Shabsherv

Can anyone evaluate my SOP? I always loved mathematics. It seemed to me mysterious as a game and fulfilling when a problem is being solved. However, when I got older, developed the idea that mathematics is just a game is not the whole story. Through my bachelor, I took courses in various fields from geometry to probability and statistics. For the bachelor project, I elaborated a paper named “A Problem in Cartography” by John Milnor, a discussion on which is the best way to project a sphere on a plane. I continued my studies in Pure Mathematics, getting admission from Sharif university of technology by achieving rank 28 in Master University Entry exam. At Sharif, after taking “Real Analysis”, “Ergodic Theory” and “Stochastic Analysis” became interested in stochastic processes. They seemed to include thorough theoretical concepts and a broad range of applications in the real world, satisfying my desires. Moreover, my country and the world has been suffering myriads of financial crises. Therefore, more complex and accurate financial instruments are needed. Specifically, I am interested in improving option pricing model of Black-Scholes, having unrealistic assumptions toward the market. For instance, consider the neglect of liquidity risk a factor causing the 2008 crisis and the constant mean and volatility of stock price that contrasts with the market, switching regimes now and then. As my A grades of “Real Analysis”, “Ergodic Theory” and “Stochastic Analysis” indicates, I have a professional background in stochastic processes. And with the diverse math courses, taken during my bachelor and master, I have the ability of perceiving problems more easily. Nonetheless, option pricing is not all about mathematics. Eventually, one has to develop a basic understanding of financial and economical understanding. As so, I obtained the requirement by auditing “Mathematical Finance”, “Financial Econometrics”, “Microeconomics”, “Financial Engineering” and “Foundations of Economics” during the 1-year gap through my master. In addition, I acquired R programming skills which seems to be vital with the increasing complex calculations, including time series analysis, statistics and deep learning. However, my bachelor GPA is 2.9 and is lower than the required one, my master GPA is 3.9, showing my significant improvement. The “Math and Stats” MA program, offered by York university is an exact choice for me. According to the faculty website, there are many professors maintaining a research interest on this subject (Probability and Stochastic processes), specially professor Hyejin Ku, working on option pricing by weakening or removing some assumptions made by Black-Scholes model. And the probability stream required courses fits well with my background. Moreover, the offering of Financial Engineering Diploma a cooperation with Schulich School of Business, not only provide me with an opportunity to get to know more about the industries but also a well-rounded career. As a result, the whole program strengthens students in both theoretical and industrial aspects of Financial Mathematics. There are two reasons why I am applying for MA. First, I’m not that professional in research since my master is non-thesis. In addition, it only takes one year so, I can start my PHD much faster.