Danny Bav
Subject: BA Economics with Chinese Studies
Graduated: 2017
Danny graduated in 2017 after studying Economics with Chinese Studies. During his time at the University of Nottingham, Danny was accepted onto a spring week with Deloitte. This led to a summer internship and, ultimately, to a graduate job.
How did you first become interested in economics?
Initially, I was interested in studying Chinese at University, so I looked at some of the courses that Nottingham had to offer. I saw BA Economics with Chinese Studies and thought it looked like an interesting course.
Following this, I decided to do more research into economics, reading the classic pre-University books such as The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford and Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubnet and Steven Levitt. I also took advantage of my student subscription to The Economist to help me give some extra background reading.
I found myself honing in on some of the articles around China, which pushed me to study BA Economics with Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham.
Why did you choose to study at the School of Economics at Nottingham?
Three reasons. The first was that I fell in love with the campus on the open day. I loved the fact that it was green and open and I had a good vibe from when I was walking around.
Secondly, the admin around the economics department seemed strong and they gave me a lot of information around different module choices I could pick and additional info I needed. They also had a talk which I attended and I quite liked the structure of the course.
Finally, I liked the having the ability to study Mandarin Chinese alongside economics as it meant I was developing two kinds of skills.
What are your fondest memories of your time at the school?
I remember really enjoying the behavioural side of economics. At first, I didn't know what to expect, but after my first lecture in second year I was intrigued at the different kind of experiments that could be run and how a lot of assumptions in economics could be broken down in predictable ways. It was also the module that taught me how to critically read and evaluate academic papers which was a great skill that I took forward to my final year.
Outside of the school, Nottingham's societies were great and I was on the committee of several societies which helped me create a good balance between studying and social life.
Tell us about your career path since graduation?
I remember in first year sitting in my microeconomics lecture and people talking about 'spring weeks'. I managed to get on to a spring week with Deloitte which led onto a summer internship and a final interview for a graduate job.
Whilst doing this, I was also looking at further study in China, which was dependent on me taking the HSK exam at the end of my final year. However, due to the timely nature of my offer with Deloitte I decided to join them.
I currently work in Deloitte Digital in London in their Marketing and Insights division. I can see great overlap between the statistical and mathematical skills I gained during my degree and some of the work that I have been doing.
Have you been back to the school since you graduated?
I haven't been back to specifically visit the school. However, I have been back to the city several times to visit friends. It would be interesting to go to a reunion in a few years' time to see where my former economics friends went to and how they are finding working life.