Writing a Personal Statement to Apply for an Economics Course

A personal statement is your real chance to shine when you’re up against hundreds of other applicants that have the same academic record as you.

For the majority of university courses you won’t need to attend an interview, so your personal statement is your only chance to show the admissions team that there’s more to you than school reports and excellent grades.

Although you can only submit one personal statement, so all of your university choices will receive the same, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be specific about the subject you want to study.

Essentially your personal statement needs to be relevant, personal, and concise. Don’t go on for pages and pages – you only get 4000 characters, that’s just 47 lines, to make your case and prove that you’re the right person for the course.

Here’s more about writing a personal statement to apply for an Economics course:

Demonstrate your enthusiasm for Economics

Unfortunately it isn’t good enough just to say “I’m enthusiastic about Economics”, you’ll need to demonstrate how your enthusiasm.

You can explain why you’re interested in Economics and why you want to study the subject by covering some of the following points:

If you took Economics at A Level, discuss the area(s) of the course you found particularly interesting
If you didn’t take Economics at A Level, discuss why you want to study it at degree level
What it is about the subject that particularly appeals to you?
Demonstrate that you have a real interest in the subject and that you understand economics principles and concepts
Demonstrate at least a basic understanding of economic theory
Demonstrate that you have an appreciation of mathematical principles
Reflect on local, national, or global economic issues and explain why that interests you

Show you’ve done wider reading

One of the best ways to show enthusiasm for a subject is to give details of the wider reading you’ve done around the subject.

However, you’ll need to give real details and not just skim over the topic to show what you really know. Just saying you subscribe to The Economist or the Financial Times isn’t going to be good enough.

Choose one or two specific issues that interested and inspired you from your wider reading and elaborate on them. Try to choose slightly more unusual texts than the ones anyone with a passing interest in Economics would have read.

Discuss your relevant Economics related experience

Extracurricular activities are one of the main things you should include in your personal statement and it’s important to make sure that what you talk about is relevant.

Discuss any work experience, volunteering, and non-academic interests that show you have the skills and attributes to be a successful Economics student.

Talk about your long term goals

Even if you don’t know exactly which job you want to do it’s important to explain to the admissions team how a degree in Economics fits in with your future and any career goals you may have.

What should I avoid talking about in my Economics personal statement?

Here are our top tips on what not to say in your Economics personal statement:

Be specific, don’t skim over the facts or avoid elaborating on important points
Don’t just list all of the Economics books you’ve read or the work experience you’ve gained without reflecting on it
Don’t’ exaggerate, lie, or otherwise bend the truth – the admissions team will find out!
Keep everything relevant to the course you’re applying for – you don’t have the space to give them your life story
Triple check for spelling and grammar mistakes
Ditch clichés such as “I have been interested in Economics from a young age” or “It would be an honour to be accepted at your university”
Don’t be bland or generic

Realistically, a good personal statement is straightforward, concise, and gets all the important points across in a coherent way. You should demonstrate your enthusiasm, your intellect, and show academic quality in your insights.

You don’t need to look wacky, but your personal statement should be original and help you stand out from the crowd. By showing your skills, demonstrating your experience, and proving your enthusiasm you’re sure to impress the admissions tutors.