[LordFishlock]

Some interesting ideas and maybe awards/Competitions/qualifications that I could get involved in to set me apart from other candidates, particularly in an Economics or Philosophy degree? Any ideas appreciated. If there are any people who do these degrees at top unis, what did you do to stand out? Thank you all :-).

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[Juno]

The problem is that this is an open forum with lots of members, and even more people who read but aren't members. So if anyone posts a way to stand out here, millions will read it - and then every other applicant will do the same thing. So you won't stand out and will just become ordinary!

For Economics, think outside the box. Read books and magazines, but don't limit yourself to The Economist, The Undercover Economist and Freakonomics - they're far too popular. There are many other good books out there, so spend a day in the library and find one.

[PQ]

As Juno says - read around.

If you have a good feel for the universities you want to attend then have a look at the research/papers that have been published by that university in your subject.

[LordFishlock]

(Original post by Juno)
The problem is that this is an open forum with lots of members, and even more people who read but aren't members. So if anyone posts a way to stand out here, millions will read it - and then every other applicant will do the same thing. So you won't stand out and will just become ordinary!

For Economics, think outside the box. Read books and magazines, but don't limit yourself to The Economist, The Undercover Economist and Freakonomics - they're far too popular. There are many other good books out there, so spend a day in the library and find one.

Yeah thank you, do you reckon there is any work experience to be done for this type of field? If you do could you PM me? Thank you!

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[Juno]

(Original post by LordFishlock)
Yeah thank you, do you reckon there is any work experience to be done for this type of field? If you do could you PM me? Thank you!

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I don't know where you live. There's no point in me suggesting you go and get work experience with the Bank of England if you live nowhere near there. Even if I did know where you live I don't know your circumstances, so wouldn't be able to suggest anything suitable anyway.

But yes, it is possible to do work experience for Economics. Some people go to an accounting firm or similar. I've even read a PS where someone really related their part time job in retail to the degree - although that might have been for business studies. Some people just go for work experience that is not related at all, because they realise they're still gaining valuable skills.

You need to think about what you can do, what you would like to do, and what is available to you.

[LordFishlock]

(Original post by Juno)
I don't know where you live. There's no point in me suggesting you go and get work experience with the Bank of England if you live nowhere near there. Even if I did know where you live I don't know your circumstances, so wouldn't be able to suggest anything suitable anyway.

But yes, it is possible to do work experience for Economics. Some people go to an accounting firm or similar. I've even read a PS where someone really related their part time job in retail to the degree - although that might have been for business studies. Some people just go for work experience that is not related at all, because they realise they're still gaining valuable skills.

You need to think about what you can do, what you would like to do, and what is available to you.

Yes I know but just general ideas really. Also want to find out about any economics schemes or anything of the sort that exist, but haven't really come about any. Do you think if I asked my uncle who works at ChaseDeVere which is a private banking firm, it would be a worthwhile placement?

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[Pastaferian]

(Original post by LordFishlock)
Some interesting ideas and maybe awards/Competitions/qualifications that I could get involved in to set me apart from other candidates, particularly in an Economics or Philosophy degree? Any ideas appreciated. If there are any people who do these degrees at top unis, what did you do to stand out? Thank you all :-).

I would start by scanning departmental websites for their advice on what they are looking for in your personal statement.

In my chosen field (Medicine) they are very clearly looking for some relevant experience but -much more importantly- hey are interested in the candidate's take on what s/he got out of it. Thus, the ability to talk passionately and insightfully about an experience could be more important than its uniqueness. I don't know if the same is true in your chosen field, but I suspect it might be.

[Rainbow Stalin]

Think and read widely

[millybing]

Millennium Volunteers, Duke of Edinburgh or similar always looks good.

Read widely, as posters have said above. We're in the middle of an economic crisis so economics is a hot topic - are you a Keynesian? What do you think of the austerity plan? If you sound passionate about your subject it really enlivens your application. Discuss your last trip to Athens, for philosophy...

Don't begin all your personal statement sentences with I....

[millybing]

(Original post by LordFishlock)
Yes I know but just general ideas really. Also want to find out about any economics schemes or anything of the sort that exist, but haven't really come about any. Do you think if I asked my uncle who works at ChaseDeVere which is a private banking firm, it would be a worthwhile placement?

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Any work experience is worthwhile. This sounds like a good idea.

[RowingGoose]

Well you don't necessarily have to do course-specific activities. You could get involved in sport or extra-curricular stuff?

I joined my uni rowing club in first year, in second year I became the secretary and in third year I was coaching people. I organise social events, set up/run the facebook page, tell people when training and races are etc, which looks great on CVs.

You could do things like the DoE, or learn an instrument (shows dedication and hard work), or you could work during uni?

[PQ]

(Original post by RowingGoose)
Well you don't necessarily have to do course-specific activities. You could get involved in sport or extra-curricular stuff?

I joined my uni rowing club in first year, in second year I became the secretary and in third year I was coaching people. I organise social events, set up/run the facebook page, tell people when training and races are etc, which looks great on CVs.

You could do things like the DoE, or learn an instrument (shows dedication and hard work), or you could work during uni?

I think the OP is talking about things that could set them apart when applying for university rather than things for applying to jobs/for a CV.

For getting into university courses admissions tutors are academics in that subject - they're only really interested in course-specific activities. Out in the big wide world though it is all the other stuff that makes a difference

[u0b]

Nobel prize in Economics... . Or summer schools, I know that LSE offers them. You have economic competitions for presenting models, I know these are open to all candidates.

But economics is a broad term, look at what facinates you. Such as game theory, corporate finance, IPE...

(Original post by LordFishlock)
Some interesting ideas and maybe awards/Competitions/qualifications that I could get involved in to set me apart from other candidates, particularly in an Economics or Philosophy degree? Any ideas appreciated. If there are any people who do these degrees at top unis, what did you do to stand out? Thank you all :-).

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[RowingGoose]

(Original post by PQ)
I think the OP is talking about things that could set them apart when applying for university rather than things for applying to jobs/for a CV.

For getting into university courses admissions tutors are academics in that subject - they're only really interested in course-specific activities. Out in the big wide world though it is all the other stuff that makes a difference

Ah right, still all the things I said could still apply? They may look for course-specific activities but I wouldn't have thought there's many economics/philosophy activities you can do at 17/18 yrs old except maybe just reading magazines and taking extra interest in the subject i.e. reading journal articles, and writing a really good personal statement? I didn't do any course-specific things for Psychology, I just did lots of sports and said that I've always been interested in human behaviour.

[FO12DY]

(Original post by LordFishlock)
Some interesting ideas and maybe awards/Competitions/qualifications that I could get involved in to set me apart from other candidates, particularly in an Economics or Philosophy degree? Any ideas appreciated. If there are any people who do these degrees at top unis, what did you do to stand out? Thank you all :-).

My best advice?

Don't take any from TSR.


..What a paradox.. perhaps I should say, except this post. (But then, I would say that...).


What I mean to say is, nothing anyone says here is going to be something awesomely unique and making you stand out - at best it might be a recommendation for some scheme which will "look good", no doubt about it, but won't be unique and brilliant because it's a set scheme that takes x number of students every year.

If I had an awesome idea for something unique and original, why would I tell the internet? It just became unoriginal.


Further, if you're being specifically advised to do something to get in, it's never going to be as good as the things you just did. Genuinism (should so be a word) is so much better than "I volunteer at a charity shop". If you love charity, cool story bro, but don't do it just to get in to a university.

[...mo...]

Does work experience count only if it is related. For an Economics degree does retail work count as work experience

[EffieFlowers]

What makes you stand out more is your quality of writing, your knowledge and enthusiasm for what you are planning on studying.

I really think admission tutors care more about that than all this fancy 'spent 8 weeks building canooes in Tanzania using traditional Tanzanian tools' type thing.

[EffieFlowers]

(Original post by ...mo...)
Does work experience count only if it is related. For an Economics degree does retail work count as work experience

Not at all. Would an admissions tutour care about that? I remember reading on the UCAS site that all volunteering/ work experience should be linked to your actual subject, and only then should it be something actually worth while.



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[Juno]

(Original post by EffieFlowers)
Not at all. Would an admissions tutour care about that? I remember reading on the UCAS site that all volunteering/ work experience should be linked to your actual subject, and only then should it be something actually worth while.



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It depends how you can talk about it. As I said earlier, I've read a PS where retail was really linked to the subject and it came over well. So yes, it could count - but only if you can use it

[LordFishlock]

(Original post by Juno)
It depends how you can talk about it. As I said earlier, I've read a PS where retail was really linked to the subject and it came over well. So yes, it could count - but only if you can use it

I really think something like that would be really good in an Economics/PPE degree.

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