Confessions of a Warwick economics student
When applying to university, it is easy to get caught up in criteria such as prestige and league table rankings. But when you are choosing between places that have similar employment prospects and have more or less the same reputation for your subject - understanding which university will be the right fit for you is also very important.
The above requires you to reflect on your character and ambitions, what type of environment will maximize your academic potential and personal growth. This post will give you an idea of what you can expect if you decide to go to Warwick, and I’ll also talk about my experience studying Economics there.
What you need to know about Warwick
Career
Warwick is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the UK, and with that, the focus on careers is evident. The student careers department is great in preparing you for mock interviews, CV’s and cover letters, and one-on-one sessions to help you identify which jobs or sectors you might be interested in. Warwick brings many reputable companies to campus for networking events and fairs, and on top of that, there are many student-run societies that provide further insight. During my three years, I was aware of day trips to visit firms in London organized by Warwick Finance Societies, ‘how to crack a case study’ by Warwick Consulting Society - the list goes on.
However, Warwick’s location means that it can be hard to discover potential career paths outside of events organized by the university/student societies. This is especially true in finding opportunities in international relations or start-ups as Warwick is characterised by a heavy focus on traditional corporate careers. It is one of the few issues that I had with Warwick as I was particularly interested (and still am) in working in policy/think thanks.
I will counter the above by saying that if you are willing to search for it, there are world-class professors, networks and events on campus that will give you exposure into whatever career you want to do. The point is, which translates generally to all universities, is that you need to make an active effort to make your ambitions come true. If you sit and expect opportunities to come to you, the reality is that won’t happen.
Social Life
I’m glad to say that I had a wonderful time at Warwick and made genuinely long-lasting friendships. As an international student, I found Warwick to be very open-minded and multicultural, almost 25% of undergraduates are non-EU students, which is substantial.
In first year, you have to live in on-campus accommodation, which are all within a 15-minute walking radius to central campus. What really worked for me with this structure is that you are exposed to meeting new people all the time during freshers. And since going to the nearest towns require taking a bus or train, a lot of social events organised by the university or student societies take place on campus. For me, I found this convenient in not only making a large number of friends but also maintaining them, as everyone lived so close by. Also, Warwick’s sport facilities are really good and competition for getting into teams is intense if sports are a priority for you.
The common complaint that you will come across if you do any research about Warwick on the internet is that people feel ‘trapped in a bubble.’ I have a few friends who were unhappy with their time at Warwick, with the main issue being that they were a bit bored. They said that the nightlife was below average and in general, there was not a wide variety of activities or social events.
Admittedly, I did feel that living on campus during first year was a bit limiting at times. But then you have to find accommodation off-campus for 2nd and 3rd year and like most Warwick students, I lived in a town called Leamington Spa. For me, this ended the ‘bubble’ and I genuinely loved my time in Leamington. It is a small town but I never felt bored. It has a decent variety of pubs and cafés, there are regular clubbing nights out, house parties are popular, and most of all, all my friends were within a 15 to 20-minute walking radius again!
There is a spontaneity to my time at Warwick that I get nostalgic about and really cherish. Living in a house of close friends where you come back after a long day and just decide to watch a movie together without planning in advance. Or having friends who were just a two-minute walk down the road, knocking on their door, and asking whether they wanted to play basketball. When I compare my undergraduate experience with friends who went to LSE or UCL, they said it was hard at times to organise social events. The factors are varying; you need to plan commutes, people tend to have busier lives and living in a city can get really expensive.
This boils down to the classic ‘campus versus city’ question. Looking back to when I was 18, I’m glad I made the decision to go to Warwick as the campus’ small nature made it a comfortable environment to make friends, explore random events held by student societies, play sports, etc. Don’t get me wrong, living in a city is also amazing and can be even more rewarding than being on a campus. But that’s for you to figure out which environment is best, I bring this question up just to highlight that it is important to answer.
If you want to know more about what it is like to live at Warwick, these student blogs will be very useful to read: https://our.warwick.ac.uk/bloggers/
Economics at Warwick
I graduated in July 2018 with a BSc in Economics and since everyone loves rankings, I might as well start this section off with it. Warwick continues to be in the top five universities in the country for studying economics, with The Complete University Guide ranking it as 3rd for the year 2020. Warwick’s Department of Economics sees itself as a rival institution to LSE, UCL, Oxford and Cambridge.
One of the best things about studying this degree at Warwick is that you are surrounded by and make friends with very smart people. This is great as you get to learn so much just from talking to your peers. The environment is competitive which creates a drive to excel in your courses.
The first and second year largely consists of non-optional core courses. First year is about building a foundation in mathematics and statistics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, and economic history. In second year, the core courses you take are advanced microeconomics, advanced macroeconomics and econometrics. And then in the final year, you have to do a compulsory dissertation, but the rest you can choose.
Overall, I found the core courses to be intellectually rewarding. The exam period in the summer can be very stressful as your entire grade basically rests on your final exams, but this is typical for most UK universities. Access to resources is quite comprehensive; readings and problem sets were typically available, lecturers and tutors were easy to reach during office hours and online recordings of lectures was helpful in revising certain concepts.
Warwick’s department emphasizes that it teaches undergraduates how to become an applied economist. Thus, the core courses are very focused on theoretical understanding of models and deriving them mathematically/graphically. Whilst this was really useful to learn, I was left feeling that application towards policy could be improved. However, there are optional courses to choose that do just that.
The options are really varied, especially in your final year where you can choose from behavioural economics, financial and industrial economics, in-depth macroeconomic policy, public policy, etc. Across the three years, the department is also generally flexible with allowing students to take modules from different departments such as the business school or politics, which I really appreciated. There are restrictions to how many optional courses you can take outside of the department, which you can figure out in the undergraduate handbook.
One of my main criticisms of the department is a lack of focus on careers outside of banking and finance. It could just be that a majority of students who study economics at Warwick already know they want to apply to these jobs. Don’t get me wrong, if you are interested in banking and finance then all power to you, that’s awesome. But for students like me who were more interested in development economics and public policy, there was a lack of support in providing awareness of those job sectors.
It is easy to get swept up in applying for spring weeks and summer internships at big financial and consulting firms because everyone else does it - I did the same. But if you do study economics at Warwick, I encourage you to be more critical and see whether you want to pursue these paths because they genuinely interest you. There are many economic consultancies, think thanks and other organisations where you could also use the skills you gain from your degree.
On a last note, which is positive, is that there is a wide variety of guest lecturers and speakers organised by the department and student societies that are intellectually engaging. Warwick Economics Summit held once per year is known as one of the largest student-run conferences in Europe for example. Overall, studying economics at Warwick was rewarding and I’m sure it will be the same for you.
This article was written by Nadeem - Economics (Warwick)
If you find this content useful, please visit Nadeem’s profile for further information on applying to Warwick. Alternatively, book support now with Nadeem, using the form below.
Author: Nadeem - Warwick
BSc Economics
I enjoy working closely with students who need to hone their analytical and argumentative skills when writing essays and personal statements. I have helped give advice to students from ABA – An IB World School in Oman studying History and Economics for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
