout my adolescence, as her position became more and more senior, she had to deal with enormous amount of work that often meant she had to work late into the night. Consequently, I volunteered to be her little assistant in the evening by simply copying data into books as well as rechecking calculations to check for errors. This basic training with my mother was my very first exposure to accounting and finance. As the years rolled on, I learnt a great many more fundamental financial terms, but more importantly, developed a comprehensive understanding of the symmetry of numbers, of what makes accounting and finance a career path I want to follow. Something slowly began to dawn on me, I realised that financial works had become my passion ever since.

From the very first day of school, I demonstrated tremendous mathematical potential with a curiosity and desire to solve challenging problems which made me really excited. I was usually ranked as one of the top mathematics student in my class, taking part in mathematical competitions at regional and national levels. After successfully completing my 10th Grade in Vietnam, my parents rewarded me with a two-year A–Level Course in the United Kingdom. I have chosen subjects that I believe are beneficial to my higher education curriculum. By taking mathematics and further mathematics, I have enhanced my analytical skills through various advanced problem solving activities. I was chosen for the UKMT Maths Challenge Team in which our school achieved the 4th place with the second highest score. I am part of the Maths Challenge Club which has been a rewarding experience for me as my mathematical skills have