Being born into a family that has always encouraged utilizing to the fullest extent our inherent gifts, I have excelled in every academic venture I have undertaken, maintaining almost a decade of conceptual continuity in both my professional and scholastic endeavors.  I have adopted my parents’ standards of how to conduct yourself in life, to be disciplined, persistent in your pursuits and above all to work hard at everything you do.  I have an inquisitive nature, and enjoy challenges and mysteries.  I resolved to take on the intellectual challenges offered by marketing, a discipline that is a direct reflection of my family’s work, one that has a research and consulting firm to its credit.

Indeed, my homeland of Kuwait is an interesting environment in which to have pursued undergraduate marketing.  The population of Kuwait totals approximately 3.5 million people, and yet 2 million are non-nationals, hailing from Arab, Asian and other descents, reflecting an array of languages, ethnicities and creeds.  Moreover, 40% of the population is under the age of 18, an aspect of society that has fueled my desire to research the impact of advertising on children and teenagers, versus adults. 

My research has shown that in the US alone, over $15 billion is spent annually on by advertising firms trying to reach children, and the trend is only increasing.  Even more interesting, in terms of globalization and multinational firms, 80% of globally recognized products have marketing strategies for reaching children and teens.  The BostonCollege has even linked “immersion in consumer culture and depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and conflicts with parents”.  In terms of my research, I would like to examine what the impacts truly are under the headings of marketing and consumer behavior.  Is it alarmist or realistic to equate child and teen advertising with obesity, sexual dysfunction, and future financial mismanagement?  And also, to what extent do cultural and religious factors affect these alleged issues?

 Adding to my appreciation of cultural and religious differences, my travels have taken me to over 16 foreign countries across four continents.  While many speak of the ideals of culturally competent students, I have reached a level few could ever hope to attain, living, working, being educated effectively interacting with people of many lands, and being able to speak two languages proficiently.  As I continue my education in Marketing, my experiences and the places I have been are becoming more clearly organized, and tempered.  I can more readily see and process all that I have known of foreign lands and place them logically in the framework of my developing worldview.

 The ideal post-graduation would be to enter into an academic situation accredited by the AACSB, reaching burgeoning marketing professionals, and future academicians.  In addition, I would like to make greater contributions to my family’s research and consulting firm, eventually acting as general manager.  Simultaneously, in my ten-year plan, I have added the goal of publishing two or three books on the subject of marketing.  And this brings me to a very important point: less than three books are issued in Arabic in all marketing-related subjects annually, with some simply being translations from English.  I feel that I can do a great deal, and will have much to offer in terms of enriching the Arab marketing library.  To date, I have begun developing this dream of mine, have completed two e-books, and am developing two research papers that will provide a good foundation for my future publications.

 I bring with me to the XXXX College highly developed research abilities, as well as the ability to multi-task, manage my time effectively, and work under stress.  In truth, historically I have managed my time well between work, study and volunteer work, while managing my own research and consulting company – focused on the areas of marketing and consumer behavior - at the same time.

 The XXXX College is my sole choice for academic development, and would be proud to be her first Kuwaiti student and future alumni.  I would like to take this opportunity to mention my full-sponsorship from my alma mater, KuwaitUniversity, a scholarship that will attend to my every financial need, adding stability to my tenure with Eller.  More importantly, many aspects of XXXX College, including the student to teacher ratio, emphasis on publishing research, customizable curriculum, opportunities to teach, access to research funding and small class sizes are highly impressive and ideal for my studies.

 I look forward to adding to the diversity of XXXX’s student body, contributing my unique perspectives and learning from my colleagues and impressive faculty.  I thank you for your time, consideration and look forward to a personal interview.