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Warwick Economics and Global Sustainable Development. Thoughts?

This course looked great on the website and at the open day, however I am aware that it is very new and quite different to other more traditional courses so I'm after some real opinions before I apply. Can anyone help?

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Reply 1
Hi

I do life sciences and GSD at Warwick, can't speak for economics, but GSD is great so far! Anything you'd like to know more about?
Reply 2
Thanks so much for the reply! what year are you in?I have a few questions:h:ow do you find problem based learning and the presentations etc. ?What are the gsd weekly contact hours like on average?A more general one:What is the Warwick uni life like in general, in particular the social aspect as I'm used to living in a big city . I'm open to change but I do enjoy clubbing every few weeks! I'd also join a society or something too probably. if you can answer even one of these that'd be fab!
Reply 3
Original post by Francisms
Thanks so much for the reply! what year are you in?I have a few questions:h:ow do you find problem based learning and the presentations etc. ?What are the gsd weekly contact hours like on average?A more general one:What is the Warwick uni life like in general, in particular the social aspect as I'm used to living in a big city . I'm open to change but I do enjoy clubbing every few weeks! I'd also join a society or something too probably. if you can answer even one of these that'd be fab!


I'm in first year. By problem based learning it's pretty good because we get a lecture on an issue in the module regarding sustainable development and then debate/ analyse it in the seminars and think of solutions. There have been group presentations in both modules so far which are really not too bad, I am not the most confident speaker but I have found them to be completely fine. :smile: Contact hours are two hours of lectures and 3 hrs seminars. Then you have your other subject on top of that.

With regards to the actual uni...I was worried incase it was a bit isolated at first, but there are plenty of opportunities for going out. There are easily accessible clubs in Leamington and Coventry as well as the SU. There is also a bar, cafe and pub on campus along side Costa. Bus routes are pretty good, unless it's a Friday evening where they can get really busy with everyone heading home. Hope this helps! 😁😁
Reply 4
Original post by hw1221
I'm in first year. By problem based learning it's pretty good because we get a lecture on an issue in the module regarding sustainable development and then debate/ analyse it in the seminars and think of solutions. There have been group presentations in both modules so far which are really not too bad, I am not the most confident speaker but I have found them to be completely fine. :smile: Contact hours are two hours of lectures and 3 hrs seminars. Then you have your other subject on top of that.

With regards to the actual uni...I was worried incase it was a bit isolated at first, but there are plenty of opportunities for going out. There are easily accessible clubs in Leamington and Coventry as well as the SU. There is also a bar, cafe and pub on campus along side Costa. Bus routes are pretty good, unless it's a Friday evening where they can get really busy with everyone heading home. Hope this helps! 😁😁


Thankyou so so much that's really helpful, I've just sent off my second personal statement so fingers crossed!
Reply 5
Original post by Francisms
Thankyou so so much that's really helpful, I've just sent off my second personal statement so fingers crossed!


Good luck!
Reply 6
Hiya
I do GSD and life sciences too and am in second year. I love the ideas behind GSD and what we learn, but I have to warn you that collaboration between departments isn't good at all, so you will probably have the odds stacked against you. I regret choosing this course simply because its new, so they don't really know what they're doing and look to us (the students) to tell them where they went wrong so they can improve it year on year. In terms of learning, its not very well-rounded, but again this should improve over time.

The uni itself is amazing socially and GSD is great, but admin isn't good at all. For example, in my first year we were made to do a second year module (and go on a field trip with second years and write a lab report after never having done one before), and were told "don't worry, we'll just bump up your grades a bit" which kind of makes it impossible to get a first. The same thing happened this year where we were forced to do a third year biology module.

As far as I know, issues like this are the worst in biology but there are similar issues in all other partner degrees. For example, I have a friend doing psychology and GSD. In first year, she didn't get good marks on any of her psychology essays, and it turns out this was because she wasn't allowed to attend any of the essay writing preparation sessions as she isn't a full psychology student (psychology have a different essay writing style to GSD). The same thing happened to me (and continues to happen) - for example, I had biology modules last year that were meant to be accompanied with tutorials, but I couldn't attend any of the tutorials as I wasnt a full biology student so could only attend lectures and not have things explained to me. In fact, in some lectures the lecturer would say things like "I'll explain this more in the tutorial on Friday", and again I couldn't go.

Like I said, this could have improved somewhat, but until the degree has been established with a set structure, we're all essentially guinea pigs. I would advise you to take a full economics course or politics course, as you still have the option to take GSD modules so you won't miss out on anything. I hope this helps!
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by Leecyyy
Hiya
I do GSD and life sciences too and am in second year. I love the ideas behind GSD and what we learn, but I have to warn you that collaboration between departments isn't good at all, so you will probably have the odds stacked against you. I regret choosing this course simply because its new, so they don't really know what they're doing and look to us (the students) to tell them where they went wrong so they can improve it year on year. In terms of learning, its not very well-rounded, but again this should improve over time.

The uni itself is amazing socially and GSD is great, but admin isn't good at all. For example, in my first year we were made to do a second year module (and go on a field trip with second years and write a lab report after never having done one before), and were told "don't worry, we'll just bump up your grades a bit" which kind of makes it impossible to get a first. The same thing happened this year where we were forced to do a third year biology module.

As far as I know, issues like this are the worst in biology but there are similar issues in all other partner degrees. For example, I have a friend doing psychology and GSD. In first year, she didn't get good marks on any of her psychology essays, and it turns out this was because she wasn't allowed to attend any of the essay writing preparation sessions as she isn't a full psychology student (psychology have a different essay writing style to GSD). The same thing happened to me (and continues to happen) - for example, I had biology modules last year that were meant to be accompanied with tutorials, but I couldn't attend any of the tutorials as I wasnt a full biology student so could only attend lectures and not have things explained to me. In fact, in some lectures the lecturer would say things like "I'll explain this more in the tutorial on Friday", and again I couldn't go.

Like I said, this could have improved somewhat, but until the degree has been established with a set structure, we're all essentially guinea pigs. I would advise you to take a full economics course or politics course, as you still have the option to take GSD modules so you won't miss out on anything. I hope this helps!


Being currently in first year, we had the option to do the field trip but had a meeting advising us to choose tutorials instead. Is the third year module a real struggle? Or is it doable?
Reply 8
Original post by hw1221
Being currently in first year, we had the option to do the field trip but had a meeting advising us to choose tutorials instead. Is the third year module a real struggle? Or is it doable?


I hate to tell you, but yeah. Its a very challenging scientific lab report, and I asked my friend who does biochem to look over it for me and she was just confused lmao she didn't know what to say because she had never done one like that before.
The worst part is we were told that we (us GSD students) shouldn't include anything about the bacterial counts as this is too complicated, so we didn't. On my feedback, the last line said I was penalised for not including anything about the bacterial counts. Complete incompetency!!!
The good part about it is you won't necessarily get a bad grade, because they'll bump it up a bit so that all of you get a mid 2.1, but if you want a first its probably not going to happen (which should be important if you want to take a masters or are aiming for a well respected graduate job).

It might change by next year though, I think they realised they made a mistake by making us do it.
My number one advice to you is to be persistent and if anything comes across as wrong to you (or puts you at a disadvantage) make a big deal out of it!!! Protest as much as you can until they listen. Ive tried to get them to change things before (e.g. not making us do this module before we had started), and they told me "nope, sorry" and I just accepted it. Instead, I should've made a case for the fact it puts me at a disadvantage and threatened to take it to a higher level. Don't be passive, you're spending Β£9000 a year so it needs to feel worth it! This degree should be worth just as much as any other, so if you think theres something wrong, you should say - because you're probably right.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 9
Original post by Leecyyy
I hate to tell you, but yeah. Its a very challenging scientific lab report, and I asked my friend who does biochem to look over it for me and she was just confused lmao she didn't know what to say because she had never done one like that before.
The worst part is we were told that we (us GSD students) shouldn't include anything about the bacterial counts as this is too complicated, so we didn't. On my feedback, the last line said I was penalised for not including anything about the bacterial counts. Complete incompetency!!!
The good part about it is you won't necessarily get a bad grade, because they'll bump it up a bit so that all of you get a mid 2.1, but if you want a first its probably not going to happen (which should be important if you want to take a masters or are aiming for a well respected graduate job).

It might change by next year though, I think they realised they made a mistake by making us do it.
My number one advice to you is to be persistent and if anything comes across as wrong to you (or puts you at a disadvantage) make a big deal out of it!!! Protest as much as you can until they listen. Ive tried to get them to change things before (e.g. not making us do this module before we had started), and they told me "nope, sorry" and I just accepted it. Instead, I should've made a case for the fact it puts me at a disadvantage and threatened to take it to a higher level. Don't be passive, you're spending Β£9000 a year so it needs to feel worth it! This degree should be worth just as much as any other, so if you think theres something wrong, you should say - because you're probably right.


Thanks for the advice, nothing too bad has happened so far because I think they've realised what some of the issues were like you said. I'll see what happens happens and just keep going. :smile:
Original post by Leecyyy
Hiya
I do GSD and life sciences too and am in second year. I love the ideas behind GSD and what we learn, but I have to warn you that collaboration between departments isn't good at all, so you will probably have the odds stacked against you. I regret choosing this course simply because its new, so they don't really know what they're doing and look to us (the students) to tell them where they went wrong so they can improve it year on year. In terms of learning, its not very well-rounded, but again this should improve over time.

The uni itself is amazing socially and GSD is great, but admin isn't good at all. For example, in my first year we were made to do a second year module (and go on a field trip with second years and write a lab report after never having done one before), and were told "don't worry, we'll just bump up your grades a bit" which kind of makes it impossible to get a first. The same thing happened this year where we were forced to do a third year biology module.

As far as I know, issues like this are the worst in biology but there are similar issues in all other partner degrees. For example, I have a friend doing psychology and GSD. In first year, she didn't get good marks on any of her psychology essays, and it turns out this was because she wasn't allowed to attend any of the essay writing preparation sessions as she isn't a full psychology student (psychology have a different essay writing style to GSD). The same thing happened to me (and continues to happen) - for example, I had biology modules last year that were meant to be accompanied with tutorials, but I couldn't attend any of the tutorials as I wasnt a full biology student so could only attend lectures and not have things explained to me. In fact, in some lectures the lecturer would say things like "I'll explain this more in the tutorial on Friday", and again I couldn't go.

Like I said, this could have improved somewhat, but until the degree has been established with a set structure, we're all essentially guinea pigs. I would advise you to take a full economics course or politics course, as you still have the option to take GSD modules so you won't miss out on anything. I hope this helps!


I don't think that your experience is typical. the course is amazing; I transferred from another uni where I was doing biology, to do this. It's actually an amazing course...this year I'm doing work placement with the NHS sustainability unit and I've got funding to conduct research with my tutor over the summer. This is an excellent course, if you embrace it positively.
Reply 11
Anyone know if the second personal statement for economics and gsd is compulsory? I don't have much time to do one...
Original post by Psaa
Anyone know if the second personal statement for economics and gsd is compulsory? I don't have much time to do one...

Yes I'm pretty sure that every applicant to GSD has to submit one
Reply 13
Original post by selinak.m
Yes I'm pretty sure that every applicant to GSD has to submit one

And I will get rejected if I don't?
Original post by Psaa
And I will get rejected if I don't?

Hi i believe they said your application will no longer be considered if you don't submit it. I already did and I just got an offer today (2/11/19).
Reply 15
Original post by narwhuals
Hi i believe they said your application will no longer be considered if you don't submit it. I already did and I just got an offer today (2/11/19).

Yeah I did it and got one yesterday
Reply 16
Hi I am going into 6th form and have already looked GSD at Warwick at the open day and was really interested. Yet, I was looking at the website says that "General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted for this course of study", so I was wondering what that meant in terms of a level choices. Hoping someone can help. Thanks
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 17
Original post by m_grant
Hi I am going into 6th form and have already looked GSD at Warwick at the open day and was really interested. Yet, I was looking at the website says that "General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted for this course of study", so I was wondering what that meant in terms of a level choices. Hoping someone can help. Thanks

The a levels general studies and critical thinking can't be part of your three a levels, I got an offer doing maths biology and geography. I'm not sure if you have to do maths I would have to look into it
Reply 18
Original post by Psaa
The a levels general studies and critical thinking can't be part of your three a levels, I got an offer doing maths biology and geography. I'm not sure if you have to do maths I would have to look into it

okay, thank you
Original post by Psaa
The a levels general studies and critical thinking can't be part of your three a levels, I got an offer doing maths biology and geography. I'm not sure if you have to do maths I would have to look into it

Are you going to the offer holder open day? If you are, are you taking a parent?

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