Statement of Purpose

Admitted to: Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, as a Transfer Student from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

For: Remainder of Undergraduate degree


1.Please state your reasons for transferring to Penn. If this is not your first change in colleges explain your reasons for the previous transfer. An evaluation of your college education to date and why your education goals may be better served at Penn should be addressed. If you have not been enrolled in school continuously since high school graduation, please indicate how you have spent your time.

I have been nurtured within a family enterprise established over a century ago. The group deals with trade and export of an agro-based commodities to Eastern and Western Europe, South America, Japan, and Southeast Asia. It is evident that market demands are shifting and business needs to reinvent it self to stay ahead of competition. Work experience as a summer trainee in my father’s company has further strengthened my desire to bring a comprehensive set of skills to traditional systems. Having actively participated in client meetings and having gained an understanding of agricultural commodities markets and export trade, I know that I would like to return to this enterprise, bringing to it the innovations and strategies necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing global economy. This is the long-term, the future.

To achieve this, I need to rely on relevant experiences that foray into a logical combination of finance, marketing and its retail component. I gained significant exposure to finance through a summer spent with Merrill Lynch in India. I learned that finance was the fulcrum that underpins all activity. I am inclined to pursue a short-term career in the are of FMCG or food manufacture with a distinct tilt towards retail. The family enterprise exports bulk commodities. I would like to grow and expand the business by adding retail component to it. The Wharton Business School will help me lay the groundwork in my efforts to learn about business strategy, brand loyalty, product placement and distribution, so that I am successfully able to reach the consumer. Having the opportunity to participate in Prof. Kahn’s marketing classes will be an invaluable lesson in my pursuit of the end goal.

Being part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at the University of Michigan has fuelled my interest in research. I have filled every moment with learning in Michigan but now feel ready to take on new challenges. At the Wharton School, I would especially welcome the opportunity to be part of the Weiss Center for International Financial Research, and have a chance to increase my knowledge in international finance and its impact on world economies, under the guidance of distinguished professors like Prof. Marson and Prof. Dumas.

The Wharton Business School’s emphasis on personal qualities like leadership, dynamism and vision along with specialized knowledge will provide a base to etch a career that may span continents both physically and ideologically as business integrates. Interaction with highly qualified and talented students from all over the world will be an education in itself. Additionally, the opportunity to study and learn from a group of achievers, thinkers and doers will be an enriching experience professionally and personally. I believe that the Wharton Business School will instill in me the theories that drive good business decisions, in order for me to make intelligent choices when I come into my own.

2.First experiences can be defining. Cite a first experience that you have had and explain its impact on you.

Resilience in the face of stern opposition is formidable to achieve, especially having to overcome the anxiety. This was never more poignantly driven home as the test of mettle on court.

A hushed silence pervaded; I was struggling through the last set; I could sense the pain of lost. I know I had given away the match too easily because I had lost the will to challenge after losing the first two sets. Having played the last point into the net, I dropped my racket to the ground. With slumped shoulders and my head hanging low I walked over to congratulate my opponent on a win well deserved. That loss, and my own anger with myself, proved a turning point for me. That evening, my coach and my teammates helped me understand my loss and my attitude. They directed me to transform my anxiety into a positive weapon. I still had a second chance when I played the same opponent the next day in reverse singles. No doubt, my opponent was better than I was, but I was determined with a new resolve-to give him a run at all cost. It worked, I won. I learned an important lesson; it did not pay to lose heart. The thrill of that hard-earned win and the pride at having the courage to bounce back will last me a lifetime.

There is a potent danger in winning a large part of the time-it can make one complacent about striving to rise above prior trophies. It happened to me too as I participated in competitive tennis at the University of Michigan. Little did I envisage that the talent pool was quite unlike what I had dealt with while in school. The stamina and electricity in the game I witnessed around was unlike any previous experience I might have had. I was unprepared, out of my depth in the midst of such driven sports people and I knew I had to reassess my self. I had to infuse my game with the punch I would need to succeed. As the realization dawned, I set myself up against excellence and have come a long way since my first match.

It is special to be a member of the UMICH Junior Varsity Tennis Team – it stretches every reserve of energy and every strategy one may devise to win. There is camaraderie that I draw upon in the face of an indomitable opponent and those are the moments that one appreciates the cheer of teammates on the stands. It is vital to belong and equally necessary to do one’s best in the interest of one’s buddies on the team. It has enriched me as I observe the best. It has taught me to share the few things I know and to carry along those that could do with encouragement.

I practice as if my life depends upon it. I have given my best and I have stayed on the team for the two years that I have been at college. Together we are a force to reckon with – alone I know that perseverance will pay me the dividend I continually seek.