economics personal statement books

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.

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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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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 as 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, providing 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– do’s 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 such as that 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)’ shortly after submitting the UCAS application, so make sure you’ve created another condensed version of your Economics personal statement that can be directly submitted to Cambridge.

Top 5 Tips for your Cambridge Economics Personal Statement

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

Although Cambridge does not presume prior knowledge of Economics (after all, you are going to Cambridge to study it!), 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, you can keep in mind that reading is not restricted to that 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), magazine columns, or even 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 be benefitting 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 be focused 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 (this can be easily researched!) 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 often shaped by 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 have crafted 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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Personal statement examples economics personal statements.

Discover personal statement examples written by students accepted onto economics and related courses. Read through the examples to help shape your own personal statement.

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Economics Personal Statement Advice

The best business economics personal statement examples describe a student’s interests, goals, strengths and motivations. It gives the uni a picture of who you are and why you will be successful with them. Beyond undergraduate study, a postgraduate economics personal statement is still essential and covers many of the same themes. Whether it’s an economics masters personal statement or an economics PhD personal statement, it’s important to give yourself the credit you deserve, and present yourself as winningly as possible. Start planning your business and economics personal statement by brainstorming ideas: what skills make an effective student, and how can you demonstrate those skills through past experiences or achievements? You might find it helpful to work with a financial / economics personal statement layout. That way, you can focus on high quality content and not worry so much about the structure. Always allow time to return to your draft to make changes, and proof-read for spelling and grammar. Business departments expect attention to detail, and errors can undermine a personal statement for economics degree students. Keep it professional! If you’re going for joint honours, tailor your statement to suit those particular subjects. A business management and economics personal statement might mention a role of responsibility, such as a position on your college’s student council. Or for an economics and finance personal statement, you could mention managing the budget for entertainment at the leavers’ prom. Don’t list endless clubs or musical awards if you can’t link them to the programme. Earning an entry-level swimming badge ten years ago is nice, but is it really going to enhance an economics and accounting personal statement? Be choosy with your details so that course leaders notice high quality skills, not filler or waffle.

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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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What is an economics personal statement?

An economics personal statement should describe your motivations for wanting to study this subject. It tells the university who you are and why you will make a great economics candidate. Whether you're applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate course, it's crucial you present yourself in the best possible light to convince admissions tutors you will be a valuable asset to their department.

Your economics personal statement will be used by universities to decide whether you are a good student to study economics, and whether they want to offer you a place on their course.

How do I write an economics personal statement?

We recommend you start your economics personal statement by jotting down some ideas about your skills, experience, hobbies/extracurricular activities, strengths and ambitions for the future. Our personal statement template can help you structure your thoughts into coherent and concise paragraphs.

Start early and give yourself plenty of time to re-draft your economics statement, and proofread it for spelling and grammar. You will need to go through at least three or four revisions before you have a final, polished draft.

Once you're happy with it, make sure you check it for spelling and grammar (don't just rely on Spellchecker for this). Get someone else to read through it if you're worried you might miss something. You can then think about pasting it into your UCAS form, ready to send off.

What should I include in my economics personal statement?

• Be specific and try to give examples of your problem-solving and analytical skills, both of which are important in an economics degree.
• If you’re applying for a joint honours, e.g. economics and maths , then tailor your statement so you relate it to both of these subjects.
• A business management and economics personal statement might mention a role of responsibility, such as leader of your student debating society or head boy/girl at your sixth form. Or for an economics and finance personal statement , you could mention managing money at your Saturday job.
• Any hobbies or other activities you are involved in outside of school should always be linked to your economics course. If you don't feel something is relevant, then don't mention it - remember you only have a limited space of 4,000 characters, so every word has to earn its place. Our personal statement length checker can help you with this.
• Round off by talking about your career plans and any other ambitions you have for the future. Mention how your economics degree is going to help you achieve this.

How do I write the introduction for my economics personal statement?

Your introduction should pick out one or two aspects of economics that you particularly enjoy or are passionate about. For example, you might talk about your interest in current affairs and world development, and include one or two situations that made you want to study economics in more detail. This could be anything from a fiscal decision made by the Bank of England, or a how a civil war in another country has affected their levels of income.

By starting with an anecdote, or a specific situation you've read about or experienced, you will have a better chance of drawing the reader in, and making them want to finish reading your personal statement.

Whatever you choose to open with, it should be reflective and persuade the admissions tutors that this is the only subject you want to go on to study at university.

Economics personal statement introduction example

To help demonstrate what you should include in your opening paragraph, take a look at this great example below, where the writer uses their experience of growing up in a poor country where wealth was unevenly distributed as a catalyst for developing their interest in economics:

"Being born and brought up in a country where an uneven distribution of income is a norm, the poor live on a minimum wage of Rupees 115 a day, whilst the billionaires form the sixth largest group in the world. This vast contrast between the rich and the poor has always intrigued me and I have often questioned how this economy India, functions with such instability and chaos."

Here is another good example from another student, who talks about how their studies of the Great Depression ignited their appreciation for economics:

"Studying the Great Depression in the USA in 1929 for my extended project is when I started to fully appreciate my interest in economics. Being able to analyse and argue the issues within my extended project and relate it to the current economic crisis has awakened my passion for the subject further, especially as this subject is covered extensively in the news and media. This shows that economics is an essential factor of our society. Studying this subject in university will equip me with the knowledge to understand the economy thoroughly. "

Hopefully these examples will inspire you to write your own introduction for your economics statement that will grab the reader's attention and make the admissions tutors want to offer you a place on their course.

How do I write a conclusion for my economics personal statement?

Your conclusion should encompass where you hope your economics degree to take you, and what you hope to achieve in the future. This might include your career ambitions, or moving on to a postgraduate course to further enhance your education.

You may also wish to reiterate why are enthusiastic about applying for an economics degree, and why you think you will be a good student for this particular course.

Don't round off your statement with something vague, or by repeating something you've already mentioned elsewhere in your UCAS application. You only have 47 lines of space in which to sell yourself to the admissions tutors, so don't waste it!

Economics personal statement conclusion example

To help you write your concluding paragrapgh, take a look at this example below, where the writer talks about using the knowledge they will gain in real life situations, and how they enjoy learning about the effects of economics on a daily basis:

"I am very passionate about studying economics because I look forward to developing my current knowledge, and applying it to real life situations. I believe my desire to keep in touch with today’s economics is what will allow me to thrive in higher education."

This writer chooses to talk about applying for a Masters program once they complete their degree, and taking up internships during their summer break to gain more work experience:

"My aspirations upon graduation from University would be to advance my studies in a similarly themed Masters program or work in international development. I plan on taking internships throughout the summer breaks to gain more work experience and help me fund my student lifestyle. I am looking forward to learning and developing in various economic subjects and am excited about the opportunities that I’ll have both as a student and once I graduate."

Hopefully these two examples will help you write your own conclusion for your economics personal statement, and round it off in a way that will make it stand out from the crowd.

For more help and advice on what to write in your economics personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
• Personal Statement Tips From A Teacher
• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
• Personal Statement FAQs
• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

What can I do with an economics degree?

There are many different options for those choosing to pursue an economics degree. These include:

• business analyst
• financial consultant
• investment analyst .

However, there are also many other career paths where an economics degree could be useful, such as:

• data scientist
• economic development officer
• quantity surveyor .

For more advice on what you can do with your economics degree, please visit TopUniversities and Prospects .

What are the best UK universities for economics?

Currently, the best UK universities to study economics at for 2023 are:

For more information on UK university rankings for economics, please see The Complete University Guide and The Telegraph.

Further resources

For more information and advice on economics degrees and careers, please see the following:

• 9 Economics Degree Jobs
• Careers in Economics - LSE
• 10 Jobs for Graduates With An Economics Degree
• What jobs can you get with an Economics degree in the UK?
• Economics - Career Pilot
• What to do with an Economics degree - Bright Network

Related resources

Economics statement analysis.

Find out more

UCAS Economics Subject Guide

Careers In Economics

National Careers Service: Economist

Economics Courses

Economics Degree Jobs

Economics University Rankings 2023

Economics Degree Guide

Economics Supercurricular Activities: How to enhance your PS

Previously I mentioned the importance of including many supercurricular activities in your personal statement.

I discuss supercurriculars more in my economics personal statement guide. To access my economics personal statement ultimate guide, click the blue button here:

Now in this article, I give an overview of possible supercurricular activities to add to your personal statement.

Note supercurricular activities are activities undertaken outside of normal school lessons or syllabus, that are directly related to the university course you want to apply to. This includes activities like reading an economics book or watching a lecture.

These are the most important part of  the personal statement.

Why? They offer evidence to universities that you are engaged in economics and are more likely to be a well performing student. Also if you plan on studying economics for three years at university, then you may find some interest and enjoyment from doing these activities.

Note that this list of activities is not exhaustive. In other words there may be other activities you could do that are not on this list.

First of all, I have some book recommendations which I have split by topic. I would recommend focussing on topics you are interested in, though not all topics are covered here.

Note some of these books appear quite frequently in personal statements. Consequently I have denoted very frequent books with two stars (**) and somewhat frequent books with one star (*). Some of the top universities may be bored of seeing the same books again and again, so this is something to bear in mind. However popular books may be popular for a reason, for example because they are just good books or because of the authors’ popularity. 

Macroeconomics

• Austerity: When it Works and When it doesn’t by Alesina et al.
• Firefighting: The Financial Crisis and its Lessons by Bernanke.
• The Resilient Society by Brunnermeier.

Income Inequality

• The Price of Inequality by Stiglitz.**
• The Race between Education and Technology by Goldin and Katz.
• The Working Poor by Shipler.

Behavioural Economics

• Nudge by Sunstein and Thaler**.
• How Change Happens by Sunstein.
• Who Gets What and Why by Alvin Roth.*

Game Theory

• Thinking Strategically/The Art of Strategy by Dixit and Nalebuff* 
• Coopetition by Brandenburger and Nalebuff (business applications of game theory).

Macroeconomic Perspectives

• Economics: A user’s guide by Ha Joon Chang.**
• The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today by Linda Yueh.**

Environmental Economics

• Environmental Economics: A Very Short Introduction.
• Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist.**

Globalisation

• The Globotics Upheaval by Baldwin (about globalisation and robotics).
• Globalisation and its Discontents by Stiglitz*

Development

• Poor Economics by Banerjee and Duflo (A classic about development).**
• Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson (longer run perspective on why some nations do well and why others fail).**
• Banker to the Poor by Yunus*.
• The Elusive Quest for Growth by Easterly*.

Econometrics / Statistics

• Mastering Metrics by Angrist and Pischke
• The Drunkard’s Walk by Mlodinow – mostly about statistics.
• Factfulness by Hans Rosling and others.
• The Signal and the Noise by Silver*

Economic History

• Guns, Germs and Steel by Diamond*
• The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Ferguson*
• A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World by Clark.
• You can find other possible books here .
• The Power of Creative Destruction by Aghion et al.
• Economics Rules by Rodrik*
• Economics in One Virus by Bourne
• An Economist’s Lessons on Happiness by Easterlin

In addition I would strongly recommend if you have a particular interest, you try to find books or other activities on that topic. You can try finding books on a particular topic using search engines, Amazon, Goodreads, recommendations from others and so on.

Essay Competitions

Below, there is a list of essay competitions for economics. I would recommend picking one or two competitions where you find questions that you find most interesting.

Pay attention to the deadlines – a few of the deadlines are earlier in the year and you also want to pick a competition where you actually have time to write an entry. Indeed you may wish to attempt these competitions in the year before you apply to university (year 12, for most applicants).

Some examples of essay competitions include:

• RES: https://www.res.org.uk/education/young-economist-of-the-year.html  
• Marshall Society https://marshallsociety.com/essay-competition/  
• FCDO https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fcdo-next-generation-economics-competition  
• John Locke Competition https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competition  

Furthermore, there are other competitions too including the IEA and LSE Student Union Economics Society competitions.

Online Lectures

You can find individual lectures on various economics topics online. For example you can look on Youtube for: LSE’s public lectures, Cambridge Marshall Society lectures, the University of Chicago channel, or just search for a topic you’re interested in and see if you can find a lecture. 

In addition, you can find several series of lectures online. For example MIT’s Principles of Microeconomics course, Yale’s Game Theory course, and so on. You can search a topic and see if you can find a lecture series on that topic, preferably from a university so that it comes across as more credible.

Podcasts include Econ Talk, Macro Musings, and The Sound of Economics, though you can search for other podcasts online. You can find lists of podcasts for example here .

Pick a particular episode you are interested in for discussion, rather than just name-dropping the podcast without further information.

Student Economics Societies or Magazines

If your school has an economics or debate society, you could mention participating or taking a leading role.

Alternatively if your school does not have one, you could set one up. This could also apply to writing an economics magazine or newsletter with the help of other students in your school.

A Note on Work Experience

Note that work experience is typically not required for personal statements. The reason for this is that universities often see work experience as an indication of connections rather than an indication of ability or interest in economics.

However work experience is usually more useful for your future career,  i.e. trying to get a job.

Even so, if you want to mention some work experience in a statement, it would be best to find experience that is directly related in economics. This could be involving some kind of economic research or economic journalism, for example.

Other Ideas

There are also online courses on sites such as Coursera. 

Also you could find blogs from academics or economics journalists.

If you are attempting an EPQ relating to economics, this could be mentioned too.

There may also be other ideas for supercurricular activities that I have not mentioned here.

How to use supercurriculars in your personal statement

For more information on how to use supercurriculars within your economics personal statement, check out the link here:

Other Posts

For more articles on economics university applications (personal statement and Oxbridge economics interview tips), click the link here .

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