Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
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Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
I'm interested in either Economics or Economics with Econometrics. So basically what's it like at York, and how is the course/department? Also what are graduate opportunities (employment/postgraduate education) like?
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by cool beans
like me
it's alright i said.
Thanks for the reply. Sorry for earlier, I didn't realise you actually read economics at York. Do you think you could elaborate on 'it's alright'? How do you find the course? Is it challenging and does it cover everything very thoroughly, or is it a bit light? How are the econometric modules taught and do they cover everything properly? How are the lecturers? What's the university like?
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
I've only just finished first year (yesterday infact) so, my insight might not be as in depth as you would like, i'll try my best though.
How do you find the course?
It's fairly good. Quite a lot of choice in modules in second and third years. In first year you only get to chose between either easier or harder stats and easier or harder maths. Oh and one elective.. not much option. Anyway, there are only two modules in first year that are directly about economics. Economics 1 and Economic Policy 1. The former is split equally as you would expect, micro and macro. Thats where all the theory and stuff is. The latter is just about various policy ideas, minimum wage, nationalization/privatization etc. The other modules are either economic history or solely about maths or stats.. There isn't anything to do with economics in them at this stage, so they do feel a bit tedious.
Is it challenging and does it cover everything very thoroughly, or is it a bit light?
The course is pretty challenging, at least from first year i can say that i since i have no prior econ knowledge (didn't do a level) i had quite a catch up to do. Expect to have a fairly easy time if you did a level, but it doesnt mean you can get complecent about it.. i saw a couple of people make that mistake. Anyway, you can go into as much depth round the modules as you feel. So you can chose how challenging you want to make it basically.
How are the econometric modules taught and do they cover everything properly?
Don't really know, like i said - in first year it is only strictly maths and stats. Actually, next year i'm not doing much econometrics because I'm moving more towards the financial side - not the statistical side.
How are the lecturers?
Varies. It's hard to make a real judgement as the idea of lecturing is, of course, relatively new to me. Some of them are absolutely shocking. I didn't either both going to a lot of lectures this term tbh, I felt an hour in front of the textbook might have been more valuable. (This probably is the case at every university to an extent..?)
What's the university like?
It's pretty good, nice campus and people. The university generally attracts a lot of fairly liberal minded and genuine people, which is nice. I must mention actually, i do get the feeling that the economics department is not as well run as some of the other departments.. but it's not bad by half.
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by cool beans
I've only just finished first year (yesterday infact) so, my insight might not be as in depth as you would like, i'll try my best though.
[...]
hope that helps.
Thanks for the reply, that's actually really helpful. Also, one last thing, how is the library and resources available to students? I'm not too worried about whether there are lots of computers available or not since as far as I'm aware everyone has access to broadband in their room, but what about journals, ebooks, borrowing from the library, and resources specifically aimed at economics students?
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by .ACS.
Thanks for the reply, that's actually really helpful. Also, one last thing, how is the library and resources available to students? I'm not too worried about whether there are lots of computers available or not since as far as I'm aware everyone has access to broadband in their room, but what about journals, ebooks, borrowing from the library, and resources specifically aimed at economics students?
Thanks.
The library is pretty good. I don't know what it's like in comparision to any other university, so I can't compare. Basically, there is a large section in the library devoted to economics. Every topic is covered in depth, with quite a few copies of the key books. In the busy times (like exams, essay deadlines looming etc) you can easily place a booking request, so everyone gets it for one week. I find it a really efficient system. Like, sometimes i request a book not expecting to have it anywhere near the time i need it, but they come a round fast.
Also, if you're absolutely desperate, there is a "key texts" section, which means you can request a book for a maximum 4 hour slot, so everyone gets an oppotunity to see the texts. Hefty fines (£1 per hour) means that you're also guarenteed to get the book when you need it.
With regard to ebooks and journals, i don't really know. In my econ history lectures i was given quite a few web references to follow up, but i confess i didn't bother. I do know that the library does have access to things like JSTOR though .
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Hi I've just finished my second year doing economics at York.
I'll answer the questions as cool beans did above.
How did you find the course?
In the first year I think it's about bringing everyone up to the same level. If you've not done A Level then they'll be lots to learn and you may well have to do more private study than those who have done A Level in order to make sure you understand the key concepts. Although that doesn't mean those with A Level can sit back. There is a bit more to it than repeating A Level, in fact you'll probably realise how basic A Level is! Economics 1 is the core micro and macro stuff, the lecturer is crazy but that's part of the fun! Then of course there's economic policy, Mathematical Techniques in Economics/Maths 1 (lower level/higher level), Intro Stats/Intro to Statistical Theory(L/H), Historical perspectives on LR growth and an elective which can be within the department or something like politics or sociology. (I did sociology). The economic history modules are actually really good, mainly because of the lecturers (Sue in particular - you may meet her one day!) I found some of the other modules a bit tedious, the second year is much better!
Second and third year brings loads more choice. Sounds as though you'll be focusing on econometrics though you can do finance modules, economic history as well as economics of course! Micro and Macro will be compulsory for straight economics courses but there's lots of other econ choices too. You won't have done any specific econometrics courses in the first year so this year will be the first. Econometrics for Economists (compulsory module) is well taught I think. The lecturer writes on OHT sheets and we just copied it all down. Better than just being handed the notes as it doesn't really go in. The tutorials/seminars (I'll come to those in a minute) and exercises support the lectures well. I know some people who did an optional econometrics module, Econometric Theory, and they found it quite hard but possible with a lot of work. The group was quite small (<20) as not many people choose to do econometrics!
All modules have seminars/tutorials (no real difference in the economics department though in other departments a seminar is group discussion time (circa 15 people) and tutorials are in groups of 5 or so.) Economics tutorials are led by PhD students in first year but some lecturers take them in 2nd/3rd year. There's usually around 10-15 people and we just go through that week's exercise. The tutor may ask for the answers from the group (either verbal or written on the board) but some tutors just explain all the answers themselves. You can raise any queries in this time as it's slightly less intimidating than asking a question during a lecture! Economic history modules are a bit different and require a lot more participation, you may have to do group presentations or certainly get involved in the discussion.
A succint answer is I find the course to be pretty good!
Is it challenging and does it cover everything very thoroughly, or is it a bit light?
It's quite challenging. There will always be things that take some work to understand and things that make no sense until the tutor has gone through them. Talking specifically about tutorial questions, some things will be obvious but most things will require you to thoroughly engage with the lecture material and reading before you attempt them.
I would say most things are covered quite thoroughly, as you go thorough the degree things will be covered more in depth particularly in micro/macro and stats. I definitely wouldn't call it "light" though.
How are the econometric modules taught and do they cover everything properly?
The two modules I know of are taught with lectures and tutorials. The lectures are introducing the material and the tutorial exercises are designed to check you have understood the modules, and more importantly that you can apply the theory to numerical examples. Ooh and econometrics for economists has a project worth 30% of the mark which I found quite interesting.
When you ask whether they cover everything. What exactly do you mean? They cover everything you'll need to know for the exams but whether they cover everything people would expect an econometrics grad to know, I'm not sure! (what do people expect econometrics module to cover?)
How are the lecturers?
As cool beans said, they do vary. Some are very good and some are awful. There was one in my first year who could barely speak English and was really hard to understand. In some modules you can miss a lot of lectures and easily catch up because the notes are put up on the web. Though I still think it's better to have a lecturer explain it. They all know their stuff but some are better at teaching than others. On the whole I would say in the first year about 40% were really good, 50% okay and 10% awful. Second year was 50% really good and 50% okay. (Just my experience - it will vary depending on which modules you choose).
What's the university like?
Really good! Everyone is incredibly friendly and you'll easily find people you get along with. I hope you like ducks. The economics department was in the student press a lot recently for taking so long to mark exams, up to 19 weeks, but most modules are actually much quicker than that! Still, if you ask a current student they would probably say they think the economics department is quite inefficient but actually economics students will tell you it's not that bad. I think the admin staff are really nice and always helpful! The lecturers aren't bad either and they're always telling you to go and see them in their office hours if you're stuck on anything.
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by Rachel1188
Hi I've just finished my second year doing economics at York.
I'll answer the questions as cool beans did above.
How did you find the course?
In the first year I think it's about bringing everyone up to the same level. If you've not done A Level then they'll be lots to learn and you may well have to do more private study than those who have done A Level in order to make sure you understand the key concepts. Although that doesn't mean those with A Level can sit back. There is a bit more to it than repeating A Level, in fact you'll probably realise how basic A Level is! Economics 1 is the core micro and macro stuff, the lecturer is crazy but that's part of the fun! Then of course there's economic policy, Mathematical Techniques in Economics/Maths 1 (lower level/higher level), Intro Stats/Intro to Statistical Theory(L/H), Historical perspectives on LR growth and an elective which can be within the department or something like politics or sociology. (I did sociology). The economic history modules are actually really good, mainly because of the lecturers (Sue in particular - you may meet her one day!) I found some of the other modules a bit tedious, the second year is much better!
Second and third year brings loads more choice. Sounds as though you'll be focusing on econometrics though you can do finance modules, economic history as well as economics of course! Micro and Macro will be compulsory for straight economics courses but there's lots of other econ choices too. You won't have done any specific econometrics courses in the first year so this year will be the first. Econometrics for Economists (compulsory module) is well taught I think. The lecturer writes on OHT sheets and we just copied it all down. Better than just being handed the notes as it doesn't really go in. The tutorials/seminars (I'll come to those in a minute) and exercises support the lectures well. I know some people who did an optional econometrics module, Econometric Theory, and they found it quite hard but possible with a lot of work. The group was quite small (<20) as not many people choose to do econometrics!
All modules have seminars/tutorials (no real difference in the economics department though in other departments a seminar is group discussion time (circa 15 people) and tutorials are in groups of 5 or so.) Economics tutorials are led by PhD students in first year but some lecturers take them in 2nd/3rd year. There's usually around 10-15 people and we just go through that week's exercise. The tutor may ask for the answers from the group (either verbal or written on the board) but some tutors just explain all the answers themselves. You can raise any queries in this time as it's slightly less intimidating than asking a question during a lecture! Economic history modules are a bit different and require a lot more participation, you may have to do group presentations or certainly get involved in the discussion.
A succint answer is I find the course to be pretty good!
Is it challenging and does it cover everything very thoroughly, or is it a bit light?
It's quite challenging. There will always be things that take some work to understand and things that make no sense until the tutor has gone through them. Talking specifically about tutorial questions, some things will be obvious but most things will require you to thoroughly engage with the lecture material and reading before you attempt them.
I would say most things are covered quite thoroughly, as you go thorough the degree things will be covered more in depth particularly in micro/macro and stats. I definitely wouldn't call it "light" though.
How are the econometric modules taught and do they cover everything properly?
The two modules I know of are taught with lectures and tutorials. The lectures are introducing the material and the tutorial exercises are designed to check you have understood the modules, and more importantly that you can apply the theory to numerical examples. Ooh and econometrics for economists has a project worth 30% of the mark which I found quite interesting.
When you ask whether they cover everything. What exactly do you mean? They cover everything you'll need to know for the exams but whether they cover everything people would expect an econometrics grad to know, I'm not sure! (what do people expect econometrics module to cover?)
How are the lecturers?
As cool beans said, they do vary. Some are very good and some are awful. There was one in my first year who could barely speak English and was really hard to understand. In some modules you can miss a lot of lectures and easily catch up because the notes are put up on the web. Though I still think it's better to have a lecturer explain it. They all know their stuff but some are better at teaching than others. On the whole I would say in the first year about 40% were really good, 50% okay and 10% awful. Second year was 50% really good and 50% okay. (Just my experience - it will vary depending on which modules you choose).
What's the university like?
Really good! Everyone is incredibly friendly and you'll easily find people you get along with. I hope you like ducks. The economics department was in the student press a lot recently for taking so long to mark exams, up to 19 weeks, but most modules are actually much quicker than that! Still, if you ask a current student they would probably say they think the economics department is quite inefficient but actually economics students will tell you it's not that bad. I think the admin staff are really nice and always helpful! The lecturers aren't bad either and they're always telling you to go and see them in their office hours if you're stuck on anything.
Any other questions? Just ask away!
wow, thanks.
I know this isn't my thread, but if you don't mind me asking, what kind of grades did you get at GCSE/AS/A-Level, or what's the average amongst economics students at York? :o
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by Balth
How much does the literature set you back?
book wise i spent about £40 this year. £35 on this statistics books as it was anopen book exam, and £5 on the key text for Economics 1 (it was second hand )
You could, of course, buy tons of books... but I would advice just borrowing heavily from the library and only invest in the ones you continually come back to.
Originally Posted by Electric_Dreams
what kind of grades did you get at GCSE/AS/A-Level, or what's the average amongst economics students at York?
Either AAA/AAB for A level. Haven't really spoken to anyone about their GCSEs, but i'm under the impression that they don't matter as much here as they do in other universities.
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by cool beans
book wise i spent about £40 this year. £35 on this statistics books as it was anopen book exam, and £5 on the key text for Economics 1 (it was second hand )
You could, of course, buy tons of books... but I would advice just borrowing heavily from the library and only invest in the ones you continually come back to.
Thank you!
That's great news. I thought I'd be looking at something in the region of £300-400. More money for me!
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
Originally Posted by Electric_Dreams
wow, thanks.
I know this isn't my thread, but if you don't mind me asking, what kind of grades did you get at GCSE/AS/A-Level, or what's the average amongst economics students at York? :o
I got AAA. You'll need at least AAB. For GCSE I think most people get A*s, As and Bs.
Re: Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
just to add to the books situation, youll be given a big reading list for the historical modules, there is no need to buy all of those books, you can borrow them from the library, if you really feel you should there are one or two key books you could get.
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Economics at the University of York - What's it like?
wow, thanks.
