The Master's in Applied Statistics Program at XXXX University is my first choice since XXXX is close to where I live, and I would have the full support of my social network and support base. Thus, I would be able to take advantage of the entire immersion experience possible, giving myself entirely to Statistics 24/7.
Born and raised in China, numbers have stood at the center of my world since childhood because Mathematics was always what I did best and still do. Since early adulthood, I have increasingly gravitated towards Applied Mathematics as a focus, especially everything related to Statistics. I could not be happier fully engaged in the use of numbers and symbols to solve real-world problems.
I am a Chinese student who has completed his undergraduate studies in Statistics, Actuarial Science, and Mathematics at the University of XXXX. Thus, I have had the opportunity to build a solid foundation in Statistics, including Advanced Calculus, Ordinary Differential Equations, Probability, Data Analysis, Multivariate Analysis, Time Series, Stochastic Methods, etc. I graduated from UT with honors and went on to work in the banking industry.
In my third year at UX, I completed an internship in the development of Marketing models at the Analytics Resourcing Center, and I dove headfirst into the fascinating world of Big Data. I conducted customer segmentation analysis with huge volumes and high dimension data, campaign analysis, and promotional design for retail chain stores using Machine Learning techniques. This experience opened my horizons concerning advanced modeling techniques and helped me understand how to abstract statistical models according to business needs. After graduation, I worked as an Actuarial Analyst for the local School Board.
I mastered the Mixed Effect model while working on a one-year statistical collaboration project on reduction in neuron cell experiments during my last year at UX. I now appreciate how the Mixed Effect has an enormous advantage over the General Linear Model. Furthermore, applying a Gradient Decent approach, I optimized the model for my purposes and was delighted with the results. I soon realized that I have a gift for detailed statistical modeling and nothing brings me greater joy. This is where my passion lies.
Since this position requires documentation of how each statistical decision is made, I have a chance to investigate numerous details about each algorithm. The most exciting part of Statistics for me is the challenge of finding ways to harness the power of scientific data to predict real-world phenomena accurately. I see Statistics as a science capable of overcoming all kinds of challenges in the quest to maximize the utility of information. I have experienced firsthand how advanced statistical techniques can resolve data challenges in the industry.
I look forward to a long professional life as a researcher in the statistical modeling industry, discovering and resolving statistical challenges. For my purposes, Statistics is a scientific tool that harnesses the power of numbers to solve real-world problems. My diverse work experience in multiple industries has enabled me to gain exposure to various modeling methods, including but not limited to the classical linear model, machine learning, and stochastic process. I have wrestled with many kinds of data challenges, from hundreds of observations that do not fit any frequently used distribution to billions of observations in thousands of dimensions. I thrive on the challenge of finding scientific ways of making less intuitive data accurately predict real-world phenomena.
I have used multiple machine learning techniques in Python and R platforms; and observed the pros and cons of cases while comparing different modeling methods. I appreciate how retail risk models are long-term, predictive power-driven. Accuracy, explanatory power, and conservatism are equally important. I fully understand how, within the range of linear models, scientific support for each decision is needed; coefficient analysis between triple or quadruple interactions must be conducted; and how the survival and loss model is often of great utility. I am always inspired by and engaged with the latest research topics, reading myself to sleep every night, even under a full workload and constant pressure. I especially enjoy the quest to prove the usefulness of a methodology via statistical and mathematical methods.
I have always been committed and dedicated to what I love. I was given to music in my early years, trained to become a professional classical pianist, and came close to that dream. However, while I sometimes play to destress, my music is entirely in my head, symbols, numbers, and real-world goals in big data. Most of what I play these days is Jazz, in which I am self-educated. This inspired me to begin a non-profit music media company in my second year of college. I am also an accomplished programmer in R, Python, and SAS. I think of programming as part of the music that I want to make in the future.
I appreciate your consideration of my application to Applied Statistics at XXXX University.
Applied Statistics Masters Personal Purpose Statement