Economics at Cambridge

Hi I'm currently in year 12 and I'm wondering which sorts of super curriculars and work experiences etc to do for economics- is reading and entering essay competitions enough? I'm planning on applying to Cambridge and I'm aware I need to sit the TMUA- when would it be recommended to begin practicing?
Also, I do not do any extra curriculars and I've heard people mention you should add a small section at the end of your personal statement for this..

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

Original post by Anonymous

I forgot to mention that I'm currently taking A Level Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, and History. I believe I should get an A*A*A*A (A being in history) in my predictions, although if my school predicts optimistically I could get 4 A*s. Do I have a shot at getting in, even though I don't really have much to say on my personal statement at the moment? I can read and enter essay competitions now but is there anything else?

Reply 2

SiberianLIGER

I'm an economics undergrad at Cambridge. My best advice would be to read around and find what you are really interested in. Research it and discuss/critique in your personal statement. Try to give your own perspective on the topic and who/what you agree with the most.

In your personal statement, the most important thing is that you show off some originality and a flexible thought process. Show that you can be critical, that you can research a topic, and that you can offer your own thoughts rather than just borrowing from other people. Of course, if you can weave in details about relevant essays for competitions/ independent research projects/ other roles and activities, then that's great too.

My section on extracurricular was two sentences at the end of my PS where I highlighted the skills I developed. They were never mentioned at any other point in the application process. However, it is still important to have something there.

Also, be sure to practise your interview technique for the final stage of the application process. That's where they make a final decision on whether to admit you, so you should aim to have a good idea on how to approach it. Try to find someone who specialises in economics (a teacher perhaps) to help you out with that.

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by SiberianLIGER

I'm an economics undergrad at Cambridge. My best advice would be to read around and find what you are really interested in. Research it and discuss/critique in your personal statement. Try to give your own perspective on the topic and who/what you agree with the most.
In your personal statement, the most important thing is that you show off some originality and a flexible thought process. Show that you can be critical, that you can research a topic, and that you can offer your own thoughts rather than just borrowing from other people. Of course, if you can weave in details about relevant essays for competitions/ independent research projects/ other roles and activities, then that's great too.
My section on extracurricular was two sentences at the end of my PS where I highlighted the skills I developed. They were never mentioned at any other point in the application process. However, it is still important to have something there.
Also, be sure to practise your interview technique for the final stage of the application process. That's where they make a final decision on whether to admit you, so you should aim to have a good idea on how to approach it. Try to find someone who specialises in economics (a teacher perhaps) to help you out with that.

Thank you! Would you mind sharing your personal statement if it's not too much trouble? I think it would be really helpful to see an example. When did you begin preparing for the TMUA? I haven't started yet, but I'm planning to do so before summer holidays begin.
Also, when would you recommend to begin prep for interviews? Were the questions asked mostly to do with what you discussed in your personal statement? I've heard that they ask maths questions too, is this true?

Reply 4

SiberianLIGER

Original post by Anonymous

I won't give you my entire personal statement, but here's an excerpt. The other paragraphs were all similar to this one, covering different concepts and ideas. Importantly, everything that I wrote about was linked together and led me to my own conclusion about the topic. This is from the third paragraph of my personal statement:

"Alternative models, such as James Brander and Paul Krugman’s Reciprocal Dumping model, offer their own insights such as the ‘reciprocal dumping’ of output after which the model is named. However, these conclusions are not shared between the two models, and this is one reason why I believe models such as the H-O model still have worth. I believe that building upon ‘flawed’ models can develop the insights that they can offer, perhaps better informing economists alongside alternative models."

Obviously, you should try to come up with something original which you are actually interested in. They do check your personal statements for potential plagiarism.

I did the ECAA and I started revising for it during the summer (probably from mid July). The more time you can spend on it the better.

In terms of interviews, I was asked no questions about my personal statement. After speaking to all the people who interviewed me, they all seem to dislike asking about the personal statement. They know that you will have prepared answers for everything that you've written about, but they want to see more of how you tackle new problems. They will likely ask you to answer unseen questions or comment on supplied reading material. Some of these will be maths questions. It's important to run them through your thought process even if you can't get to a final answer.

That's not to say that you shouldn't prepare to be asked about your personal statement. It is expected that you will be confident in answering any questions about it and there is nothing to say that they won't have questions.

Hope that helps.