The purpose behind this personal statement is to not only gain admission to your well-established and highly respected Ph.D. program, but to impress upon you my passion for learning and my tremendous desire to succeed in both scholastic research and in teaching on the professional level. I have based my decision to pursue an academic career not on purely practical reasons, but rather on my own natural interests and aptitude. My personal philosophy is that money and social status should not be pursued as life-consuming objectives and that in actuality they are the by-products of goals originating from one's inner needs. I understand that my intellectual capacity is a gift, and I intend to use this gift to the very best of my substantial capabilities.

I am interested in the field of study of Organizational Behavior. In the past, I have had the experience of working in settings where the people and the corporate cultures of the companies were all different. I have found that there is a great difference in the both the behaviors of people and of their organizations, depending on whether they are state-owned enterprises (SOEs), large multinational firms, or small to medium sized foreign enterprises. One simple example is that of the ability of an employee to act independently without direct instructions from his or her boss. In many Chinese organizations, acting without direct instructions is considered a form of disrespect towards the supervisor, who is generally offended by such behavior. In my experience and research, such organizations tend to have low operating efficiency with the employees losing their innate ability to take the initiative.

In contrast, foreign enterprises tend to welcome employees who have the ability to make decisions on their own, though the extent to which this is true depends on whether the supervisor is a local Chinese or an expatriate. These organizations have comparatively higher operating efficiency and employees enjoy greater job satisfaction.

My research and observations have shown me that only a small fraction of Chinese employees are well adapted to the working methods of the foreign enterprises. Many are accustomed to merely having others make the decisions for them and are not experienced at taking on some reasonable responsibilities. What accounts for the different behaviors of these people and their organizations? My observations and personal experience have greatly aroused my interest in studying this subject. I am interested in determining the specific factors that determine the different behaviors of employees and how they work together to form the behavior of the organization, as well as finding ways to modify such behaviors to make for a more healthy and properly functioning organization.

In all of the various fields that I have worked in, such as international trade, marketing and office administration, I have found that the most important factor in successful businesses lies in how the business is able to exploit its resources to meet the needs of its target markets. Human resources ultimately make possible the full utilization of the other resources, even including that of the most advanced and powerful new technologies. The essence of success at leveraging resources is managing people and their behavior. With the introduction and development of the idea of employee empowerment, organizational behavior is now being determined by the participation of more people throughout the organization rather than just a few senior level managers. I would very much like to study these trends - what exactly are the roles that employees and employers play in modern organizations? What impact do these changes in organizational behaviors have on the social and economic development of countries?

In China, there are currently no outstanding professors in the field of organizational behavior. Textbooks are translated from other languages rather than written by native Chinese. My goal is to become the most outstanding professional scholar studying and researching Organizational Behavior in China. With China's entry into the World Trade Organization, there will be tremendous changes and challenges in organizational structures. These changes must be studied and thoroughly researched so that successful practices can be identified. Models can then be developed to guide future Organizational Behavior practices in China. One of my goals is to write THE authoritative textbook on Organizational Behavior in China.

I have chosen to pursue my Ph.D. abroad, in the field of Organization Behavior, due to a variety of factors. In the United States, study and research of management and organizational behavior in particular is much better developed and is at a much more advanced level than the rest of the world. I believe that studying in America can not only broaden my vision in this field but also help me to find ways of thinking and solving problems. In China, research in the social sciences has not progressed as quickly as research into the natural sciences and economic development. I grew up in an environment where there was only one right answer to the question, and that was dictated to us by the teacher or the government. People were not encouraged to question the way things were, and often would have to pay a price for thinking or acting differently. Of course, practices have been changing with the opening-up policy and governmental and economic reforms. But the opportunity for overseas study in the United States will not only provide a better research and study environment but also the rare chance to see the world and China through a different paradigm.

My past work and educational experience has given me many opportunities for research for various projects. In my MBA program, all of my courses required written papers and presentations, such as market research and business plans. I thoroughly researched every written paper to find the most up to date information with a tenacious pursuit of accuracy. During my undergraduate studies majoring in the English language, I not only learned the language but the culture and logic behind the language itself. This understanding has helped me to unlock the sometimes-obscure meanings in written work to get at the essence of the data and how it applies to my particular case.

I have developed a study plan for successfully completing your Ph.D. program. First, I will aspire to grasp and thoroughly understand research methodology to lay a solid foundation for conducting serious academic research. Secondly, I will complete the basic courses in organizational behavior and related fields while conducting some elementary research. Third, I will study the present theories and practices in the field while observing the development of organizational behavior in China. Finally, I will thoroughly research organizational behavior in China and try to contribute innovative theories leading to effective practices.

I believe that my love for education is due mainly to the fact that I was born into a teaching family. Both of my parents and my elder sister are teachers. I embraced the love of learning at an early age, excelling as early as elementary school when I was chosen as one of only three students admitted to the best middle school in our province. My role model and inspiration has always been my father. My father was born into a very poor family and was the only child to survive while all of his brothers and sisters died of disease and malnutrition. My grandmother (over the objections of my grandfather) insisted that my father go to school rather than to work in the fields. Since then, he has continuously studied the agricultural field for years and wrote the first ever laws and regulations in China regulating the agricultural economy while simultaneously earning the respect and appreciation of high-level government officials in the ministry. My father has always encouraged me to achieve and excel, even though as a female in China such a pursuit is usually discouraged, if not impossible. His will to survive against all odds and his never-ending pursuit of education have given me the inspiration to follow his example and never let adversity stand in the way of achieving excellence to the fullest of my abilities.

"The Confessions" by Rousseau stated that the least knowledge acquired by humans is knowledge about humans. Knowing yourself and fellow mankind are extremely important in life as well as in management. Through earning my Ph.D. from your school, I hope to be able to contribute to other people, my country, society and life as a whole by realizing self-actualization and self-fulfillment through the study of organizational behavior.

钱老师手记

本篇P.S.的主人公Grace Wang是一位给我留下深刻印象和共鸣的女孩子，尤其是其慢条斯理细声说话中所透露出来的只有西方教育才能培养起来的严谨逻辑性。她每次来到工作室时，总是开着自己那墨绿色的富康小车，停在我们楼下，与我交谈过程中，不时会走到窗口扒开窗帘往下张望一下。她原来是一个并不太有名的学校的英文系本科生，凭借其英语的优势和在京几个国内与国际大公司四年多的工作经验考上并完成了北大国际MBA学业（BiMBA Program）。来我工作室的那天傍晚，她刚从北大开出了MBA成绩单，递给我一看，令我吃惊不小：二年四个学期中，除二个学期各有一门课为B+外，其余全部为A或A+。二个学期GPA为4.0，另二个学期为3.8，总评3.9。她的MBA课程绝大部分由美方专家讲授，并在美国进行过为期半年的实习。后来她告诉我，她是她所在班级的班长，难怪成绩如此出众。

我问她为什么在北大读完MBA后不再进入商圈而偏要读GRE并寻求嘉文博译®的P.S.写作服务？她说读MBA之前的四年工作经历让她直觉地意识到，商圈中她不可能有所作为，因为虽然她很擅长于将其上司的意图创造性地贯彻执行好，但由于生性不喜张扬，有了业绩也不会用来作自我标榜，故在职位上一直没能"做上去"。加上性格中喜"静"的一面，故更适合于从事学术研究和教学。在MBA学习过程中，People Management中的Organizational Behavior让她较有心得，该领域国内在理论上处于空白状态，故如能独辟蹊径，或许将来会有所造诣，成就一番学术事业。
在接下来的交谈中，她告诉我，她的打算是想申请Cornell, Columbia, Yale, Harvard四校的Ph.D.Program in Organizational Behavior。据她调查，这些学校中的每个学校每年只招收一个中国学生，并且还有一个古怪的规则，那就是上一年招收过一个中国学生后，第二年就不会再招。所以，申请的难度可想而知，但她也不乏优势：相对充分的工作经验，北大国际MAB学历及近乎完美的GPA，美方两位教授的有力度的推荐信，英语的优势及较强的研究能力（读MBA过程中用纯英文做过十多个case studies，包括为联想和Ericsson做的case presentations）。现在，她惟一需要的是一篇富有力度的P.S.

她说，她对P.S.的要求无疑会极高。文字本身自不必说，关键便是翔实的内容。鉴于所申请的是Ph.D,故要重点突出学术能力（尽管她读MBA期间撰写过数十篇case studies，每篇都是30-50页，但大多属就事论事性质，缺乏理论的升华）。其次要强调其强烈的动机，以及所学专业在未来中国环境中的开拓性意义。最后，须在一定程度上达到以情动人的效果。最重要的是，所拟写的P.S.应有实质性内容，要有份量。

她补充说，在委托嘉文博译®为其写作P.S.的同时，她自己也会动笔用心撰写自己的P.S.版本。只有嘉文博译®所完成的P.S.在质量上显著优于她自己所写的P.S.，她才会认可、签收和付费。

在接下来的时间里，我让我的工作人员与她商定好收费标准，签订好合同，约定好完稿日期。在我的笔记本上，我用英语记下了她的几点要求：① highlight motivation and qualifications ② give emphasis to research potential ③ be somehow emotionally-charged ④ be substantial.

第二天，Grace 小姐又驱车来到嘉文博译®工作室，给我拿来一张软盘，将她从数十篇MBA case studies中挑选出来的较具代表性的作品存入到我们的电脑档案中，供嘉文博译®在为其写作P.S.过程中作参考。

三天后，Grace 小姐按照我们的写作提纲，向嘉文博译®递交了用纯英文写作的素材。

三个星期后，我让我的工作人员通知她P.S.已完稿，可来验收。Grace 小姐仔细将P.S.读了二遍，说尤其喜欢开头和结尾。

她说中间部分可能需要补充加上二、三句话，但她回家后自己就可以解决，所以她可以一字不改地接受嘉文博译®的稿件。

我如释重负。

临送别Grace 小姐时，我在门口问她为什么选择了嘉文博译®，既然她从未上过我的GRE课？她说她是最近在GRE课结束时顺便向语文老师打听的，那位老师向她提到了我的名字并给了她嘉文博译®的网址，她将嘉文博译®的网页稍作浏览后便择日前来。我又问她有没有到其他几家提供类似服务的写作机构去咨询过？她说没有。我便好奇地问为什么？她说她这人就是死心眼，只要是值得她信赖的人跟她推荐的，她就死认准了人家跟她说的话。她说如果嘉文博译®无法达到她的要求，只能有劳自己了，受点累也能"炮制"出一篇来。我不再说什么了，内心却是异常的感动。
本篇P.S.是嘉文博译®所做出的最具力度的作品。作为一个特例，收了Grace小姐4200RMB，创下了嘉文博译®单个P.S.的最高收费。