Economics and management degree personal statement example (1c) Oxford offer

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Economics in the current climate is inescapable; it dominates the media and is at the forefront of all politicians minds. It was the realisation that economics can shape every aspect of society which first sparked my interest. The failure of many banks, companies and even countries makes it a compelling time to be studying economics.

I am fascinated by the markets which surround and affect us in almost every aspect of life. The concept of supply and demand led me to explore various business ideas, the most recent venture being importing phone accessories and selling them online. This has enabled me to see the application of economic models, and how worldwide events can influence even the smallest of markets. For example, the huge increase in demand before Christmas, a stagnation of sales due to the global recession or contractions in supply due to Chinese flooding. This interrelationship between worldwide economies is also clearly evident with regards to the recent Eurozone crisis, as the economic problems of a small cluster of countries can reverberate around the world.

The past few years have proved to be a difficult period for economics: the worldwide recession has been sustained over a long period, yielding one of the slowest recoveries since the Great Depression. Economists disagree over which policies –if any- should be implemented to encourage growth, yet this period of uncertainly makes me relish the opportunity to study the discipline.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

For my extended project I chose the question, “Considering the recent global recession, should the UK reduce its economic dependence on the financial services”. Amongst hundreds of sources I studied, I found “Crisis Economics” by Nouriel Roubini particularly helpful in understanding the fundamentals behind this recession and how crises seem to inherently repeat themselves. The causes of the most recent crisis are incredibly similar to previous recessions, yet enormous leveraged bubbles are still allowed to develop on a regular basis. Furthermore, “End This Depression Now!” by Paul Krugman was influential in illustrating fiscal and monetary policies that governments and central banks can implement to recover from financial disasters. In particular, it is evident that his suggestions juxtaposed the current policies being pursued by the coalition government which depicts the inexact science of economics and the alternative interpretations which people can reach.

Within school I tutor Maths and History students from lower years learning to explain ideas coherently and concisely, which compliments my participation in the school debating team.

I have achieved strong academic results in relevant subjects which have prepared me for this course, with distinctions in Maths (A2) - A*, Economics (A2) - A*, Physics (A2) - A*, and History (A2) - A.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Work experience at the Department for Work and Pensions significantly expanded my knowledge of fiscal policy. The experience helped me to understand the complexities of implementing any change in welfare benefits and the effect government intervention can have on all of society. Contrasting with this was the work experience I gained at a London based hedge fund, which revolved around the free market. It quickly became apparent that share prices could not be explained solely by the efficient market hypothesis and that Keynes’ “animal spirits” and investor psychology is a crucial determinant of prices. This behavioural economics is not considered in standard economic models, and a lecture at Cambridge University on psychological elements of economics further invoked my interest. “Nudge” by Sunstein and Thaler, made me question the standard economic models and proved how people’s irrational nature is not commonly accounted for.

I have a passion for sport and music having captained school rugby, football and athletics first teams as well as achieved grade 5 in piano. My further recreational exploits include the True Adventure trip I took to India which I funded with a combination of fundraising and profits from my business. There I worked in a disabled children’s school for a week in the Himalayas which was immensely rewarding.

Universities applied to:

• Oxford (E&M)
• Bath (Econ)
• Warwick (Econ)
• UCL (Econ)
• Durham (Econ)

Grades achieved:

• Maths (A2) - A*
• Econ (A2) - A*
• Physics (A2) - A*
• History (A2) - A

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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