Statement Of Purpose

My true interest in economics originated from the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Not only did Thailand suffer from this phenomenon but also other countries in East Asia. The crisis resulted in financial collapses in both the private and government sectors, slumping currencies, devalued stock markets and asset worth and a precipitous rise in private debt. The crucial factors which played an important role in the crisis were a weak banking sector and the fragility of the financial market. Although a stronger currency and an increasing number of foreign investments in these past few years have reflected the competency and potential of Thailand's financial institutions, the lack of strong public sectors and economists still remain.

In addition, my family business, International Scientific Supply Co., Ltd., was directly impacted by the crisis also. Expenditure of our company, including costs of importation from suppliers in the United States, was increased drastically because of the Thai slumping currency. As well, due to the economic recession, our business revenue dropped sharply and therefore, at the worst period, we needed to lay off many employees in order to maintain our business. That was the first time I experienced financial and economic problems and that, later, inspired my interest in the field of economics. It is, therefore, my academic goal to develop a comprehensive understanding of economics concepts required for modeling and solving both financial and economic problems in order to support Thailand's future as a competitive financial market on the world stage.

In terms of my academic background, I will soon complete my Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, the most prestigious college in Thailand. Throughout the four years of my undergraduate studies, the engineering courses developed my systematical and analytical problem solving approach. Furthermore, the mechanical program equipped all students with many rigorous and challenging quantitative courses such as "Calculus I&II", "Differential Equation", "Statistics for Physical Science" and "Engineering Mathematical I&II" Ð'-which have provided me with the basics of Linear Algebra. These courses completely enhanced my quantitative skills that would be effectively applicable in the field of quantitative finance and economics. Moreover, in order to broaden my vision in management, economics and finance, I also took comprehensive courses including "Engineering Management", "Engineering Economy", "Principle of Investment" and "Principle of Marketing", though the last two subjects could not be counted for any credits. This, therefore, truly indicated my strong interest and intention to pursue a career path in the financial industry.

Apart from my academic performance, I also recognized the importance of an internship which would be my first exposure to the real engineering world. Hence, I decided to intern for two months with Honda Automobile Thailand. At Honda, I was assigned to develop a transporting system for the company. It was there where I learned to apply engineering knowledge systematically. Regarding my senior project, with strong concern about disabled people, I designed and developed the locomotion mechanism of a land-vehicle Ð'-Autonomous Stair Climbing Robot. The objective of my project