Our first year student Priyanka Balakrishnan in BSc Economics shares her views on modules, study process and what it is like to study economics at Queen Mary
Our School of Economics and Finance is top for overall student satisfaction in Economics among research-intensive London institutions, according to the 2019 National Student Survey.
Why? Well, the well-rounded structure certainly plays a part. You’ll get a comprehensive technical grounding, an appreciation for the importance of economics and finance in today’s society, and the freedom to follow your interest in the subject.
All along with practical skills that’ll help you start your career at top speed.
First year student Priyanka Balakrishnan has discovered during her first year of studying economics that she has a particular passion for the World Economy. The macroeconomics based module allowed her to explore deeper understanding into the economic inequalities across different parts of the world, as well as reasoning for the current and past economic climates of countries across the world.
We decided to ask her a few questions, to find out more about the structure, modules and study routine in her first year at Queen Mary.
One of the things I enjoy most about studying Economics here, is that there is a lot of variety in the modules that you get to study especially in the first year. The course is set out so you get a broad insight into both the more quantitative applications of economics as well as a more holistic view of the importance of Economics within the wider world. This consequently keeps the course both dynamic and very interesting at the same time. Additionally, we also have the opportunity to enhance the skills which employers highly value. This includes the ability to use excel to a sufficient standard, as well as the opportunity to learning about the functions and tools within excel. I also really appreciated the fact that we had a Careers module in our first semester, giving me a clear insight into the job opportunities available to me.
All of my lecturers as well as my tutorial teachers were always genuinely welcoming and happy to help with any queries that I had too
My favourite module as part of the course so far would have to be World Economy. This is more of a macroeconomic based course, which provides me with a broader view of the trade relationships that countries have with one another, as well as the evolution of trade across time. The module also helped me get a deeper understanding into the economic inequalities across different parts of the world, which I found incredibly insightful. Moreover the module clearly allowed me to understand the reasoning for the current and past economic climates of country’s across the world, which I personally found particularly interesting. Additionally a lot of the time during lectures and tutorials, we had the opportunity to discuss current real life economic situations of countries too. This was great because as a class we were able to make real life connections. I thoroughly enjoyed the group project that we had to submit, about the economic timeline of a country of our choosing too!
Across the whole year for your first year, there are 8 modules (not including the careers module). There are 4 modules per semester, and for each module there is a two-hour lecture per week. For each module, there is also a corresponding one hour tutorial. There are 4 lectures per week. For each module, you should dedicate anywhere between two and five hours to consolidate your work on top of completing any tutorial work too. Although with university you are provided with a lot of free time, it is incredibly important that as a student you are able to use that time wisely.
I think the biggest highlight for me during my studies this year, was being able to complete a spring week during the Easter holidays. Spring weeks are when banks and other firms open their doors to a week or two of work experience, usually during the Easter holidays. The careers team within the School of Economics and Finance, as well as support from the Banking and Finance society allowed me to be successful with applications for spring weeks.
The topic from class which sparked the biggest attention was actually during my World Economy tutorial; in class we had a discussion about the trade relationship between China and the US. It was intriguing as a student to hear a variety of perspectives in relation to how this trade relationship will develop in the future.
I completed my spring week at Barclays, and I found that it was a fantastic opportunity for me to get real-life hands-on experience about how a bank exactly operates, as well as receiving a deeper insight into the different divisions within banks.
The School of Economics and Finance offers a wide range of support mechanics during the study process, to ensure that first year students feel comfortable and secure during their studies. One of the things that’s offered is the PASS scheme. This is a scheme where first year students can gain valuable (academic and general) advice from second year students. Additionally, the school offers the Buddy scheme. Similar to the PASS scheme, this allows first year students to socialise with second year students as well as gain a deeper insight into life at Queen Mary as well as advice on the course. Also, because we understand that not everyone will be at the same level initially in their first year, support classes are offered for both mathematical based modules as well as the statistics module that you take in the second semester, ensuring that students have the opportunity to have any queries that they may have answered. Lecturers and tutorial teachers also have office hours each week, where students are free to discuss any work they wish and have any questions answered.