Maysam Q. Rabbani’s Statement of Purpose

Years ago as a bachelor’s student in industrial engineering, I enjoyed the variety of courses I was

studying while deepening my math basis. Despite the fact that I was applying myself to the lessons

curiously and learned a good deal, my greatest mistake during the B.S. was to totally disregard the finals

– one that I didn’t commit again during my M.S. In a few semesters, I was being equipped with a great

deal of knowledge about operations research, supply chain management, systems analysis, production

planning, quality management, and human resources alongside basic courses on electronics, mechanics,

metallurgy, information technology, information systems, and management. Although all of them were

interesting fields of study, it was the financial courses that fascinated me most. Since I have an abstract

mind, I can easily comprehend complex theoretical concepts and integrate them into a whole. That is

why I found it so appealing to read up on financial management, investment, portfolio management,

international finance, macroeconomics, inter-market relationships, etc. I positively identified my niche in

finance because not only did I enjoy it more than anything else, but I could also be outstanding at it. I

have since devoted most of my leisure time to studying technical and fundamental analysis, portfolio

theory, mutual funds and hedge funds, financial mathematics, asset pricing, risk analysis,

macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, and even the success stories of Warren Buffett and

George Soros. While investment has a primarily external approach to corporations, I studied corporate

finance, accounting, and financial statement analysis over and above that to obtain an internal point of

view about them. As a result of this bookwork, I now have two finance certificates which are almost

equivalent to CFA levels I and II. Even though the certificates don’t necessarily cover all my studies, they

partially substantiate them nonetheless. What is more, I authored the first Persian book on hedge funds.

After graduation as a B.S., I started my work at InfoTech as a financial analyst. It was a great opportunity

to expand my knowledge of financial markets and to be more confident about my choice of career.

I am a truly innovative problem solver. I have always been forward-looking about problem solving and

welcomed new challenging tasks. Being a man of long-term results, I would far sooner work on a

problem ten times as tough, than a number of easy ones. In contrast to people who seek an easy job in

which they perform safe routine activities, I cannot bring myself to bear quotidian tasks. I have already

rejected a few well-paid jobs only because their mundane chores could not satisfy my ambitions. So as

to satisfy them, I need to integrate my academic work and job with math, logic, decision making,

problem solving, research, and analysis. I take great pleasure in research and learning and, on that

account, I relish the academic setting and interaction with knowledgeable people.

In order to build a robust body of knowledge in finance and to contribute to the field of study, it is

inevitable to study it academically. That being so, I applied for an M.S. in economics to methodically

study the economic theory underlying financial markets, and I am hereby applying for a PhD in finance in

a competitive world-class program to graduate into an expert in financial markets. Such a top-tier

program is the best opportunity to dedicate an entire five years to my aspiration. After the doctorate, I

intend to continue my career as a financial researcher and analyst, both as a faculty member to

contribute theoretically and as a consultant to deal with problems in action. I genuinely believe I will

stand out because I have the intelligence, talent, aspiration, and sufficient academic background that it

takes.