Personal Statement

A defining moment in my life occurred about seven years ago. I left my hometown in Croatia and came to the United States on the basketball scholarship to finish my education at Loyola University Chicago. I left my parents, my home, my friends, and my language in order to get a college degree. Over there I was exposed to new culture and new view of life. It was a big cultural shock, but it was exhilarating to find myself changing in a new environment. I was amused how fast it took me to receive documents to start my new life in the US. In first two weeks I received my working visa, social security number and my new driving license. This would never happen in Croatia. It would take forever to receive the same documents. I would have to talk to five people before I get what I need. My new location has brought an awareness that I don't think ever would have appeared if I had stayed put in Croatia. My experiences showed me how much work needs to be done before my country reaches the level of the US and Europe. All of this made a big impact on my future career plans.

Today there is a great persistence of bureaucracy, risk-aversion and time consuming decision making procedures amongst Croatian enterprises and Croatian government. This is a fundamental difference to their aggressive American counterparts. Also, Croatia is trying to become a member of European Union in upcoming years and is trying to expand business activities with the US. Opening our borders will make Croatia more and more attractive to international companies (US and non-US). This will create an increasing demand for Western perspective trained/thinking business leaders and managers. My objective is to capitalize on this opportunity and get a job at one of those companies.

After completing MBA, I will seek a position as an associate within the corporate finance department of a investment-banking firm. In three to five years, once I have become experienced in financial analyses,