Economics Applicant Thread UCAS 2012

OP

Original post by zxh800

How important do guys on here think work experience is for the "elite" economics Unis, like say UCL, LSE, Warwick and Oxbridge?

Oxbridge - not important
Maybe very very slightly more focus from the other universities but not much (it's not easy to get work experience in this field)

I don't really have any work experience that is directly relevant to economics so I don't think I'll bother mentioning it.

Reply 1022

thamerz

Does anyone know, what sorts of volunteering/work experience that would be directly related to economics, im struggling to find places to ask? Also im interested in economics and finance in university.

Reply 1023

Hemzo

10

Original post by zxh800

How important do guys on here think work experience is for the "elite" economics Unis, like say UCL, LSE, Warwick and Oxbridge?

If it's there then I'm pretty sure it's good, but you have to explain what you learnt from it. I don't think it'll be held as highly as people think because not every applicant will have had a chance to work in an consultancy firm/investment bank

Reply 1024

OP

Original post by thamerz

Does anyone know, what sorts of volunteering/work experience that would be directly related to economics, im struggling to find places to ask? Also im interested in economics and finance in university.

It is hard to find relevant work experience short of actually shadowing an economist somewhere, and the universities will know this.

Original post by Hemzo

If it's there then I'm pretty sure it's good, but you have to explain what you learnt from it. I don't think it'll be held as highly as people think because not every applicant will have had a chance to work in an consultancy firm/investment bank

I personally have some work experience at an investment management bank and wouldn't even deem that relevant so I doubt I'll mention it. I'm sure the admissions tutors will appreciate how difficult it is to get work experience directly in this field and should realise people that do have it will mostly have got it through contacts, so it's not good grounds to discriminate between applicants.

Reply 1025

YingYang

I have a question guys, you people might know.

Say if the requirements were AAA, would they accept/still make an offer for A*AB or even A*A*B? Provided the B wasn't in maths or economics

Reply 1026

zxh800

Original post by Tateco

I personally have some work experience at an investment management bank and wouldn't even deem that relevant so I doubt I'll mention it. I'm sure the admissions tutors will appreciate how difficult it is to get work experience directly in this field and should realise people that do have it will mostly have got it through contacts, so it's not good grounds to discriminate between applicants.

I hope that's the case. I was just randomly thinking about my personal statement this morning and writing in my head while having breakfast LOL (It's a shame I've forgotten the exact wording as I thought it was pretty good). And, I found a way of using my experience working at an accountant's in Year 10 by linking it in to my growing interest in Economics at the time. And how it allowed me to appreciate Economics at a microeconomic level (as I was managing the accounts of small businesses, recording their outflow and income via receipts). I'll probably link that in to my jump from a D to an A* in GCSE Econ. and bull**** about how it inspired me to read more into Economics and get me where I am now.

Reply 1027

zxh800

Original post by YingYang

I have a question guys, you people might know.

Say if the requirements were AAA, would they accept/still make an offer for A*AB or even A*A*B? Provided the B wasn't in maths or economics

Hmmm, it would be up to the university really. They could either be really harsh and reject you (as they have nothing stopping them) or they could negotiate the offer. I think it totally varies on a case by case basis and you'd be best off e-mailing admissions tutors at the universities you plan on applying too.

Reply 1028

OP

Original post by zxh800

I found a way of using my experience working at an accountant's in Year 10 by linking it in to my growing interest in Economics at the time. And how it allowed me to appreciate Economics at a microeconomic level (as I was managing the accounts of small businesses, recording their outflow and income via receipts).

Sounds quite good :smile:

Reply 1029

Johan K

Original post by Tateco

I'm sure the admissions tutors will appreciate how difficult it is to get work experience directly in this field and should realise people that do have it will mostly have got it through contacts, so it's not good grounds to discriminate between applicants.

Exactly! It is good to present yourself as a well-rounded person; achievements in sports, music etc. Even relevant work experience would matter very little, if at all. Personally I don't consider something like 'shadowing' work experience anyway! For those looking to apply for Cambridge, focus on specific parts of economics that you enjoy. As it is one of the few universities that interview, they can probe further into your personal statement. Also be calm to answer very unrelated questions; general problem-solving questions are common to test your thinking patterns. Best of luck to all applicants! - J

Reply 1030

somaiyar

Original post by Tateco

I agree with this. I think as long as you have a good group of friends you don't need to go clubbing every night to have a good time.

7 A*s from a TOP private and 6 A* from a state school? I don't understand what their reasoning behind that is at all. I find it hard to believe they would have a cut off point for applicants GCSEs and reject them if they didn't meet it, especially with all this stuff about widening participation. Did he explicitly say this or are you just embellishing the truth?

He explicitly stated that he would expect a candidate applying for the L100 course from a top private school to have 7 A*s or more

Reply 1031

OP

Original post by somaiyar

He explicitly stated that he would expect a candidate applying for the L100 course from a top private school to have 7 A*s or more

Yes expect maybe. Doesn't make any difference to may anyway, I'm not from a private school, let a lone a 'top' one.

Reply 1032

somaiyar

Its relative to which school / sixth form you go to

Reply 1033

crazy1234

For the PS issue, I reckon whatever it is, if you can link it back to economics somehow, regardless of where it was, it will show you think like an economist. E.g. Even if you did w/e at a Estate agents, you can say how the idea of incentive plays a key role in how much productive they are, as they gain an commission per house they sell. So you observed economic theories in practice...
thats just an example, but I don't think that it has to be relvant, if it is thats great, but I think they are more concerned with what you have learnt from it, rather then the name of the place/person you shadowed...

Reply 1034

vinchenzo25

I'm sure some of you might find this helpful - I spoke to an economics tutor at oxford the other day who said that further maths would not add much to a application, and he told me only to do it if I love maths rather than because I want to strengthen my application. 20% of there economics students have not studied maths at A level. However, i will probably still do it at A/s for my other choices :P

Reply 1035

zxh800

Original post by vinchenzo25

I'm sure some of you might find this helpful - I spoke to an economics tutor at oxford the other day who said that further maths would not add much to a application, and he told me only to do it if I love maths rather than because I want to strengthen my application. 20% of there economics students have not studied maths at A level. However, i will probably still do it at A/s for my other choices :P

Interesting. It's probably because Oxford don't offer pure Economics. I can think of Economics and Management and PPE off the top of my head that Oxford offer. So I wouldn't think the course would be very heavy on Maths.

Reply 1036

Hemzo

10

Original post by vinchenzo25

I'm sure some of you might find this helpful - I spoke to an economics tutor at oxford the other day who said that further maths would not add much to a application, and he told me only to do it if I love maths rather than because I want to strengthen my application. 20% of there economics students have not studied maths at A level. However, i will probably still do it at A/s for my other choices :P

Cheers Vinchenzo!

And I was looking through some of the personal statements today on TSR and my mind was blown, I have no idea how I'm going to make them sound as good as that :tongue:

Though it's nice to see what other PS's we could be up against. :smile:

Reply 1037

tiffster

Original post by Psychotic546

True but you can't just look at ratio's, you have to consider the quality of the applicants.

You applying to LSE with 5 A*'s? Don't they usually look quite closely at GCSE's?

It's not as important people make it sound. I went to the open day and LSE claimed it was a myth, after all it's the A levels, PS, refs etc which count.

Reply 1038

Groat