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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
By Qian Yong
An MA student who enjoys intellectual challenges, I am applying for acceptance into your doctoral program so that I can scale grander intellectual heights in the academic world.
I am the kind of person who cannot stand being the second best in any group or situation. When I graduated from high school in 1994, I scored my school's highest total of scores in the National University Entrance Examinations, which won me acceptance into the Department of International Politics at People's University of China. I was full of pride and entertained bright dreams. But, once I entered into this leading higher-learning institution in international politics, I found that my academic standing was only somewhere in the middle echelon of a competitive band of students. I still remember that my typical pride of a young man was wounded upon being told that the total of scores in the Entrance Examinations earned by some of my classmates were among the top 10 highest in the country. The mediocre status I had among this group of highly intelligent youngsters was too much a blemish to my record, since I had got used to top honors and prizes since my childhood. I also found myself troubled by the way my international teachers taught, which seemed to be highly demanding to me at the time.
I am recounting this experience of mine only to demonstrate a quality I believe I possess - the ability to excel in the face of challenges. In fact, the outcome of my efforts in undergraduate studies did prove that the determination that I conceived at the beginning of college years to excel my classmate was not a breed of vanity. By the time I completed my four years of undergraduate studies, I had outperformed most of my classmates. On the strength of my outstanding academic record, I was chosen by my professors to enter into the graduate program of my university without having to pass the normally mandatory admission test, a privilege that is only reserved for the very best students each graduation year.
Four years of undergraduate studies equipped me with basic research skills in international politics, and my outstanding performance naturally placed me on the path to higher academic pursuits. As a highly motivated undergraduate, I took many politics and economics courses, such as Political Science, International Relations, International Organization, International Finance and International Trade, as you can see from my transcripts. My overall GPA ranked me first among the 40 students of my academic year, wining me top honors. I was one of the 80, selected from the university's 8,000 students, to receive the Excellent Academic Achievement Scholarship (First Class) in the 1994-95 school year. In the 1995-1996 school year, I was one of university's 15 students awarded the BaoGang Scholarship (First Prize). In the 1996-1997 school year, I received the Outstanding Academic Performance Scholarship, one of the only five students at the university who earned this honor.
In my junior and senior years, having grasped a basic understanding of the discipline, I started to read many classic works on international relations, including Politics among Nations, Theory of International Politics, War and Change in World Politics, and Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition. I also frequented the library to read a host of journals on a regular basis. By reading critically such authoritative publications as American Political Science Review, International Organization, World Politics, and Foreign Affairs, I kept myself well informed of the latest academic research findings and also improved my English language skills.
To cultivate other capabilities, I also engaged myself in extracurricular activities. From 1995 to 1998, I was elected president of the International Politics Class, a departmental student association responsible for the management of academic studies, extracurricular activities, student orientation programs and other student affairs. Serving as president of the association, I was closely involved in the communication and collaboration with other student organizations and sometimes took part in the activities organized by them. By organizing those extracurricular activities, I trained myself in leadership and organization skills. The Class performed exceptionally well, winning "Excellent Class of Beijing" for several years in a row, an award given by Beijing Education Bureau to the best student associations of the capital. As a graduate student, I was designated an Excellent University Graduate of Beijing (1997-1998) for my outstanding academic and extracurricular performance, an award given to only 200 students in Beijing a year.
I began my graduate research with the aim of acquiring abilities in doing independent research because I believe that advanced education is more than a continuation of undergraduate studies. The graduate work should not only lead a student deeper into the ocean of research but also train him to enter a profession in which his acquired knowledge is constantly required in his daily work. A desirable graduate education should involve a student to consciously build up his independent research abilities by working closely with a distinguished scholar whose research work can be modeled after. It is with this understanding that I began my research career at the Center for European Studies of People's University in early 1998. The center, directed by distinguished Professor Song Xinning, Deputy Head of the Department of International Politics, is manned by several professors with European research background from social sciences divisions of the People's University. Immersed in this stimulating environment, I have been well trained in advanced research methodologies. By attending workshops and seminars presented by visiting professors from overseas, I acquainted myself with new concepts and theories in political science, broadening my disciplinary perspective and gaining insights into the field. Satisfied with my performance, Professor Song hired me as his research assistant to work on a project headed by himself, China Policy of the Clinton Administration in its Second Term.
I believe I have acquired the necessary theoretical framework and practical experience for advanced studies. If I am accepted, I will pursue graduate studies on international relations as my major and comparative policy analysis as my minor field of study. Equipped with the ability to teach myself and conduct independent research, I will be able to attain competence quickly in areas that I may at first know very little about. I am confident that I can make quick progress in my fields, especially in international relations theory, international political economy, foreign policy and international security.
To me, graduate studies are as intellectually exhilarating as they are challenging. Choosing which school to attend and what degree to pursue is not an easy decision. After careful evaluation and comparison, I have now settled on applying to your distinguished graduate school as my first choice, because I believe that the courses I can select from your curriculum can best train me for the realization of my goals. The graduate program of xxxxx, ranking among the best in the United States, is playing a pioneering role in international studies. I believe your school sets an ideal stage for me to exercise my mental power and diligence, and that my intended disciplinary training can be best pursued with the aid of your distinguished faculty and remarkable research facilities.
After I complete the program, I plan to devote myself to a teaching career in China. With the friendship I can strike in your program with both students and faculty, I should be able to arrange academic exchanges by inviting leading scholars to visit China. Such exchanges will be conducive to building up shared understanding between China and the US about the world and the relationships our respective countries enjoy with each other. China undoubtedly takes its relationship with the US as its most important relationship with any foreign country, and, correspondingly, the US is attaching increasing importance to its relationship with China. As American politicians have realized, the nature of Sino-US relationship will determine, to a large extent, whether the 21st century is one of peace or conflict. As China strives to feed its exploding population, it cannot do without a peaceful international environment. I would like to attain the necessary knowledge and forge the necessary understanding so that I can help your country and mine coexist in peace in the coming century.
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