Sample American University Personal Statement

Personal Statement

In 2004, I left my family, quitted my job and came all the way from China to United States to pursue a so-called “American dream”. I always have a dream to work as a faculty member instead of librarian in an American university.

My passion for research and teaching started when I worked in the library at the University. I had the privilege to serve and interact with teachers from English-speaking countries while I managed the large collection of English books. The academic environment and campus life have been so memorable that pursuing a career in university has always been a dream for me.

Researching and teaching are life-long desire for me other than means of living. The hypothesis, the experiment and the potential

When the opportunity finally presents itself, I realize that 2015 is the year when I need to take a chance and embrace the challenge to apply for entrance into a PhD program.

Passion is merely the starter of an endeavor. Grit is the attribute required to carry through the mission. I have developed perseverance, patience throughout all those years. Steps have been taken to cultivate skills related to teaching and research during the past years.

Teaching requires public communication skills. I have been working on public speaking skills. International toastmasters provides me a platform to practice and improve my public speaking skills. I worked closely with my mentor, a veteran toastmaster club member, to develop my communication skills following the competent communication manual. After completing ten speeches, I am able to organize my speech, use body language, and utilize visual aids effectively. I am currently working on advance communication manual “speak to inform” and “technical presentations” to advance my technical speaking skills to prepare for teaching activities in academic

After I completed bachelor of accounting degree and master of business administration at Boise State in 2007, I started working as a tax accountant at Micron Technology, Inc., which is the largest semiconductor manufacturing company in the United States. I started in federal tax area and worked on depreciation, R&D credits and taxable stock compensations. I developed solid understanding of fundamental concepts in federal income taxation. I learned so much more beyond the classroom in real practice. Accounting is not only presented to me as theory but also real economic impact on the community and