Starting from considering how to best allocate my childhood toys, I have always been fond of making things better. With this interest in mind, I began to pave my way toward becoming a top consultant aiming to help people make optimal decisions. My hands-on experiences with real world problems have greatly shaped my commitment to, and passion for, this field.
Two years ago, a project of optimizing supermarket layout triggered my passion for optimization.
After field research, my team found suboptimal arrangement in the commodity and food department.
Based on planning layout theory and special requirements of the supermarket, we proposed a new design of the entire store layout and conducted five experiments to analyze our recommendations with descriptive statistics. The result proved that our design could decrease product search time by 30 percent. I was attracted to the strong sense of achievement brought by solving real-life problems. This experience of combining my fundamental industrial engineering knowledge with daily life made me realize my enduring passion for optimization.
To further sharpen my optimization skills beyond coursework, I interned at the Tianjin Medical University Subsidiary Hospital. During my internship, I worked in a team of five to evaluate the fire escape routes connected to high-rise patient rooms. After field researching and meeting with doctors, we used Simio to build a fire escape model for a total area of 2903 square meters. By applying descriptive statistics, we
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compared escape times across different inspection systems and patient ratios. Finally, we used AVOVA to confirm the variance, which concluded that this hospital was indeed capable of supporting excellent fire escapes, with an inspection system that could raise efficiency.
It was thrilling to simulate and improve real life with my technical skills, which, in this case, could actually save lives.
As excellence in consulting also requires top interpersonal and management skills, I have pursued a number of leadership opportunities at Nankai University. While leading the Art Department of the Student Union, I organized several talent shows and competitions involving more than 300 people each. I devised a project plan and distributed the work across eight team members. I was thrilled to see every event go off without a hitch, and such experience has further boosted my confidence for my chosen career path.
Up to now, I have received strong training in industrial engineering, and I have also realized the importance of leadership skills to my future career. Rutgers University is my prior choice owing to its prestigious department of Industrial and System Engineering. The Master of Science program provides not only professional context in IE, but also leadership training, which is a must for me as a consultant in the future. The well-equipped laboratories such as Facilities and Layout lab are extraordinary and really attracting to me. In addition, I am excited to find that students will have opportunity to gain real-world experience, and there is no better training than hands-on solving real world challenges. With world-class faculty, facilities, as well as opportunities, I look forward to taking my skills to the next level as a student at Rutgers University.