During my freshman year, I was privileged to partake in a series of lectures hosted by experts in the finance industry at my college. This experience opened my eyes to the yawning chasm between theoretical knowledge contained within textbooks and the practical obstacles in financial markets. 【对金融的初步认识：从大一起多次参加金融业专家的一系列讲座，我意识到了解实际的金融市场和课本知识的差异】 To bridge this gap, I joined the Investment Banking and Fund Association of the university after three rigorous interviews. There, I gained exposure to stock and bond markets and was taught the art of model-based research analysis by seasoned and professional alumni.【初步的探索：为了探索金融领域，我努力加入了投行基金协会，并且和业内导师学习了股票及债券市场的知识，还尝试了基于模型的研究分析】

申请者在校期间参加讲座以及加入专业相关的组织等活动可以反映出「我」对于专业的兴趣。

Tip：这些经历可以很好地被用来作为PS的开头，但是不建议详细展开经历，因为它们的重要性较低，篇幅过多会显得文章较为累赘，展现给AO简洁的语言也很重要。

Subsequently, I participated in the American College Mathematical Modeling Competition in 2020. As I prepared for this competition, I delved into an array of online resources and books to acquire the necessary knowledge and taught myself the rudiments of linear algebra and R programming language. It allowed me to spearhead the model design and programming in the competition.【自学能力：大一参加美赛，查阅研究文献，自学了线性代数和R语言】 Also, through utilizing the ARMA model to complete meticulous time-series analysis, I greatly strengthened my knowledge base and sharpened my practical skills. 【运用知识的能力：比赛中用ARMA模型完成了时间序列分析】Through this competition, I discovered my deep-seated passion for model-based empirical research.

这段主要写的是申请者大一寒假的美赛建模经历，虽然只获得了S奖，但是对大一的新生来说是一次探索和发现自己的兴趣和目标的重要尝试。因此在PS中也点出来：这段经历不仅夯实了知识基础提高了实践能力，还发掘了自己对基于模型的实证研究的兴趣。

I took every chance to engage in many modeling-related research projects. In the Financial Engineering course design, inspired by the book Python for Finance, I harnessed my creative prowess to produce an algorithm that can complete a visual binary tree with undirected graphs. 【知识面：介绍自己的课设灵感来源于Python for Finance这本书，体现出我平时的知识面较为丰富，积极阅读专业相关书籍】Unlike the model presented in the book, my optimized version transcended the constraints of mere numerical input. By accounting for variable parameters such as the number of periods, initial stock price, and volatility, my design was able to showcase the probability and extent of stock price fluctuations in a practical and visually-striking manner. In addition, I engineered a matrix exhibiting option prices at every node, expressed through sophisticated circular functions. 【独立思考：我不局限于书籍中的二叉树模型设计，而是结合自己的思考和知识去进行了优化，得出了新的更为实用的函数和矩阵，实现了可以输入不同的期数、初始股价、波动率等任何参数，并通过不同形态的二叉树显示股票价格升跌的概率、幅度和各节点上的期权价格】The success of this assignment embraced me with an unprecedented sense of accomplishment and a newfound appreciation for financial engineering. Nevertheless, I remained mindful of the gaps in my knowledge and the unanswered questions surrounding the underlying economics of the binomial tree model.【收获和反思：我通过复盘，发现现阶段的知识依然有所不足】

这段经历是一段课设。在这段描写了申请人的研究灵感和不拘泥于书本去探索知识边界，重点突出了申请人优秀的编程能力，扎实的专业知识，以及创新思考和求知欲望。

Tip：写PS时，不仅要突出经历中个人的成就，有时候展现自己的总结和反思也很重要。

In my junior year, I investigated the crowding-out effect of real estate investment in China and its impact on economic growth based on the VECM model. As I read pages of related literature, I discovered that there is academic controversy over the impact of real estate investment on the amount of other fixed asset investments and the relationship between real estate investment and economic growth. 【发现问题：对于文献的阅读总结出了学界在房地产投资对于其它固定资产投资额的短期、长期影响以及与经济增长之间的关系有所争议】To address this, I applied R language to test the cointegration relationship between the time series of three sets of variables from 1993 to 2021 and learned that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship. 【研究问题过程：我应用R语言检验了1993年至2021年三组变量的时间序列之间的协整关系，得知三组变量之间存在着长期的均衡关系】Eventually, I prove the existence of the crowding-out effect from the perspective of empirical analysis by constructing a vector error correction model. 【解决问题能力：通过构建一个向量误差修正模型，从实证分析的角度证明了挤出效应的存在】This research honed my quantitative analysis ability, which will be a valuable asset in my advanced studies.

这段科研重点突出申请人的学术研究能力和数据量化分析能力，体现出对金融问题的探索精神以及对于模型的理解和应用能力，和申请项目的课程设置以及需要的能力十分匹配。

Tips：科研经历对于展现个人研究思维和逻辑也是非常重要的，写作时可以找一个角度切入（如发现--解决问题）

The Master of Finance in Financial Technology program at HKU is of interest to me for several reasons. Its well-balanced curriculum is jointly offered by the Business School, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Law. Thus, I will be exposd to a wide range of multi-disciplinary knowledge including derivative securities, fund management, digital transformation, artificial neural networks, and deep reinforcement learning. This program is the perfect fit for my dream career of working in the fixed income field and conducting research on interest rate derivatives-related areas. 【三个院系联合授课会提升自己在未来职业中的竞争力，点出自己的职业目标】Especially, I look forward to Advanced Financial Programming and Databases, Quantitative Trading, and Big Data in Finance courses, which will help me develop advanced quantitative skills and innovative thinking. Apart from rich teaching resources, the part-time on-campus employment and rich career development activities provided by the program will cultivate my workplace capabilities. 【就业支持：项目会提供许多职业活动和实习机会，可以培养职业技能】

在择校原因部分突出申请人对项目的了解，并且和职业规划相结合，表明对项目的热情和申请的动机。

As I reflect on my past experiences, I am confident that I am a compelling candidate for this program. My specialized courses in mathematics, time series analysis, and financial engineering have equipped me with mathematical, statistical, and programming skills to analyze financial problems and regular market phenomena and enhanced my data processing capability.【提出自己是合格的候选人：除了上述的经历还有扎实的学科知识】 I am eager to leverage my skills in conducting extensive research in graduate school. As someone with a history of taking on challenging and intensive research projects, I believe that I would thrive in your vibrant and professional environment.

最后一段描写申请人的相关资质，体现出自信的态度和对未来学习的期待。

总结

这个项目偏好具有计算机科学、工程学、数学、物理学、统计学或科学和技术相关学科的学生，因此在撰写PS时需要重点突出申请人相关的核心技能。除了通过申请者的每段经历来体现硬实力，也要注重体现自己的个性化的特征，比如创新性思维、批判性思维、团队合作能力等等，不断展现优势，让自己成为独一无二的候选人。