Master in Marketing Program Why do you want to pursue an MS-Marketing program at Mays Business School?

Mays Business School has consistently been ranked among the top business colleges in America, and the Texas A & M. University is currently one of the best universities in the world according to the World University Rankings 2014/15. Anyone would want to be associated with a university of true world prestige. However it's not only about the name; I specifically chose Mays College for my MS-Marketing program because of its comprehensive curriculum. Currently ranked the second-best MS-marketing program in America, the Mays graduate program promises a unique opportunity for me to acquire cutting-edge marketing techniques, tools, and concepts that, together with my current business knowledge, will help me maneuver the real-world business setting. The 36-hour program, with its cutting-edge courses in market analytics and pricing, market engineering, services marketing, marketing consulting, marketing research, marketing communications, branding, product innovation, and consumer behavior, will help me develop the analytical and technical skills that will prepare me adequately for a career in marketing.

The level of development in America and the United Kingdom has always fascinated me, and one of my personal goals in life has been to interact with the business environment in these two countries so as to at least understand what the specific drivers of their success are. To actualize this goal, I took my first masters degree program in the UK, and it is with this same spirit that I look forward to seeing the U.S. be my next destination. Well, I am a visionary, and I would love to see Kuwait achieve the level of development imminent in these two countries someday.

In order for that to happen, however, the future generation needs to be equipped with the relevant financial, business, leadership, and management skills. Through its Retail Sponsor forum and the school's Center for Retail Studies, the Mays MS-marketing program accords students unique opportunities to interact at a personal level with top entrepreneurs and visiting executives in various forums, and I reckon that this will be particularly useful in helping me better understand the trends in the American market, as well as the specific elements of success in business leadership.

I also admire the school's corporate mentorship program, and the high-flying faculty reputation. I believe this grants me the coveted opportunity to interact with the best teachers and sit in class with the best students in the world. It is my desire to explore these new challenges, and this is why I choose to apply for admission in a world-class university.

What are your career goals?

My short-term career goal is to secure an admission into the MS-marketing program at Mays. I look forth to enhancing my current knowledge in finance and accounting with relevant marketing tools and being able to clearly understand how the three aspects have played in America's developmental success over the years. By the end of my degree program, I hope to have built relevant professional networks and gained sufficient technical and analytical skills to be able to hold a supervisory position in a U.S.-based company, supervising at least a dozen employees. I want to be able to explore the very succinct details of the American market -- business leadership, consumer and pricing behavior, marketing research and communications, regulatory responses, investment behavior, and so on -- and see how they may have contributed to the country's economic success.

In the long-term, I aspire to be a professor at the University of Kuwait, where I hope to use the knowledge gained in my class and work experiences in America and the United Kingdom to instill the relevant business and financial skills in my students and ensure that they have the proper knowledge base to make an impact in the Kuwait economy and on the global front.

I reckon, however, that achieving this long-term goal will require me to identify the specific cultural, economic, and financial factors that drive business decisions and financial performance in Kuwait. I strongly believe that the marketing analytics and consumer behavior courses at Mays, coupled with the experience that I will possibly gain from engaging in company-sponsored projects and the Center for Retailing Studies program will be crucial in building my market analysis skills. Equipped with the relevant skills to identify and analyze the specific aspects of the market, I will most definitely be better-placed to make a positive impact through my students.

Describe...

My professional journey began XXX years back, when I graduated with a Logistics major (top of my class with a GPA of 3.82 out of a possible 4) at the Arab Academy of Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). I moved to Kuwait soon after and joined Kuwait University for a bachelor's degree in XXX. While in Kuwait, I worked as an administration officer at the Ayedh Rajaan Alazemi Import & Export Commission Co. Ltd. For three years, before moving to the United Kingdom for my postgraduate degree. I secured full sponsorship from Kuwait University, and joined the MS-Accounting and Finance program at Bangor University. In addition to the Kuwait University scholarship, I secured a £5,000 scholarship from Bangor University for maintaining a consistently high GPA. I will be submitting my thesis in June this year, and this means that I will be perfectly-placed to begin my new MS-Marketing program in Mays College in Fall. I would like to mention, however, that I am not attaching any conditions to this admission.
I realized that in order to actualize my long-term goal of becoming a professor, I would have to assume minor leadership roles at various stages. For this reason, I took training classes in negotiation and conflict resolution, and with this knowledge, I have been able to help other students resolve their conflicts and disagreements amicably, without having to involve the authorities in the same. Currently, I am the course representative for the MS-Accounting and Finance class. I strongly believe that this leadership background not only makes me a valuable addition to your team, but also prepares me quite adequately for the challenges that I will possibly meet in my career as a professor.

Well, in addition to this, I conceive myself as a very strong-willed and determined person. Graduating with a first degree in a country with very low literacy levels was not only a major achievement, but also an outward symbol of my strong will and determination to excel. Everything I have achieved has been driven by perseverance and the determination to excel where others couldn't. This is why it didn't come as a surprise that I managed to lose 130 kg to meet the appearance condition from my sponsor. I understand that I will need determination to succeed in my future career, and I am glad that so far, it has paid off.

Ethical Dilemma

As mentioned in an earlier question, I previously worked as an administrative officer at an export and import commission in Kuwait. One of the most indelible ethical dilemmas I faced in the conduction of my duties was having to sign off export and re-export packages under a wrong classification system so the owners would pay less in embargo fees. For instance, the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) in Kuwait required exporters to classify goods based on their end use, destination, and technical characteristics. License fees were charged based on this classification, such that rigid and bulky goods, and those destined for more distant destinations were generally charged more. Company policy required the administrative assistant to oversee exporters' classification and determine the amount in license fee payable based on the export classification numbers provided by the EAR.

Often, however, that was not the case - I would at times receive verbal orders from my superiors to misclassify a particular package. Well, I couldn't tell what the supervisor's interest was in such cases, but it was quite evident was that he derived some form of benefit from the same. Of course my options were limited given that I was only a junior employee; but all the same, I had three alternatives. The first was to file an anonymous complaint with the anti-corruption agency so that no one would know that it was me who gave them away. This would, however, definitely have serious consequences, including getting the company shut down and getting us all arrested. I also considered confronting the supervisor, perhaps because I believed so much in my persuasion skills. However, in so doing, I risked losing my job and being labeled a misfit given that the Asian culture disapproved of questioning those in authority. Finally, there was the option of just playing along, and saving myself, and everybody else, all the uncertainty. Well, the option I eventually took is a topic for another day. However, I can assure you that it made me rather unpopular with my seniors -- but in the final analysis, it was the best…