Personal statement for UC school Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

For UC school - Personal Statement Example In pursuance of this opportunity, I conducted a research on Californian universities and discovered that UC offers diverse programs in social and cultural studies. This would suit my purpose, since I hope to acquire an undergraduate degree in Chinese or Asian culture. I am interested in gaining better understanding of how Asian and Western cultures interrelate, and how people in Western cultures perceive Oriental cultural settings. I believe that this knowledge will play a significant role in unifying people from the diverse cultures, while at the same time fostering productive connections. My passion to understand Asian cultures is driven by the fact that I love interacting with people from different locations around the world. Further, as a former international student, I initially found it hard to fit into the American society and discovered that some of my counterparts from other global settings also experienced some form of cultural shock before adapting fully. Therefore, I believe that by studying Asian cultures and their association with the Western way of life, I may be better placed to help others settle in America with ease. My stay in America has also made it possible for me to make many friends from different backgrounds. This has been highly inspirational, since it is interesting to see how people who differ ideologically or in terms of cultural background co-exist peacefully and productively. An opportunity to study at your institution will, therefore, contribute a great deal toward enabling me achieve my dreams. Apart from my passion to study culture I also love sporting activities and volunteering. This has enabled me to meet different people and learn more about them. For example, I volunteered in Santa Monica hospital where I helped hospital staff serve patients. I enjoyed the experience immensely because it gave me a chance to work with different

The end of Lehman Brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

The end of Lehman Brothers - Essay Example The business used to act as a brokerage firm by taking cotton as payment from its customers. In 1858, the firm opened its first branch in New York City due to the expansion of their operations and trade in the cotton market (â€Å"The Collapse of Lehman Brothers†). The company eventually decided to relocate its headquarters in New York in 1870, and it started its major activity by founding the New York Cotton Exchange. Lehman Brothers operations as an exchange firm in 1899 led to a partnership with Goldman Sachs and company. This was later followed by partnerships with other firms in the twentieth century including joining of the firm by family non-members. In 1969, after the death of Robert Lehman, the company started experiencing challenges in its management because there was no clear successor in the family. These wrangles continued until 1984 when the company was acquired by American Express, and continued with its banking and brokerage operations (â€Å"The Collapse of Lehman Brothers†). From this acquisition, the company acquired other firms over the years up to the year 2001 when it improved its operations and ventured into asset management business. In addition, various circumstances led to the discovery of the historic scandal in Lehman Brothers Inc. Lehman’s collapse was characterized by its involvement in the credit default swaps and sub-prime loan markets; moreover, the mortgage loans are given to American middle-income households at variable rates. In the sub-prime loans market, Lehman Brothers Company sold collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) to its customers and took short positions, which eroded the value of those securities in the market. It used one of its subsidiaries Goldman Sachs to help other customers to short the mortgage bond market, and this precipitated to the collapse of the sub-prime markets. The company’s actions caused what