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University of York
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PPE or Economics?

My place for PPE has been confirmed, but I've recently been thinking about my choice, and come to believe that an economics course would suit me better; economics was the subject I was mainly interested in anyways. I believe it to be a superior degree in terms of employability, too. On the other side, PPE has slightly higher requirements and looks like the "flagship" course at York.

What do you guys think?

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Reply 1
PPE :yucky:
University of York
York
Reply 2
Original post by inhuman
PPE :yucky:


Any reason or you're just biased haha?
Reply 3
Original post by Adrono
Any reason or you're just biased haha?


Both.
Reply 4
Original post by inhuman
Both.


So, why would you advice me to stick to PPE?
Reply 5
Original post by Adrono
So, why would you advice me to stick to PPE?


That was a vomit emoji. I was saying PPE ugh. Lol.

Economics all the way man. You want to do something real, rigorous.
Reply 6
Original post by inhuman
That was a vomit emoji. I was saying PPE ugh. Lol.

Economics all the way man. You want to do something real, rigorous.


Aahhhhh ok hahaha

Posted from TSR Mobile
I'm in a bit of a similar dilemma, but I'm favouring Economics as I'm better at maths than essays and PPE would involve a LOT of essays, and I ideally want a 1st. So do the one you think you'll get the highest classification in, and the one most relevant to your preferred career.
Reply 8
Original post by JRKinder
I'm in a bit of a similar dilemma, but I'm favouring Economics as I'm better at maths than essays and PPE would involve a LOT of essays, and I ideally want a 1st. So do the one you think you'll get the highest classification in, and the one most relevant to your preferred career.


Well I'm very good at essays, though I'm not sure if I would enjoy that kind of assessement at university. On the other hand, I'm not that big fan of math; but economics isn't just about that right hah?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Adrono
Well I'm very good at essays, though I'm not sure if I would enjoy that kind of assessement at university. On the other hand, I'm not that big fan of math; but economics isn't just about that right hah?
Depends which modules you choose to take, and which uni. For example the London ones are very maths-based, in fact about 2/3 of the course at LSE in the first year is stats/maths. On the other hand, units like Political Economy or Economic History, or even just more theory work I imagine will be quite essay-based. So you can usually pick and choose, you'd have to look into the course at York to see how much you can do this. But to me, it sounds like you'd suit PPE well, so go for it if you want!

Edit: Economics overall might be more useful for careers such as finance. What job are you aiming for after uni?
Reply 10
Original post by JRKinder
Depends which modules you choose to take, and which uni. For example the London ones are very maths-based, in fact about 2/3 of the course at LSE in the first year is stats/maths. On the other hand, units like Political Economy or Economic History, or even just more theory work I imagine will be quite essay-based. So you can usually pick and choose, you'd have to look into the course at York to see how much you can do this. But to me, it sounds like you'd suit PPE well, so go for it if you want!

Edit: Economics overall might be more useful for careers such as finance. What job are you aiming for after uni?


I am considering finance, and I intend to apply for IB spring insight weeks once at York. Besides, my plan was to pursue the economics pathaway within the PPE course anyways, so I think I'll most likely go for economics, as I can take additional modules on interesting topics like industrial and financial economics.

Appreciate your advice :smile:.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by JRKinder
I'm in a bit of a similar dilemma, but I'm favouring Economics as I'm better at maths than essays and PPE would involve a LOT of essays, and I ideally want a 1st. So do the one you think you'll get the highest classification in, and the one most relevant to your preferred career.


do a maths degree
Original post by Adrono
I am considering finance, and I intend to apply for IB spring insight weeks once at York. Besides, my plan was to pursue the economics pathaway within the PPE course anyways, so I think I'll most likely go for economics, as I can take additional modules on interesting topics like industrial and financial economics.

Appreciate your advice :smile:.
Well a very knowledgeable user on here is Princepieman, who gave me advice when I asked a similar question. He told me that banks tend to look for intelligent individuals first, whilst the degree course is secondary (as they train you in what you need to know), although IB's do have certain target universities (Oxbridge, Londons, Warwick). If you can get on a spring insight week then that'll put you in a good position. But yeah, Economics sounds great - it's what I hope to study in a year's time :biggrin:

Happy to help!
Reply 13
Original post by JRKinder
Well a very knowledgeable user on here is Princepieman, who gave me advice when I asked a similar question. He told me that banks tend to look for intelligent individuals first, whilst the degree course is secondary (as they train you in what you need to know), although IB's do have certain target universities (Oxbridge, Londons, Warwick). If you can get on a spring insight week then that'll put you in a good position. But yeah, Economics sounds great - it's what I hope to study in a year's time :biggrin:

Happy to help!


Yeye I know princ, I follow the 2016 spring weeks thread regularly. I'd not choose Economics purely for IB, it's just that I think I'll enjoy it more, plus it's a more of an international type of degree and I believe it looks better on CV for most job positions (at least those related to the economics field).

Had an offer from Warwick but, unfortunately, I missed it, so I'm going to York instead. Good luck with your future studies :smile:!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Adrono
Yeye I know princ, I follow the 2016 spring weeks thread regularly. I'd not choose Economics purely for IB, it's just that I think I'll enjoy it more, plus it's a more of an international type of degree and I believe it looks better on CV for most job positions (at least those related to the economics field).

Had an offer from Warwick but, unfortunately, I missed it, so I'm going to York instead. Good luck with your future studies :smile:!
Ah right, he's definitely the one to go to with any IB questions! I agree with you though, I'd do PPE at Oxford obviously but I'd be a bit more hesitant when compared with Economics elsewhere. It's a shame that Oxford's only other Economics course is duel honours with Management, bleh :s-smilie:

Oh that must be annoying for you, still York's a lovely place to be at, I know a guy going there for Maths and Stats actually. Thanks, I already have my grades and am actually just starting a gap year so I'll be reapplying to unis as soon as the next cycle opens!
Reply 15
Original post by Adrono
Yeye I know princ, I follow the 2016 spring weeks thread regularly. I'd not choose Economics purely for IB, it's just that I think I'll enjoy it more, plus it's a more of an international type of degree and I believe it looks better on CV for most job positions (at least those related to the economics field).

Had an offer from Warwick but, unfortunately, I missed it, so I'm going to York instead. Good luck with your future studies :smile:!


What subjects did you do?
I would say economics
Reply 17
Original post by Rajive
What subjects did you do?


I'm Italian so it's a bit different here. Schools are divided by type and we get to choose one at the age of 13-14. Mine was "Liceo Scientifico", comprehensive of many subjects including History, Philosophy, Italian, Latin and English Literature, with a focus on Math, Natural Sciences, Physics. All contribute to the final grade.

Bit of a strange system to anyone who's not familiar with it.
Reply 18
Original post by JRKinder
Ah right, he's definitely the one to go to with any IB questions! I agree with you though, I'd do PPE at Oxford obviously but I'd be a bit more hesitant when compared with Economics elsewhere. It's a shame that Oxford's only other Economics course is duel honours with Management, bleh :s-smilie:

Oh that must be annoying for you, still York's a lovely place to be at, I know a guy going there for Maths and Stats actually. Thanks, I already have my grades and am actually just starting a gap year so I'll be reapplying to unis as soon as the next cycle opens!


I think I would like Economics & Management quite a lot.

Yes I like York, it looks like fun and the city is beautiful, though coming from Rome I hope that I won't find it too small for my tastes haha. I am sure, regardless, that the campus and the community feeling will make up for it.

My only thought about coming to York is that, here in Italy, I'd be getting almost free secondary education, while in the UK it's 9000 pounds a year + living expenses + loan interests, which is quite a lot. I just hope that my degree isn't only going to allow me to have a wonderful experience but also provide me with a clear advantage in terms of career prospects.

I know that Warwick has plenty of contacts with the industry and the world of finance, but I'm not too sure about York, to be honest. It indeed is a top university, but would the extra money be worth it, in the long run? Italian universities are not that good and won't give you the resources to help you with your career, but, again, they do cost much less.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Adrono
I think I would like Economics & Management quite a lot.

Yes I like York, it looks like fun and the city is beautiful, though coming from Rome I hope that I won't find it too small for my tastes haha. I am sure, regardless, that the campus and the community feeling will make up for it.

My only thought about coming to York is that, here in Italy, I'd be getting almost free secondary education, while in the UK it's 9000 pounds a year + living expenses + loan interests, which is quite a lot. I just hope that my degree isn't only going to allow me to have a wonderful experience but also provide me with a clear advantage in terms of career prospects.

I know that Warwick has plenty of contacts with the industry and the world of finance, but I'm not too sure about York, to be honest. It indeed is a top university, but would the extra money be worth it, in the long run? Italian universities are not that good and won't give you the resources to help you with your career, but, again, they do cost much less.
Oh wow, Rome! I'm planning to visit Rome next year actually, the closest I've been otherwise is Naples. I can't promise York will live up to Rome's standards, at least in size, but it's a very nice city so hopefully you'll like it there. Yeah British universities are among the world's best but that comes at a hefty price tag, iirc York is a Russell Group uni too which are particularly well regarded in Britain's job market. Do you plan to return to Italy after uni or stay here? If you do decide to go back then studying abroad is always well-regarded, and if you stay here then York is a well-known and recognised university. I'm sorry but I don't really know a lot about Italian unis so I can't really comment on whether paying to come to the UK would be 'worth it' in comparison, although I can see why the lack of student loans and such would be attractive. In my opinion, it will be because the right degree can potentially add hundreds of thousands more to your lifetime earnings, but you'll have to weigh that up against your knowledge of Italian unis at no cost.

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