economics personal statement draft

Sample Economics Personal Statement (admitted to Oxford, Cambridge, LSE)

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field.

The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to top graduate programs in economics. Variations of this personal statement got accepted at Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE. Read this essay to get inspiration and understand what a top economics school PS should look like.

You might also be interested in reading this Statement of Purpose in Economics  that got admitted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

Sample Personal Statement Economics

“Flick…chuggachuggachuggaa…puttt-putttt-puutttttt…rizzzz…”

The sounds coming from near the doorway may have startled an outsider but were barely noticed by the people lounging on charpoys and mooras (wicker stools). With the atmosphere abuzz with their chatter, the sputtering sound of the diesel generator lent more time to catch up as the bulbs lit up and fans whirred on throughout the haveli (palace) on an otherwise hot evening. But on days when it refused to crackle, my grandmother would enkindle gas lanterns filling the veranda with hissing sounds and soothing moonlight rays.

I still cherish these memories from my childhood trips to XYZ, my native village, some 450kms from the closest city. At the time, the short sojourns from Kuwait felt rather adventurous. However, the perspective turned wrong when I permanently moved to XYZ. Due to unannounced electricity breakdowns, we would find ourselves groping in the dark to the closest candle stand while sweating in the scorching summer.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, the occasional power breakdowns segued into a full-blown crisis of the decade. Over the next seven years, we witnessed unprecedented power outages averaging 15-18 hours daily. People weren’t just lamenting the loss of mental peace; they were mourning the monetary losses worth billions of rupees translating into 1.5% of GDP.

Fast forward 15 years, and I found myself in a position to alleviate the situation. As Deputy Administrative Head of the Government’s Economic Affairs division, I administer a departmental budget worth $500 million. I am currently undertaking solarization projects. A recent shift towards renewables has occurred after public unrest during the early decade led to hasty investments in thermal-based power plants. Unfortunately, seven years later, we are still reeling from the aftermath of a bitter public backlash as we have the lowest regional electricity consumption per capita.

In addition to high tariffs, the energy sector has been marred by the accumulation of circular debt of $30 billion. This has been caused by multiple factors, such as electricity theft, transmission losses, and non-payment of dues. Having worked in Economic Affairs Division, I have also been part of a team that took massive power sector reforms, including:

• elimination of subsidies
• policy formulation on electricity theft and conservation 
• overhaul of sectoral regulatory bodies
• privatization of distribution companies et al.

However, as the Program ended, so did the reforms.

Regrettably, negative externalities from these energy woes have had spillover effects on all socio-economic sectors. The environment has especially poorly been affected by the process for the lack of an integrated generation and transmission policy framework in the renewable industry. Being a lower riparian state has also exacerbated climate change. We face extreme weather conditions – floods, droughts, smog, and diminishing water tables. Unable to agree on water issues not covered under the Indus Water Treaty has led to regular skirmishes and legal battles in the International Court of Justice.

Given the background, my country’s economic and Energy woes require a holistic understanding of the subject. This makes Economic policy specializing in Energy the right choice for my graduate studies. Furthermore, I can become an effective leader and economist in the sector through the interdisciplinary pedagogical approach covering policy, economics, management, law; practical skills; quantitative and qualitative analysis within an international context.

My aim is socio-economic development in tandem with confidence-building measures and strategic partnerships with the neighboring countries. Studying at Oxford will provide this learning opportunity in and out of the class as I will interact with some of the most brilliant minds worldwide and work in teams with them. I also look forward to student-led events, conferences, guest lectures, field trips, and panel discussions to augment my understanding of supranational political demands. This will help me lead economic policy reforms for the next 25 years.

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How to Write your Economics Personal Statement

Are you applying to economics courses at university this year? If so, this guide might come in handy. Based on my experience helping students with personal statements, as well as discussions with other Cambridge students and fellows, I have built up an understanding of what makes a very good economics personal statement. Below I present a series of steps for how to write the personal statement.

Decide on your course

It sounds obvious, but make sure you have decided on the courses which you would like to apply to. If you are unsure, you can consider your A-levels, particular interests, or whether you have a particular job in mind for after university.

From this point onwards, I will assume you are interested in applying for some kind of economics degree. However, the advice below generally applies to joint degrees and other courses however.

Supercurricular activities for economics

Given you have decided on the course for which you are applying, the next step I recommend is to write a list of all your supercurricular activities .

This is not the same as an extracurricular activity. You can think of the difference like this:

• A supercurricular activity is an activity that takes place outside of school lessons, that is directly related to your university course of choice. An example is reading an economics book.
• An extracurricular activity is, again, an activity that takes place outside of school, but that is not directly related to the course you are applying to study at university. An example of this is being part of a sports team.

Supercurricular activities should form the bulk of your personal statement. Some universities post recommendations such as 75 to 80% of the personal statement should be about supercurricular activities exclusively. Other universities will state that they are only interested in your academic pursuits (in other words, supercurriculars).

Complete Guide

For the complete economics personal statement guide, click the link here (paid resource):

Types of Supercurriculars

Supercurricular activities can include, but are not limited to:

• Online or in-person lectures.
• Magazines or journals.
• Online courses.
• Essay competitions.
• Reading blogs.

In a future blogpost, I will outline some examples for various areas of economics.

How should you choose your supercurriculars?

I recommend choosing activities based on your particular interests within the subject of economics. For example suppose you are interested in labour economics (in other words, what decides the wage and employment level in an economy or labour market). Then I would recommend finding activities relating to these topics. This could include entering an essay competition by writing on a labour economics topic such as migration, minimum wages or inequality, or searching in YouTube for lectures relating to migration (such as Alan Manning’s LSE lectures, for example here ). You may be able to find podcast episodes covering these particular topics.

Another example is let’s say you had an interest in environmental economics. Then you could look into a podcast episode on carbon taxes (for example here ). You could then look into books, blogs or online courses on the topic and so on.

One possible way to structure your personal statement is to have one paragraph for each topic area. You could have a paragraph discussing labour economics, then another discussing the economics of crime, and a third paragraph discussing macroeconomic policy as an example. However supercurricular activities may not naturally group into topics. So you can choose to link them together in other ways, such as the type of activity or a common skill the activities show.

Several economics courses are looking for you to be proficient in mathematics. Hence it may be worth devoting some part of the statement to discussing economics supercurriculars that relate to mathematics, covering areas such as the use of calculus in economics, statistics, econometrics, game theory and so on. Alternatively you could simply includes pure mathematics supercurricular activities such as maths challenges or reading.

Activities to avoid mentioning

Ideally you should avoid mentioning books where economics and popular culture overlap. This includes books like Freakonomics and the Armchair Economist for example. While these are very enjoyable books to read in their own right, these books are too frequently mentioned and are often seen as too basic by some universities.

If you are applying to a very competitive university that does not interview, for example LSE, then it would be preferable to find books that are less frequently mentioned.

Work experience is not necessary for an application to an economics course. This is because work experience is often acquired through connections rather than ability, so it would be a poor indicator for admissions staff to use in assessing students’ abilities. Also work experience is often not directly relevant to the economics course. However work experience can be mentioned if you work on something that is relevant to the economics course, such as working as a research assistant or an economics journalist.

Generally you should not be mentioning your A-levels. Almost everybody applying is doing A-levels and so speaking about what you have covered in your A-levels will not help you to stand out. In any case your teachers will be mentioning your A-levels in your teacher reference anyway, so it is better to devote the personal statement to activities beyond your A-levels. If there are one or two relevant ideas from A-level that you really want to mention, as they are very relevant, then you can do so. But I would not recommend devoting a whole paragraph to your A-levels for example.

I have my supercurriculars. What next?

Suppose now you have your list of supercurricular activities. You can use these to form the main body of your personal statement.

For these activities, as above, group them into particular paragraphs. This grouping could be based on the topic of the supercurricular activities. You could aim for 2-4 activities per paragraph.

To discuss each activity I recommend three steps:

• Name the activity. For example name the book you read or name the essay competition title.
• Discuss what you specifically did. For example what did you write about specifically in your essay competition, or what was involved in your online course?
• Explain your personal takeaway. Did you agree with the book? Or did you find something particularly fascinating about the essay competition?

Note this is just one possible way of doing things. Depending on the activity you are discussing, you may find a different structure appropriate.

Between activities and paragraphs, it is often a good idea to try to create linking clauses. For example if you discussed your mathematical ability in one paragraph, then you could easily transition into discussing the use of statistics in economics in your next activity or paragraph.

I plan to expand more on how to write about your activities in a future article.

Other Paragraphs

I will now pay particular attention to other paragraphs you may need to write.

Introductions

Often students spend too much time trying to write a good introduction at the very start of the writing process. I recommend leaving the introduction until you have been writing about your supercurricular activities.

One mistake when writing introductions is to start with “from a young age” or “since I was five….”. This way of starting your statement is far too common.

Instead you could jump into discussion of a particular supercurricular activity. This could be an activity that summarises well why you want to study economics for example. You might also have supercurricular activities that do not fit well into a particular paragraph. The introduction could provide a good place to put those kinds of activities too.

Extracurricular Activities

It is possible to put a small paragraph in the statement discussing your extracurriculars (in other words activities not related to economics), for example sports teams, societies, positions of responsibilities, other hobbies etc. Some universities will want to see you are well rounded candidate while others will only care about your academics. I recommend inspecting the applications pages of the universities you are applying to, in order to verify the importance of extracurricular activities to the universities you are applying to.

You may wish to round off your personal statement with a few concluding sentences. I have seen this done in a few ways:

• A short sentence summarising why you think you would be a good candidate for the course.
• A couple of sentences discussing the most important part of your application or something you want to emphasise. This could be a research interest in a particular area, or a particular strength within the field.
• Alternatively, if you think there is a common idea linking most or all of your personal statement activities, you could mention it here too.

See if you think any of these ways are appropriate for your statement. Alternatively you could find your own way to conclude.

Checking and Revising

Get your statement checked by multiple people. Also different teachers will give different advice, so do not feel like you have to accept one’s person entire advice (including my own advice). After all, this is your personal statement and nobody else’s.

In revising the statement, one process most students go through is cutting down characters to fit the UCAS character and line count limits. If you are exceeding these limits, see if you can make points more succinctly. Often a second pair of eyes is very helpful in this instance. Beyond that, you may have to choose one or two of your activities to leave out, based on which you think offers least value to your personal statement.

Best of luck in writing your statement. More will follow on specific ideas for economics supercurricular activities.

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Economics Personal Statement

Submitted by James

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Economics Personal Statement

As someone who is always up to date with current affairs, the foundations that our civilisation is based on interests me, and the ways in which this is done through economic theory fills me with excitement. Millions of choices are made worldwide every second, all holding economic capability – for example I have made the choice to study economics at university. This choice has numerous microeconomic implications to many people, and is a decision made to satisfy my wants. Without me noticing it, I have made a decision based on basic economics. The regularity of economic decisions and the subconscious psychological nature of these fascinate me to a level that I want to pursue the subject and learn how the world can be made better as a result of choices that are made.

My critical thinking has developed since reading books on economics principles, while forging ever-changing opinions on how economies can be best run. My current read is ‘The Bottom Billion’ by Paul Collier, who feels strongly towards capitalist concepts and the freedom that this provides at all levels of a country’s development spectrum. While similar, my opinions are not set in stone, as I am willing to listen to other points of view and expand my knowledge. I feel that competitive spirit is inside every human being, and is key to a strong economy. Jean Tirole is one economic theorist that I have read extensively, exploring his theories on regulation and the banking industry, blaming the ‘bonus culture’ for ‘distorted decisions and significant efficiency losses, in the long run’. Delving deeper into his research uncovers how the competition for the strongest job candidates leads to lavish incentives to the employee which subsequently ‘shifts effort away from long-term investments’ and increases risk. I feel that reading many theories and opinions backed up with data can help to forge more well-rounded opinions, helping me to more deeply explore my passion.

Daily reading on Bloomberg News and The Economist are helpful in knowing global and local news, but seeing how these headlines translate into economic thoughts is what often consumes my brain. My A levels all lend themselves to forms of economics, with mathematics allowing me to think critically, business studies exploring how organisations fit into the global economy and the bureaucracy that they are under, and geography as I inspect geopolitical decision making and how population affects economics as a whole.

I am positioned as Head Boy at my school of over 1000 students, with the role given to me as a result of my peers and senior staff voting for me. With this role, public speaking has helped develop my communication skills and given me confidence to represent the school at large events. I have also lead a group bringing basketball facilities to my local area, a sport I am very passionate about, bringing an £8000 sport investment as a result of this hard work. I was also the managing director of my ‘Young Enterprise’ group of thirteen, leading us to high profits by the end of it. Work experience at PriceWaterhouseCooper and Thomson Reuters, Canary Wharf taught me about the various algorithms and theoretical ways that businesses operate effectively including auditing and risk management. Sport is a huge part of my life, playing football at premier division youth level, and for the club’s first team on occasion. I love training regularly, and being the captain of my youth team, supporting them as their goalkeeper and developing my teamwork and leadership skills.

My long-term plans are to improve my analytical skills and develop economic theories that can positively impact the world. I am also hugely interested in technology growing within economics and how this is implemented into all sorts of scenarios in different jobs. The drive and motivation I have behind these goals will push me to take every opportunity I have at university, aiming to achieve the goals I set for myself and continue to be a model student.

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How to Write an Economics Personal Statement

Many students are unsure of how to write an Economics personal statement as they haven’t written one before. Starting your personal statement can be daunting, but you are not alone! We are here to give some pointers for students wishing to study Economics at university, particularly those applying to UK universities via UCAS. We have separated the process into three stages – research, writing and editing.

What to Research for your Economics Personal Statement

What to include in your economics personal statement, how to edit your economics personal statement, research your economics courses.

Research is vital for writing your Economics personal statement. First, you should have good knowledge of the Economics courses you are applying to. How does the university describe the Economics course (e.g. how Mathematical is it?). What content does the course include? Will your interested area in Economics be taught in the course?

Research Advice on How to Write an Economics Personal Statement

Second, you may want to read Economics personal statement examples from past applicants. This will give you some information what a good Economics personal statement includes, and what you should aim for. It is also good to look up any advice on writing personal statements. For example, this article you are reading! LSE also provides some general advice to writing any personal statement.

Research Which Aspect of Economics you are Interested in

Finally, you should research into the topic in Economics that you are interested in, which we will discuss more below. Google Scholar is a great way of searching for academic papers/essays regarding a specific Economics topic you want to learn more about. Another option may be to look through any suggested texts/reading for the university course you are applying to – does any topic in particular catch your eye? Finally, our article on Economics books to read for your personal statement may also help.

An Economics personal statement consist of many different components, and we explain the reason behind including each one in the sections below.

Area of Interest in Economics

In your statement, more than half of it should be used to show academic interest for a key topic/theme in Economics. The topic can be an extension to A-Level/IB syllabus that is slightly more advanced, or it can be something that will be explored further at degree level. This shows your understanding of Economics, and is a good opportunity to impress the admissions tutor with your enthusiasm. Remember – if you are interested in studying Economics, you should be self-motivated to learn more than what you are required to! Ideally, the topic/theme should also be tied to your personal reason to study the subject. This will make your interest more genuine, consistent and convincing. Have a specific topic in mind? Ask us about it !

Your Opinion on Economics

It is all well and good to explain what aspect of Economics you are interested in. However, that is not enough – admissions tutors would want to know your opinion on the issue/concept you discussed. They want to understand if have processed and understood what you have learnt, rather than just regurgitating it. It also demonstrates your ability to think and evaluate about a topic in Economics critically, showing independence of thought.

Motivation to Study Economics

Of course, you need to specify why you wish to study your subject in your statement. It is important to figure out a good reason here that is relevant to you personally, in order to stand out. Avoid generic reasons like ‘I wish to study Economics to understand the world better’ or ‘I wish to study Economics as my father works in finance’. Think deeper – what is it that is uniquely different about your environment, or what you experienced, that causes you to be interested about Economics?

Interest in Mathematics

For most, if not all Economics courses, there is a large amount of Mathematics involved. This is because Economics pursues a more scientific approach via Mathematical Modelling and Econometrics at higher levels of study. Hence, it is important for you to demonstrate your interest in Mathematics, and the use of it within Economics. You can reduce emphasis in this component if the course you are applying for involves less Mathematical modules.

Extra-curricular activities

It is important to include some extra-curricular activities relating to Economics, as it demonstrates your interest in the subject outside of your studies. Ideally this can relate to your area of interest in Economics and your motivation to study the subject. The activities can range from anything such as reading books on Economics , attending Economics events, to having a related work experience. If you want to include any experiences not relevant to Economics to show what you are like as a person, that is certainly acceptable, but should be less than 25% of your statement. Ask our Economics admissions advisor a free question below if you would like to know more about the various activities, and how to write about them.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. Ask Wilfred a Free Question on GCE, IB or GCSE Economics * Email * We will answer your question by email and send you relevant notes/materials for your Economics course. Email Ask

After a first draft, it is important for you to get someone to review your Economics personal statement. This can help give you an objective perspective on what others think. Show it to your careers advisor at school, your Economics teacher, your Economics classmates, maybe even parents/siblings that have gone through a similar process. Of course, those who have more exposure to the subject may be a bit more helpful, like someone who applied for an Economics degree a few years ago. If you need professional, personalized advice on your Economics personal statement, you can reach out to our qualified admissions advisor for suggestions. After receiving feedback, you can edit your personal statement accordingly, taking into account each reader’s unique perspectives. You will then have to compare the suggestions and decide which parts/sentences to keep, change or remove. After many changes/edits your personal statement will finally be concise, unique and polished enough for submission!

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• Economics Personal Statement

A personal statement is up to 4000 characters or 47 lines where you tell a University why you are a suitable candidate for the course. Unfortunately, there is no way of guaranteeing a place on your chosen course but a combination of a good personal statement and the right grades will certainly give you a good chance.

To offer you something useful, we asked senior Economics lecturers around the country what they like to see in an Economics personal statement;

1) Ensure the personal statement is grammatically correct and without spelling errors . Applicants have time to prepare and go over their statement over and over, as well as to get help from their teachers, parents etc. Sloppiness of this kind gives the worst possible impression .

2) Keep paragraphs short and to the point. This is easier to read than a big body of text – admissions officers are unlikely to spend a long time reading over the statement, so make the key points stand out.

3) I see little need to innovate by writing bizarre things so as to stand out – keep things clear, relevant and to the point, also statements such as ‘I have dreamt of studying Economics from when I was a small child’ are completely implausible and all too common! Show enthusiasm for the subject but back it up with evidence of this , such as relevant books you have read (but make sure you have indeed read them before an interview…if caught out lying, looks very weak – you would be surprised how often this happens), issues in the media or current affairs that interest you etc.

Emphasise the reasons why you’re interested in and want to study, Economics . What is it about the subject that makes you want to spend 3 years specialising in it? What especially appeals? If you’ve studied Economics before you might talk about some of the areas you’ve found most interesting; if not, then explain how you came to want to study it. I think this is an exercise that’s of value notwithstanding the personal statement: students who’ve thought carefully about their choice are more likely to make the right one and ultimately to enjoy success with their degrees . Both with this and more generally on the personal statement, be honest (for your own sake as much as the selector’s, remembering that any exaggerations and poorly thought out statements are likely to be exposed in the event of any interviews ) and resist the temptation to write what you think the selector wants to hear (e.g. “I have always loved Economics ever since I was 2”) or to try and flatter (e.g. “I welcome the chance to study at your esteemed institution”); both are likely to sound insincere, won’t convince and will therefore, add little value. Just be yourself, and be both interested and interesting!

Paragraph 1 – give a general introduction of why you wish to study Economics; this might include a particular aspect of the subject that fascinates you (though explain why), when your interest was peaked and how a degree in Economics fits in with your future career aspirations.

Paragraph 2 – give a brief account of why you are suitable for the degree(s) in questions, highlighting relevant A-level courses taken and aspects of them that were of interest. Give academic and non-academic reasons -applicants tend to focus on what they would take from the opportunity to study towards a particular degree- it is nice to explain how they hope to contribute also to the social fabric of the university and interaction within the course/degree.

Paragraph 3 – give evidence of interest for Economics by listing one or two popular Economics books (e.g. Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics, the Armchair Economist, the Bottom Billion…the list goes on) that you have read. Rather than giving an implausibly long list of books read, focus on one or two (or three if the course is a joint honours degree with other subjects) books and (this is crucial…) identify how the book/particular chapter/treatment of a particular issue fuelled your interest in Economics, in particular, what questions it raised in your mind that a degree in Economics would help answer.

Paragraph 4 – describe (briefly) any work experience/voluntary work, highlighting any aspects that are relevant to Economics. A few lines on hobbies or sporting activities could also be included – perhaps to show perseverance of enjoyment in interacting with others. Some interests e.g. debating, are arguably of more relevance than say, golf.

Somewhere in the statement – if applying from overseas, list the qualifications attained in English language and perhaps say a few words on how studying Economics in the U.K. is of particular value to you.

Paragraph 5 – list any awards, prizes etc attained or participation in things like the Model UN or Duke of Edinburgh awards. Some applicants are involved in Target 2.0 and in doing so get a first-hand feel of the role of monetary policy and how interest rates are set and inflation targeting. These are relevant to the statement.

A statement that follows the structure above should give enough information to satisfy most readers and should appear structured, well-written and clearly thought out.

Vague statements of interest with broad sweeping statements of unbridled enthusiasm for the subject lack credibility if not backed up by specific activities/books read/courses taken etc. In my view, a straightforward personal statement that gets all the core points across in a coherent way serves the purpose best.

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• Successful Personal Statement For Economics & Management At Oxford

Last Updated: 22nd April 2020

Author: Adi Sen

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through an Economics and Managment applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Oxford University. The Economics and Management Course at Oxford examines issues central to the world we live in: namely how the economy and organisations function, and how resources are allocated and coordinated to achieve the organisation’s objectives.

Read on to see how this candidate managed to navigate the many disciplines of E&M. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

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Economics and Management Personal Statement

Economics is the study of now. I view it as the study of the psychology of the people who dictate our lives. The world around us is shaped by the fundamental concept of supply and demand, wants and needs, goods and services. What grips me is that everything I have studied I can apply to real life. Discussions about inflation, for example, are so applicable since its current status is active in the world of pricing; the price of a Big Mac and “Burgernomics” is something to which I can relate from my travels.

The statistical aspect of economic analysis is closely linked to my interest in Mathematics, thus I will take an Econometric route on option modules. This scientific approach to what is otherwise a field-based solely on individual theories and concepts interests me, as I find quantitative analysis much more accurate and reliable than qualitative theories. As an example, I relish analysing more Econometric models on the A-level Course: like Profit Maximisation calculations.

Despite this, Economics intertwines both Maths and Philosophy on a regular basis. I recently read an article from the Guardian by George Monbiot, which discussed the cost-benefit analysis model and whether nature could be quantified as a tangible asset, and how this would benefit neo-liberals in their perpetual quest for profit. This is just an example of how Econometric analysis does not always deliver such verisimilitude where the figures given are ambiguous. This is what is unique about Economics: there is no right answer to the question ‘Is there a right answer?’ The concept of there being methods of analysing the psychology of and nature behind the way that the interface between consumers and producers operates seems to exceed all other subjects in terms of interest.

I find it peculiar that a subject that has such a ubiquitous undercurrent in our society is so undefined and obscure; it is undoubtedly this which draws me to it. Consequently, I strive to keep up with Economics in the modern world by reading the “I” and “Guardian” newspapers, and “The Economist” magazine regularly. For wider background reading I have read Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”, Tim Hartford’s “The Undercover Economist” and “Too Big To Fail” by Andrew Ross Sorkin.

Sorkin’s book provided a gripping, in-depth insight into the world of investment banking and entrepreneurship – I finished the book in a matter of days. His book has inspired me to enter the investment sector. Upon graduation I would like to become an investment banker or negotiator, hence I am in the process of trying to arrange some work experience with the London Metal Exchange.

I completed a programme of work experience with Linden Homes this summer, through the Career Academy Programme on which I am enrolled. It was a six-week internship during which I gained a firm understanding of a construction company’s place within the national economy. I enjoyed spending valuable time in a variety of departments within the firm. I also have work experience planned in Belgium in 2013.

Additionally, I participate in a multitude of extracurricular activities. My team and I finished second in the national UMPH Business Competition; in Year 11 my team set the school record for the Enterprise Day Challenge and for three consecutive years my team won the Grimsby Inter-School Quiz without loss. Furthermore, I am part of both the Franklin College Debating Team and the weekly “Blue Sky Club”, where students meet to discuss current affairs.

Recently, a particular subject of interest has been the US election. We frequently discuss the debates and the candidates, covering subjects like their political viewpoints and how it will affect both our lives and those of the American public – plus the potential Economic ramifications of the possible outcomes. With a genuine zeal for the subject and an ability to relate my studies to the real world, I am convinced that I will thoroughly thrive at degree level Economics.

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Good Points Of The Personal Statement

The student gives a good insight into their academic interests and what’s inspired them to develop over time. They also demonstrate a passion for the subject, not only by stating their interest in it but by further explaining what interests them and why they would make a good candidate to study it at university. The student is already accomplished and explains well what they’ve gained from their various extra-curricular activities.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

The writing is weak and, at points, unnatural. The forced interjections of examples and unusual adjectives make it read like a student attempting to write a formal and formulaic exam essay. They would do better to write in their usual style, even if it is somewhat informal; this will allow them to better express themselves and they will come across as more interesting to those reading it. More importantly than this, however, at times, the student fails to keep up their otherwise good level of detail, and the writing becomes list-like.

This is particularly prominent when they discuss books they’ve read to develop their understanding of economics. Although they expand on one of these, they do so in little detail. Interviewers are unlikely to be impressed by simply mentioning that you’ve read a book – any student applying for degree-level economics is able to read The Communist Manifesto, for instance – but they will be impressed by your response to it and what you gained from the experience of reading it. Unless you expand on these details, a list of books you’ve read does nothing to contribute to the statement.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

This statement is strong, except where it discusses academic work. The detail here was likely sacrificed in favour of expanding further on their extra-curricular activities and their particular areas of interest. However, they have limited discussion of their study of various classic economic works so severely that it fails to add anything to the piece. The statement would, therefore, benefit from a more balanced approach to the various areas of the student’s life.

We give this Economics Personal Statement a 4/5 as they have clearly projected their passion for the subject onto paper – the most important part of a strong Personal Statement – albeit this was at the cost of other factors that should have been covered in more depth.

And there we have it – an Oxford E&M Personal Statement with feedback from our expert tutors. 

Remember, at Oxford, the Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

Our Free Personal Statement Resources page is filled with even more successful personal statements and expert guides.

Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Oxford E&M application.

With our  Oxbridge Economics Premium Programme we help you craft the perfect Personal   Statement , achieve a highly competitive TSA score and teach you how to  Interview effectively.

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• Writing Personal Statements
• Each school will ask you to write a personal statement. While the prompts vary across schools, generally a personal statement will ask you to describe your research interests, qualifications, and career goals.
• Schools vary in their importance of the personal statement, but it is an area that students tend to have a lot of questions about.
• The personal statement should be clear and well-written. Be realistic about your career goals. While showing interest in research in economics is important, don’t spend too much time describing your passion for economics. This will be unlikely to persuade admissions committees. Get to specifics as soon as possible.
• For example, be as specific as possible in describing your past research and course experiences. For example, instead of writing, “I was a research assistant to Professor X and learned a lot through that experience”, spell out exactly what you did. Did you implement data analysis for Professor X? Was that analysis based on a recent methodological advance that you needed to figure out? What type of analysis was it? How did you solve the problems that occurred when implementing the analysis? Be as specific as possible. If you relied on coursework (for example, you proofread and edited a proof in a paper), mention the mathematical background that allowed you to accomplish this task.
• You should describe potential research interests, but you don’t need to know exactly what you would like to research in graduate school. Interests change, and it is unlikely admissions committee will place tremendous stock in the specifics of your research proposal. In describing potential research, you should write clearly about your interests and show that you understand how to discuss a potential research project in economics. You can ask an advisor or letter-writer to look over your personal statement.
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Top Tips for a Cambridge Economics Personal Statement

Cambridge economics personal statement – top 10 tips: dos and don’ts.

The Cambridge Personal Statement is a crucial component of your university application. It presents a unique opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You would be able to articulate your story and explain your interests beyond that of numbers on an admissions test. Furthermore, it gives the interviewer a chance to understand who you are. It also provides a platform to bounce off questions during your interview. 

They can tailor questions to your personality, interests, and commitment to who you are as a person and your amalgamation of experiences before you. To guide you through the arduous university application process, our Oxbridge application experts have compiled a list of top 10 Economics Personal Statement Cambridge tips. This includes dos and don’ts– for your Cambridge Economics Personal Statement for the 2024/25 application cycle.

General Advice for Cambridge Personal Statement

The economics course at Cambridge is a comprehensive course that covers all types of economics: core, pure, and applied. Furthermore, the course at Cambridge is also engineered in a manner that allows students to use techniques and schools of thought from other related fields This includes sociology, statistics, mathematics, politics, and history.

Hence, your Cambridge personal statement should clearly demonstrate that you understand that the course is not only theoretical but also includes a significant portion of mathematical reasoning and knowledge. Furthermore, when planning out your Economics personal statement Cambridge admissions tutors will be looking for you to research Cambridge’s achievements in economics and include it in your writing to illustrate your interest in economics. 

Additionally, when you are crafting your Economics personal statement, you would most likely also be applying to four other university courses. This may result in your statement being vaguer. The University of Cambridge is aware of such and will require you to fill out an ‘Online Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)’. This is shortly after submitting the UCAS application. So make sure you’ve created another condensed version of your Economics personal statement that you can directly submit to Cambridge.

Top 5 Tips for your Cambridge Economics Personal Statement

1. demonstrate that you are well-read in economics ..

Cambridge does not presume prior knowledge of Economics (after all, you are going to Cambridge to study it!). However, being familiar with Economics terminology as well as its basic principles would give you an edge over other applicants. Furthermore, being well-read in the field also signals to the examiner that you are interested and passionate about the subject. You would take the initiative and seek out knowledge on your own if you are truly passionate about the subject! If you don’t know where to start, you can access Cambridge’s recommended preparatory reading list on their website, or through this link here: Prelim Reading . Furthermore, remember that you are not restricted to books! This could also be in the form of news articles – The Economist, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Vox, The New York Times, etc. are all great places to start. You can also read magazine columns. Or it could even be in other forms of medium such as podcasts, documentaries (available on accessible platforms such as Netflix!), or even Youtube videos. Watching an economics documentary instead of your usual prime-time TV show would be a great way to incorporate learning into your everyday lifestyle.

2. Demonstrating that you are proficient or interested in Mathematics .

Although it is not immediately obvious for an Economics course, the Economics course at Cambridge assumes and requires students to be proficient in Mathematics. Fret not, they only require you to have fully mastered your course syllabus and material at the A-level Mathematics level before commencing your studies. However, showing that you are proficient and interested in Mathematics would help you both in your application and if you end up pursuing the course as there are definitely mathematics components in the course. For example, if you take further mathematics, you would benefit from knowledge in Further Pure Mathematics as well as Statistics. Participating in mathematics competitions or having done work in statistics would be useful in your application as well as course.

3. Focusing your application on your interest in Economics .

Remember that in your Economics personal statement Cambridge admissions tutors are looking out for students who are interested and are a good fit for the course. Hence, it is always important to remember that in your personal statement Cambridge Economics should feature highly! Elaborate on your interest in Economics! You can do so by answering the following trigger questions: Why are you interested in Economics? Are there specific aspects of the course that interests you and why? Do you have any personal qualities or traits that would make you a good Economics student? Focusing your body paragraphs on certain aspects of Economics that interest you and why, or qualities that make you a good Economics student could be used as an overall structure when crafting your Economics Cambridge personal statement. Referencing relevant experiences and reflecting on them would also be useful when writing your personal statement.

4. Having a good structure for your Cambridge personal statement .

Using a good structure when writing your Economics Cambridge personal statement would be good to not only enhance readability but also allow you to not miss out on or forget certain points when crafting your personal statement. You can have a look at a Cambridge economics personal statement examples. But remember when looking at economics personal statement examples Cambridge admissions tutors are adept at spotting plagiarism so looking at it to gain an understanding of structure rather than content is a good option.

A good structure could look something like this: Introduction– A short 3-4 lines briefly mentioning the main reasons why you are interested in Economics, or how you started becoming interested in the course. Next, your body paragraphs can focus on traits that you have that would make you a good economics student, or specific details or aspects of the course that interests you. Each point could be one body paragraph, and you can support and elaborate on each point with examples (such as competitions that you have participated in, books surrounding those concepts that you have read, societies that you have been a part of, etc.) You can then conclude by summarising the important points you want your Cambridge admissions tutor to remember and take away.

5. Giving yourself sufficient time to write your Cambridge Economics personal statement .

It might seem impossible to start crafting your Economics Cambridge personal statement, especially when you are staring at a blank word document and you have no idea where to start. If you are experiencing writer’s block, you can start by listing down all your achievements and experiences. You can then list down details or aspects of the course (you can easily research this!) that interests you, as well as a separate list of qualities that an economics student should have. You can then match your experiences to any points from the two lists, and use each match as a backbone when fleshing out your body paragraphs!

Top 5 things to AVOID for your Cambridge Economics Personal Statement

1. having a poor or incorrect understanding of the course.

Many students who apply for a course at university have a misguided or misinformed idea of the course that they would be studying. This is because their impression of the course is from hearsay or what they see in films, or they assume that it would be the same as the subject they studied in high school. For example, especially for economics, students would not expect the amount of mathematics or statistics that are part of the course.

Having a good understanding of what you are in for can also benefit you when writing your personal statement. For example, you can explain how parts of your interest or personality align well with specific or general aspects of the course. This signals to the Oxford admissions tutor that you understand what you are applying for and that you are interested and are a good fit for it.

2. Making your Economics personal statement an economics essay instead of elaborating on your interest or story

Although it is helpful to mention economic theories in your personal statement when you are trying to explain your motivation to study economics, or when elaborating on the books that you have read, ensure that you do not turn your whole Economics personal statement into an economics essay. Keep in mind that what the Cambridge admission tutors are looking out for when they are reading your personal statement is to understand why you want to study economics, and what makes you the perfect fit for the course. Even if you found a really difficult or obscure economics theory, talking at breadth about it rather than focusing on your story would put you at a disadvantage– these tutors would be experts in their field, and if they wanted to learn more about a particular theory, they would pick up a textbook instead of your Economics personal statement!

3. Using too much jargon or using vocabulary that you are not familiar with

You might think that using unconventional vocabulary or fancy terminology would make you sound or appear intelligent. However, especially if you are unfamiliar with the terms, this would actually work against you instead of helping your application. This is because your personal statement could end up sounding unnatural, wordy, and hard to read. Think about it this way– explaining a difficult concept in simple words is more impressive than using a difficult word incorrectly! Furthermore, Cambridge admissions tutors would be reading hundreds of Economics personal statements a day– If your Cambridge personal statement is full of jargon and tough words, it would be difficult for them to understand what you are trying to convey to them. You would not way your ideas to be lost in translation, so make sure you communicate in a simple and effective manner! Always value clarity over vocabulary.

4. Not reflecting on any experience that you mentioned in your Cambridge Economics personal statement

Your experience is only as valuable as what you have taken away or learnt from it. Especially when you are mentioning experiences that are not directly related to that of Economics, you should always mention how it is relevant to your application to Economics– whether it be your interest in it or certain personal qualities that you have. If you want to mention a particular experience that you have, however, you are unable to link it to Economics, you can think about how it has led you to develop certain transferable skills. For example, if you have done a lot of community service or volunteered at a charity, you can talk about how this has led you to be interested in learning more about Economics policies or theories that could help with inequality or poverty.

5. Only give yourself enough time to write a singular Cambridge Economics personal statement

Never expect to only write one Cambridge personal statement, and that being the final draft that you would be submitting. Your first personal statement that you craft would not be your best one, and you should always give yourself enough time to constantly improve and write multiple drafts to further improve it. After writing a draft that you are proud of, it would also be good for you to leave it aside and not think about it. After a week, you can return to it with a fresh mind, and you would be able to note out errors or aspects of it that you would like to further refine. You can also let seniors, friends, or your school’s career guidance counsellor proofread your Economics personal statement for them to give a more objective view and perspective on your personal statement. Their feedback could be immensely helpful, as sometimes we might not be the most objective person when telling our own stories. However, do remember to not share your Economics personal statement with anyone, as this could lead to unnecessary plagiarism problems!

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Economics & politics personal statement example 1.

My perception of the world changed on September the 11th 2001, when I returned home from school to find that a terrorist organisation had attacked the World Trade Centre.

The attack destroyed my feeling of security, provoking me to probe and question the world around me in a way I hadn't before and sparking my interest in current affairs.

The importance of political decisions and economics soon became apparent, how can the two disciplines be overlooked, when almost every issue or headline from the food on our table to the death of thousands in a terrorist attack, is related to one or both of the subjects?

My favourite area of economics is macro; I particularly enjoy comparing and evaluating the different tools and management strategies that the government can use in controlling the economy.

It is interesting to assess not only how different ideas affect the economic climate, but also the political reasons and repercussions of such decisions.

I keep up to date with developments within the subject by regularly reading The Economist and David Smith in The Times.

For me, one of the most interesting features of Economics is the way in which the theory can be applied to the very simple situations, for example the way that Steven Levitt is able to compare the Klu Klux Klan to Estate agents in his book Freakonomics. However, I look forward to using the skills that I have gained in Mathematics for the more complex, like game theory, at degree level.

Reading books like 'The Wealth and Poverty of Nations' by David Landes has opened my eyes to the global inequality of wealth, and the negative effect that groups like the WTO have on 3rd world countries.

I have campaigned to 'Make Poverty History', improving my presentation skills while gaining greater insight into Wyn Grant's ideas on pressure groups by presenting assemblies to the lower school and volunteering in Oxfam. My team work and organisational skills were developed while working as a group of Charity Committee representatives who were asked to organise a human 'Make Poverty History' band around Salisbury Cathedral.

Learning about the reforming agenda that Tony Blair introduced to his party in 1997 motivated me to get involved with the Labour party on the less glamorous local level, and so I have gained insight into local and regional meetings.

I enjoyed outlining ideologies like the 3rd Way and conservatism in my AS course, it was interesting to study the core ideas and beliefs behind policy, so developed my understanding by reading 'Political Ideologies: an introduction' by Andrew Heywood.

I was lucky enough to be invited to represent my school at the 2005 Dicey Conference at Trinity College Oxford. The two day conference allowed me to explore one of my favourite topics, 'Who rules the UK?', with significant figures and aware students from all over the country. It strengthened my opinion that power and influence has moved from directly accountable institutions like Parliament and the Cabinet to less democratic bodies like the city and the media.

This opportunity to discuss with a spectrum of different opinions is mirrored in my school life, where I am an active member of the Debating Society and get the chance to talk to and grill guest speakers at Politics Society.

I have been involved in a unique Student Research programme, where I have led a team of yr 7's towards a presentation to the staff on what we think makes the perfect lesson. In investigating lesson structure, I have gained essential research and presentation skills as well as growing a lot more active in my own learning.

I have proved how committed and responsible I am, while perfecting my teamwork and leadership skills by taking on the roles of Head of the Sixth Form Council, a Head of House and a Senior Prefect.

I feel that my passion for both Politics and Economics makes me worthy of a place on a joint course, and I look forward to getting involved in both academic and social aspects of university life.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by Shane_Garvin for application in 2006.

Shane_Garvin's university choices London School of Economics The University of Durham University of Bristol University of Bath The University of Manchester Cardiff University

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

Shane_Garvin's Comments

As you can see from my UCAS choices, I got offfers to study economics and politics at Durham, Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester and Bath. I've accepted an offer from LSE to study Government and Economics. Not really sure if this is an economics or politics statement - it's pretty equal in both!

Related Personal Statements

Tue, 29/08/2006 - 00:00

This is excellent. It is very detailed, and not at all cliched or waffley. Has a catching intro. I liked the way he didnt talk about boring extra currics for ages- but just mentioned them to show hes an all rounder.

I agree that it is good, but

Fri, 01/09/2006 - 00:00

I agree that it is good, but I would disagree with the previous comment that it isnt cliched... using 9/11 as an opening seems to me the ultimate cliche.

Some very strong points

Fri, 08/09/2006 - 00:00

Some very strong points indeed

Excellent personal statement.

Tue, 24/10/2006 - 12:36

Excellent personal statement.. very detailed and clear..

Sun, 29/10/2006 - 21:06

Very good opening. After scanning the introductions of the statements under Politics, this was the only one that really caught my attention.

returned home to find a terrorist group attacked..

Tue, 13/03/2007 - 20:30

oh boy! he is in for a big shock when he realises it was the government who carried out the attacks on the world trade center and that his own country have been involved in government sponsored terrorism for the past 40 years, the same government who murdered dr david kelly and is sturring up the violence in iraq, you have it all to learn. Great personal statement but are you sure you are ready for all of this?

wow london school of

Mon, 19/03/2007 - 12:32

wow london school of economics is one of the best in the world! awesome, hope it goes well for ya

Didn't like the opening, but

Sun, 20/05/2007 - 23:34

Didn't like the opening, but loved the rest. 9/11 is so tired.

Sun, 03/06/2007 - 17:54

Very useful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! best of luck in future!!!!!!!!!

i was under the impression

Wed, 13/06/2007 - 20:41

i was under the impression that personal statements were only supposed to be 1500 characters, in which case this is rather long...am i right?

yes you are right.. about

Wed, 20/06/2007 - 13:40

yes you are right.. about 1400 characters with spaces

Tue, 10/07/2007 - 13:40

i think that a ucas statement

Mon, 20/08/2007 - 16:35

i think that a ucas statement is allowed 4000 characters, that's what i've been told

Actually he only got 12 GCSEs

Tue, 21/08/2007 - 12:51

Actually he only got 12 GCSEs, they are just all repeated, and the grades aren't really that good either, having just two A*s. Very good personal statement though and I assume it was backed by some good AS results.

Sun, 02/09/2007 - 18:38

i liked the personal staemnet but the writer overused "I" which is not advised. about 9/11 different introduction than the ones published over here but it got old!

one thing that i liked is the refrence to freakonomics my favourite economics's book adn my favourite section about the ku klux klan!

Amazing personal statement!!

Wed, 05/09/2007 - 10:18

Amazing personal statement!! may i know what A-levels u did?

Sat, 08/09/2007 - 16:10

i agree with "came back from school..." before accusing anyone, you need to know who organized the attack on world trade center. u need to more learn, or maybe do researches...great PS>> GL in politics life. and PS should be about 1000 characters i reckon

thtas just emotional

Tue, 18/09/2007 - 09:09

thtas just emotional blackmail

what did u get for ur 'A'

Fri, 12/10/2007 - 15:18

what did u get for ur 'A' levels?

Sun, 14/10/2007 - 20:57

It's an okish statement.. Need to improve, I wouldn't copy any of it lol

it's convincing...

Sun, 28/10/2007 - 15:19

Just shows you don't need amazing GCSE's to get in LSE. His really were not the usual standard LSE accept.

Thu, 15/11/2007 - 05:52

i like a ps where the emphasis is on the subject-what interests you about, and where you see yourself going with it. Sure, extra curricular stuff is great but your subject has to be dominant.

I'd suggest that this is

Fri, 07/12/2007 - 12:24

I'd suggest that this is actually a very good statement. His GCSE's are not the best but are still a good set of results. The fact the he isn't 'up to LSE's normal standards' would lead me to think his personal statement must be very effective to score him a place at both LSE and five other good universities.

PS: With respect to '9/11'

Fri, 07/12/2007 - 12:27

PS: With respect to '9/11' being very tired, writing personal statements should be focused on being very honest about why you're passionate about the course you want to do. If that's why you want to study a subject, why not include it?

Let the admissions officers decide if it is 'tired' or 'cliched'.

awesome baby!!!

Thu, 10/07/2008 - 09:47

not 24 gcses

Thu, 17/07/2008 - 21:48

not 24 gcses hes accidentally pasted them twice- lol

You have an amazing PS.

Fri, 22/08/2008 - 01:55

Not to take away your thunder or whatever but can everyone comment on my PS. No one has commented on it and it's my first draft and I would like some opinions. It's the last one in the Politics category titled, First Draft..Politics/International Relations/SP.

is good wonder if 911 was

Tue, 02/09/2008 - 21:25

is good wonder if 911 was necessary? better talk about self no?

it's soo long

Fri, 12/09/2008 - 17:27

I am a canadian student.. and apparently UCAS will now only allow 4000 characters. so although this is a very good personal statement.. how did you fit it in.. or have the rules changed>????

didn't like the 9/11 into.

Sun, 14/09/2008 - 15:56

didn't like the 9/11 into. Rest was clear and concise. Overall pretty good.

this is brilliant

Tue, 23/09/2008 - 09:48

to be honest this ps really scared me, dont think mine is that good, and im applying to LSE!!! I'd like to your AS/AL grades though.

Wed, 16/09/2009 - 12:27

YOU GUY YOUR TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WACK

DID YOU GO TO UNIVERSITY OF WACKBRIDGE?

Party Politics

Wed, 15/09/2010 - 14:25

Glad to see you mention your work in the party; some people had warned me to keep away from my partisan support for Labour - but considering it is a clear display of ones passion for politics I will be sure to mention it.

Mon, 15/11/2010 - 20:41

Incredible opening!!!!

Tue, 23/07/2013 - 19:48

Appreciate you sharing, great blog post. Will read on...

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