BSc Economics student, Lynn chats to us about her reasons for choosing to study economics, the skills it provides, her experience on her course, and her fondness for Bristol…
Why did you want to study economics?
My reason for studying Economics is because I believe reading Economics not only encourages you to remain curious in diving deeper into the root causes and outcomes of the economy and everything that is happening around us, but it also promotes the development of various skill sets such as research, teamwork, problem-solving, analytical skills, commercial awareness, and so much more.
As these are highly sought-after skills by employers of all kinds, reading Economics opens you up to large career prospects.
Why did you choose to study at the University of Bristol?
I came to Bristol through clearing. I hadn’t visited Bristol prior to University so I had no idea what it would be like. The past few years at Bristol has been the best I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve met so many genuine, sweet people here – something I have never experienced throughout my life before Bristol!
The city is amazing, it has just the right balance of an urban, bustling city. Yet, it’s small and quiet enough to easily feel at home. I love it in Bristol and am very happy to be able to call it my home away from home.
What did you think of the teaching you received at Bristol?
I was really lucky to get such great lecturers who I still ask for advice from up until today for things like interviews and assessment centres.
I think the lecturers I got were very kind, genuine and wise. They always encourage us to attend office hours and are very helpful when you have questions left unanswered. There were definitely a few that stood out extremely positively to me because of how they made an effort to remember my name out of the hundreds of students they have and were very personal in tailoring classes / office hours to our needs.
Why would you encourage students to come to the University of Bristol?
The people. Be it the lecturers, the students, the staff. Everyone here is so genuinely nice! You won’t be able to find a community like this elsewhere. (Also, it helps that University of Bristol has an extremely high ranking among universities!).
What career-relevant technical skills have you received during your degree?
I attended multiple talks held by the careers service and obtained the Bristol PLUS award. They were very helpful in pushing students to achieve their best potential. I believe this was a big influence in allowing me to obtain an internship with Barclays Investment Bank in London, under Sales and Trading.
How important is your degree for your career journey?
Very important. I believe I picked up many new skills such as STATA (integrated statistical software) and sharpened other skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and analytical skills through reading Economics at Bristol.
What do you like most about the city? What would you recommend?
The thing I liked most about Bristol is the people, I keep repeating this but it’s true! I spent most of my time in the library, actually, but I was always intrigued by the many cafes and restaurants Bristol has to offer and am a regular customer to many of these places! There’s so much to do in Bristol and I can’t stop going out to all these attractive places during my spare time!
Did you receive employability support, such as help with CV writing or insight talks and internships?
I went for multiple career insight talks and these have been useful. I’m not sure if this is considered employability support, but I actually received a scholarship from the University to go for a cultural exchange programme in China as a volunteer to tackle the ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ goal set by the United Nations during my first year, which was quite fun.
There are clubs and societies to join so that you can meet people with the same interests/background as you. I’ve never really done my research on having support from the University in particular because I never really needed it, but I know for sure Bristol is a relatively safer place than most cities in the UK.
Learn more about our courses and studying economics at Bristol.