The subprime mortgage crisis which has brought the fall of the Lehman Brothers and numerous critical requisites to bailout companies such as AIG, Citigroup, and many others by the US government has since compelled me to seek an even deeper comprehension about the forces which drives our financial systems and how such major fiascos were able to recur over the timeline of our financial history. Absorbed into understanding the main mechanics behind our monetary system, I discovered that it was merely nothing more than our governments’ abilities to adopt, capitalize and regulate ‘fiat currency’ beyond our legal boundaries. Since, I was introduced to several financial theories such as the use of floating exchange rates in the valuation of international currencies and credit derivatives in the valuation of financial products such as CDSs and CDOs like the ones traded during the crisis. My take in Economics in A-Levels has introduced me to theories such as the Game Theory in strategic-decision making and the Tragedy of Commons together with Nash Equilibrium which has reinforced my apprehension of the financial and investing world as juxtaposing both elements allows me to gain an even wider insight upon how something we regard as insignificant would be able to affect an entire market. Being able to triple an amount of $100,000 in virtual currency on the stock market in a matter of 4 months has entitled me to be the top ranked investor in my college organized challenge, of which has made me realize that success of investments does not lie in the possession of luck or skill but rather in ones’ ability to manage risks as well as to interlink every aspects of our modern world and to understand how they are able to affect an overall market. Being awarded Credit up to Distinction in the annual Australian Mathematics Competition has prompted me to take A-Level Mathematics, considering the fact that Mathematics does play a crucial role in the calculation of risks and the valuation of financial assets. Given the nature in monitoring and evaluating stocks on a market, I am looking forward to the day I am able to utilize my statistical knowledge. As a competent student, I had the opportunity to hold several posts in high school being a Treasurer, a secretary, a committee member in various clubs and societies and also being under the school’s Prefectorial Board. These has effectively reflected the imperative attributes of being a financial investor such as leadership in leading others under my care and trust; meticulousness in the management and structuring of finance; responsibility in carrying out my duties; teamwork in our participation in various competitions; as well as acceptance of failures. Acknowledging the limitless boundaries of knowledge, I have been an avid reader of which I have been awarded the NILAM Award twice for reading a total 290 books in a matter of 10 months, as a vast array of cognition and insight is needed in the field of investing. Furthermore, my past endeavors in mooting and debating competitions as well as my representation as a delegate in a recent summit has all the more enlightened me in the expertise of analyzing and breaking down arguments. With such, I intend to enter a profession that aligns with the interests and aptitudes I have discovered and developed over the span of my studies. I can ensure the University that my acceptance would be defined as a wise intellectual investment without utter regrets as I understand that the honors would be mine

to uphold the integrity and of what symbolizes the university’s identity to the rest of the world.