Here is a sample personal statement of an analytics professional who applied and was admitted to the Masters in Advanced Analytics program at NCSU. He has graciously shared his successful essay so that prospective applicants can benefit from it.

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Sample Personal Statement for Advanced Analytics

My versatile career has been marred by “what-ifs”. My lack of skill in acquiring and analyzing data has become evident. This has left me desiring additional ways to unravel questions and uncover uncertainties worth solving. With a Master’s degree in Analytics from NCSU’s Institute of Advanced Analytics, I can harness the skill of utilizing data. I also look forward to working with Professor AricLaBarr because his work as a consultant for the Central & Eastern North Carolina Food Bank overlaps my work. Such exposure will equip me with a competitive advantage. In addition, NCSU’s program will help me achieve my goal of employing analytics more cohesively.         

Throughout my work at various multinational organizations, I noticed the extended absence of data-oriented decision-making systems. During my year-long ambassadorial academic scholarship at The University of Georgia as the first Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) scholar in 21 years, I learned the importance of big data and analytics. I worked for four months with Big Mouth Athens, a local startup, and secured the 3rd Prize at UGA’s Next Top Entrepreneur. I studied courses that were different from my undergrad curriculum. These courses included Operations Management, International Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. Hence, I obtained a business-centric approach complementing my Economics and Finance Double Major undergrad degree. My academic experiences in a top US business school taught me how to add value to the shortcomings of the corporate sector. While companies spent millions to hire consultants to minimize costs, I felt the solution was in-house. However, a proper framework was not widely available.

My previous experiences were restricted to the private and startup environment, and I ran into a dire lack of extensively available public data. In one instance, our team of five secured a place as Regional Finalist to present at the Hult Prize in Dubai. We pitched our business plan to use food waste from restaurants as provisions for urban slums by “Tagging” individuals with smart cards. However, due to a lack of funding, the business plan did not take off. We also lacked public data on residents of slums. Our efforts bore limited fruit as we were left wishing for comprehensive knowledge of utilizing limited data for maximum effect.

Following extensive calls to eradicate Polio in third-world countries at numerous Rotary Clubs across Georgia, I decided to research why Polio persisted. My final undergraduate thesis was a time-series analysis that used Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) modelling and proved how and why the Poliomyelitis virus continues in third-world countries. It was because of poorly conducted fiscal devolution (decentralization) and mismanagement. Under the guidance of my professors, I devised interaction terms which helped indicate the cause-and-effect nature of regressors while observing their effect on the grassland (Incidence of Polio Virus Cases).

In addition, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was also conducted to determine the correlation between Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) in various stages. Through the PCA’s predictive nature, I determined the extent to which how ineffective OPV was and suggested an extensive shift toward the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV). Unsurprisingly, the Government announced in the previous month that IPV immunization drives are to be held, further supporting my suggestions. ARDL was primarily utilized as a regression technique to facilitate stationarity and non-stationary exhibiting variables and to integrate lags on regressors to adjust for institutional, political, and psychological delays. The data was processed after extensive use of Stata12 and Minitab statistical software throughout my senior year.

Currently, I am working with my instructor to publish my research. As I learn new methods of study at NCSU, I will be capable of producing more detailed findings. Given the platform NCSU’s Institute of Advanced Analytics offers, I do not doubt that my efforts will profoundly affect the community. Learning primarily through my friends in Raleigh has also been helpful, and I look forward to knowing and experiencing the diverse community there. As a part of the “Research Triangle,” Raleigh is the pre-eminent destination to begin pursuing a master’s degree as it offers unprecedented opportunities through which I can further polish the valuable skills I learn during the program.

After graduating, I plan to learn how to apply the necessary skills properly and establish myself as a prominent professional and team player. I prefer to work as a consultant/analyst and work for companies like McKinsey and IBM. Focusing on streamlining new ventures will also be crucial to my work after graduation. The practicum will prepare me in advance to get acclimatized to the professional environment of the United States. My experience as an international scholar in Georgia has also designed me to make the most out of Raleigh.

In the long haul, after obtaining sufficient work experience and hands-on practice, I intend to have a more research-centric focus on my abilities. My father, a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Uppsala University Sweden, has always inspired me to achieve more in a field I am passionate about. Following his footsteps would be a matter of pride. I intend to progress not only towards becoming a skilled problem-detector but also an accomplished data-oriented problem-solver. The ultimate aim is to raise general awareness about big data and further innovation for philanthropic goals. Like my research on Poliomyelitis, I intend to tackle various issues in the public sector. What I achieved in Georgia through awareness of matters pertinent to Americans, I am confident I will be able to do bigger things in the future after my time at NCSU.