The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to Masters’s program in logistics and supply chain. Variations of this personal statement got accepted at the Boston University and Penn State. Read this essay to understand what a top personal statement in logistics and supply chain should look like.

Sample Personal Statement for Logistics and Supply Chain

My passion for venturing into the intricacies of supply chain roots back to a rather unusual jaunt on a very ordinary night. While searching for a particular brand of infant formula milk for my first child, I found that stocks were depleted at all local stores and that fresh consignments would reach in around three weeks. As a customer, I felt disappointed. As a business graduate, I began to contemplate, and a volley of unsettling questions came to my mind: How could companies afford to be complacent in managing their supply networks? How could they not mitigate risk to their supply chain? This episode kindled my interest in Supply Chain Management and its absence in a flourishing market.

After my undergraduate degree, I started a business under the tutelage of my father. We acquired a bankrupt sugar factory and turned it around. As the head of operations, I lead a team of 300 people. Within one year, we achieved historical production by implementing iterative and closed-loop systems to identify constraints and then removed them. This paved way for financial rehabilitation of the factory that had $14 Million in unpaid bank loans. By the end of the contract tenure, the production capacity had been expanded by 300%, the entire loan had been paid off, and the project was now cited as a case study of turnaround by banks and industry. This beginning gave me immense encouragement and a sense of validation that I could lead, and accomplish incredible feats, and that I have the expertise that matter in the business world.

With this experience, I moved away from factory operations and took on the responsibility of developing an Ethanol factory. This required a completely different set of skills in Project Management. Exposed to multi-dimensional roles from Engineering to Construction and Management to Procurement, I worked as lead project controller with people from diverse cultures. In the process, I gained rich opportunities to lead cross-functional teams. Fourteen months later, the project had become yet another success story. Having received three awards from the government for Best Exports in the Ethanol sector, my father openly acknowledged my contributions to the family business.

A series of projects followed. Each project brought with it new challenges. One project that broadened my horizon was the transformer manufacturing startup that I had founded during the summer break of my MBA. It was tough and I had to juggle between the MBA and the startup. But the success was sweeter. It got me applying all my business education. In a couple of years, the startup evolved into a blossoming business, occupying 40,000 square feet of space in the industrial hub. It brushes shoulders with old guards of the industry and commands massive respect. Running under a new CEO allowed me to pursue my next dream.

Fascinated by supply chain and logistics, as I observed from my previous experiences, I signed up for and earned the Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP). Moving forward, I completed the more tactical Certified in Production & Inventory Management (CPIM). Finally, I found my calling. It only helped that everything I had done in the past always had some dimension of supply chain. However, the experiences still needed to be realized into my actual vision. Vision of distribution systems feeding retailer with a multitude of products. Vision of using analytical and optimization tools to preserve efficiency in operations.

My area of interest is Demand Planning because of the potential it lends to the company and the impact it has on the brand. Within the Demand Planning segment, Forecasting Demand is something I want to master. The variety of analytical tools intrigues me. Co-joined with demand management and fulfillment, I want to progress to the strategic level to balance customer demands and the firm’s output capabilities.

Ever-increasing consumerism has offered opportunities to those who are prepared for real-world challenges. I am a dreamer. I want to break the norms. After being equipped with the necessary knowledge, I want to establish my logistics & distribution company. This would be a global entity, the portfolio of which would include industrial, agricultural, and consumer goods. There are a few, if any, such service providers locally, and much needs to be done to satisfy growing customer needs. I am driven to establish a company that meets customers’ expectations, bringing products that are affordable and accessible and that result in net gains in the supply chain. The mentors define it as “getting the right product in the right quantity and condition at the right place for the right customer at the right price.”

To lead a truly international organization, an MS in supply chain and logistics is my best choice to gain these skills quickly. The specific tools and knowledge imparted by Supply Chain Analytics, Advanced Simulation for decision making, and Forecasting for Management will strengthen my expertise. It will also provide me with an understanding of multi-echelons in an expanded Supply Chains and Logistics Strategy in such context. I will use the thesis best by putting the acquired knowledge into practice and diving deep into the real-world business. For me, supply chain and logistics is the best match.