Personal Statement

　　Applicant: XX    Program: Media & Communication, XX

　　If an allegory can be used to describe the internship I undertook

　　recently, I would choose that of the metamorphosis of a chrysalis into

　　a butterfly—the achievement of maturity through a difficult process of

　　hard struggles. Since July this year, as a graduating student from the

　　School of Journalism and Communication, University of XX，I arrived in

　　XX and worked as a practicing journalist with three media organizations

　　including XX. For the first time in my life, I was confronted with the

　　rich and vibrant social and economic realities of China and my

　　professional training required me to capture the very pulses of this

　　rapidly changing society, together with its live issues and underlying

　　forces, with perceptiveness and precision and to apply in-depth

　　analysis through macro perspectives.

　　At the very outset, I had difficulty in developing a focus amid a wide

　　range of possible subjects. On the other hand, the break-neck

　　efficiency and tremendous rigorousness required by the media industry

　　were almost beyond me. It was a real challenge when I saw how some of

　　my first reports were rejected. After initial disorientation, I

　　gradually adapted to my exciting journalistic role and my broad ken of

　　knowledge played an important role. XX is the sole dominant media in

　　China’s industrial world, featuring general economic information and

　　in-depth coverage of specific issues. There I published a total of five

　　substantial reports and in-depth commentaries including XX

　　Subsequently, I shifted my internship to XX and to XX where I published

　　yet another dozen articles likeXX, and XX. The editors-in-chief duly

　　recognized my professional standards and potential while  some of my

　　publications provided importance reference for local decision-makers in

　　the related fields. My hard efforts paid off when I was awarded the

　　honor Outstanding Practicing Journalist of 2004 for my reportorial

　　achievements by XX.

　　The internship proved a defining experience. It served as a bridge

　　linking my academic training with the larger world where this training

　　is to be applied. It improved my ability to deal with complicated

　　realities and to put theoretical knowledge to practical use. It allowed

　　me to see my strength as well as limitations. Above all, it reinforced

　　my determination to seek more advanced academic training so that I can

　　become a truly high-achieving media worker that I have always wanted to

　　be.

　　University of XX is a first-rate comprehensive university of the

　　country and the School of Journalism and Communication is ranked among

　　top national level in a recent overall assessment. Its broad-based

　　curriculum has given me all the important knowledge requisite of a

　　journalism and communication major. I have excelled especially in

　　History of Communication Science and Technology, Journalistic

　　Reporting, Newspaper Editing, Mass Communication, and New Webpage

　　Design, with highest scores of the class in most of them. Those courses

　　not only permitted me to gain important insights into journalism as an

　　academic discipline but also heightened my journalistic sensitivity. I

　　had a slow start in my first year, nevertheless, my extra efforts since

　　then put me in steady ascendancy in my academic performance, ending up

　　in a top 5 ranking.

　　My parents are both senior engineers and their wide-ranged knowledge

　　made me aware very early in my life of the importance of comprehensive

　　personal development. During my undergraduate program, my interest in

　　journalism has transcended mere curiosity to become a potential career

　　pursuit. Therefore I paid special attention to be well-read in order to

　　broaden my horizon. Apart from academic work, I became a correspondent

　　for the university newspaper when I was a sophomore and have since been

　　reporting on major campus events. I have kept improving my writing

　　skills, the problem-solving skills as well as teamwork skills. Finally,

　　I have been a member of the class committee in charge of publicity, and

　　a social worker for HOPE Project, a nationwide voluntary support

　　program to bring the dropouts in impoverished rural areas back to

　　school. For my academic and extracurricular achievements, I have been

　　awarded first-class scholarship for years and was the Outstanding

　　Student of the University.

　　Under the guidance of my advisor Prof. XX, I am currently preparing my

　　bachelor’s thesis—XX. The issues to be discussed included the

　　specific measures of media reform, the underlying reasons behind the

　　reform (the country’s modernization process, social progress and the

　　changing needs of the audience), how to implement brand strategy for

　　media organizations. The conclusions to be drawn will be useful in that

　　the thesis stresses effective communication, the need to improve the

　　professional standards of the media practitioners, and the market-

　　oriented operations of the media industry to supplant government

　　ideology.

　　What is exciting about China’s media and communication industry for

　　the next decade is that, like the radical social and economic changes,

　　changes in the existing media framework will also be inevitable. The

　　low public credibility of media, the ideological rigidity, the

　　ineffectiveness of media as a means of opinion supervision, the un-

　　rationalized resource allocation, and the lack of market awareness, all

　　those inadequacies must be altered before a new era of media

　　development can be expected. To achieve those desired changes, the

　　development well-trained media workers is indispensable. My present

　　application for a Master’s program in media and communication at XX is

　　precisely motivated by the recognition that, having received a standard

　　undergraduate education, I must acquire international perspectives by

　　studying in a country with developed media industry. With this

　　international background and education, I may be well equipped to face

　　the challenges in China’s future media profession, which is

　　increasingly penetrated by international media organizations.

　　The UK is acknowledged for its cutting-edge teaching and research in

　　media and communications in the world. I am delighted to find that the

　　Department of Media and Communications of XX is interdisciplinary in

　　nature, bringing together teaching and research across social sciences,

　　focusing strongly on media and technology change and their implications

　　for social, economic and political life, and for policy making.

　　Students are trained to study, to think, and to solve problems

　　independently and creatively. Like the multifaceted metropolis of

　　London, the scholarly work there is also pluralistic, allowing students

　　to listen to different voices concerning the social, political and

　　economic issues of the world. I believe that an exposure to diverse

　　concepts and ideas in this vigorous academic climate is beneficial to

　　my development of independent opinions and decisions.

　　Whenever I envision that I could be so close to British media giants

　　like BBC, I cannot help feeling excited. My prospective program at XX

　　will definitely become a turning point in my life. By studying how

　　British and international television, broadcasting, printing and

　　electronic media operate, I will acquire knowledge highly relevant to

　　China’s media profession. The relevance will be two-folded. First, my

　　increased professional standards will made me an accomplished

　　journalist and as such I will contribute to the role of supervision of

　　the public opinion. Secondly, I am also interested in learning media

　　management and the capital operations of the media market. This will

　　enable me to work my way into the management of a media organization as

　　I become a senior media worker. Whatever my career path will be, I will

　　have to depend on your program for the requisite professional

　　qualifications.