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• Personal Statement:Economics 4

TSR Wiki > University > Applying to University > Personal Statement Library > Economics 4

Economics Personal Statement

I am applying to study a degree in economics principally because of the diversity of both the subject and its applications, and because I find it fascinating and challenging at the same time. Having studied the subject at A-level, I believe that the possible depths to which it may be studied are almost endless, and as such, the number of real-life situations to which it is relevant is similarly vast. For example, the area of economics in which I am most interested is the study of the ways in which monetary and fiscal policies affect society as a whole. For this reason, I found the Public Choice theory particularly engaging. In the future, I hope to gain employment in the banking or financial sector, and I think that a course as flexible as economics would be of great benefit to this.

Recently, I have participated in the Bank of England’s ‘Target 2.0’ challenge. From this, I not only improved skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication and analytical skills, but also learnt about the consequences that a seemingly small decision, such as the lowering of the interest rate by a quarter of one percent, can have on just about everyone. Another aspect of the project that I enjoyed was the way in which all of our team members’ research and work came together at the end to form the whole, and enabled us to come to a conclusion. I would very much like to have the opportunity to study this area, among others concerning the interest rate and monetary policy, in greater depth. I am enthusiastic about the subject, and a highly motivated student, and I therefore think that I would be well suited to studying economics at university level.

My hobbies mostly centre around music; I sing, play the piano to grade four standard, and have also composed music for keyboard-based instruments. I have found that the more knowledge of music, and its structures, that I have gained, the more insights into popular music I have acquired, and can then enjoy it on many more levels. I think that this holds true for many subjects: the more understanding you have of something, the more you can enjoy it. I also like to get involved in sports, such as swimming, in my spare time, as I find them a great way to unwind and have fun at the same time!

In secondary school, I held a position of responsibility as a prefect. I also sang soprano in the school choir, which again helped me to hone my skills of teamwork and co-operation. Prior to beginning sixth form, I spent a summer working as a volunteer in a scheme run for children with disabilities, which was both a lot of fun and very rewarding. Although working with some of the children was demanding and required the ability to adjust and adapt quickly, I would definitely say that it was worth it and would love to do it again. In addition, I currently have a part-time job in a retail environment. Because of this, I believe that I am able to communicate and solve problems more effectively. I have also gained understanding of the worlds of business and commerce within the context of a large company.

I have put serious consideration into my choice of course applications, and believe that I would be able to contribute both academically and socially to university life.

Universities Applied to:

• Warwick - AABb (Firm)
• York - AAB
• Loughborough - ABB
• Leicester - ABC (Insurance)
• Swansea - BBC or 280 UCAS points
• Bath – Rejected

Comments

General Comments:

Overall this statement is quite weak for a competitive subject like economics and while there is some economics discussion, the extra-curricular side has been too extensively covered and there is a need for greater focus on economics. This could include more on the economics-specific side of Target 2.0, Public Choice theory, and perhaps one other area that the applicant is interested in from monetary and fiscal policy. In doing so, they could also alter the structure so that the final section includes a direct reference to one of these economics topics. If they study economics at A-level then it would be expected that they discuss this relating their interest in the degree to their coursework/class work. At the moment there is no mention of economics from "My hobbies" onwards. To make the space for this, the penultimate two paragraphs could be merged into one.

At times the statement is very disjointed in the way it is written and the applicant would benefit from properly structuring this before submitting it.

Comments on the statement:

I am applying to study a degree in economics principally because of the diversity of both the subject and its applications, and because I find it fascinating and challenging at the same time. Having studied the subject at A-level, I believe that the possible depths to which it may be studied are almost endless, and as such, the number of real-life situations to which it is relevant is similarly vast. This is a long intro without much substantive content. What is it about economics that fascinates and challenges the applicant? A lot of applicants make assertions such as this then never back it up with why. It is so important that they say why they like economics and give examples. For example, the area of economics in which I am most interested is the study of the ways in which monetary and fiscal policies affect society as a whole. Why are they interested in this particular area? Again, more detail and explanation is required For this reason, I found the Public Choice theory particularly engaging. This is better, but they need to discuss a part of Public Choice theory in more detail and say why they found it engaging. In the future, I hope to gain employment in the banking or financial sector, and I think that a course as flexible as economics would be of great benefit to this. This isn't really something they should mention in the introduction, its fine for them to mention careers in the conclusion if they've got an idea but not really in the introduction as this implies they want to do the degree only for the job. Admissions teams will be looking for students who will love studying economics for the next 3/4 years of their life, not just students who want the job at the end of it.

Recently, I have participated in the Bank of England’s ‘Target 2.0’ challenge. This is a good thing to include. From this, I not only improved skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication and analytical skills, The sentence structure is a little clumsy here, with quite a long list and "skills such as ... skills" but also learnt about the consequences that a seemingly small decision, such as the lowering of the interest rate by a quarter of one percent, can have on just about everyone. This is good and the applicant could go on to explain some of these 'consequences' 'on just about everyone'. Another aspect of the project that I enjoyed was the way in which all of our team members’ research and work came together at the end to form the whole, and enabled us to come to a conclusion. OK, so what was the conclusion and how did the group come to it? What was their specific area of 'research and work'? I would very much like to have the opportunity to study this area, among others concerning the interest rate and monetary policy, in greater depth. Rather than just alluding to 'among others', which specific areas, ideas or concepts would the applicant like the 'opportunity to study'? I am enthusiastic about the subject, and a highly motivated student, and I therefore think that I would be well suited to studying economics at university level. It should be self-evident that you're 'enthusiastic', 'highly motivated' and 'well suited to studying economics'. It is best left to the referee to comment on what a wonderful student they are, it doesn't need to be in the PS and can make the applicant appear arrogant

The key thing in this is the research and conclusion, all of the stuff about team work is secondary to the pure economics side and this is what the applicant needs to focus on. How this has enhanced their interest/engagement/knowledge of economics? This is their main academic part of the PS meaning I'd expect to see mentions of reading, research and theories in this part. The applicant will struggle to get into competitive universities if this section is not redrafted in more detail and in a more academic way.

My hobbies mostly centre around music; I sing, play the piano to grade four standard, and have also composed music for keyboard-based instruments. I have found that the more knowledge of music, and its structures, that I have gained, the more insights into popular music I have acquired, and can then enjoy it on many more levels. I think that this holds true for many subjects: the more understanding you have of something, the more you can enjoy it. A tenuous link, but OK. I also like to get involved in sports, such as swimming, in my spare time, as I find them a great way to unwind and have fun at the same time! The punctuation in this paragraph needs some work and in PSs saying you enjoy having fun/socialising/hanging out with friends can often be read as an implied way of saying "I enjoy getting drunk" etc. which is something to be avoided. Universities couldn't care less what the applicant did in their life in that respect so its better to stick to the "I like swimming" type of pro-active hobbies. These are more interesting and set the applicant apart from others.

In secondary school, I held a position of responsibility as a prefect. I also sang soprano in the school choir, which again helped me to hone my skills of teamwork and co-operation. Nothing wrong with including the singing, but 'teamwork and co-operation' from being part of a choir is really pushing it. Prior to beginning sixth form, I spent a summer working as a volunteer in a scheme run for children with disabilities, which was both a lot of fun and very rewarding. Although working with some of the children was demanding and required the ability to adjust and adapt quickly, I would definitely say that it was worth it and would love to do it again. A little long, but good content-wise. In addition, I currently have a part-time job in a retail environment. Because of this, I believe that I am able to communicate and solve problems more effectively. I have also gained understanding of the worlds of business and commerce within the context of a large company. Once again, stretching it a bit (I'm presuming the applicant works part-time in a shop) but probably just about acceptable.

In the last 2 paragraphs the applicant has developed their communication and problem solving skills many times over. It's really important that they only mention each "skill" once and that they only have this as a small part of their PS. All of the extra curricular activities should only be a paragraph (around 30% of the PS) at the most, with this substantially reduced if they're applying to Oxbridge and the like.

I have put serious consideration into my choice of course applications, and believe that I would be able to contribute both academically and socially to university life. This needs bringing back to why the applicant wants to do economics, or why they would be a good economics student, as this final line doesn't add much to their PS, and it's been a while since any mention of economics. They can mention their career ambitions here if they want and draw together all of the things they've already said.