Economics UCAS advice/personal statement?

Hi

I've moved your thread to the PS advice forum, as I think you'll get more useful responses here.

Realistically, LSE is a top university, and according to their website, they place a lot of emphasis on the PS. Yes, finance or statistics and finance at LSE will be less competitive than economics, but that's not to say they aren't still going to be very competitive courses. UCL is also a top university, and it's very likely that if they don't want you for economics, they will consider you for closely related courses such as economics and statistics.

Economics is a pretty competitive/popular degree choice anyway, and both LSE and Oxford are very high risk choices, who reject candidates with excellent grades all the time, and you're more likely to be rejected if your PS suggests you aren't 100% sure on your course choices.

I think it would be better to give yourself the best chance of getting into economics, and produce a PS completely tailored to that subject, and consider finding a different, slightly less competitive university for your fifth choice.

You might want to consider having a read of this: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/How_to_Avoid_Getting_5_Rejections

I think you can write a PS that includes finance, economics and stats and dedicate a para to each. They are all interrelated. The best way to go about it is to have a look at what modules each course you're wanting to apply to offers and see what's common between them and focus on those topics.

LSE do place a lot of emphasis on the PS being 100% focused on the course that you are applying for there, so be careful

LSE do place a lot of emphasis on the PS being 100% focused on the course that you are applying for there, so be careful

Yeah, we're pretty much on the same page, applying to top universities for an oversubscribed subject is very risky, however my reading/work experience etc is all related to one of the three which makes me think whether I should go all out for a less competitive option...

What I don't want to do is sacrifice a place at one of those top universities because I went for one of the most competitive courses as i'd be content studying all of them from looking at the course structures. If I was to get rejections from my top 4 it's very likely I would reapply the following year with A2 results. But it seems like I need to explore the subjects even further to make my PS more specific.

At the moment in my personal statement plan, I have chosen to dedicate 90-95% to the academics and then 5-10% on the 'other' section as I have heard admission tutors have recently preferred this ratio, this also gives me enough room to discuss the subjects. I am beginning to think that a 3 subject split however may be too risky...I've definitely taken the advice on board however so thank you!

Any other opinions would be great

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LSE do explicitly say what they want to see in a PS on this page (you have to scroll down a bit) http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/howToApply/departmentalAdmissionsCriteria2016/economics.aspx

If you'd rather study at a top uni, or not at all, and seriously don't mind getting 5 rejections, then your strategy should be somewhat different to the average applicants. However, reapplying with A2 results wouldn't necessarily guarantee you a place (although it would make you a stronger applicant), so you do need to think about plan B (or plan C).

Would it be worth visiting some slightly less prestigious (but still good) universities, and giving them a chance?

Thanks for the LSE link, the personal statement will take a few drafts and soul searching but I think I have the evidence to show my passion as long as I can make that focus on one subject.

The biggest issue with this will probably be the character limit, I expect. I think it's totally possible to demonstrate you are passionate about more than one thing, but it's less easy to do that in 4000 characters, while still showing off everything that makes you a good candidate. The PS really is quite a short piece of writing when you consider everything you have to fit in. Applying to two different subjects just does put you at a disadvantage sometimes, and that is the way it is.

Hopefully it doesn't come to reapplying but I can't see myself gladly attending a university which is not highly reputable,with the current state of the economy and Uni fees potentially rising again I wouldn't want to sacrifice prestige and potentially jeopardise my intended career because I want to start my studies in 2016, I haven't really thought about plan B which is a good point, I think I'll have to hope it works first time around, if I fail to do that then I'll have to get the possible A2 results and apply more cautiously on the gap year I suppose

I have considered applying to some unis with AAB entry requirements but at the same time wonder if it's wise to use an option on a university you wouldn't want to attend

The thing is, there is a gap between applying to a university with a slightly lesser reputation and one that will genuinely make a difference to your career options- Are you hoping to work abroad and looking for a university which is very highly regarded internationally?

Would you rather not go to university at all, or go to one with a slightly lesser reputation?


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Comments in bold.

Yeah I think I'll draft it over the weekend and then get some feedback as to whether it sounds too wishy washy or not. But from there I should have a clearer picture on what I need to cut and then that will hopefully lead me to my course choice

I want to enter a career in Investment Banking which means a target uni (Oxbridge, LSE, UCL, Warwick & Imperial is ideal) I'm also thinking about getting a masters abroad (very far ahead) but going to the best possible university for undergrad makes this a whole lot easier than if I went to a university with less reputation however it would still be doable.


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No further maths at A2? Good luck getting into one of those unis (ie. your chances are extremely slim)

No further maths at A2? Good luck getting into one of those unis (ie. your chances are extremely slim)

I don't know if you're aware of the PS builder, but that should help you see how much content you need in each situation.

I accept in a career like investment banking, university prestige does matter, but do research this a bit further. I would expect there to be people who have done very well for themselves without coming from one of those 5 unis. I can totally understand that you want to give yourself the best possible chance of doing well, and I'm not saying don't aim high, but equally you're talking about unis that reject lots of very stellar candidates every year. Just, if you do aim very high, you need to give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding, and IMO, writing a very tailored PS to one subject is part of that.

Will have a look at the PS builder.

I understand a target university is not the be all and end all and many people come from lower ranked universities and still are successes - I've seen this firsthand during work experience so I'm not doubting that at all, however the majority of a Front Office IB have come from top institutions.

In regards to aiming high, I understand that a one subject PS is ideal, and of course I would do that however econ is very competitive and that's why I've been looking at other courses which are related and less competitive but still offered at the Top Unis so I will aim to make multiple drafts by course and finalise later to the date




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It's your life, and I don't mean that in a snippy way at all. You're the one who has to live with whatever PS you write, and we're just here to advise you. If you believe there's a calculated risk in applying to a less competitive course and having a less tailored PS then go for it. You also have to consider the standard of uni you want to go to and the risks you're willing to take.

Just do bear in mind- Finance at LSE is still a competitive course, it's not, say Czech Studies at Bristol (meaning no disrespect to anyone doing that particular course).

We do see a lot of people on TSR who say they want to apply for a very competitive course at 5 top/top-ish universities, who haven't really thought it through at all. However, I do feel like you've thought this through more than some people, and if this is what you want to do, then go for it.

The thing is, you've still got lots of time to change your mind. Don't forget you can add choices even after the Oxbridge deadline, so you can change your mind right up until January if you're not sure what your fifth choice should be.

Maybe try writing two sample personal statements- one for Econ, and one for Econ and Finance, and seeing what the differences are and what the strengths and weaknesses are for each one.

No further maths at A2? Good luck getting into one of those unis (ie. your chances are extremely slim)