Personal Statement

My proposed area of study at PhD.program is marketing, with a particular focus on consumer behavior. My market research studies in both China and Canada spurred my interest in pursuing the subject further. The psychological underpinnings of consumer interactions within different environments—social, cultural, and emotional—fascinate me. I have always been curious about how others make purchase decisions among millions of products from various brands. For me, shopping has often felt like a chore, since I consider utility, price, brand, and other factors that highly influence my consumer behavior. During my studies, I have explored this behavior by engaging in consumer-oriented studies, seeking rational patterns behind purchasing decisions. My bicultural and bilingual background provide a strong basis for researching both western and eastern people’s consumer behaviors.

The robust, varied and international nature of my research experiences has taught me that to be a top researcher, I must enhance the scientific skills and techniques I deploy. I hope to further develop my skill set, with particular reference to consumer behavior, at UBC. I am aware that stepping up to a more demanding academic context in my PhD studies would entail various challenges, which would be compounded by the length of time that I have to live far from my family. Nonetheless, my prior experiences, along with my strong academic performance in statistics, marketing, and behavioral science, have ensured I am equipped with the confidence, passion, motivation, curiosity, and communication skills to overcome such difficulties. As such, I believe I would enrich and advance my knowledge of marketing and consumer behavior, which would lead, ultimately, to publishing my work to the benefit of scholarship on my areas of interest.

My major research focus is the social, cultural, and emotional influences on consumer behavior, responses to brands and their consequent decision-making. My undergraduate...