SOP Sample for MSc Finance in the UK

SOP Sample

Statement of Purpose

# Reason of Interest Development in Course

While working with [COMPANY_1] in the treasury department, I came across various tasks relevant to foreign currencies, hedging, and foreign currency exchange gain & loss. After that, while studying in the Chartered Accountancy course, there was a subject named "Strategic Financial Management" which mainly included the following topics:

1) Time Value of Money 2) Equity and Bonds 3) Portfolio Management 4) Company Valuation 5) Merger & Acquisitions 6) Derivatives 7) Foreign Exchange

Going through these situations, I slowly developed interest in the core finance field and started reading articles on the stock market on the internet and watching videos on YouTube regarding investment and trading. Then after a year, I came to know about investment banking and started searching various courses across the globe and India too. After that, I found that CFA is the best course, but it will take approximately 4 to 5 years to complete and that too with distance learning. Then I started searching for full-time courses with a practical approach of teaching which involves classroom activity and real case studies. As the UK is well known for its esteemed universities in the world and courses & degrees are acceptable across the globe, I shortlisted 2-3 universities but found that only the modules of [UNIVERSITY_1] ([BUSINESS_SCHOOL_1]) are quite relevant and contain topics of proper finance and investment banking with practical curriculum and real-world exposure.

# Course Awareness and Reason of Choosing

I have gone through the modules of "Fintech, Risk and Investment Analysis MSc" and found these topics are related to the actual finance world and also involve a practical approach of study. For example, students will get the opportunity to use Bloomberg Financial Market Lab, supervised by academic and industry experts. This course provides skills to communicate both quantitative and qualitative information effectively and develops skills in coding and automation. Also, this programme offers optional modules other than compulsory modules which will add flexibility to select modules of my choice, which will help build my career in the right direction.

The course includes several core modules including Blockchain and Crypto Assets, Essential Quantitative Finance, Financial Instruments, Financial Derivatives, Market and Credit Risk Analysis, and Portfolio Management. This shows how diverse this course is structured to provide a wide range of knowledge in the finance and investment industry. The optional modules include Programming through Python, Advanced Financial Modelling, Ethics and Organisation: Responsibility and Justice, Financial Crises and Bank Regulation, etc. So, this course covers all the aspects which I need for my career growth in Investment and Risk Management.

# Why [UNIVERSITY_1]?

In addition to the above facts, [BUSINESS_SCHOOL_1] has accreditation from EQUIS, AMBA, and CABS. During the study time at [UNIVERSITY_1], I may opt for Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) qualification. The university pays for membership and exam fees. The university has a dedicated Careers and Employability Centre which can help me in finding part-time work while studying. To give a significant start in my career, I will be paired with a mentor whose career path matches with my own, who will share their industry expertise with me and give me career guidance.

In addition to this, the university provides a facility to study a language of my choice at "[LANGUAGE_CENTER_1]" which will help me develop key skills in communication, organisation, and cultural awareness that are highly valued by employers. I have a variety of options for language study like French, German, Italian, Spanish, English, and a few others. The Student Union supports information regarding volunteering opportunities across [CITY_1] and [CITY_2] which can build confidence, develop my skills, and add valuable experience to my CV, and it's a great way to meet new people and become an active member of society.

# Academic Performance

Academically, I scored 95/100 in Accounts subject and 88/100 in Business Studies subject and 74/100 in Economics in 12th standard (CBSE Board). I have also cleared the IPCC examination which is the second level of Chartered Accountancy examination conducted by "[INSTITUTE_1]". This clearly shows how interested I am in finance and also that I have a better understanding of accounts, business, and economics. I hope this will help me in my master's studies in investment management at your esteemed university and build my career in the finance and investment industry.

After completing my graduation in B.Com (in 2013) with 55%, I was about to give my Chartered Accountancy final examination in November 2014, but my father's business (milk and dairy products) was not doing well, so I joined him to support my family business to afford family expenses. So, I had to leave my job and studies to support him, and I did that for about 3 years, but it turned around into loss-making and we had to quit this also. Finally, I was back in a job. It was quite difficult to find a job with approximately 3 years of gap, but fortunately I was able to get it. I joined [COMPANY_1] in the treasury department where slowly I developed my interest in finance and investment and decided to do my further studies in Finance and Investment if I will do so in the future and build my career in this domain only.

# Work Experience

I have proper knowledge and practical experience of accounting and auditing, so for me it is a daily task to go through the balance sheet, profit & loss statement, trial balance, and cash flow statements of companies. During my working life, I was associated with consultancy firms and private limited companies, so I have diverse experience in finance and accountancy. I have depth knowledge and understanding of the financial situation of a company just by looking into its financials. This will help me in understanding books of accounts and fundamental analysis of various companies.

I have worked for an NGO ([ORGANIZATION_1]) who was a client of my consultancy firm. There I was assigned to perform daily accounting, preparing SOE (statement of expenditure), preparing budget plans for them, and looking after all the financial problems and decisions. So, this way I have experience of managing an organisation as a whole.

# Plans After Study

After completion of my master's programme, I see myself working for one of the bulge bracket investment banks in the Merger and Acquisition department, and if this would not happen, then I will look for Private Equity firms, because I have interest in only these two types of organisations. After gaining sufficient experience there, in 10-15 years I would like to start my own investment consultancy firm.

I am positively looking forward to being enrolled in your reputed institution and realising my career aspiration with an attitude of gaining excellence in the finance and investment area. I am confident to graduate with flying colours.