Student Profiles

"When I was choosing a university, I wasn’t sure that I had the academic requirements for Nottingham. Laura, a member of staff from the University’s International Office, was visiting India and she contacted me and suggested we meet up. She was really encouraging and said I’d be well suited to Nottingham. The fact that someone came to meet me in Delhi made me feel that the University was eager to take me. It was a two-way communication.

I’ve been interested in economics from a young age. I was really interested in how exports and imports work, and how companies are run and make a profit. I wanted to learn the foundations of how things work.

I have loved the course so far. As you move through the years you study things in more depth and you always want to find out more. The lecturers definitely know their subject. They’re really good at explaining things in a way you can understand. Suddenly you think ‘wow! That makes sense’, and when you read newspapers, things seem logical.

I can definitely see how the course will apply to my future career. I want to get into risk capital management when I leave University. During the first semester, the Centre for Career Development ran a course where we worked in groups to research an area of finance. We realised the importance of researching companies and not only thinking am I suitable for them, but are they suitable for me?

The facilities and course have been better than I expected. I have never studied in an international environment before and I feel like I’m learning all the time. I haven’t just improved academically, I’ve evolved more as a person. Everything is different. The education system here is really good and I’ve had a fantastic experience so far."

Top tip: "Don’t just choose the first university you see. Get in touch with their International Office and find out if the university is a place you’ll feel comfortable."

“When I was choosing a university, I looked at all the league tables and picked the top 10 for economics. I then cut out all the universities that only offered the BA and all the ones that were city-based – which left me with six to choose from.

I initially liked Nottingham because the course is very flexible. You have the option to study for a BA or a BSc, the BSc having a larger maths component. I wanted to study for a BSc, but I also wanted the option to transfer to the BA if I found the maths element too difficult. Not many other universities offer this.

When I first came to Nottingham, I was so impressed by the campus. Other campus universities I’d visited felt like little self-contained cities, with paving and lots of buildings. Nottingham’s campus is green and spacious with a big lake in the middle.

I’m really enjoying the course. I particularly enjoy modules that focus on the public sector, looking at, for example, how tax is spent and how benefits work. I have decided I want to sort out the NHS when I finish! I’m taking Health Economics next year and look forward to finding out more.

Before I started the course I wanted to be a financial adviser or a stock broker but the modules open your eyes to other areas of economics.

When I came to Nottingham I really wanted to become part of the bigger community. I joined a musical theatre group in a local town and got a job selling scarves in a shopping centre in the city. On campus, I have just been voted in as captain for the Economics Society hockey team. There’s so much to get involved in.”

Top tip: "Make sure you visit the universities you’re interested in to get a feel for them. I thought Nottingham would be built up, but the campus is so spacious and there’s a real community feel."

"Nottingham definitely offers a good work/life balance, which perhaps veers more towards the latter! Nevertheless, the Economics course here is definitely top notch. I decided to incorporate econometrics into my degree as learning about the forecasting of stock prices and GDP figures really interests me. I also enjoy macroeconomics modules, where you analyse issues in an economic way but on a grander scale, such as how governments control economies.

I was president of the Economics Society this year, a real eye-opener of an experience in terms of learning how to manage a team of people and organise large scale events. We have organised various careers events led by employers such as the Big Four accounting firms, consultancies, and investment banks, which have shown how highly sought after our economics graduates are. I myself have managed to secure a corporate finance summer internship with Deloitte in my hometown of Hong Kong, which I’m really excited about."

"I chose Nottingham because it has a really good reputation, is in the Times top 10 for economics and is a really vibrant place. When I came to visit on an open day I liked it immediately.

I’m really enjoying the course, particularly macroeconomics, which looks at the big picture. It looks at whole countries and how you can apply economics when working out world problems. The lecturers here are incredibly knowledgeable and all very different. Each module is quite specific and each lecturer makes the best possible use of all the materials for that topic.

The library has recently been renovated and it is very state-of-the-art. It has group study rooms with plasma screens where you can practise presentations.

I have so many ideas of what I want to do in the future, I just can’t decide on one. Economics opens up so many opportunities – it doesn’t lead to just one field, you can do anything – from investment banking, academic work, accounting, teaching, anything!".

"At Nottingham, you don’t need maths A level to study economics so I didn’t feel intimidated by the level of maths we would be studying. I was quite surprised by the lack of coursework involved in the Economics course; nearly all the modules are assessed by exams, but you have the option to choose modules from other schools which involve coursework. This means you can tailor the course to the way you work and this year I’ve chosen modules from the Schools of Business and Sociology.

The course really helps you to understand current affairs and what’s happening in the country. When I hear things in the news I have a picture of why they’re happening. I always feel like the course is relevant to the real world and to my future. The degree leads to a diverse range of careers. You learn so many skills and the mathematical aspect of the course is really appealing to employers, as is a degree from The University of Nottingham."

"I studied for the International Baccalaureate, which is taught in English back home, meaning I had the chance to attend a British university. I came to Nottingham for an open day and instantly fell in love with the campus.

I initially applied for the straight Economics course, but I’ve always been interested in development and trade-related globalisation so I transferred to International Economics. I’m loving the course. It covers everything I’m interested in. Lectures are very interesting. The people that teach us are leading experts in their field and they always have good examples at hand. There are lots of extracurricular activities on offer too. I have been using the Interfaculty Language Centre to teach myself Spanish. I also play football for my hall and I have joined the Amnesty International Society.

When I finish my degree, I’d like to work for the World Bank, maybe in Africa. I want to do something positive with my degree."