PERSONAL STATEMENT

I deeply wish application procedures to universities were anonymized. A quick google search of
my name would lead you to find a delusional thirteen-year old’s enraged reviews for doctors in
multiple hospitals in UAE. I’ve never yearned to be a celebrity like most because I believe fame
takes interesting people and thrusts mediocrity upon them. The only parallel of fame I’ve
experienced is when I walk into a hospital for the third time in a month as a sadistic child
hoping to hear her grand diagnosis. I walked away each time with a referral to a psychologist
and a completely healthy body. Hypochondria forced me to study and understand the health
and insurance industry from the age of thirteen. Recognizing that I could not be an effective
caregiver, I set my sight on the insurance industry that helped me suffice my anxieties enough
to lead a healthy life.

I started focusing on Mathematics in school and enrolled myself in national level mathematic
examinations and Olympiads. By high school, I was securing ranks at emirate and national
levels. Mathematics acquainted me to the rush from problem solving. I took up commerce with
mathematics to heavily concentrate on the subject. Alongside academics, I also held a number
of roles at school including Prefect, House Captain, and Chair of our Future Leaders scheme.
These roles helped me develop my time management, organizational, and leadership skills, as
well as gave me a sense of responsibility. I was heavily involved with my local throwball team
which has helped me develop my already strong sense of working well as a team. I gained
interest in statistics and economics and its intersectionality with mathematics over time. This
persuaded me to move to Kerala to pursue a degree in Economics specializing in Mathematics.
Sacred heart college opened an array of opportunities for research and strict learning while
providing an intellectual grounding in India’s history and culture.

Skimming through a textbook in the library one evening, risk theory caught my eye. It was
exhilarating to see that my biggest fear could be quantified and combated. Further delving into
the subject reaffirmed my interest in statistics. By the second year, I had decided to pursue a
career in Risk management. I devoted my extra time to studying risk modelling, data
interpretation and risk analysis. The visit from Tanvi Doshi, the youngest actuary in India
grounded my decision in pursuing actuarial science. In my third year, I published my
dissertation on “Analyzing the effects of health care costs from birth to death on the health
sector in India”.

Outside of the classroom, I have been preparing myself for my career and study. I undertook an
internship during my bachelors at a major manufacturer and marketer of home appliances,
Whirlpool. I shadowed top professionals from whom I learned how to navigate the corporate
set-up. This experience helped my ability to work effectively with a team and efficiently
complete tasks within the given time frame. The time at the company also guided me on how
to engage in communication professionally and effectively.
Lockdown gave me the opportunity to explore the theoretical literature in statistics and
mathematics. I used most of the time during the turmoil of covid -19 worrying and waiting for it
to pass so I can go back to social distancing on my own terms. The rest of my time I used to
attend online courses in Spreadsheet modelling, Statistics, R, statistical Inference and Modeling
for High-throughput Experiments by Harvard university. I also took the opportunity to do an
internship in Al wasl trading group , a company that specializes in providing high-end defense
and security solutions to Abu Dhabi Police, GHQ of Armed Forces, Dubai Police, the Presidential
Guard, Ministry of Interior, and other defense and security authorities in UAE. This experience
helped me to focus on customer analysis as it is a key to sustainability. It helped me to build in
the areas of creating reports, quoting and negotiating prices, building customer relations,
conducting competitive analysis and utilizing MS Excel and SQL to analyze and fact check data.

After completing my graduation, I was offered an Accountant executive position at Aon plc.,
one of the leading insurance brokers in the world. The ten-month long experience in the firm
reiterated my passion to become an actuary. I got to work closely with actuaries and listen to
and understand their practical and professional experiences. Notifying the administration of my
interest in the field, I was given the opportunity to intern with the actuarial section. Using
graphical and analytical tools to analyze data, creating ad hoc reports, using MS Excel and
access to manipulate data gave me the necessary practical insight into the field. I also got to
develop my skills in MS Access, SQL, R and MS Excel.

The pandemic made it evident the increasing necessity for identification and control of
potential risk. I recognize that Actuarial science is a relatively new field and so I plan to move
into research. I think that furthering academic literature and study in this field will be a net
asset to every economic and social structure. The volatility of today’s financial and social world
creates complex issues and the need to solve them. I believe the education and exposure from
this degree will equip me with the necessary skills to make financial sense of the future. After
graduation, I intend to continue my research career in the area of health insurance. I chose the
University of Leicester because I believe the M.Sc. Actuarial science with Data analytics degree
is the best road to reaching my goal. As a university that prides itself in being ranked in the top
25 universities in the Times Higher Education REF Research Power rankings, I believe the
exposure and education in the University of Leicester will be my next best step.