Guidance Notes on UCAS · 2010-06-08 · UCAS statement Your UCAS personal statement should be at least 80% about commitment to a subject and must demonstrate evidence of having gone

Geoff Riley - Introduction To UCAS – June 2010

GuidanceNotesonUCAS

InformationonapplyingforeconomicsdegreesandonbuildingastrongplatformforapplicationstotheUKandoverseas

GeoffRiley

HeadofEconomicsEtonCollege

June2010


Introduction to UCAS – Building Blocks to Choosing a Degree Firstofall,havealookattheUCASwebsitewww.ucas.ac.ukandbecomefamiliarwiththeinformationitcontains.Thereisnosubstituteforhavingyourowncopyofauniversityprospectusthatcanbebrowsedatleisure.Neweditionsoftheseprospectusescanbeorderedonlinefromeachoftheuniversitiesyouareconsidering.Checktoofordatesoftheofficialopendaysateachinstitution.EconomicsFaculties:

Bath www.bath.ac.uk/econ‐dev/

Birmingham http://www.economics.bham.ac.uk/index.shtml

Bristol http://www.bristol.ac.uk/economics/

Cambridge www.econ.cam.ac.uk/&www.econ.cam.ac.uk/prospect/ba/index.html

Durham http://www.dur.ac.uk/economics.finance/

Edinburgh http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools‐departments/economics/

Exeter http://www.sobe.ex.ac.uk/undergraduate/

Leeds http://lubswww.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate/index.php?id=55

Liverpool http://www.liv.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/courses_e.htm

LondonSchoolofEconomics http://econ.lse.ac.uk/andhttp://econ.lse.ac.uk/study/ugpr.html

Manchester http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/disciplines/economics/

Newcastle http://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/subjects/economics

Nottingham www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course.php?inc=course&code=000476

Oxford(Econ&Management) www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/ecma.shtml

Oxford(General) www.economics.ox.ac.uk

Oxford(PPE) www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/ppec.shtml

RoyalHolloway(London) http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Economics/

Southampton http://www.socsci.soton.ac.uk/Economics/

StAndrews www.st‐and.ac.uk/academic/economics/

UCL www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/

Warwick www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/Economics/

York http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/econ/

Overseasfaculties

TrinityCollegeDublin http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/

Columbia(NewYork) http://www.columbia.edu/cu/economics/

Brown(Economics) http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Economics/

Harvard(Economics) http://www.economics.harvard.edu/

Princeton(Economics) http://www.econ.princeton.edu/

Yale(Economics) http://www.econ.yale.edu/

Stanford(Economics) http://economics.stanford.edu/site‐map


AlternativeUniversityInformationandCareersAdvice:

Guardian: http://education.guardian.co.uk/chooseadegree/

Independent: http://education.independent.co.uk/higher/

OpenDays http://www.opendays.com/

Prospects: www.prospects.ac.uk

TimesGuide: www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html

Economicsfacultyrankingsfor2010canbefoundherehttp://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Economics&x=13&y=6&sub=22

WhyStudyEconomics: http://whystudyeconomics.ac.uk/‐thisisagoodsiteforbackgroundonuniversitycoursesandtherearesomewellmadevideosfromcurrenteconomicsundergraduates. Guardian 2010 University Rankings Remembertotaketheseunofficialrankingswithapieceofsaltbutinmyopiniontheyarenottoofaroff!


Studying Economics in the UK StudentscometoEconomicsdegreecoursesfromawiderangeofbackgrounds–itisnotnecessarytohavestudiedEconomicsbeforestartingadegreecourseinit,althoughanexcellentASandA2orIBlevelperformanceinEconomics(togetherwithagoodlevelofMaths)givesstudentsasignificantheadstart!Economicscanbestudiedeitherasasinglesubjectorincombinationwitharangeofothersubjects(jointhonourscourses).ThousandsofstudentscombineEconomicswithsubjectssuchasMaths,History,Geography,Law,Philosophy,aModernLanguage(French,GermanandSpanisharepopular,EconomicsandChineseisalsoanoptionatsomeuniversitiesincludingLeedsandSOAS)andalsoPoliticsandEngineeringandManagement.Coursesareavailableforthoseaimingforacareerinengineering.AlargenumberofgraduateprogrammesareprovidedatMastersLevel,andtherearealsoanumberofPhDlevelprogrammes.MathsandEconomicsTypicalcourserequirementsvarybyinstitutionandthesecanchangealittlefromyeartoyear–mydocumenttriestokeepuptodatewiththepublishedrequirementsbutyouareadvisedtocontacttheuniversitydepartmentconcernedforpreciseinformationbeforeapplying.Formanyofthetopcourses,atopgradeinFurtherMathsisrecommendedtogiveyourapplicationastrongchance.Forthehigherratedcourseshowever,itisunusualforanapplicantwithoutGCSEMathematics(gradesAorB)tobeadmitted.ItisrareforstudentswantingtoreadsinglehonourspureEconomicstoapplywithoutatleastanAgradeinsingleMaths.Recentadvicefromindividualuniversities

o Bath:TypicalofferofAAAfrom3GCEA‐levels(excludingGeneralStudiesand/orCriticalThinking).MathematicsrequiredatgradeA.Economicsisastronglypreferredsubject.

o Bristol:ForEconomicsdegreesBristolusuallyexpectyoutohaveorbepredictedgradesofAAA.BristolismorelikelytomakeyouanofferifyouarestudyingFurtherMathematicswithinthecontextoffourrecognisedA‐levelsubjects.GeneralStudiesnotaccepted.(Admissionsadvice)

o Cambridge:A‐levelinMathematics,oranequivalentqualification,isessentialforthoseplanningtostudyEconomics.WhilstEconomicsandFurtherMathematicsarealsousefulsubjects,theFacultydoesnotimposetheserequirementsasprerequisites,otherA‐levelcombinationswillberegardedasacceptablebythemajorityofcolleges.However,almostallcollegeswilldemandminimumgradesofAAA,andinthevastmajorityofoffersrequiregradesofA*AA

o Durham:EconomicsBA(Hons):YouwillneedatleastagradeBinASLevelMathematicsifyouarenotdoingA‐LevelMaths.YouwillnormallyberequiredtohaveA*gradesinGCSEMathematicsandEnglishLanguage,thoughsomeflexibilitywillbeexercisedinimplementingthiscondition.

o Edinburgh:TypicalA‐LevelOffer:AAB:SingleHonoursEconomics:Maths:MathsASorA‐leveldesirable.Furtheradmissionsinformationavailablefromhttp://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Undergraduate/index.htm

o Exeter:OurselectorspreferapplicantstobeofferinggradeAatGCEAlevelMathematics(orgrade6atHigherLevelintheIB)asthisprovidesanexcellentpreparationforourdegreeprogrammes.Wealsoprefertoseesubjectcombinationsthatdemonstratebothanalyticalandwritingabilities.

o Leeds:YoumusthaveagradeAorgradeA*inGCSEMathematics(orequivalent)ifyouarenotofferingMathematicsasasubjectatahigher‐levelexaminationsuchasASorA2level.

o LSE:AlevelMathematicsisrequired.AlevelEconomicsisnotessential.NootherspecificsubjectsarerequiredatA2level,butweprefertraditionalacademicsubject.


o Newcastle:GCSEMathematicsatminimumofgradeBifnottakenatAorASlevel

o Nottingham:Standardofferis3'A2'levelsatAAAgrades(orAABBiftaking4subjects),BScEconomicsandEconometricsrequiresA‐levelmathematics.

o Oxford(EconomicsandManagement):TypicalAleveloffer:AAA;ALevelMathematicsrecommendedanddoublemathscanbeastrongadditionalcardtoplaywithsomecolleges

o Oxford(PPE):TypicalALeveloffer:AAA(MathsandHistoryarehelpfulbutnotessential)

o UCL:Forsinglehonourseconomics‐A*AAtoincludegradeA*inMathematics

o Warwick:AAA+ASlevelB(orCasafourthAlevel)orAlevelAAABforsuccessfulapplicantstaking4Alevelsinc.MathsandFurtherMaths.

LandEconomyItstwoprimarydisciplinesarelawandeconomics;itsmainfocusisland,property,urbanandregionalplanningandenvironmentalprotection.Studentswithaparticularinterestineconomicgeography,environmentaleconomics,theeconomicsandbusinessofrealestateandinenvironmentalandpropertylawmaywellbeattractedtoLandEconomy.TheCambridgelandeconomyfacultyadmitsaround60undergraduatesperyear.Theirwebsiteishere:http://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/.TheCambridgeUniversityLandEconomysocietyalsocarriessomeusefulinformation:http://www.culandsoc.com/index.phpTimes2010EconomicsDegreeUniversityRankingsHerearetheTimes2010listings


What can I do to make my university application as strong as possible? Themajorityofuniversitysubjectadmissionstutorsarenotmuchinterestedinhowmuchsportyouplay,whetherornotyouareinvolvedindrama,musicorhaveotherschoolresponsibilities.Theirmainconcernisyourintellectual/academicpotential,commitmentandpassionforyourchosensubjectdisciplinescomparedwithotherstudentsapplyingforaspecificcourse.Extra‐curricularactivitiesdomatterbutyoursubjectmustcomefirstandpleaserememberthiswhenpreparinganapplication.FocusingyourUCASstatementYourUCASpersonalstatementshouldbeatleast80%aboutcommitmenttoasubjectandmustdemonstrateevidenceofhavinggonewellbeyondthesyllabus,withacommitmenttoindependentstudy.HereissomeadviceonwritingapersonalstatementfromthefacultyattheLondonSchoolofEconomics.EnrichmentandExtensionActivitiesinyourSubjects

o Read–youshouldbereadingaqualitynewspapereverydayandsoakingupasmanyideasandargumentsasyoucan.Investingtwentytothirtyminutesofyourtimeeachdayreadinganewspaperisahugelyvaluableactivity.Thiswillgiveyoubreadthandgreatdepthofawarenessanditwillundoubtedlyimproveyourwrittenwork.

o Read–contactyoursubjectteachersforideasforbooksthatwillbroadenyourhorizons.YourUCASformmustincludeevidenceofchallenginganddiversebackgroundreadingandshouldincludesomepersonalthoughtsandreflectionsonhowthisreadinghasenrichedyourunderstandingofasubject.

o Getinvolvedinschoolsocieties–e.g.theKeynes,Entrepreneurship,Political,Stock‐brokingandotherrelatedsocietieshereatschool.Makecontactwithvisitingspeakers.Don’tjustturnuptosocieties–insteadlooktogetmoredeeplyinvolved–bepro‐active.

o Enteressaycompetitionssuchastheschool’sKeynesPrizeforeconomicsandalsotheEssayCompetitionorganizedbytheRoyalEconomicSociety.Detailsofthe2010competitionareavailablehere:SeveralOxbridgecollegenowruntheirownessaycompetitions–keepaneyeoutforthose.

o Looktogetinvolvedwithsummerschoolsthatgiveyouinsightsintosubjectsyouwanttostudy

o Challengetheconventionalwisdomintheclassroom–questionwhatisbeingtaught,takeissuewithyourteachersandexploredifferentarguments–don’ttakeabackseat,don’tbeapassivestudentintheclassroom–itwillhelpyouininterviewsandlateroninuniversityseminars

o Workexperience:Thesummerholidaysareagoodtimetobuildsuchexperienceandthemorediversetheplacementsandexperience–thebetter.Workingforalocalcharity,withalocalnewspaperormagazine,abusinessorganizationornewbusinessstart‐upisoftenmorevaluablethanaweekortwosatwithboringpeopleinaninvestmentbankingofficeorafirmofaccountants!

o Travelandwhenyoutraveltrytounderstandmoreaboutthesocial–economic‐politicalbackgroundofthecountriesthatyouarevisiting.Andreadupaboutthem,perhapscontributingtoschool‐basedmagazinesorotherstudentpublicationsorblogs

o Attendoutsidelecturesandotherevents–considerthelecturesthatareavailabletothegeneralpublicatyourlocaluniversities;someuniversitiesalsorunsummerbusinessschoolsforacademicallyablestudents.Seewhatisavailable.TheLondonSchoolofeconomicsandtheRoyalSocietyofArtsprovidetremendousrangeoffreelecturesandotherevents.


Writing a personal statement for Economics Firstparagraph

• Whatsparkedyourinterest?‐Talkabouthowyoureachedyourdecisiontostudythissubject• How has it been sustained? ‐ Has taking it to A2 level confirmed that youwant to take it even

further?• Bespecific‐giveanexampleofsomethinginthecoursethat'sreallyfiredyourinterest

ParagraphTwo‐YourAcademicandIntellectualCuriosity

• Trytothinkaboutyourindependentreading.Givethetitle,theauthor,abriefsynopsisandexplainwhatitwasaboutthatbookinparticularthatyouliked/seemedrelevanttoyouandyourcourse.Ifyoucan,trytogettotheheartofwhatthebookwasabout,ortakeissuewithit

• Thejournalsormagazinesyou'veread.Whydoyoulikethatparticularjournal,andwhicharticlesinparticularhaveinterestedyou?

• Therecentdevelopmentsinyoursubjectthathascaughtyoureye.Haveyoustudieddevelopmentsinbehaviouraleconomics?Orreaddifferentbooksonglobalisationandthefinancialcrisis?

ParagraphThree‐Relatedinterestinyoursubject

• Theworkexperienceorvoluntaryworkhasyoudone.• Whatitwasaboutthatworkexperienceorvoluntaryworkthat(specifically)interestedyou?• Anyacademiccompetitionsyou'veentered,whatdidyouwriteabout?Whatdidyoulearn?• Whatextracourses,lectures,summerschools,andseminarshaveyouattended?Whogavethem?

Whatimpressedyou?Whatdidyoutakefromthem?Paragraph4‐ExtraCurricular‐thesubliminalmessages

• Thesportsyoudoandthelevel.• Anyscholarshipsyouhave,andhowyouhavecontinuedtoexcelinthatarea.• Yourorchestras,choirs,bands,societiesandsaywhyyoulikethem.• Yourpositionsofresponsibilityoroccasionswhenyou'veledteams.Whatdidyoulearnfromit?• Whattakesupyourfreetime,andwhydoyougiveitsomuchspaceinyourlife?• Whyyouthinkthesequalitieswillmakeyouagoodundergraduate?• Someareasofyourlifethatshowyoucanworkunderpressure,todeadlines.

Entry Profiles On theUCASwebsite, every course at every university has anEntry Profile, accessiblewhen you eithersearch for a course or search for a university. Entry profileswill give a clear statement of the essentialsubjectsandpreferredsubjectsatA2andAS,aswellasthegradesandotherrequirementsuniversitiesarelooking for fromapplicants.Forexample,aswellas specifyingwhatgradesare required, certaincoursesmayspecifyrequiredadditionaltests,skills,recommendedevidenceofrelevantworkexperienceandsoon.Target for the AS Exams InyourASexampapersaimforanaverageofover90‐93%ineachmoduleand100%inasmanypapersasyou can. There is evidence that some of the most competitive universities disregard the results of ASretakes.Ihaveprovidedinthefollowingpagessomeexamplesofsuccessfulpersonalstatements.


Statement 1: History (Oxford) 2004 Historyisanenormouslydifficultsubjecttodefine.TomethemostappropriatedefinitionisthatofferedbyCicero,“Historyisthewitnessthattestifiestothepassingoftime.”Thisisbecausethebreadthofthesubjectmeansthatthehistoriancanneverbecertainofwhathappened,buttriestogiveanaccurateaccountbasedonlimitedsources.Historyissomethingwithwhichtothinkwith;toseehowpeoplebehavedinthepastpresentsusanopportunitytothinkhowwebehave.Myinterestinhistorystemmedfromitscapacitytodevelopawarenessofdifferingpolitical,cultural,socialandeconomicstructures.ThiswasparticularlyevidentwhenstudyingthecausesoftheAmericanCivilWar,andtheinnatedifferencesbetweentheNorthandSouth.Myinquisitivenatureisamainfactorinmydesiretostudyhistory;IaminterestedinabroadrangeofhistoricaltopicsincludingtheAnglo‐Zuluwar,theFirstWorldWarandtheAmericanRevolution.IhavebeenappointedSecretaryoftheHistorySocietyofmyschool.AparticularlymemorablespeakerwasProfessorRichardHolmes,whospokeabouttheWesternFrontinWorldWarOne.FollowingthistalkIvisitedthebattlefield’softheSommetogainabetterunderstandingofthewar.IhaveenjoyedreadingGarySheffield’scontroversialbook,ForgottenVictory.IwasinterestedbythenotionofferedthatthewarrepresentedthegreatestmilitaryvictoryinBritishhistoryandthattheFirstWorldWarwasaswarthatBritainhadtofight.IhaveattendedtwotalksbyDavidRattray,oneattheRoyalMilitaryCollegeatSandhurstandtheotherattheRoyalGeographicalSociety.ThesetalksontheAnglo‐ZuluwarinterestedmebecauseoftheirfocusonthebattleofIsandlwanabeingagreatvictoryfortheZulus,andnotentirelyduetoBritishincompetence.WhenstudyingtheCausesoftheAmericanCivilWar,IundertookthereadingofTheGreatRepublic–AHistoryofAmericabySirWinstonChurchill.ThoughmoreofasynopsisofAmericanhistoryuptotheearlytwentiethcenturyitoffersaninterestingoverviewandagooddescriptionoftheCivilWar.SincecomingtotheschoolIhavegainedaninternalscholarshipbasedonexamresults.IhavealsowonthreeHistoryprizesinexamsaswellasinseveralothersubjects.LastyearIwonthelower‐sixthDivinityprize.InthisessayIdrewonexamplesfromhistoryasameanstoexplorewhatmaybejustifiedinthefuture.Lookingatkeyeventsinhistory,suchastheIndustrialRevolution,Iconcludedthattoholdbackhumandevelopmentforthesakeoffuturegenerationswouldbeamistake.RecentlyIhaveenteredtheBirleyprizeforanhistoricalessaywrittenandresearchedentirelyindependently.IchosethetopicofTheOliveBranchPetitionandtheAmericanWarofIndependence.IwasparticularlyinterestedbyBernardBailyn’sbook‘TheideologicaloriginsoftheAmericanRevolution’,abookwhichgavegreatsignificancetothepoliticalphilosophyoftherevolution.IwasalsoabletoresearchParliamentarydebatesfrom1775attheHouseofLordsRecordOffice,whichwasarewardingandusefulexperience.MyinterestinPoliticsledtomyappointmentasVice‐PresidentoftheschoolsPoliticalSociety.InthispositionIamablemeetanumberofsignificantpoliticalfigures.BoththeeditorofTheGuardianandTheTelegraphhavecomeofferingtheirviewsoftheroleofthemediainsociety.AsIamyoungfortheyearIprobablyneedtotakeaGapyear.ForthreemonthsIplantodovoluntaryworkinaGameReserveinNatalProvince,SouthAfrica.FromhereIwillhavetheopportunitytovisitboththeBoerandAnglo‐ZuluWarbattlefields.Theopportunitytogainsomeunderstandingofotherculturesshouldenhancemyabilityasanhistorian.TheOxfordhistorycourse’sbroadchronologicalsweepandgeographicalrange,includingtopicssuchasSpainandAmericainthe16thCentury,isparticularlyappealing.IwouldrelishtheopportunitytostudyahistorycoursethatisnotfocussedmerelyonBritishandEuropeanhistories.Havinghadasmallsampleofthetutorialsystematmyschool,IfeelthatIwouldbenefitenormouslyandgainmuchenjoymentfromsuchasystem.


Statement 2: PPE (Oxford) 2009 PPE is the ideal combination of theoretical discussions and logic juxtaposedwith the analysis of currenteventsintheworldtodayandtheirhistoricalcontexts.Iamfascinatedbyhowsocietiesinteractandwhythey differ. Economics is vital in our appreciation of how political decisions are constrained – recentlyunderlined inthedebate intheUKonspendingcuts –aswellas furtheringourunderstandingofhowasociety’sresourcesaretradedamongstindividuals.TakingEconomicsontoA‐levelhasfuelledmyinterestineconomicproblemswhilstreadingtheFinancialTimesandtheEconomisthaskeptmeabreastoftheirrelevance in the realworld. Philosophy seems crucial, not only in bringing intellectual rigour tomyownunderstanding of theworld, but in addressing key issues of knowledge,morality and existence. Politicsallows us to analyse societies and the decisions that drive how they are governed; I am particularlyinterested in international relations and how governments interact with one another – a topic that issuffused with economic considerations. The moral implications of states often acting selfishly are alsofascinating.RecenteconomicdistressintheWestandpoliticalturmoilintheMiddleEasthaveunderlinedtheimportanceandrelevanceofstudyingPPEinthe21stCentury.OneissuethathasparticularlycaptivatedmehasbeenthatofAmericandecline.TwolecturesIattendedatthe LSE byWalter Russell Mead and Fareed Zakaria argued differently on the subject and I wanted toreconcile the two points of view. The Assault on Reason by Al Gore brings to light the extent towhichdemocracy inAmericahasbeendebased inrecenthistoryandthedeclineof itshegemonicdominance. Iwas able to compare the similar ways in which two spheres, wealth and power, had come together inBritain, too; Robert Peston’sWho Runs Britain? plausibly argues that Britain is increasingly governed infavour of the super‐rich. I went on towrite about the issue of American decline for the school’s EssaySociety.IntroductorytextsaboutphilosophysuchasThomasNagel’sWhatDoesitallMean?andSimonBlackburn’sThinkhaveintroducedimportantphilosophicalideastome,sparkinganinterestintheissueoffreewill,inparticular, and confirming that I want to take the subject further. Reading Jonathon Woolf’s AnIntroduction to Political Philosophy, I was specifically interested by its defence of democracy on thegroundsofitsinherentvalue.Thebookhasalsoimprovedmycriticalawarenessofthedebatessurroundingissues such as liberty and equality. I fundamentally agreedmore with Dan Ariely’s depiction of humanirrationality in Predictably Irrational than Tim Harford’s argument for the rationality of humans inrespondingtoincentivesinTheLogicofLife.IsubsequentlycommunicatedwithArielyaboutanexampleofrelativisminaBritishtalentshowandreviewedhisbook inaschoolmagazine. I foundVinceCable’sTheStorminstructiveinitsanalysisofrecenteconomicproblemsandtheirwiderpoliticalimplications.IambilingualinFrenchandEnglishandhavewondeclamationprizesinbothlanguages.Beingsecretaryofthe Essay and Entrepreneurship Societies as well as co‐editor of the school economics magazine hasimproved my organisation and communication and been intellectually stimulating. Work experience inRedmondwithMicrosoftandwithanentrepreneurlaunchinganewsoftdrinkinBelgiumwasfascinatingandthedissimilarities instructure,approachand financewereparticularly informativeaboutcontrastingbusinessmodels inrealfirms.Afewdays intheHouseofLordsfosteredmyinterest intheUKlegislativeprocess.InmyfreetimeIplayasmuchtennisandhockeyaspossibleandIamakeenactor,thehighlightbeingtheopportunitytoplayHamminSamuelBeckett’sFindePartie,lastyear.


Statement 3: Teacher Reference for Stanford (Economics) 2009 XisastudentwithhugeandexcitingacademicpotentialandheisundoubtedlyoneofthebrightestpupilsthatIhavetaughtinovertwentyyearsofteaching.IrecommendhimtoyouinthestrongestpossibletermsandIdosowithoutreservation.XjoinedmydepartmentintheFallof2007anditquicklybecameclearthathewasnotsomeonecontenttoaccept the conventionalwisdom! For someof his peers, the sightof a freshman student alreadydeeplyimmersedintheWallStreetJournalandtheFinancialTimeswasanamusingnovelty!ButtheyandIsoonrealized that here was a young man with genuine independence of spirit and strong self‐motivationpreparedtoleaddiscussionsratherthansettleforpassiveabsorptionofideas.Since Ihaveknownhim,hehasventured farbeyondtheboundariesofpublishedcourseprogrammes inpursuit of new intellectual challenges aided by a natural ability to assimilate material rapidly and todeconstructflimsyarguments.Xthinksforhimself;hebubbleswithideasandappreciatesthenuancesandcomplexitiesinherentintheever‐changinglandscapeofturbulentdomesticandglobaleconomicaffairs.IcanenvisagehimcraftingacareerwritingleadersfortheWallStreetJournalandallowingmetoshowcasethemtoafuturegenerationofeconomistsinmyclasses!X istherealdealandsomeshrewdjudgesatthetopoftheEconomicsprofessionintheUnitedKingdomhave been excited by his recentwork. An essay on 'feed‐in tariffs' for the 2008Royal Economic Society‘YoungEconomistoftheYear’competitionwasranked3rdamongmanyhundredsofpaperssubmittedbystudentsfromacrosstheworld.Oneofthe judgesontheawardingpanel,MrJohnVickers ‐chairmanoftheUKAnti‐TrustPanelandPresidentoftheRoyalEconomicSociety‐commentedthat"X’sessayonfeed‐in‐tariffs(atax/subsidyschemetopromoterenewableenergy)wasafocusedanalysisofapracticalpolicythatcontributedto,butdidnotgetdistractedby,thegeneralclimatechangedebate."MorerecentlyX researchedanddeliveredanexcellentpaperon theeconomicsof innovationwhichwasawardedsecondprize intheschool’sannualKeynesEssayCompetition.Hemadestronguseofacademicliteratureandproducedapieceofworkofexceptionalqualityandinsight.ThisessayandhisworkfortheRoyal Economic Society has been ‘sent up for good’, an accolade given to those rarely seen essays thatdeservetobeheldinthelibraryofEtonCollegeinperpetuity.IamhappytocitefurtherevidenceofX’sacademicprowess.

• He has been consistently at the top of our own faculty rankingswhich cover over two hundredeconomists,manyofwhomaregiftedacademicsintheirownright.

• Hehaswonthreedistinctionsintheschool'sinternalexams,anawardreservedonlyforthosewhoreachthehigheststandardinagivenexamseasonacrosstheirchosensubjects.

• XhasbeenhighlyplacedintheUKNationalMathematicsChallenge• HehasbeenaschoolprizewinnerinGeographyandLatin.• In his external exams this summer, X gainedmore than ninety per cent in each of his subjects

demonstratingahighlevelofcommitment,organisationandacademicrigour.X is a fantastic contributor in school reflecting his active engagement with learning. His comments areperceptiveandconsideredbuthe isn’t afraid to tryoutnew ideaswhatever the timeofdayornight! ItfollowsthatXwillbearealassetinatutorialorseminar.Hehasstrongskillsinresearchingideasandthenfleshingouthisownviewsinacrispandfocusedwaybutwithadelightfullightnessoftouchonpaperthatmakeshisworkeminentlyreadableandaccessible.Ihaverarelyseenastudentofhisagewritewithsuchflairandfluency.


BeyondtheschoolroomAwayfromtheschoolroomXcontributesenormouslyinwaysthatenhancesthelifeandreputationofourcollege community. He has worked for the last fifteen months at a local primary school as a teachingassistanthelpingtocoachsoccerandprovidingclassroomhelptosmallgroupsof10‐11yearoldchildren.ManystudentsdropoutofoursocialservicesprogrammeafterthefirstyearbutX’scommitmenthasneverwavered. He has also acted as a rowing coach to our youngest students and he is a boarding houserepresentative for our school dining committee providing an important channel of communication frompupilstotheprofessionalkitchenstaff.XisavolunteerfortheCharterisDayCentrewhereheworkswithagroupprovidinggoodcheer,companionshipandconversationtoseniorcitizens.AchampionofsocietiesOur school has a thriving community of societies all ofwhich are organised by the studentswho inviteexternal speakers and run the show. It will come as no surprise that X is at the forefront of this trulyoutstanding programme. This academic year he is Secretary of the Hispanic Society and also ofL'ImaginationauPouvour(whichchampionsthecreativearts).IamdelightedtohaveXonthecommitteeoftheKeynesSociety(Economics)andheisagreatsupporteroftheEntrepreneurshipSocietywhichwaslaunched last fall. It is safe to say that there is rarely an evening when X is not at one of the societymeetings! He provides inspirational support to teaching colleagues forwhom the societies are a deeplylovedpartoftheiracademiclifeandhisengagementwithvisitingspeakersisfirst‐rate.Passion,flairandseeingthebiggerpictureIntwentyyearsofteachingIcanthinkoflessthanahandfulofstudentswhohavecomeclosetomatchingX forhispassion foreconomics, financeandbusiness issues!Asbefits someonewith triplenationality,Xadoptsaglobalviewoftheworldandhehasaninstinctiveabilitytoseethebiggerpicture.Heisarticulate,tenacious,unconventional,contrarian,fullofgoodhumourandimpeccablywellorganised. InshortX isagemwhowillbeanassettoanyuniversityaroundtheworld.IamhappytodiscussanyaspectofthispersonalreferenceandIhaveprovidedcontactdetailsbelow.YourssincerelyGeoffRileyHeadofEconomicsEtonCollege,WindsorSL46DW


Statement 4: Economics and Management (Oxford and Bristol) 2006 The best description of why I feel we study economics comes from Machiavelli ‐ "Whosoever desiresconstant successmust change his conductwith the times". Economics is the study of an ever‐changingenvironmentwheretheoryandpracticeareinterlinked;economic"rules"areconstantlybeingrefinedandimproved.Indeed,it isthisuncertaintythatdrawsmetowardsthesubject.IamSecretaryoftheSchool'sKeynes Society,which attracts someof the country's best economists to give presentations.One of themoststimulatingspeakerswasFranzFischler,whoisinchargeoftheEUCommonAgriculturalPolicy.IwasnotconvincedbyFischler'sjustificationofEUsubsidies.Hestatedthat€5billionwouldbeinvestedintotheaccessioncountries'subsistencearablefarmsinthenexttwoyearstohelpthembecomeprofitable.Fromastrictly economic point of view this is inefficient, since the money should be used to maintain thesecountries'comparativeadvantagesinsteadofsupplyingproductswhichtheEUhasamassivesurplusof,orofwhichthecountriesinquestionarenotsuitedtoproduce,likecereals.Asamathematician,oneofmyfavouriteeconomictopicsisGameTheory.In"Dr.Strangelove'sGame"byPaulStrathern, Iwas intriguedbytheaccountsof JohnNashandJohnvonNeumann,whotriedtoplacehumanbehaviourintomathematicalmodels.Ifinditfascinatingthatbasicactionssuchasself‐preservationcan be placed into a series of equations. "Thinking Strategically" by Dixit and Nalebuff was a valuableinsight into zero‐sum andmulti‐player games, and how they relate tomanagement techniques, such astradeunionnegotiation.Inmyessayfortheschool'smajoreconomicsprizeonRationalEconomicMan,Icame to theconclusion that social stigmaand lackof informationare the twoprimecausesof irrationalbehaviour. I believe that humans will intrinsically do what is best for themselves and it takes externalinfluencessuchasspeculationorgreedtocloudtheirjudgementandmakethemactfoolishly.Ithinkthatthis "bounded rationality" occurswhen a situation is too complicated for an economic agent to think itthrough carefully or when imperfect information is available (such as when buying a second‐hand car).Instead,responsesarebasedonsubjectiveopinionsaboutthesituationwhichareessentially flawedandirrational,andtheagentendsupworseoff. Myrealpassion,however,liesinthepracticalapplicationofeconomics.IwastheOperationsManagerforasuccessful catering business at school, and I was delighted, when, at the beginning of this year, "NoteEnterprises"becameprofitableforthefirsttime.IamalsotheBusinessManageroftheschoolmagazine,which involves raising funds from local businesses to help pay for the printing of the magazine. Theseactivitiesprovidedinvaluablereal‐lifeexperienceofrunningabusiness.IalsoenjoyedworkexperienceatDiversey‐Lever,whereIhelpedwiththecompany'saccountsandprofitanalysis. I value academicworkhighly, andwasdelightedwhen the schoolmademeanhonorary scholar formyconsistentlyhighperformance inpublicexams in2003.Suchscholarshipsareawardedtothetop20%ofboysintheyear.Ihaveenteredinternalprizesforothersubjects,suchastheTheologyessayprizeandtheMedicalSocietyprize.Iwaspleasedtoreceivethelower‐sixthGeographyawardinDecember2003,andIwas awarded the maximum score of 300 for my AS level economics exam. Since I gained a full juniorscholarshipfrommystateprimaryschooltoEtonin1996IhavetriedtotakeeveryopportunitythatIcan.Iplayregularlyforthe2ndXIfootballteamandhavetrainedatkarateforfouryears.Ialsoenjoycyclingandscubadivingoutsideofschool.I completed the Duke of Edinburgh Silver award early this year. This was a superb experience, and avaluablelessoninproperleadershipandteamwork.TheJuniorScholarshipschemeissomethingthatIampassionateabout,andIhavegiventalkstoprospectivescholarstoencourageotherbrightboysfromthestatesectortocometoEtononascholarshipandenjoythebenefitsthatIhavereceived. Ithinkthisparticularcourseisperfectforme.Itwillallowmetocontinuetostudy,intandem,thetheorywhichfascinatesmeandthereal‐worldelementofpracticaleconomicswhichissomethingItakeseriously,andsomethingwhichIenjoythoroughly.


Statement 5: Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Oxford) - 2005 WhenIchosemyASlevelsubjectsayearandahalfago,Economicswasmyfourthchoice,andIaspiredtoreadGreatsatOxford.AfteratermofEconomicsIswitchedfocus,becomingabsorbedintheintricaciesofthesubject,whilstalsoretainingaloveforcertainaspectsofGreats.AsSecretaryoftheschool’sKeynesSocietyIhavebeenfortunateenoughtocorrespondwith,andhear,manyeminentspeakersfromtheworldofeconomicsandbusiness.Throughthesemeetings,oneideawhichhasbeenarecurrentthemeistheconceptofbusinessdynamism,andtheneedfortheevolutionoffirms.“WhyMostThingsFail”,byPaulOrmerod,putsforwardthepropositionthatfailureonanindividuallevelisactuallybeneficialtotheprogressionofsocietyasawhole,sincethe“failing”characteristicsofthatpersonsoonbecomeextinct.Thisevolutionaryaspectofeconomicsseemscrucialinunderstandinghowfirmsadapttochangingconditions.IhavenotstudiedPoliticsandPhilosophyasschoolsubjects,buthaveexperiencedpartsofeachinsubjectssuchasClassics,DivinityandHistory.TheGreeksyllabusbroughtmeintocontactwithasmallamountoftextfromPlato’s“Republic”,andIwentfurtherintothedialogueinmyowntime,enjoyingthechallengeofanalysingargumentsandexploringapparentflaws.OverthesummerholidaysIextendedmyresearchfurtherandwroteadissertationfortheNewcastleClassicalPrize,inwhichIfocusedonthelackofindividuallibertyinPlato’s“IdealState”,andhisassertionthatdemocracy,infact,andparadoxically,reducesthisliberty.ThestyleoftheSocraticdialogues,wherePlatoposesvariousquestionsinordertogetyouthinking,ratherthanmerely“spoon‐feeding”you,wasonewhichIenjoyed,andwhichhelpedmewhenIattemptedtogettogripswithKierkegaard’s“FearandTrembling”.ThiswasasettextfortheNewcastleScholarship,theschool’sphilosophyandtheologybasedessayprize.Italsorequiredmetoproduceothertimedessaysthatneededacriticalanalysisofvariousproblems,includinglookingatpoliticalconceptssuchasdemocracy.History,asasubject,hasgivenmeknowledgeaboutrelevantpoliticalperiods,suchastheColdWarorNaziGermany,whichIcouldmanipulatewhenansweringthesequestions.However,theyrequiredmetolookatproblemsfromafreshperspective.Thissortofthinking,whichquestions,asJ.K.Galbraithhasputit,the“conventionalwisdom”,isonethatappealstomysenseofcriticalobservation.AnotherGalbraithiansentiment,articulatedin“TheEconomicsofInnocentFraud”,explainswhyPPEissucharelevantcourseforthemodernworld.Hepointsoutthat“socialprogress”cannot,andshouldnot,bemeasuredpurelyintermsofeconomicgrowth.Atri‐disciplinedcourse,suchaPPE,givesonethetoolstoassesssituationswithabroaderperspective,withouthavingtosacrificedetailedexamination.ApartfrommyacademicstudiesIalsorepresentbothmyschoolandhouseinvarioussports,includingcricket,soccerandhockey.ThelastofwhichgavemetheopportunityduringthesummerholidaystogotoSouthAfrica,whereIwasabletoassessatfirsthandtheeconomicandsocialproblemsfacedbyThirdWorldcountries.BeforeIleftforSouthAfricaIhelpedorganisemajorfundraisingeventsinordertotakemoneyouttoaprojectthattheschoolsupports,whichfocusesonhelpingchildrenorphanedbyAids.Ialsojoinedthechildreninbuildingthisnewschoolfacility.Ienjoyteachingatalocalstateprimaryschoolonceaweek,andthisencouragedmetogoonaresidentialcharitycourseduringthesummerholidaysinPeckhamandCamberwell,helpingunderprivilegedchildrengetthemostouttheirsurroundings.RecommendedReadingforEconomics


Statement 6: Russian at Oxford - 2007 MyoriginalreasonforstudyingRussianwasbecauseitmadeachangefrommyothersubjectsandalthoughIhadstudiedotherlanguages,itpresentedmewithanewandmorestimulatingchallenge.ThemoreIstudiedRussian,themoreIbecamefascinatedwiththelanguage,theculture,andmorerecentlytheliterature.TheAScoursedoesnotentailanyliteratureunfortunately,butmyownlimitedexperienceofRussianliteratureiswhatdrawsmetostudyingthecourseatuniversity.IhavereadSolzhenitsyn’s‘OnedayinthelifeofIvanDenisovich’,astorythatprovidedaninsightintoStalin’sinfamousgulags,aperiodthatIhadpreviouslystudiedinHistory.Iwastrulyshockedbytheconditionsinwhichtheyhadtolive,andIhopetohavethechancetostudythisperiodingreaterdetail.IhavereadshortstoriesbyBabel,TolstoyandZoshenka,allofwhichhaveprovidedmewithatasteoftheliteraturewhichIhopetohavethechancetostudyinthenextfewyears.Ihaverecentlystartedreading‘CrimeandPunishment’byFyodorDostoyevsky.However,myinterestintheRussianlanguagedoesnotliesolelyintheliterature.IamverykeentoimproveboththefluencyandaccuracyofmyRussianlanguageskills.IhavetakenanintensiveBerlitzlanguagecoursetoimprovethefluencyofmyspokenRussian.ThissummerIstudiedattheMoscowStateUniversityfor2weeks,whichgavemethechancetoexperienceRussianculturefirsthand,asopposedtojustreadingaboutitinbooks.Ihavebeenappointedsecretaryoftheschool’sSlavonicsocietyfor2007/8andIamhopingtoinvitesomeintriguingspeakerstoenhancetheawarenessandpopularityofbothRussianlanguageandculturewithintheschool.IhavewontheschoolRussianprize,andenteredtheall‐Russiancompetitionin2007.SincetakingupthesubjectatASlevelIhavegrowninterestedineconomics.IhavedoneapresentationontheriseoftheBRICcountries,whichledtoanindepthstudyoftheRussianeconomyanditshugepotentialforgrowthinthenext50years.IamonthecommitteeoftheschoolsKeynessocietyandhaveseensuccessfulentrepreneursinRussia,suchasShevKhemka,speakontheRussianeconomy;indeeditseemsasthoughtherehasneverbeensuchaninterestingtimetostudyRussia,itspoliticsanditseconomy.Ihavebeenluckyenoughtohavethechancetoworkattheworld’slargestoilbroker,PVMOilAssociates,andIwasabletogainaninsightintothemarketforoil,onewhichiskeytotheprogressionoftheRussianeconomy.Iamalsotheeditoroftheschool’seconomicsmagazine.Istartedacompanylastyear,FalstaffCatering,whichprovidedcateringforschoolruntheatreproductions.IhavedonevolunteerworkatbothComicandSportrelief,whichwasgreatexperienceinworkinginalldifferentareasofalargecompany.In2005,afriendandIclimbedMontBlanc,andtogetherweraisedover£26,000fortheOxfordChildren’shospital.Iamaverykeensportsman;Iplayedinthe2ndXIfootballteaminmysecondlastyear,andhaverepresentedtheschoolatTennis.Iusedtocompeteinnationalskiingcompetitions,myenthusiasmforwhichhasinspiredmetocreateaschoolskiteam,whichiscurrentlyinits3rdyearofexistence.


SuggestionsforenrichmentandextensionreadingforEconomics

1. AnimalSpirits(AkerlofandShiller)ISBN:978‐0‐691‐14233‐3

2. ArtofStrategy(DixitandNalebuff)ISBN:978‐0‐393‐06243‐4

3. CrisisEconomics(NourielRoubini)ISBN:978‐1‐846‐14287‐1

4. DevelopmentasFreedom:(AmartyaSen):ISBN:0192893300

5. Drunkard’sWalk(LeonardMlodinow)ISBN:0713999225

6. Fiftyeconomicsideas(EdmundConway)ISBN:978‐1‐84866‐010‐6

7. HowMarketsFail:TheLogicofEconomicCalamities(JohnCassidy)ISBN:1846143004

8. Howtheeconomyworks(RogerFarmer)ISBN:978‐019‐539791‐8

9. HowweDecide:(JonahLehrer)ISBN978‐0‐618‐62011‐1

10. Keynes–theReturnoftheMaster(Skidelsky)ISBN:184614258X

11. LosingControl(StephenDKing)ISBN:0300154321

12. Meltdown–theendoftheageofgreed(PaulMason)ISBN:1844673960

13. NewIdeasfromDeadEconomists(ToddBuchholz)ISBN:0452288444

14. Obliquity:Whyourgoalsarebestachievedindirectly(JohnKay)ISBN:1846682894

15. OriginsofVirtue(MattRidley)ISBN:0140244042

16. PredictablyIrrational:HiddenForcesThatShapeOurDecisions(DanAriely)ISBN:0007256523

17. ProphetofInnovation:JosephSchumpeter&CreativeDestruction(TKMcCraw)ISBN:0674025237

18. ReturnofDepressionEconomicsandtheCrisisof2008(Krugman)ISBN:1846142393

19. TheAgeofInstability:(DavidSmith)ISBN:978‐1846683107

20. TheAscentofMoney(NiallFerguson)ISBN:014103548X

21. TheBigQuestions:TacklingtheProblemsofPhilosophywith IdeasfromMathematics,EconomicsandPhysics(StephenLandsburg)ISBN:143914821X

22. TheBigShort:InsidetheDoomsdayMachine(MichaelLewis)ISBN:1846142571

23. TheBottomBillion:WhythePoorestCountriesAreFailing(PaulCollier):ISBN:0195374630

24. ThePlunderedPlanet:HowtoReconcileProsperitywithNature(PaulCollier)ISBN:1846142237

25. TheRationalOptimist:HowProsperityEvolves(MattRidley)ISBN:978‐0007267118

26. TheUpsideofIrrationality(DanAriely)ISBN:978‐0‐00‐735476‐4

27. Whoops!WhyEveryoneOwesEveryoneandNoOneCanPay(JohnLanchester)ISBN:1846142857

28. WorldlyPhilosophers(RobertHeilbroner)ISBN:0140290060

ReadinglistlastupdatedJune8th2010

Documents

Guidance Notes on UCAS · 2010-06-08 · UCAS statement Your UCAS personal statement should be at least 80% about commitment to a subject and must demonstrate evidence of having gone