My name is [student] and I have submitted an application for admission into the Masters of Arts in Economics program at the prestigious University of Manitoba. I currently hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics (2018), from Central University (Ghana), one of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions. I finished with a First Class (Honours) 3.6 CGPA on a scale of 4 and with my quest for greater heights; I chose to apply to this great institution.
I am undertaking this path because my undergraduate years have been the most pivotal years of my life. It was truly exciting for me and thanks to the rigorous curriculum that was offered, we were exposed to a wide range of subjects but my favourites were Development Economics and Econometrics. While I graduated with a final GPA of 90%, I got an A grade in both courses, which is the most obtainable grade in my department. I learnt to apply theoretical concepts to practical issues to create profound solutions. This skill helped greatly in the execution of my undergraduate thesis.
Along with Economics, the European illegal migrants’ crisis caught my attention because it was disturbing and shocking that people will embark on such a life-threatening journey. Thus, I decided to perform my undergraduate academic research work in that phenomenon to discover why and how people formed migration intentions. My focus was on the Ghanaian youths and with insightful contributions from my supervisor, I introduced the effects of social media on the formation of migration intentions, which was the first of its kind in that literature.
I employed the use of questionnaires to fetch primary data, and the results were astonishing. My research indicated a positive relationship between the active uses of social media and migration intentions. It also identified an “Education Culture” as over 50% of the youths cited “Studying” as their major motive abroad. The paper is in view for publication and with that experience; I have come to the belief that research is the most interesting aspect in the professional life of an economist.
My education has inspired my research interests and I look forward to finding a balance in the emerging fields such as developing economic policies on migration & labour issues, remittances, FDI, monetary policy and especially, Development Economics. These areas have great research promises and this prompted the determination of advancing my education with a M.A. Economics program in other to advance to the doctoral level. I am currently working as a Graduate Assistant at Arthur Jarvis University, Nigeria and the experience from the role: offering general help to undergraduate students from different backgrounds, supervising examinations, providing tutorials, grading papers etc. has further reinforced my profile and interests in the field of economics.
Interestingly, my love for developmental economics made me comprehend the impact of education in the progress of a society, and that is why I initiated “The bench project”, a National Youth Service personal community development project that donates school furniture to community schools in need. This M.A. degree will be an avenue for me to make an impactful change in my home country.
As a result, one of my future career goals is to work with a well-respected and credible research team to proffer solutions on economic matters that will make positive changes for the future of Africa and humanity. The skill set and experience of the faculty members of the University of Manitoba, including Prof. Loxley John, of which I am familiar with a few of his research works and the kind of facilities, training offered, I believe I will be a pioneer in creating ground-breaking solutions. I learnt a lot from the research by Prof. Loxley John, on African migrants in Canada and I firmly believe that a Masters of Arts in Economics from the University of Manitoba will give me the same sophistication in applying economic techniques.
Lastly, as much as I love Development Economics, I want to get a broad education in Economics. The University has a great reputation for pronounced researchers, a rigorous curriculum and I hope the admission committee looks favourably on my application into the Economics and Society stream of the M.A. Economics degree. I am an insightful and meticulous student who has serious interests in the field of Developmental economics and has a resolve to succeed and make my community proud. I am prepared for the big leap in my career as an economist with the hope that I am given this kind of opportunity and this is why I have chosen to apply to the University of Manitoba.
