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Cambridge Economics Students and Applicants

OK got a letter from girton today with a recommended reading list :frown:

...just what i wanted this summer....26 books!!! Obviously it would be impossible to read anywhere near all of them, and I want to of course enjoy my summer so was wondering if any economists could perhaps suggest which ones are really worth reading this summer? I will post the full book list later if anyone wants but I imagine any cambs economists will have an idea and maybe even suggest something worth reading not on the list. Anyway , any help is much appreciated

...p.s... I had thought that since I had received no reading list to date whereas many of my friends had that I was "off the hook" so to speak and cambs just wanted me to enjoy my summer...how wrong i was!

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Reply 1

-mb-

If you post the list, I can tell you what might be worthwhile, if you're keen.

Bear in mind I just finished my first year, did no reading last summer, and didn't feel at any disadvantage.

On the whole, it's only worth reading for economic history and politics, you can't really study macro and micro without supporting lectures and supervision work.

Reply 2

Kapa

chill man, they dont really expect you to read all that ! like mb said he wasnt at n e disadvantage.

Reply 3

CorpusNinja

at least you got one! grr

Reply 4

Dharini1987

im on holiday, so i dont even know if its there!

Reply 5

minimo

For the record, Trinity will not send a reading list.

Reply 6

MarcoWilding27

I've just started my AS levels at college (Maths, Economics, Biology, Chemistry) and am hoping to apply for Economics at Cambridge at the start of next year. I know that any course at Cambridge is extremely competitive so i was wondering if people could give me some advice on how to strengthen my application.

At GCSE i got 8 A*s (Maths, Stats, Double Award Science, Economics, RE, DT, German) 3 As (English Language, History, IT[half], Citizenship[half]) and a B (English Lit).

So i think based on my grades i should be alright, as long as i get As in my AS and A levels. However i am aware grades alone are not enough.

So what other activities (sports or academic) could anyone suggest to give my application more depth and improve my chances of getting a place?

Thank you for your time, Marcus.

Reply 7

Excalibur

My friend who is applying for Economics at Cambridge have done things like Young Enterprise, attending maths masterclass thingies, wider reading and summer schools, if that's any help.

Don't spend unnecessary time doing DoE/music grades etc, unless you want to them for their own sake, because subject-irrelevant extracurriculars aren't particularly useful for admissions. Focus on your studies most of all, and do some subject-relevant things if you want to.

Reply 8

Getting very high UMS scores at AS would probably be the most valuable thing you could do. Work hard at your AS' and impress them with your results. Grades are, generally, enough, you don't need a whole raft of ECs to get into Cambridge, you just need to have academic potential and ability. Some ECs directly related to economics could be helpful, however.

Reply 9

Jxhn

Get some good economics books read over next summer, for now concentrate on exams.

Reply 10

FadedJade

Yep, and if you have the opportunity to pick up furthe maths, even just to AS, probably wouldnt hurt either.

Reply 11

mercexe

-x-Nina-x-

Yep, and if you have the opportunity to pick up furthe maths, even just to AS, probably wouldnt hurt either.

Yes, you will be at a disadvantage if you apply for Econ without Further Maths. Is this not something you could consider?

Reply 12

MarcoWilding27

Thanks for the advice, it is much appreciated.

With regards to the further maths, i think i am a bit late to pick it up this year because i recently dropped history after finding out it wasn't of much relevance. When i checked the Cambridge website quite a few colleges regarded it as useful however i think i should be fine without it, even if i am at a slight disadvantage. I may consider it next year if it's a possibility because i do tend to find maths pretty easy.

So i think i'll concentrate on my AS levels for now. I do read the economist magazine weekly and i have read a book on the Chinese economy, which should show that i am doing some wider reading and showing an interest in the subject. I did a maths challenege as well, so with any luck i'll get an award for that.

What are the maths masterclasses and summer schools that you mention? Any information you could provide me with?

Thanks again, Marcus.

Reply 13

ObaMartins9

Extra curriculars, such as D of E and sports may not be particularly applicable for Cambridge, but other Unis like them (warwick say they do) and more importantly, D of E is very good for JOB applications - so worth doing.

Reply 14

ExRx123

I'm applying this year, and if I think back to a year ago there's a couple of things I wish I'd done.

Firstly, put some work into AS/A Levels, so many people get 90%+ UMS marks, you just need that little extra work and you're there, unless your mentally clever (which a lot of people are).

Secondly, again, something that's been mentioned, do lots of reading. Keep up to date with what's going at the moment..it doesn't have to be extensive but so you get a feel for what's going on in the world at the moment. Also, find some topics you're interested about outside of your syllabus and just do some general research into them.

It will make personal statement writing a lot easier, and you should be more "prepared" for interview then.

Reply 15

vinsta

when people say cambridge want 90%+ in exams is that the raw or the ums mark?? because u have to give the individual raw marks on the application form not ums

Reply 16

Glutamic Acid

No, it says UMS mark. Giving your raw marks would defeat the purpose of the UMS system.

Reply 17

EconLou

Firstly, History is not pointless, in fact you do a history paper in your first year, and if you have studies some of the topics (such as Industrial Revolution) at A Level it would definitely aid you. It also provides a solid essay-writing background, which is essential when you are writing 16 essays a term.

Secondly, Further Maths is a HUGE advantage. Not least because the course here is really very mathematical. First year maths does go beyond the further maths syllabus (slightly) and the course really does move at some pace, so keeping up without further maths is more difficult. Also, given the number of people who really struggle with second year maths, FM is the best indication you can give to the college that you can definitely handle it.
Just as an indication, I can think of perhaps 3 or 4 people who i have spoken to in lectures who have not done FM. in my college, out of 7 of us, 6 have done FM. It's not so much that you are at a slight disadvantge without it, more that you are at a significant advantage with FM. You have to understand just how competitive Econ at cam it to get in for. You need to differentiate yourself from the average applicant as much as possible.

I know this may not help you that much now, seeing as we are already 3 months into the academic year, but to anyone else who is a year behind you, hopefully they will gain something from this.

Reply 18

economics_alltheway

I agree that further maths is a huge advantage. If you take a good look at the Cambridge economics syllabus, the course is very mathematically-demanding, especiallly with the concentration in econometrics!
Extra-curricular wise, I wouldn't recommend Young Enterprise. I did it last year and I didn't even bother to put it down on my ps. Too many people have done it it just doesn't make you stand out.
If you school does Bank of England Interest Rate Challenge you should definitely aim to be one of the speakers, that helped a lot!

Reply 19

YouAreWhatYouEat

^^^ Mate from FM what modules would you reccomend?? (i.e. which come up in the course of economics at Cambridge).......

I ask because so far i have choosen F1, F2, S2, D2, M1 and M2 (after having done Maths in C1-C4, S1 and D1)........

Thanks :smile: