PERSONAL STATEMENT

Acclaimed as a prodigy, I entered into one of China’s Ivy League universities at 14 and joined the country’s topmost scientific research institution as a graduate student at 19. Now an experienced engineer at 26, I would like to scale still higher intellectual heights by undertaking advanced studies that I hope would put me firmly on the cutting edge of scientific development.

I have demonstrated a keen mind since my early childhood. For years, I consistently outperformed all of my classmates in such challenging subjects as mathematics, physics and chemistry. I was thus chosen to represent either my school or my city in a variety of provincial and national contests of academic skills, in which I won numerous prizes. This impressive academic record put me on academic acceleration several times. That not only enabled me to finish my primary and secondary education in eight instead of the usual twelve years but also sent me at 14 to a privileged class for the gifted at the Chinese University of Science and Technology, a major cradle of the country’s scientific and technological talents.

After two years of basic training in the gifted class, I chose electrical engineering as my major and computer software programming as my minor, convinced that expertise in these fields would stand me in good stead in an era of China’s rapid economic expansion and technological modernization. As you can see from the transcripts of my undergraduate grades, I excelled in both of these areas.

Upon graduation in 1991, I won easy acceptance into the Institute of Electronics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and became a graduate student at 19, when most Chinese students would be just starting their university education. At this institute, I narrowed my academic interest down and focused it on the area of human and artificial intelligence, where the courses I took were deliberately concentrated. It seemed to me that scientific breakthroughs would next come in this area, which made it both challenging and promising. I learned a whole lot about this area in the course if doing my thesis titled “The Radio Shunting System in Railroad”, for which some experiments were conducted on the basis of artificial intelligence.

My solid education paid off in my ability to take on a variety of responsibilities in China’s burgeoning software industry. After I obtained my Master’s Degree in Engineering in 1994, I first took up a job with a telecommunication company, where I managed a trunk communication system that resembled the cellular wireless system. A year later, I joined a software company to develop CMIS program for China’s Post and Telecommunications Ministry. It was a large project, and I made crucial contribution to it by independently developing and finalizing one subsystem, which proved to be a significant success and won me profuse appreciation from users. After the completion of that project, I have been working for the Japan Brother Ltd. in the area of software development.

The relative smooth path of my career notwithstanding, I have not had a chance to lead a major project, although I have always finished my part of every project immaculately. In spite of all my achievements, I feel that I have not taken the full advantages of my intellectual capabilities. I now wish to pursue still more advanced studies and thereby obtain an advanced degree so that I can open more doors and shoulder greater responsibilities.

I believe I have acquired the necessary theoretical framework and sufficient practical experience for further studies. My ability to teach myself and conduct independent research allows me to attain competence quickly in areas that I may at first know very little about. I never work just to finish an assignment, but instead I always try conscientiously to improve my knowledge and expertise through the work I do. In this fashion, I have become seasoned in such fields as trunking system (telecommunications) and CMIS system (software). This quality should help me as I seek to further upgrade my education, particularly if I have ready access to the seasoned guidance of a strong faculty and the convenience of state-of-the-art research facilities.

The University of Idaho is well known for its excellence in the E. E field, complete with an accomplished faculty and modern research resources. These should set a good stage for me to exercise my keen mental power and diligence. If I am accepted, I am confident that I can make quick progress in the E. E field, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence, image processing, wireless communication, neural network and computer networking, which have many characteristics in common and share many important principles. Due to the broad applications of these technologies, I believe the progress we make in these areas will help shape the future of the mankind. I would like t be at the forefront of such progress.

As I am broadly grounded in EE and computer science, you may find me qualified or more qualified for advanced studies in areas other than those I have mentioned. If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you could let me know any suggestions that you may have.

I wish to assure you that I have the necessary English language skills to complete advanced studies in your Ph. D. program. I generally read or write English without any difficulty. I have, over the years, not only read academic or professional materials in English avidly but also memorized the whole English-Chinese dictionary. There may be room for improvement in my oral English and English listening comprehension. But I am sure my English proficiency is sufficient for me to undertake advanced studies and research. Besides, I believe I can improve my oral English by leaps and bounds once I start to live in an English-speaking environment. All that I need to do is to set my mind free.

I plan to return to China after the completion of my Ph. D. studies either to teach at one of the larger Chinese universities or to lead a high-tech corporation.