economics phd personal statement sample

• Search This Site All UCSD Sites Faculty/Staff Search Term
• Chair's Message
• Commitment to Diversity
• Department History
• Press Contact
• Economics Roundtable
• Conferences
• Career Workshops
• Faculty Profiles
• Research Groups
• Research Centers
• Faculty Recruitment
• Faculty Resources
• Faculty Recognition
• In Memoriam
• Graduate Advising
• Current Students
• Prospective Students
• Resources for Current Students
• Majors & Minors
• About the Undergraduate Program
• Prospective Student Info
• Hire A Triton
• Stay Connected
• Undergraduate Program
• How to Prepare for a Ph.D. in Economics

Letters of Recommendation

• 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.
• Research Experience
• Getting Useful Letters of Recommendation

7 Economics Personal Statement Examples | With Analysis

What makes a great personal statement?

How do you improve your chances of achieving a university offer in economics?

In this post I will give some personal statement examples and discuss what the best economics personal statements do well.

Key features that great personal statements share

Disclaimers, evolution of economics personal statements, what makes a great economics personal statement, key features that great personal statements share: a reminder, lots of supercurricular activities, personal insights about such activities, demonstrate key skills, a well written essay, more economics personal statement advice, latest posts.

This diagram shows my summary of what makes a great economics personal statement. Based on my experience as an economics tutor and economics personal statement examples, here are four qualities that make personal statements stand out.

I explore these categories further below and in my ultimate economics personal statement guide.

For my ultimate economics personal statement guide, check out the link below:

Firstly, here is a list of ten economics personal statement examples available online.

Also below, there is analysis of what makes a great economics personal statement.

To learn how to improve your economics personal statement, check out the link below by clicking the blue button:

I cannot guarantee that the personal statements linked above achieved the university offers claimed on those pages. Nor can I claim that each statement is 100% perfect.

By linking to these sites, I do not endorse any of the sites linked above.

You should not copy any part of the personal statements above. Doing so is plagiarism and can lead to the disqualification of your university application. Instead learn from the techniques and kinds of things mentioned in their statements. See specifically the rest of this article for what we can learn from these personal statements.

A proportion of the samples above are relatively old (five to ten years ago or more).

For some universities the personal statement is more important for applications. Consider for example LSE and UCL, top universities where there are no admissions tests or interviews.

We can look at more recently written and publicly available personal statements.

Based on these, here are some observable trends in recent years among the best performing economics personal statements:

• More supercurriculars relative to the above personal statements.
• More reference to undergraduate-level economic theory. This can show further reading and an ability to potentially do well in the undergraduate course.

In this section I am drawing on my experience as a tutor about what makes a great personal statement. I am also using the available online examples of economics personal statements and the criteria listed by the top UK universities.

Such statements are by no means always perfect, yet they show the qualities and skills that allow students to attend the best universities.

These examples allow us to analyse what makes a great personal statement and also where students often go wrong with personal statements.

As a reminder, here are the four features of great economics personal statements mentioned above:

• Lots of supercurriculars
• Highlighting key skills
• Personal takeaways

Here is a breakdown of these categories:

What activities have you completed, outside of class, that relate to economics? Have you read a book, entered an economics-related competition, or watched an economics lecture? These are examples of supercurricular activities. I consider these a key focus for the best personal statements and I discuss these further in my economics personal statement ebook. These show your motivation to study economics which will be critical if you want to study the subject for three years at university.

For more on supercurricular activities, click the link here:

These are what I refer to as “personal takeaways” later in this guide. What did you learn from the supercurricular activity? Detail is very important, both for showing a high level of understanding and also to convince the person reading your statement that you actually completed the activity. This should go beyond just recalling the activity – maybe there is something you learnt from this activity or something you read that you disagreed with. We discuss how to write about personal takeaways in the ebook.

For more information about how to use supercurricular activities in your statement, including how to generate personal insights, click this button below:

Obviously you should try to show academic ability in economics and motivation to study economics. But what other skills are useful to show in a personal statement? 

While there are many skills that could potentially be useful, I draw your attention for now to two key skills: Ability in mathematics and independent study (including research). Evidence from supercurricular activities that you have these skills will help convince admissions staff. Moreover these skills will help you in the economics course.

What constitutes a “well written essay”? 

Your personal statement should be well structured, with effective links between ideas and paragraphs. The grammar should be completely correct, that is  there should be no mistakes. 

Finally consider your vocabulary – can you embed economics-related terminology into your personal statement? You can use a thesaurus but do so with caution – sometimes it is obvious where a thesaurus has been used (and often the new word used does not make sense in that context!).

For more economics personal statement tips or for economics university application advice, check out the link below:

For A-level Economics resources, click the link here:

• 6 Practice Papers for A Level Economics 2024
• The economics of why people give gifts
• What economic theory says about immigration
• Can the free market provide public goods?
• How the UK tackles market power, mergers and big tech

Chris Blattman

Phd applicants: writing your statement of purpose.

• January 11, 2022

I’ve read a lot of personal statements for PhD applications. I sat on admissions at UChicago, Columbia, and Yale, mostly in economics, political science, and public policy. Here’s the advice I’ve given my own students and research assistants to craft their statements. I give it because, sadly, I don’t find most statements helpful. This means they are not helping you, the applicant.

As with all my advice posts, it’s important that students outside elite colleges get this information, so here are some personal thoughts.

[Note: You can now subscribe by email to receive posts to your inbox.]

First, let’s clarify your number one job as an applicant: Send the best, clearest signal of your abilities as a future researcher, and minimize the noise around that signal. I explain why in a longer post on whether and how you should apply to PhD programs (including the other elements of an application packet):

the fundamental problems in graduate admissions are “information overload” and “noise”. For every slot in a PhD program, there are probably 30 to 50 applicants. A department that plans to have a class of 20 students may receive 1000 applications. Meanwhile, most departments delegate admissions to a small committee of two to six faculty. They don’t have time to read 1000 applications in detail. And the committee may change every year. Thus, their experience may be limited. And you never know who will be on the committee or what they care about. This adds further randomness. These faculty want to admit the most talented and creative young researchers who will push the field ahead. And they also want you to pass all the most technical classes, because they hate kicking students out. So the admissions committee are looking for strong signals of intelligence, creativity, determination, and other proclivities for research. But this is hard . There are too many applications. Applicants don’t have many good ways to signal quality. All applicants are trying to send the same signals. And there is a ton of uncertainty around each signal. Hence: Information overload and noise.

Yet most schools as for a written statement of some kind. Sometimes they ask for both a biographical statement and a research statement. What do they want and what should you write?

• Don’t tell your life story. This statement is not an undergrad entry essay where you describe your life’s trials and tribulations, or your journey to wanting to do a PhD. It’s not that we don’t care. It’s just that it’s probably not relevant to judging your ability as a researcher. If it is, then weave that into the narrative around your research interests and plans. We have hundreds of these things to read and so you only want to focus on the most important information.
• Don’t be cliché. Do not start your with your epiphany—the day the scales fell from your eyes and you realized you wanted to be a professor, or were inspired tackle big questions and social issues. Especially if it involves a child in a poor country. This approach is overused and unoriginal, and the information does not help us judge whether you will be a great researcher (see point 1).
• Platitudes about wanting to be a professor or researcher
• Generic or flattering statements about being excited to join a program, your admiration for the faculty, etc.
• Unspecific interests in a research subject or field
• Routine information such as “I am graduating in May…”
• Filler sentences like “Please find enclosed…”
• Start with your broad fields of interest (e.g. “I am principally interested in labor and development economics” or “I want to work at the intersection of comparative politics and international relations”)
• Then give 2-3 examples of broad topics and questions that interest you. (“I’m interested in studying inefficiencies in labor markets, especially market power and monopsony. I’m also interested in…”)
• Are tenure or tenure-track faculty
• Have their primary appointment in the department you are applying to
• Are actually there and take students (i.e. they didn’t retire last year, etc.)
• You could discuss two ideas in moderate depth, or one idea in greater depth. Either way, I recommend this research discussion be 40-60% of your entire statement.
• Ideally this is a question or topic of current interest in the field. One thing I often see is that students are focussed on the research frontier 10 years ago (because those are the papers they read in their classes) and are not clued in to some of the current puzzled and priorities. This is hard to avoid, but some reading and your advisors should be able to help you avoid this.
• The best discussions will (if empirical) identify interesting data and discuss plausible empirical strategies. This is difficult, which is why it is a good signal if you do it well.
• It’s important to locate your question in the literature without overdoing that discussion. Try to motivate the question with reference to recent and recognizable research papers and agendas. If you are mainly citing articles with few citations, in lower-ranked journals, this is a sign that you need to link your idea to bigger debates in the field, or perhaps rethink the question you are proposing.
• This is (in my experience) the most crucial section for most social science departments. Except possibly economics. It’s not clear how seriously many departments take your statement in economics, and some of my colleagues profess to never look at the statement. That may be true, but some will look, and you have to have a statement, so I suggest following this advice to make it a research proposal.
• Why you studied physics but now are doing political science
• What happened in that single bad semester on your transcript
• How to interpret your foreign GPA, and where you ranked in your class
• Clarify your classes if they have off names (e.g. “My class called XX was a Real Analysis class using textbook X, and so I have all the mathematical requirements for entry.”
• Get help. Your letter writers, professors you work for, or PhD student you know can read and give feedback on your statements. Ask them for their advice. Do this early–a couple months before the application, ideally. they can help you frame your question in a more interesting way, decide what papers to mention, or what is or is not frontier.
• Don’t be repetitive. This is not the place to restate your CV (“First I worked for Professor… and then I worked for…”). They have your CV. Use this document to do something no other in your application can do. Only mention work or other experience if you can add essential, high-density information the reader cannot get elsewhere in the application packet. Maybe you picked up specific technical skills working on a project that relate to the research proposal you just described? If not, you don’t have to say anything at all about your past. Just let the research proposal speak for itself.
• I recommend using the Hemingway Editor as a tool to write more clearly. Some long and complex sentences are ok, but sparingly. And they can often be improved. Aim for a grade 10 reading level.
• Use active voice
• Omit needless material and words (see points 3 and 9)
• Limit jargon
• Each paragraph should be a distinct idea
• Paragraphs should have a hierarchical structure, with the big idea or general point as the first topic sentence, and the rest of the paragraph elaborates. Someone should be able to get an “executive summary” but simply reading the first line in every paragraph. they should make sense as a story/summary.
• Use subheadings if possible, to delineate sections such as your broad fields of interest (point 4), your research proposal (point 5), and other key information (point 6)

This is just my view. Other professors will have different preferences and advice here. So ask them. Get more opinions. Or put your advice in the comments below.

Subscribe to Blog

Email Address

Recent Posts

Presentation to the joint chiefs operations directorate, from street fights to world wars: what gang violence can teach us about conflict, when is war justified, conversation with teny gross on gang violence, the 5 reasons wars happen, advanced master’s & phds.

• University of Pennsylvania
• School of Arts and Sciences

Search Results

Admissions information to the ph.d. program in economics.

Students may enter the Ph.D. program  only in the fall . Applicants must present evidence of a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, or show that they can expect such a degree by the time they begin graduate work. The University requires that applicants utilize the  CollegeNet  on-line application system. Applicants must upload a personal statement and their transcript (unofficial or official) from each university attended. If an applicant is accepted into our program then they must provide an official transcript mailed directly to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Three letters of recommendation are also required, usually from professors who can judge the student's potential for high-quality academic work. Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must also be submitted. This test should be taken as early as possible to ensure that the results are received in time to be considered by the admissions committee.  Our GRE institution-department code is 2926-1801 . International students must submit a TOEFL score unless they have or will receive an undergraduate degree from a college/university in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or Ireland or they have completed, at the time of application, four semesters of graduate study at an institution in the above mentioned countries.

The program's goal is to admit 16 students a year. Applicants should be aware that the admissions committee reviews a large number of applications (over 600 last year). Our decisions on admission and financial aid are facilitated when application materials are clearly presented, well written, and concise. The committee tries to form an image of the intellectual and personal qualities of applicants, and then admits those who seem most likely to do high quality work. All applicants are encouraged to provide a personal statement (see below) and any additional information that might help the admissions committee in their task. For example, students might wish to submit research papers that they have written or a description of some major job experience related to economic analysis. 

Mathematics prerequisites

Proficiency in mathematics is crucial for successful completion of the first year of study, in the Department of Economics, at the University of Pennsylvania.

A minimal level of preparation  consists of two years of mathematics courses in college, including courses in:

• multivariable calculus
• probability theory and statistics
• linear algebra

An excellent level of preparation  consists of additional courses in:

• real analysis
• point-set topology
• measure-theoretic probability theory

We strongly suggest you obtain an excellent level of preparation, for your application to be competitive.

Requirement for Personal Statement:

In the personal statement, all Ph.D. applications within the Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences should address the following: Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have overcome adversity and/or experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study, please feel free to share how that has affected the course of your education. We are interested in your lived experiences and how your particular perspective might contribute to the inclusive and dynamic learning community that Penn values and strives to create.

In the Economics Graduate Group, we also ask that applicants discuss their relevant research experience, if any, that make Penn Economics a good fit for what you would like to accomplish in your PhD. Your statement can include specific fields of interests and specific faculty members that you think could be potential advisors. 

Deadline for admission:

All applications must be completed and submitted by 11:59pm eastern US standard time on December 15th. The admissions committee then examines completed applications which have been received. Notification of its decision is sent by April 15th.

Follow this link to apply on-line:  CollegeNet

Login to Fasthire

Reset password, create a free fasthire account, phd economics personal statement sample.

• December 1, 2021
• Personal Statement

A good PhD Economics Personal Statement is pertinent to pitch your value to an admission committee. It will help you highlight your intellectual and career trajectory, recognitions, and skills, as the case may be.  It is important to put together a good personal statement if you’re seeking admission into one of the PhD programs in Economics. This sample will guide you on how to approach your statement.

Note: If you need further assistance writing your PhD Economics Personal Statement,  contact us today .

Top Universities to Study for PhD in Economics

• University of Manchester
• University of Nevada
• Stanford University
• Harvard University
• University of Birmingham
• University of Kent
• University of Calgary

I am proud of what I have been able to achieve at the Novel Economic Research Institute since joining them in 2019. From actively participating in economic researches to back federal government projects, to providing supportive economic data for externally funded projects and individual projects, I have come to appreciate the ideals of economic research and the professionals who dedicate a good part of their time and resources to uncovering human behaviours and how they affect financial and economic activities. Through my current responsibilities, I find that learning about people, institutions, and industries, and the reason behind their economic decisions gives me satisfaction.

My interest in economics was not something that happened naturally, it was not until my senior year in high school that I became interested in economics. It took the tutelage of my Economics Teacher to develop my love for economics. I would later understand that Economics contrary to my preconceived notion encompassed both arts and science, and was governed by precise principles and rules. Slowly, economics became one of my favourites and after enjoying a series of academic successes during tests and exams, I grew confident to pursue a degree in economics. I went ahead to enrol for a Bachelor’s Degree in Educational Management and Economics, my undergraduate studies gave me the tremendous scope for self-expression especially with interpretations and analysis. I obtained top scores in key modules and graduated with a First Class Honour. I progressed to bag an MSc in Economics from Kent University. During my master’s program, I received rigorous training in ………… which helped equip me in economic analysis.

Upon completion of my master’s program, I joined a management trainee program to improve my management competencies and also to prepare myself for corporate life. I would later accept an employment opportunity to join the Novel Economic Research Institute as I was eager to apply the theoretical knowledge gained over a combined 7 years of academic work in a real-life setting. This opportunity has offered me avenues to approach real-life problems and has achieved some remarkable feats. One of my outstanding achievements so far is …………………….

At the Novel Economic Research Institute, progressive learning and growth is important if I am to effectively engage in intensive, progressive and interdisciplinary research that help promote informed decision-making as the government and nation rely on our results to advise on sensitive economic issues. While I never intended to focus solely on the research side of economics, nearly all my work revolves around it which has made me realize the need for advanced learning to strengthen my economic research skills. More so, my job allows me to tap into the intellectual depth of some of my colleagues with doctoral degrees which motivates me to also advance my knowledge to a PhD level.

Though my undergraduate and master’s degree gave me the background to understand and utilize economic concepts, I am still lacking in…………………. Specializing through this PhD program is important; as I have noticed how my co-workers who have specialized education excel at applying their knowledge in their area of speciality.

I first learned about Stanford University from a colleague who equally completed his doctoral studies in SU. While working with him, I was fascinated by his ability to quickly grasp concepts and discern issues with the combination of knowledge, critical thinking and fast reflexes which he formed during his years at Stanford. I love the reputation that Stanford University has built for itself over the years, and seeing the line-up of lecturers in the Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics research field, I am very much encouraged and eager to follow through with a Stanford doctoral.

One of my reasons for delving into doctoral studies in economics is because I am interested in carrying out independent research and analysis. My areas of interest cover Environmental, Resource, and Energy Economics, Development Economics, Public Economics, International Policy and Development. Researching one of these areas during my doctoral studies would help me uncover ………………

I will be coming with knowledge gained from years of intensive work in one of Nigeria’s reliable economic research teams. I have garnered knowledge from different economic and research perspectives that I believe will interest both my lecturers and colleagues during this program. I understand the requirements and high expectations of Stanford University, and I believe that my passion, previous academic records, work experiences, and future ambition will make me worthy of a place in the next class of students to be admitted for this program. I look forward to your consideration.

Do You Need Help Writing Your PhD Economics Personal Statement?

Thank you for taking out the time to go through this PhD Economics Personal Statement. If you need assistance writing yours,  click here  and contact our customer support.

Editor’s Recommendation

• MBET Letter of Intent -Business Entrepreneurship & Technology
• 500 Words SOP for MSc Business Analytics and Big Data
• PG Diploma in Business Administration Personal Statement Sample
• Personal Statement Sample Business Management and Entrepreneurship UCAS
• MSc International Business and Data Analytics Personal Statement
• Business Data Analyst Cover Letter No Experience
• SOP MSc Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Sample
• Approved Statement of Purpose for Canada Student Visa
• Study Visa SOP for PGD in Canada
• How to Identify Human Traffickers Disguising as Recruiters
• Structural Engineering SOP for Masters in Canada
• Best UK Recruitment Agencies That Recruit Foreign Workers
• MBA Personal Statement Example for Canada University
• Best Recruitment Agencies in Canada for Foreigners

Share this post

Recent news articles.

Personal Statement for a Master in Public Administration Sample

Accepted motivation letter for european institute for innovation and technology sample, accepted stipendium hungaricum motivation letter sample.

SOP Sample for Health Care Services Administration & Management 2023

Statement of Purpose Format – How to write an Academic SOP 2023

Physics graduate school personal statement samples.

+2348138235629

For candidates.

• Ghanaian SOP & Personal Statement
• Letter of Recommendation
• LinkedIn Optimization
• CV Writing Service
• Login/Register
• Career Advice

For Employers

• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Refund Policy
• Testimonials

© Product of Okverse Services Limited 2020-2023. All Rights Reserved

Click to join the job group

Powered by Fasthire

Browser does not support script.

• Autumn Term events schedule
• Using your voice at LSE
• You've got this
• LSE Volunteer Centre
• Key information
• School Voice
• My Skills and Opportunities
• Student Wellbeing Service
• PhD Academy
• LSE Careers
• Student Services Centre
• Timetable publication information
• Students living in halls
• Faith Centre

Personal statements

Read the phrasing carefully.

Different institutions will phrase what they want to see in their personal statement differently, some examples (as of September 2013) and how you could break the wording down to ensure you address everything are below:

Example of application guidance from LSE:

You must submit a personal statement with your application form. This should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. It should describe your academic interests and your purpose and objectives in undertaking graduate study. 

Suggestions of what to include for this phrasing:

• Outline what are your academic interests specifically
• How they are related to the course.
• How do you see the course furthering these interests?
• Do you have previous experience of studying these areas?
• Was your undergraduate dissertation, major project or a group presentation relevant to the course or your academic interests?
•  Have you attended conferences, seminars or networking events outside your studies to increase your knowledge?
• What have you learnt recently,
• and how does this link to the course you are applying for?
• Perhaps you can link your academic interests to work experience you have gained?
• Purpose in undertaking graduate study  – Why are you applying for postgraduate study? This could be linked to discussing your academic interests, or perhaps you have a career orientated goal.
• Objectives in undertaking graduate study  – What do you hope to achieve by the end of your postgraduate study, whether educationally or professionally? If you have professional objectives, how will this course help you move towards your career goal?
• What else?  – you could also include some of the suggestions in the guidelines below, but make sure you address everything in their description.

Example of application guidance from SOAS:

Your personal statement should be no more than 1,000 words. It should include the reasons why you are interested in the programme, highlight your relevant experience and suitability for the programme as well as future plans. 

• Why you are interested in the programme  – Look at the course content carefully to decide what it is that most interests you in the programme content-wise. Discuss any relevant research or coursework you might have done in the past, and include technical language or language that shows you have a grasp of the topic.
• Relevant experience  – think back to your work experience, extracurricular activities and voluntary experiences and reflect upon relevant projects you might have worked on, tasks you were set or research you conducted that demonstrates relevance to the course. You might not feel you have this experience yet, but perhaps you have worked in a relevant sector and you could show your technical and commercial understanding.
• Suitability for the programme  – Think about the skills you might need to succeed in this programme. What is your experience that makes you suitable for the programme? Perhaps you will reflect on study or research skills that you have gained, or maybe you’ll need strong negotiation, communication or presentation skills which you gained through mooting or as a student representative? If you can show you were engaged with your undergraduate university’s community then this might be a good place to mention what you did.
• Future plans  – What are your career aspirations and how do you see the course furthering these?

Writing a personal statement

If they do not specify what to include in your personal statement, areas you might want to include are below. There is no set order of when to mention what but starting your personal statement with your most relevant point is advised.

Motivations

• Why are you applying for the programme?
• What do you hope to gain from the programme?
• What is it that interests you about the subject? Can this be related to your previous education or work experience (see below)?
• What are your career aspirations and how will this course help you achieve them?

Educational experience and commercial knowledge

• Do you have past education that gives you the knowledge base you need for the course?
• Is your undergraduate dissertation relevant? Tell the tutor about it and the research methods you used (especially if applying for a research masters).
• Perhaps you like to keep up with current news in the sector you hope to go into. You could mention a topical issue and discuss how you see the course furthering your understanding.

Work experience

• Have you gained work experience in a field relevant to the course or relevant to your career ambitions? Can you link this experience to your motivation to wanting to continue studying in this field?
• Tell the tutor about this experience and reflect on how this could help with the course or use it as an example of your motivation for continued study in a related area.
• If you are a mature student returning to study, why are you returning? Are you looking to make a career change? Why, and how, do you expect the course will support your new ambition?

Other experience

• Include your extracurricular and voluntary experience too. Tutors want rounded people on their course; show that you engaged in university life during your undergraduate course or that you gained some relevant skills or experiences through volunteering.

Anything else

• You can outline your main achievements, awards or successes in competitions. Think about the course you are applying for and if there is anything they might be particularly impressed by.
• Mention relevant summer schools, overseas study or conferences/ short courses you might have attended that are related to the course.

Other circumstances

• Deferred entry – if you would like to start the course the following year explain to the course tutor what you will be doing with the next year.

Final checks

• Spelling and grammar – this will give the course tutor an idea as to your writing skills, so ensure there are no mistakes.
• Abbreviations and acronyms – explain any you have used.
• Content structure – ensure the paragraphs make sense and that the document flows well. Don’t repeat yourself by revisiting an experience or educational point.
• Don’t write a narrative of your life, from leaving school to current day.
• Be positive; don’t use negative language i.e. Although I have little experience of…
• Adhere to the word count (where applicable) or if there isn’t one, keep your statement to two to three pages of A4.

If you are already a student at LSE and would like LSE Careers to check your personal statement before you submit it please  make an appointment for a careers discussion  on CareerHub. It is also advised that if your application is fairly technically subject specific that you get an academic to check the content for accuracy.

Funding postgraduate study in the UK

February 13 2018

USA postgraduate study resources

Studying abroad

Researching postgraduate courses

See more articles

Please ensure all the details have been entered correctly in the twitter control..

Clearing Universities & Courses

Clearing advice.

Recommended Clearing Universities

Popular Course Categories

Course search & discover.

Start the search for your uni. Filter from hundreds of universities based on your preferences.

Search by Type

Search by region.

Recommended Universities

Ravensbourne University London

London (Greater) · 88% Recommended

City, University of London

London (Greater) · 92% Recommended

The University of Law

Search open days.

What's new at Uni Compare

University of Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire has a 95% graduate employment rate for career prospects, find out more!

Ranked #4 in World University Rankings (Masters In Marketing 2024) - click here!

Ranking Categories

Regional rankings.

More Rankings

Top 100 Universities

Taken from 65,000+ data points from students attending university to help future generations

About our Rankings

Discover university rankings devised from data collected from current students.

Guide Categories

Advice categories, recommended articles, popular statement examples, statement advice.

What to include in a Personal Statement

Personal Statement Tips

Personal statement example economics and finance personal statement.

Are you a strategist, analyst and problem solver?

Stay ahead of the trends with Economics at the University of Kent

Economics and Finance Personal Statement

Over recent years I have developed a passion for looking at current events and how they affect the economy. This interest originates from the enjoyment I get from using maths to analyse a problem, as many situations can be explained clearly using maths. Economics is a subject that is very much alive and this is what makes it interesting to me. Every day there are new situations that economists can explore and analyse and I find this prospect extremely exciting.

Studying Pre-U Economics has increased my enthusiasm for the subject as I enjoy following macroeconomic debate in the UK and learning how globalisation changes markets. I have gained insights about how firms have had to react to globalisation and how nations use protectionism as a way of preventing industries from collapsing. The analytical skills that I have developed in Physics have proved particularly helpful as I can transfer these skills to Economics, despite them being quite different subjects. I enjoy following financial markets where you can see how the economic impacts of global events play out and have recently setup a paper trading account.  The trading application helps further my understanding of the impacts of economic events.  I can test my hypothesis of a particular event against the change in markets and improve my understanding.

I became interested in the socioeconomic elements of development and international aid after reading ‘Dead Aid’ by Moyo. The idea of ‘trade not aid’ resonated with me and led me to conduct further research which led me to conclude that having a skilled labour force would be more economically beneficial than trade. Reading ‘Awakening Giants’ by Bardhan gave an interesting insight at the speed at which China has become a leading economy.

I have also enjoyed exploring the world of economics through work experience, the first of which was with Tradition, a global financial services firm.  I learnt how to analyse and rank different trading strategies based on historical data modelling.  At Guardian Stockbrokers I witnessed in real-time the impact of macro and microeconomic data on different asset classes. I set up a demo trading account on the company’s platform to experience first-hand how the slightest change in the economic outlook  can influence the market price. Last summer I secured a place in HSBC’s work experience programme for 6th form students. I learnt about different aspects of retail banking and gained insight into how a retail bank works. This helped put some perspective as to how banking has changed over the years after the financial crisis.

Last year, I was selected to represent my school in a Physics symposium and as part of the team my role was to apply my analytical skills and communicate the results to my team. This opportunity helped with my team building skills.  I have also experienced how to set up a company and run a profitable business when I was appointed the company Financial Director for the young enterprise scheme. I gained insight into how to conduct meetings and improve my presentation and negotiation skills. I enjoy playing classical guitar and have had the opportunity to perform in school concerts throughout my school years. As an active member of the school Charity and Community Service committees I help the local community by volunteering at the day shelter for the homeless and the YMCA cafe. This experience provided me with a different perspective on life. Throughout school I have captained and toured with many school teams playing tennis, football and cricket.

Everyday something new happens in the economic world, I would love to be part of an undergraduate course that analyses these events. This is why Economics is my chosen course and I look forward to expanding my knowledge in this field at undergraduate level and, hopefully, further.

This student also took a year abroad too. 

Recommended Course

Recommended Statements

Submitted by anonymous

Economics Personal Statement

My interest in studying economics is born from my growing up in the wake of an economic crisis that affect...

Economics and Management Personal Statement

Economics attempts to understand and address many of the world’s most serious problems. I would like to en...

My desire to study Economics at university stems from my interest in the incredible pace of change in the ...

The dynamic consumer society we live in is governed by many different factors, which I have developed a fa...

undergraduate Universities

Undergraduate uni's.

Ravensbourne

245 courses

Uni of Sunderland

200 courses

Uni of East London

317 courses

Uni of Winchester

161 courses

Uni of Bedfordshire

336 courses

Middlesex Uni

469 courses

Uni of Roehampton

268 courses

Uni of Leicester

267 courses

Northeastern Uni

West London IoT

ARU Writtle

104 courses

Uni of Kent

417 courses

528 courses

Heriot-Watt Uni

208 courses

Kingston Uni

378 courses

Goldsmiths, UOL

273 courses

Leeds Beckett Uni

327 courses

238 courses

Uni of Hertfordshire

419 courses

Uni of Surrey

437 courses

Cardiff Met Uni

304 courses

Uni of Chester

399 courses

Uni of Portsmouth

542 courses

Uni of Suffolk

109 courses

Swansea Uni

780 courses

Coventry Uni

445 courses

Uni of Bradford

197 courses

Uni for Creative Arts

323 courses

Staffordshire Uni

272 courses

414 courses

Uni of Westminster

Anglia Ruskin Uni

460 courses

UWE, Bristol

249 courses

Leeds Arts University

Uni of Essex

797 courses

Wrexham Uni

168 courses

355 courses

Escape Studios

Uni of C.Lancashire

438 courses

Uni of Huddersfield

458 courses

Uni of Brighton

253 courses

Bath Spa Uni

295 courses

Edge Hill Uni

243 courses

Uni of Hull

Nottingham Trent

539 courses

Edinburgh Napier

184 courses

Uni of Reading

393 courses

Queen's Uni

411 courses

Find the latest from Uni Compare

Ranked the top university for Student Satisfaction in the East of England (NSS)

University of South Wales

USW has been shortlisted as the Times Higher Education’s (THE) University of the Year! Click here to learn more.

• Applying to Uni
• Apprenticeships
• Health & Relationships
• Money & Finance

Personal Statements

• Postgraduate
• U.S Universities

University Interviews

• Vocational Qualifications
• Accommodation
• ​​​​​​​Budgeting, Money & Finance
• ​​​​​​​Health & Relationships
• ​​​​​​​Jobs & Careers
• ​​​​​​​Socialising

Studying Abroad

• ​​​​​​​Studying & Revision
• ​​​​​​​Technology
• ​​​​​​​University & College Admissions

Guide to GCSE Results Day

Finding a job after school or college

Retaking GCSEs

In this section

Choosing GCSE Subjects

Post-GCSE Options

GCSE Work Experience

GCSE Revision Tips

Why take an Apprenticeship?

Applying for an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships Interviews

Apprenticeship Wage

Engineering Apprenticeships

What is an Apprenticeship?

Choosing an Apprenticeship

Real Life Apprentices

Degree Apprenticeships

Higher Apprenticeships

A Level Results Day 2024

AS Levels 2024

Clearing Guide 2024

Applying to University

SQA Results Day Guide 2024

BTEC Results Day Guide

Vocational Qualifications Guide

Sixth Form or College

International Baccalaureate

Post 18 options

Finding a Job

Should I take a Gap Year?

Travel Planning

Volunteering

Gap Year Guide

Gap Year Blogs

Applying to Oxbridge

Applying to US Universities

Choosing a Degree

Choosing a University or College

Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Guide to Freshers' Week

Student Guides

Student Cooking

Student Blogs

Top Rated Personal Statements

Personal Statement Examples

Writing Your Personal Statement

Postgraduate Personal Statements

International Student Personal Statements

Gap Year Personal Statements

Personal Statement Length Checker

Personal Statement Examples By University

Personal Statement Changes 2025

Personal Statement Template

Job Interviews

Types of Postgraduate Course

Writing a Postgraduate Personal Statement

Postgraduate Funding

Postgraduate Study

Internships

Choosing A College

Ivy League Universities

Common App Essay Examples

Universal College Application Guide

How To Write A College Admissions Essay

College Rankings

Admissions Tests

Fees & Funding

Scholarships

Budgeting For College

Online Degree

Platinum Express Editing and Review Service

Gold Editing and Review Service

Silver Express Editing and Review Service

UCAS Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Oxbridge Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Postgraduate Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

You are here

Economics and finance personal statement example 15.

Through life's experiences, I have come to realise that the economy affects almost everything in the world. Newspapers dedicate more headlines to financial issues in comparison to other topics. This has led to the realisation that without a good stable economy the world could fall to its knees, for example, the Wall Street collapse of 1929 and the more current financial crisis which started in 2007. These factors have influenced my decision to study a finance and economics related degree in university.

I have always had a keen interest in the business environment therefore the BTEC certificate in Business combined with the Certificate and Diploma in Financial Studies I am currently studying at college has provided me with valuable insight into the world of business and finance. Studying Maths at A level alongside this course has helped to increase my understanding of financial calculations, i.e. ratios and cash flow forecasts. I was pleased to be predicted an A for my A level Maths as it reflects all my hard work and dedication. The Business course has provided me with the opportunity to broaden and increase my knowledge with regards to economic and financial issues. This was through the various assignments such as starting up and financing a small business. Through research, I identified that customer satisfaction is a key priority within business organisations. Therefore in order for a business to be successful they need to keep their customers happy.

It is my strong personal belief that like the saying: "Knowledge is power", the road to success lies through education, and in the financial market, knowledge about the economy and the risks involved is crucial if you want to succeed. This has led me to admire and respect successful entrepreneurs such as Sir Allen Sugar and Stelios Haji Loanu. Personally, I would like to work for an international leading bank facing different challenges whilst working in different environments. This will give me the opportunity to deal with financial decisions that will help increase corporate value whilst managing financial risks. The desire to make my community a better place encouraged me to undertake voluntary work. My current post as a Youth Assistant worker gave me the opportunity to organise various events, with the aim of bringing the youths together. This helped to develop my team working and social skills. It was important to be able to work effectively with the other members in order for the event to be a success. In addition to this, I helped to manage the finances and ensure that our budget would cover any events or trips planned. We recently hosted a successful event called 'Black Dreams', which was aimed specifically at young black boys, and was sponsored by local government. During such events, we would socialise with the youths, something that I personally enjoyed and felt like it boosted their confidence and self-esteem. It also helped to develop valuable skills such as organisational skills and good communication skills.

During secondary school, I was actively involved in the highly recognised scheme Aim higher and I was given an award for being innovative and creative. Strong-minded, innovative, risk-taker - These are all qualities that I feel are necessary for anyone who wants to enter the financial field, especially with the world's economy as it is and are qualities that I have in abundance. In conclusion, I hope that taking this course at university will equip me with the necessary intellectual knowledge and practical skills needed when making economical or financial decisions. This will be essential for any career path within the finance and business industry.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by mscaro for application in 2011.

mscaro's university choices Aston University Brunel University Oxford Brookes University

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

Degree Economics, Finance and Banking at Nottingham Trent University

This personal statement is unrated

Related Personal Statements

Add new comment.

Example LSE Personal Statement in Economics

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

In personal statements samples by university.

The following personal statement is written by an applicant who got accepted to Masters’s program in Local Economic Development at London School of Economics. Read this essay to understand what a top Personal Statement in economics should look like.

Sample Personal Statement for LSE

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher.

As a child, my daily routine composed of attending school, helping with household chores, and learning embroidery. For all I knew, this was how girls lived in rural Balochistan. However, when I was 15, my family shifted to urban Karachi, where I saw a new world. The new moon of this unique place brought a lot of challenges with itself. I did not know how to converse with my privileged peers, and I had to study extra hours to compete with them. But the most shocking realization was that there was no trace of my previous lifestyle in this city, and girls had very different aspirations here compared to those in my village.

Harsh realities of chronic poverty, income inequality, and persistent unemployment are widespread in Pakistan, but the situation is even worse in my native Balochistan. Despite being rich in natural resources, nearly all Balochis live below the poverty line. As one of the few educated Balochis who has experienced hunger, I have always considered it a personal responsibility to play an active role in resolving the economic challenges of this province.

With this ardent desire, I joined Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit (CMPRU) as an economist research officer in Balochistan. My experience at the CMPRU, which provides policy support to Balochistan Chief Minister’s office, has been invaluable. Working directly with the Government’s economic advisors has enlightened me about the practical implications of economic theories. I have played a lead role in preparing a concept note called “Proposed Balochistan Development Vision and Strategy” for the development of primary sectors using the ‘Big Push’ and ‘Unbalanced’ growth theories. I used demographics and economic variables for identifying Rural and Urban Growth Nodes, i.e., selected areas where the development effort will be concentrated. District-wise data was used to build the primary economy of the province, which in turn would trigger growth in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy.

At CMPRU, I also conducted in-depth research on the ‘State of School Education in Balochistan’ and proposed actionable recommendations to improve school education. The output variables (student performance of grades five to ten) were correlated with input variables (school facilities) to analyze the data on education. The findings convinced the education department to opt for multi-room, multi-teacher schools instead of one-room, one-teacher schools, which were strengthened using distance learning techniques. The results of my work were also published in “The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press”.

I particularly enjoyed this research work because it was an extension of a cause I previously worked passionately for – the ‘Strengthening Poverty Reduction Strategy Monitoring Project’ (SPRSM). At SPRSM, I was engaged in a pro-poor and gender analysis of the provincial budget of the Government of Balochistan. My work revealed how the provincial budget is being used as a powerful tool to favour the males over the females and how the poor choices of government spending enhanced gender inequity. For example, constructing more boys’ schools was creating education inequality. The Planning & Development Department and key Ministries brought my work to light as a landmark study, and its findings were incorporated into the forthcoming budget.

Balochistan remains stagnant in the pre-industrial era and the grip of a robust military insurgency. Unfortunately, the people of Balochistan have never been taken on board while deciding their province’s fate; consequently, an armed struggle in the region continues to date. Currently, the Federal Government has agreed to give control of the Gwadar Port to a Chinese company on 43 years lease, and similar sentiments are surfacing in local stakeholders as they feel distanced from important decisions. When bottom-up economic policies are used to initiate the decision-making process, we will be able to see better results.

My experiences have convinced me of the importance of Economics in the socioeconomic development of a society. Consequently, I have decided to pursue an MSc in Local Economic Development at LSE, where I wish to seek and explore the contextualized definition of development from the point of view of indigenous people in Balochistan. Balochistan, being in the nascent stage of economic development, requires a unique development model to reap the benefits. The particular focus of LSE’s program on policy frameworks for local economies will enable me to devise the right policy interventions to spur economic growth in the province.

Working directly with the Chief Minister Balochistan Office and having the mandate to advise the Government on its policymaking, I have identified specific areas where I wish to make a significant impact after completing my LSE degree. For example, NGOs in Balochistan conduct pre-budget consultations every year to force provincial governments to make citizen-friendly budgets and increase the size of the Annual Development Plan. However, such efforts are not bringing any change. I regard this failure as a lack of technical expertise of the NGOs and the absence of their initial formal economic analysis of past government spending behaviours.

Following this rigorous and insightful MSc program, I feel I would be better equipped to trace the gaps and inefficiencies in budget-making and suggest ways to eliminate their inefficiencies. Furthermore, connections made with alumni, students and teachers at LSE will help me learn more about solutions others have implemented in other countries and then adapt them to Balochistan. I will also be able to use this platform to pique people working in Balochistan and forge partnerships with local NGOs and government institutions in other countries.

LSE will allow me to live in a multicultural setting and learn from other cultures. Moreover, it will let me tell people about life in Balochistan. Through this degree, I aim to complement my experience with a broad-based economic education and analytical tools that not only provide me with an academic foundation but also enable me to tackle real-world economic problems. I firmly believe that our economic policies should protect our wealth and resources and promote open markets and economic growth. 

WANT MORE AMAZING ARTICLES ON GRAD SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENTS?

• 100+ Outstanding Examples of Personal Statements
• The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Winning Personal Statement
• Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Personal Statement
• Writing a Killer Opening Paragraph for Your Personal Statement
• Ideal Length for a Graduate School Personal Statement
• 100 Inspiring Quotes to Jumpstart Your Personal Statement

Harvard Personal Statement Example

In this article, I will be providing a sample grad school personal statement for Harvard University. This example aims to show how prospective applicants like you can seamlessly weave your passion, skills, and relevant experiences into a compelling narrative. In...

100+ Grad School Personal Statement Examples

Introduction Importance of a Strong Personal Statement A personal statement is essential in the graduate school application process, as it plays a significant role in shaping the admissions committee's perception of you. In fact, a survey conducted by the Council of...

UCLA Personal Statement Example

The following personal statement was written by an applicant who was admitted to UCLA. This personal statement is intended to provide an example of a successful essay for a top school like UCLA. Sample Personal Statement for UCLA I fear the remote thought of being the...

Sample Cambridge Personal Statement Computer Science

Cambridge is one of the most prestigious universities in the world and among the most competitive global schools. The following essay was written by an applicant who got accepted to Cambridge's Ph.D. program in Computer science program. Read her essay to understand...

Sample MIT Statement of Objectives

MIT's graduate school requires applicants to write a statement of objectives, mostly for Ph.D. program. The objectives statement tells MIT why you want to do graduate work in your chosen area of research. The statement should contain technical jargon that reflects...

WANT AMAZING ARTICLES ON GRAD SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENTS?

• 100+ Personal Statement Templates