lse mathematics and economics personal statement

7 Economics Personal Statement Examples | With Analysis

What makes a great personal statement?

How do you improve your chances of achieving a university offer in economics?

In this post I will give some personal statement examples and discuss what the best economics personal statements do well.

Key features that great personal statements share

Disclaimers, evolution of economics personal statements, what makes a great economics personal statement, key features that great personal statements share: a reminder, lots of supercurricular activities, personal insights about such activities, demonstrate key skills, a well written essay, more economics personal statement advice, latest posts.

This diagram shows my summary of what makes a great economics personal statement. Based on my experience as an economics tutor and economics personal statement examples, here are four qualities that make personal statements stand out.

I explore these categories further below and in my ultimate economics personal statement guide.

For my ultimate economics personal statement guide, check out the link below:

Firstly, here is a list of ten economics personal statement examples available online.

Also below, there is analysis of what makes a great economics personal statement.

To learn how to improve your economics personal statement, check out the link below by clicking the blue button:

I cannot guarantee that the personal statements linked above achieved the university offers claimed on those pages. Nor can I claim that each statement is 100% perfect.

By linking to these sites, I do not endorse any of the sites linked above.

You should not copy any part of the personal statements above. Doing so is plagiarism and can lead to the disqualification of your university application. Instead learn from the techniques and kinds of things mentioned in their statements. See specifically the rest of this article for what we can learn from these personal statements.

A proportion of the samples above are relatively old (five to ten years ago or more).

For some universities the personal statement is more important for applications. Consider for example LSE and UCL, top universities where there are no admissions tests or interviews.

We can look at more recently written and publicly available personal statements.

Based on these, here are some observable trends in recent years among the best performing economics personal statements:

• More supercurriculars relative to the above personal statements.
• More reference to undergraduate-level economic theory. This can show further reading and an ability to potentially do well in the undergraduate course.

In this section I am drawing on my experience as a tutor about what makes a great personal statement. I am also using the available online examples of economics personal statements and the criteria listed by the top UK universities.

Such statements are by no means always perfect, yet they show the qualities and skills that allow students to attend the best universities.

These examples allow us to analyse what makes a great personal statement and also where students often go wrong with personal statements.

As a reminder, here are the four features of great economics personal statements mentioned above:

• Lots of supercurriculars
• Highlighting key skills
• Personal takeaways

Here is a breakdown of these categories:

What activities have you completed, outside of class, that relate to economics? Have you read a book, entered an economics-related competition, or watched an economics lecture? These are examples of supercurricular activities. I consider these a key focus for the best personal statements and I discuss these further in my economics personal statement ebook. These show your motivation to study economics which will be critical if you want to study the subject for three years at university.

For more on supercurricular activities, click the link here:

These are what I refer to as “personal takeaways” later in this guide. What did you learn from the supercurricular activity? Detail is very important, both for showing a high level of understanding and also to convince the person reading your statement that you actually completed the activity. This should go beyond just recalling the activity – maybe there is something you learnt from this activity or something you read that you disagreed with. We discuss how to write about personal takeaways in the ebook.

For more information about how to use supercurricular activities in your statement, including how to generate personal insights, click this button below:

Obviously you should try to show academic ability in economics and motivation to study economics. But what other skills are useful to show in a personal statement? 

While there are many skills that could potentially be useful, I draw your attention for now to two key skills: Ability in mathematics and independent study (including research). Evidence from supercurricular activities that you have these skills will help convince admissions staff. Moreover these skills will help you in the economics course.

What constitutes a “well written essay”? 

Your personal statement should be well structured, with effective links between ideas and paragraphs. The grammar should be completely correct, that is  there should be no mistakes. 

Finally consider your vocabulary – can you embed economics-related terminology into your personal statement? You can use a thesaurus but do so with caution – sometimes it is obvious where a thesaurus has been used (and often the new word used does not make sense in that context!).

For more economics personal statement tips or for economics university application advice, check out the link below:

For A-level Economics resources, click the link here:

• 2.2 Aggregate demand notes for Edexcel A Economics
• 2.1.2 Inflation Edexcel A Economics Notes
• Don’t be fooled! How to understand economic statistics
• 3.3.2 Costs
• Essay competition season – advice for economics students

About the author

Helping economics students online since 2015. Previously an economist, I now provide economics resources on tfurber.com and tutor A Level Economics students. Read more about me here .

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Personal statements

Read the phrasing carefully.

Different institutions will phrase what they want to see in their personal statement differently, some examples (as of September 2013) and how you could break the wording down to ensure you address everything are below:

Example of application guidance from LSE:

You must submit a personal statement with your application form. This should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. It should describe your academic interests and your purpose and objectives in undertaking graduate study. 

Suggestions of what to include for this phrasing:

• Outline what are your academic interests specifically
• How they are related to the course.
• How do you see the course furthering these interests?
• Do you have previous experience of studying these areas?
• Was your undergraduate dissertation, major project or a group presentation relevant to the course or your academic interests?
•  Have you attended conferences, seminars or networking events outside your studies to increase your knowledge?
• What have you learnt recently,
• and how does this link to the course you are applying for?
• Perhaps you can link your academic interests to work experience you have gained?
• Purpose in undertaking graduate study  – Why are you applying for postgraduate study? This could be linked to discussing your academic interests, or perhaps you have a career orientated goal.
• Objectives in undertaking graduate study  – What do you hope to achieve by the end of your postgraduate study, whether educationally or professionally? If you have professional objectives, how will this course help you move towards your career goal?
• What else?  – you could also include some of the suggestions in the guidelines below, but make sure you address everything in their description.

Example of application guidance from SOAS:

Your personal statement should be no more than 1,000 words. It should include the reasons why you are interested in the programme, highlight your relevant experience and suitability for the programme as well as future plans. 

• Why you are interested in the programme  – Look at the course content carefully to decide what it is that most interests you in the programme content-wise. Discuss any relevant research or coursework you might have done in the past, and include technical language or language that shows you have a grasp of the topic.
• Relevant experience  – think back to your work experience, extracurricular activities and voluntary experiences and reflect upon relevant projects you might have worked on, tasks you were set or research you conducted that demonstrates relevance to the course. You might not feel you have this experience yet, but perhaps you have worked in a relevant sector and you could show your technical and commercial understanding.
• Suitability for the programme  – Think about the skills you might need to succeed in this programme. What is your experience that makes you suitable for the programme? Perhaps you will reflect on study or research skills that you have gained, or maybe you’ll need strong negotiation, communication or presentation skills which you gained through mooting or as a student representative? If you can show you were engaged with your undergraduate university’s community then this might be a good place to mention what you did.
• Future plans  – What are your career aspirations and how do you see the course furthering these?

Writing a personal statement

If they do not specify what to include in your personal statement, areas you might want to include are below. There is no set order of when to mention what but starting your personal statement with your most relevant point is advised.

Motivations

• Why are you applying for the programme?
• What do you hope to gain from the programme?
• What is it that interests you about the subject? Can this be related to your previous education or work experience (see below)?
• What are your career aspirations and how will this course help you achieve them?

Educational experience and commercial knowledge

• Do you have past education that gives you the knowledge base you need for the course?
• Is your undergraduate dissertation relevant? Tell the tutor about it and the research methods you used (especially if applying for a research masters).
• Perhaps you like to keep up with current news in the sector you hope to go into. You could mention a topical issue and discuss how you see the course furthering your understanding.

Work experience

• Have you gained work experience in a field relevant to the course or relevant to your career ambitions? Can you link this experience to your motivation to wanting to continue studying in this field?
• Tell the tutor about this experience and reflect on how this could help with the course or use it as an example of your motivation for continued study in a related area.
• If you are a mature student returning to study, why are you returning? Are you looking to make a career change? Why, and how, do you expect the course will support your new ambition?

Other experience

• Include your extracurricular and voluntary experience too. Tutors want rounded people on their course; show that you engaged in university life during your undergraduate course or that you gained some relevant skills or experiences through volunteering.

Anything else

• You can outline your main achievements, awards or successes in competitions. Think about the course you are applying for and if there is anything they might be particularly impressed by.
• Mention relevant summer schools, overseas study or conferences/ short courses you might have attended that are related to the course.

Other circumstances

• Deferred entry – if you would like to start the course the following year explain to the course tutor what you will be doing with the next year.

Final checks

• Spelling and grammar – this will give the course tutor an idea as to your writing skills, so ensure there are no mistakes.
• Abbreviations and acronyms – explain any you have used.
• Content structure – ensure the paragraphs make sense and that the document flows well. Don’t repeat yourself by revisiting an experience or educational point.
• Don’t write a narrative of your life, from leaving school to current day.
• Be positive; don’t use negative language i.e. Although I have little experience of…
• Adhere to the word count (where applicable) or if there isn’t one, keep your statement to two to three pages of A4.

If you are already a student at LSE and would like LSE Careers to check your personal statement before you submit it please  make an appointment for a careers discussion  on CareerHub. It is also advised that if your application is fairly technically subject specific that you get an academic to check the content for accuracy.

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Maths and economics personal statement example 2.

The application of mathematics in the real world has always fascinated me. Mathematics acts as a base from which economics progresses, with such skills as differentiation needed to find the elasticity coefficients in higher education.

A large influence on me has been T. W. Korner's "The Pleasure of Counting". It has resulted in me increasingly applying mathematical ideologies to the real world, particularly in the economics and finance field, which has progressed my critical thinking and analytical skills.

Having studied all four branches of the mathematics syllabus, I have acquired a strong interest in pure mathematics, in particular calculus. The way that a simple problem, ie a question in two dimensions, can be extended to further dimensions, hence requiring further logic has captivated me.

These problems can then be extended to the imaginary world by progressing into the nth dimension. The same concept can be applied to economics. A straightforward problem can become more involved by different factors being added, such as consumer confidence.

The challenge of further mathematics and economics at A level has cemented my desire to study both of these at university level. Economics is a fundamental part of life and the recent economic crisis has further illustrated this.

The effects of government policy in achieving economic objectives have become more apparent to me over the past few years and this has aided me in my studies. As a result I have strived to extend my knowledge beyond the constraints of the classroom.

For instance, I have enjoyed attending a number of lectures, discussions and debates at various universities. Topics have been varied; with examples I found particularly engaging being "Cities and Economic Development" and "Chaos, Unpredictability and the Evolution of Mathematical Ideas".

These have given me experience of university-style lectures and furthered my desire to study mathematics and economics at a higher level.

As a prefect, I have been a member of the college council. This has involved leading regular meetings with students and staff to help improve the school.

From this I have gained skills in time management, prioritization and teamwork. Ideas drawn up and suggested by my team and I have been fed through to the headmistress and governors, making a real difference.

During the school term I have tutored younger students at various levels in mathematics. This experience has taught me to be persistent, take new approaches to explaining concepts and to challenge my assumptions. I have found this rewarding, with my students achieving above their predicted grades, giving me a great sense of pride.

Music is also a passion of mine. From a young age I have played both classical and contemporary guitar. I have put this talent to wider use, playing at a local venue in order to help raise money for peers, who were undertaking in a charity-based expedition to Nepal.

To accompany my studies I have had jobs in a large furnishing store and at a local supermarket. These have broadened my practical knowledge and shown I can apply this to abstract situations. As a result I have been in constant contact with the public, progressing my interpersonal skills. Trust has been put upon me in both of these jobs to handle money and I have been praised for my reliability and initiative.

Preparing for my STEP I examination has helped me to 'break out' of the repetitive and somewhat predictable nature of A Level mathematics. I have relished the opportunity to consider problems where the emphasis was not on the answer, but on proof and method, which required a certain amount of ingenuity.

In going to university I look forward to gaining greater independence and building upon the foundations of knowledge that school has equipped me with, in the fields of mathematics and economics.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by aaronb93 for application in 2012.

aaronb93's Comments

Warwick - Maths and Economics (FIRM) LSE - Maths and Economics (INSURANCE) UCL - Maths with Economics (offer) Nottingham - Maths and Economics (offer) Bristol - Economics and Maths (offer)

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• Mathematics personal statements

Mathematics with economics degree personal statement example (1c) LSE, UCL offers, international applicant

Every day we make decisions and interact with others; the laws of economics help us make rational choices and consider the irrationality of others, as well as understand the world better. Maths and statistics are the necessary tools for me to understand the modern economics. Being raised in China, I have witnessed the rapid development of my home city, the huge wealth gap and experienced the struggles of dealing with inflation.

I love behaviour economics because I believe the well-being of the economy ultimately depends on people's decision. I want to prove that by predicting their behaviours correctly we can create a much more efficient economy. I became familiar with game theory by reading 'Prisoner's Dilemma' by William Poundstone, and it made me realise that the US Election campaign is no more than a game of two players outdoing each other for popular votes by campaigning for different policies.

I further studied the theory by reading 'Games of Strategy' by Avinash Dixit. I have learned how the Nash Equilibrium can be found in a continuous function, and I applied it to predict the US election campaign outcome. I frequently think as a game theorist; I found that the monetary and fiscal policies decided by the Bank of England and the government on inflation targets can be modelled by a two-player game, I discovered that the Nash Equilibrium outcome does not help to achieve the inflation target effectively.

I criticised the Prospect Theory for its ignorance of the individual's value system such as the culture and ideological difference, and the frequent failures to adjust to the neoclassical model, seeking alternative superior factors that should be taken into account such as confidence. My EPQ investigated how game theory is used to predict people's behaviour alone with its limitations.

I am strongly mathematically inclined and I love the satisfaction obtained from thinking and solving complex problems. After reading 'A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics' by Martin Liebeck, I appreciated the fundamentals of maths through the proofs in set theory, I particularly enjoyed in the proof on the existence of gaps on the number line, and how we can construct real numbers to fill these gaps, although the numbers seem inherently natural, but they are just an imaginary concept to describe what we see in the real world.

I love Maths because of its applications to the real world economic phenomena, such as using Cobweb theory to explain the invisible hand. After reading 'Essential Mathematics for Economics and Business' by Teresa Bradley, I learned and applied the Difference Equation to predict the daily number of customers in the restaurant I work in which I estimated the revenue by using differentiation. As my schools sole candidate for Additional Further Maths A2, I studied statistics in greater depth, such as using the t-student and F-distribution and I was then able to calculate the confidence interval for my revenue estimation, which we deal with all the time in the real world. I also provide courses on mathematical economics to my classmates.

I founded the school's Investment Club and I provide seminars weekly. We participated in The Student Investor Challenge. I have also made a good return with my small personal investment portfolio. I have become familiar with fundamental and technical analysis, such as using PE ratio. I have also received the 'UBS award for outstanding students'. My initiative has greatly contributed to my leadership and presentation skills.

Outside school, I play tennis and I have designed Maths revision websites. Debating club has improved my confidence in public speaking. As a prefect, I am responsible for organising events. Broader knowledge and teamwork are the two key assets I obtained through participating in these activities. I am enthusiastic and believe my achievements demonstrate an ability to thrive and enjoy the challenging course.

Universities Applied to:

• Cambridge (Economics) - Rejection(Bad Interview)
• LSE (Maths and Economics) - Offer (A*AA) Firm
• UCL (Economics and Stats) - Offer (AAA) Insurance
• Warwick (Maths and Economics) - Offer (A*AA + STEP1/AEA)
• Bristol (Maths and Economics) - Offer (A*AA)

Grades Achieved:

• Maths (A2) - A*
• Further Maths (A2) - A
• Further Maths(additional) (A2) - B
• Physics (A2) - A
• Economics (A2) - A
• Politics (A2) - B
• Critical Thinking (AS) - E(lol)

Student's comments

English is not my first language so it wasn't great grammatically speaking.

Good luck to everyone who is applying for the same course, you can do it! :)

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BSc Financial Mathematics and Statistics

Introduction, preliminary readings.

The business world is increasingly dominated by data. So, there’s a real demand for graduates with the right mathematical and statistical skills who can make sense of this data. This BSc in Financial Mathematics and Statistics meets that need.

Taught jointly by the departments of Mathematics and Statistics, this degree provides a solid grounding in financial mathematics and statistics as well as exploring the interrelationships between these two complementary disciplines.

You’ll develop your theoretical knowledge and learn about mathematical and statistical methods and techniques in finance. At the same time, you’ll explore financial risk management, financing and investment decisions alongside topics such as pricing, derivatives, hedging and optimisation.

Our graduates progress to careers in finance, accounting and other areas where quantitative analysis and data handling are critically important.

Mathematics as it is applied in economics and finance

• M Anthony and N Biggs Mathematics for Economics and Finance (Cambridge University Press, 1996)
• T Harford The Undercover Economist (Oxford University Press, 2006)

Mathematics

Much of university level mathematics is concerned with formal proofs and rigorous mathematical argument, and this is necessary for some of the advanced mathematics required in finance, economics, and other fields of application. For an introduction, we recommend:

• L Alcock How to Study for a Mathematics Degree (Oxford University Press, 2013)
• R Allenby Numbers and Proofs (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997)
• A Dilnot The Tiger That Isn't: Seeing Through a World of Numbers (Profile books, 2007)
• P Eccles An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
• T Gowers Mathematics: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2002)
• D Hand Statistics: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2008)
• M Liebeck A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics (Chapman & Hall/CRC Mathematics, 2005)

Entry requirements

Here, you can check our entry requirements for GCSEs, A-levels (please read them alongside our information about subject combinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We also consider applications from students with a range of other UK qualifications and from overseas. Please select the overseas button below and choose your country from the dropdown list to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification.

Additional tests

For GCSEs, you’ll need several GCSE grades at A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9).

As a minimum, we ask for GCSE English Language and Mathematics grades at B (6) or higher. We’ll also consider your overall GCSE subject profile.

A*AA, with an A* in Mathematics

Where it is offered by your school or college, AS- or A-level Further Mathematics is expected to be taken and a grade A achieved.

We also consider your AS grades, if available.

Contextual admissions A-level grades

A*AB with an A* in Mathematics

Read our undergraduate admissions information to learn more about contextual admissions.

A-level subject combinations

• We consider your combination of subjects as well as your grades.
• A broad mix of traditional academic subjects provides the best preparation for studying at LSE. We expect applicants to have at least two full A-levels (or equivalent) in these subjects.
• An A* in Mathematics is required. However, an A* in Further Mathematics and an A grade in Mathematics would be an acceptable alternative.
• We’ll consider applications from students with a combination of Mathematics, Further Mathematics and one other subject. Other typical subjects include Chemistry and Physics.

Find out more about A-level subject combinations .

38 points overall, including 766 at higher level, with 7 in Mathematics: analysis and approaches.

Contextual admissions IB grades

37 points overall, including 765 at higher level, with 7 in Mathematics: analysis and approaches.

Applicants are encouraged to take the  Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) . The test is not mandatory, however a good performance on the test may make an application more competitive.

We welcome students from all walks of life at LSE. We want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation. So, whatever your background, please do apply. Get all the details on our general  entry requirements .

Competition for places at LSE is high. We cannot guarantee you an offer of a place even if you’re predicted or achieve our standard entry requirements.

Our standard offer requirements are intended only as a guide and, in some cases, you’ll be asked for different grades.

Programme content

On this programme, you'll study 12 units over three years, plus LSE100.

You’ll take five compulsory foundation courses, including two half-unit courses. Additionally, you’ll take LSE100.

Microeconomics I

Macroeconomics i, elementary statistical theory, mathematical methods, introduction to abstract mathematics, the lse course.

Your second year includes five compulsory courses, including two half-unit courses, which are each taught over one rather than two terms.

Principles of Finance I

Principles of finance ii, further mathematical methods (calculus), further mathematical methods (linear algebra), probability, distribution theory and inference, real analysis, introduction to pricing, hedging and optimization.

In the third year, you’ll take four compulsory courses and choose two half units from a range of mathematics and statistics courses. You'll also take one external option.

Risk Management and Modelling

Derivatives, computational methods in financial mathematics, financial statistics, one outside option, choose two courses from the following:, measure theoretic probability, mathematics of finance and valuation, regression and generalised linear models, stochastic processes, programme regulations.

For the latest list of optional courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page .

You may be able to take a language, literature or linguistics option as part of your degree. Find all the details on our  Language Centre web pages .

A few important points you’ll need to know:

We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.

The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside our control (including a lack of demand, industrial action, fire, flooding or other damage to premises).

Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.

Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to global developments in the discipline or student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are always made to improve the learning experience.

For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s  Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department.

Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our  updated undergraduate course and programme information page .

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

The Department of Mathematics aims to be a leading centre for the study of mathematics in the social sciences.

The department has a vibrant intellectual community, with fantastic students, internationally respected academics and high-achieving alumni. Our department has grown rapidly in recent years, with exciting developments in research and new teaching programmes and courses.

This research encompasses four main overlapping areas:

• discrete mathematics and algorithms
• mathematical game theory
• financial and related mathematics
• operational research.

All aspects of our research were ranked world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), submitted jointly with the Department of Statistics.

We embrace the School’s ethos of research-led teaching. Currently, we offer four undergraduate and three postgraduate programmes, as well as doctoral research opportunities on our MPhil/PhD in Mathematics. These programmes are all in high demand – attracting talented students from diverse backgrounds.

Our programmes are highly interdisciplinary and we have close ties with other departments at LSE, including Statistics, Economics, Finance, Management and the Data Science Institute.

Whatever your study route, you’ll benefit from a welcoming, inclusive and friendly learning environment where students and staff are supported to achieve their best.

Learn more about our programmes , recent research and regular events and seminars .

Department of Mathematics

2nd In Europe

5th In the world

1st We're ranked top university in London for the 12th year running

Carbon neutral in 2021 lse became the first carbon neutral verified university in the uk, your application, who attends.

We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form, such as:

• academic achievement , including predicted and achieved grades (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• subjects and subject combinations  (also see specific information about this programme in the "entry requirements" above)
• your personal statement
• your teacher’s reference
• educational circumstances

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although this is not needed at the application stage.  See our English language requirements page .

We’re looking for students who demonstrate:

• an interest in mathematics, statistics and finance
• an understanding of the links between the disciplines
• involvement in related extra-curricular activities, such as maths competitions or Olympiads
• the ability to think and work independently
• intellectual curiosity and the ability to ask incisive questions
• logical thinking and the ability to follow complex lines of reasoning
• creativity and flexibility in problem-solving
• great organisational and communication skills
• self-motivation and a willingness to work hard.

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for each year of your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025 tuition fee. The home student undergraduate fee may rise in line with inflation in subsequent years.

Overseas student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025 fee for each year of your programme. The overseas tuition fee will remain at the same amount for each subsequent year of your full-time study regardless of the length of your programme. This information applies to new overseas undergraduate entrants starting their studies from 2025 onwards.

Your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, depend on whether you’re classified as a home or an overseas student – known as your fee status. We assess your fee status based on guidelines from the UK Government’s Department for Education.

Learn more about fee status classification .

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships, to UK, EU and overseas students.

Additionally, the UK Government provides loans to UK and some EU students. Some overseas governments also offer funding.

Further information on tuition fees, living costs, loans and scholarships .

Learning and assessment

How you learn, how you're assessed.

Format and contact hours: you’ll usually attend two lectures and one related class for each course per week (eight lectures and four classes). Additionally, you’ll work on exercises in your own time, which are discussed in weekly classes with around 15 students.

Hours vary depending on the course. Further details are given in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide .

LSE teaching: all courses include seminars, classes and/or computer workshops to help you develop a deeper understanding of concepts and methods introduced in lectures. In computer workshops, you’ll work on practical data exercises using software and programming languages (mainly Python). Classes and workshops provide a great opportunity to ask questions about the lecture material and other related topics.

LSE is internationally recognised for teaching and research and our academics have wide-ranging expertise. Courses may be taught by our faculty staff, guest teachers and visiting members of staff, LSE teaching fellows and graduate teaching assistants, who can be doctoral research students.

Learn about the teacher responsible for each course in the relevant  course guide .

Academic support

Academic mentor: you’ll meet with your academic mentor regularly to discuss your work. Your mentor can provide advice and guidance on academic issues and, where appropriate, personal concerns.

Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.

LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.

Through LSE LIFE, you can:

• attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
• develop your reading, academic writing and critical-thinking skills
• gain experience of working in study groups and develop your cross-cultural communication and teamwork skills.

Disability and Mental Health Service: we want all LSE students to achieve their full potential. Students can access free, confidential advice through our Disability and Mental Health Service . This is the first point of contact for students.

Your timetable

• The standard teaching day runs from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Undergraduate teaching is not normally scheduled for Wednesdays after 12 noon to allow for sports, volunteering and other extra-curricular activities.
• The lecture and seminar timetable is published in mid-August and the full academic timetable (with information on classes) is published by mid-September via the LSE timetables web pages .
• All personal undergraduate timetables are published in LSE for You (LFY) . For personal timetables to appear, you must be registered at LSE, be signed up for courses in LFY and ensured that there are no unauthorised clashes in your course selections. We try our best to minimise changes once personal timetables have been published. However, you’ll be notified about any changes by email.

Formative coursework

All taught courses include formative coursework, which is not assessed. This helps you prepare you for summative assessment. We use a range of formative assessment methods, such as essays, case studies, reports, quizzes and mock exams.

Feedback is an essential part of the learning experience at the School. You’ll receive feedback on any formative coursework within three weeks, provided it’s submitted on time.

Summative assessment

This assessment counts towards your final course mark and degree award.

Summative assessment involves exams in most courses at the end of each year (May or early June). Some courses also include assessments in January.

You’ll receive feedback on any summative coursework as part of the assessment for individual courses (except for final submitted dissertations). Feedback will normally be provided before the examination period.

Assessment on individual courses can change from year to year. See details of the current formative coursework and summative assessment for each course in the relevant  course guide .

Find out more about LSE’s teaching and assessment methods .

Graduate destinations

Career support.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in the areas of corporate finance, accountancy, management, and banking. Many have pursued graduate study in areas related to mathematics, economics, or both.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Median salary of our undergraduate students 15 months after graduating:

Top 3 sectors our students work in:.

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.

Discover Uni

Every undergraduate programme of more than one year duration will have Discover Uni data. The data allows you to compare information about individual programmes at different higher education institutions.

Programmes offered by different institutions with similar names can vary quite significantly. We recommend researching the programmes you're interested in and taking into account the programme structure, teaching and assessment methods, and support services available.

Find out more

Explore lse, student life.

Student support

Accommodation

Meet, visit and discover LSE

BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics

Introduction, accreditations, preliminary readings.

Econometrics uses statistical and mathematical methods and theoretical models to help us understand real-world economic issues and predict future trends. In industry and government, there is a real need for graduates who understand econometrics. So, this BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics equips you with in-demand skills.

The programme provides a solid grounding in micro and macro economics and econometrics. You’ll learn how empirical methods are used to test economic theories and gain hands-on experience in statistical programming.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be taught by academics who are advising government, business and the finance sector on policy. So, your learning will be informed by real-world thinking and applications. Our department is regularly ranked number one outside the US for published research in economics and econometrics.

Please note: students are rarely admitted to the programme in the first year, as this is too early to commit to a research career in economics. A limited number of students transfer to this programme from other LSE programmes in the third year to complete the dissertation in quantitative economics.

Accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) for the purpose of exemption from all 4 certificate level CIMA modules through the Accredited degree accelerated route.

Graduates from this programme will be exempt from the following certificate level CIMA modules :

• BA1 Fundamentals of Business Economics
• BA2 Fundamentals of Management Accounting
• BA3 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
• BA4 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law

If you'd like to gain further insight into what economists study, we suggest looking at one or more of the following popular books or others like them:

• A V Banerjee and E Duflo  Poor Economics: barefoot hedge-fund managers, DIY doctors and the surprising truth about life on less than $1 a day  (Penguin, 2012)
• D Coyle GDP: a brief but affectionate history (Princeton University Press, 2014)
• T Harford  The Undercover Economist  (Abacus, 2007)
• T Harford  The Logic of Life  (Little Brown, 2009)
• P Krugman  End This Depression Now!  (W W Norton, 2012)
• S D Levitt and S J Dubner  Freakonomics  (Penguin, 2007)
• S D Levitt and S J Dubner  Superfreakonomics  (Penguin, 2010)

Some of these books were launched at LSE.  Listen to podcasts of these launches (and many other talks) .

It's also a very good idea to have a look at one or more economics textbooks, to have a clear idea of what the serious university study of the subject involves, which will differ from these popular presentations. Although the texts and editions listed below are currently recommended for the first year, other editions of these books and other university-level textbooks are also entirely valid for this first investigation.

• N G Mankiw  Macroeconomics  (9th edition, Worth Publishers, 2015)
• D Acemoglu, D I Laibson and J A List, Microeconomics (2nd edition, Pearson, 2018)

Entry requirements

Here, you can check our entry requirements for GCSEs, A-levels (please read them alongside our information about subject combinations) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We also consider applications from students with a range of other UK qualifications and from overseas. Please select the overseas button below and choose your country from the dropdown list to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification.

Additional tests

For GCSEs, you’ll need several GCSE grades at A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9).

As a minimum, we ask for GCSE English Language and Mathematics grades at B (6) or higher. We’ll also consider your overall GCSE subject profile.

A*AA with an A* in Mathematics

We also consider your AS grades, if available.

Please also see subject combinations regarding Further Mathematics requirements.

Contextual admissions A-level grades

A*AB with an A* in Mathematics

Read our undergraduate admissions information to learn more about contextual admissions.

A-level subject combinations

• We consider your combination of subjects as well as your grades.
• A broad mix of traditional academic subjects provides the best preparation for studying at LSE. We expect applicants to have at least two full A-levels (or equivalent) in these subjects.
• We’re looking for students with strong mathematical abilities and A-level Mathematics (or equivalent) is therefore required.
• Further Mathematics at A-level is also desirable, and is acceptable for entry in combination with Mathematics and one other A-level. In these cases we'd prefer that the third A-level should be an essay-based subject. If you take four or more full A-levels, you’ll be expected to achieve A* A A (with A* in Mathematics), and a pass in the fourth A-level. We understand that not all schools/colleges offer Further Mathematics and you won’t be disadvantaged as a result – please could you and/or your referees indicate this on your application form.
• An A* in Further Mathematics plus an A grade in Mathematics is an acceptable alternative.
• Alongside Mathematics, we’re looking for subject combinations that demonstrate your analytical and writing abilities. Typical subject choices include Economics, Physics, History, Chemistry, English, and Government and Politics, of which Economics, History, English and Government and Politics are good indicators of writing ability.

Find out more about A-level subject combinations .

38 points overall. 766 in higher level subjects, with 7 in Mathematics.

Contextual admissions IB grades

37 points overall. 765 in higher level subjects, with 7 in Mathematics.

Applicants are required to take the  Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) . The test is mandatory.

We welcome students from all walks of life at LSE. We want to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation. So, whatever your background, please do apply. Get all the details on our general  entry requirements .

Competition for places at LSE is high. We cannot guarantee you an offer of a place even if you’re predicted or achieve our standard entry requirements.

Our standard offer requirements are intended only as a guide and, in some cases, you’ll be asked for different grades.

Programme content

On this programme, you’ll study 12 units over three years, plus LSE100 .

You’ll have the chance to apply for a year abroad with one of our global exchange partners.

Your first year provides a foundation in economics. You’ll learn the necessary quantitative skills before moving on to introductory courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. You can choose one option from a variety of courses offered by other departments (either one whole unit or two half units). Additionally, you'll ​also take LSE100.

Students can opt to take Mathematical Methods in place of Methods in Calculus and Linear Algebra and the Winter Term outside option.

Economic Reasoning

Methods in calculus and linear algebra, elementary statistical theory, microeconomics i, macroeconomics i, econometrics i, the lse course, one outside option during autumn term, one outside option during winter term.

The second year builds on earlier courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. You’ll develop a firm grasp of core analytical methods and apply them to a range of problems. During the year, you can choose one option from another department (a full unit or two half units).

Microeconomics II

Macroeconomics ii, econometrics ii, either one optional course to the value of one unit, or courses to the value of one unit from the following options: (before taking fm215 you must take fm214), the origins of growth, principles of finance i, principles of finance ii.

In your third year, you can specialise according to your interests. You’ll choose one course from three options and take two further economics options. Then, you’ll complete a thesis in quantitative economics on your chosen research topic.

Courses from the following to the value of one unit:

Games and economic behaviour, problems of applied econometrics, econometric theory a, econometric theory b, two economics options, quantitative thesis, programme regulations.

For the latest list of optional courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page .

You may be able to take a language, literature or linguistics option as part of your degree. Find all the details on our  Language Centre web pages .

A few important points you’ll need to know:

We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.

The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside our control (including a lack of demand, industrial action, fire, flooding or other damage to premises).

Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.

Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to global developments in the discipline or student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are always made to improve the learning experience.

For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s  Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department.

Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our  updated undergraduate course and programme information page .

Why study with us

Discover more about our students and department.

Meet the department

LSE is home to one of the top economics departments in the world, with expertise across the full spectrum of mainstream economics.

Our academics and researchers are working at the frontiers of developments in the field and our research has a global impact. Over the past 50 years, this research has influenced almost every major intellectual development within the discipline.

As a department, our academics advise governments and central banks, aid agencies, and private-sector organisations in the UK, Europe and around the world. Our research insights help tackle global challenges such as economic instability, inequality and climate change, often catalysing profound policy shifts.

Past and present faculty members have shaped economic policy at a national and international level and our teaching staff have included a former Bank of England governor and Chief Economist to the World Bank. We count nine Nobel Prize winners among our current and former staff and students.

Within the department, we offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as doctoral training in economics. Our alumni find high-earning and rewarding roles in government, international institutions, business and finance.

Learn more about our programmes and research .

Department of Economics

2nd In Europe

5th In the world

1st We're ranked top university in London for the 12th year running

Carbon neutral in 2021 lse became the first carbon neutral verified university in the uk, your application, who attends.

We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form, such as:

• academic achievement , including predicted and achieved grades (see "entry requirements" for programme-specific information)
• subjects and subject combinations  (see "entry requirements" for programme-specific information)
• your personal statement  (see tab for our tips to help you with this)
• your teacher’s reference
• educational circumstances

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although this is not needed at the application stage.  See our English language requirements page .

Please note: students are rarely admitted to the programme in the first year, as this is too early to commit to a research career in economics. The intake below reflects this. A limited number of students transfer to this programme from other LSE programmes in the third year to complete the dissertation in quantitative economics.

We’re looking for students who demonstrate:

• logical thinking
• quantitative skills and the ability to follow complex lines of mathematical reasoning·
• a creative and flexible approach to problem-solving
• an ability to think independently
• good communication skills
• intellectual curiosity
• self-motivation and a willingness to work hard.

Fees and funding

The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.

You're charged a fee for each year of your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Home student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025 tuition fee. The home student undergraduate fee may rise in line with inflation in subsequent years.

Overseas student fee per each year of your programme

This is the 2025 fee for each year of your programme. The overseas tuition fee will remain at the same amount for each subsequent year of your full-time study regardless of the length of your programme. This information applies to new overseas undergraduate entrants starting their studies from 2025 onwards.

Your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, depend on whether you’re classified as a home or an overseas student – known as your fee status. We assess your fee status based on guidelines from the UK Government’s Department for Education.

Learn more about fee status classification .

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships, to UK, EU and overseas students.

Additionally, the UK Government provides loans to UK and some EU students. Some overseas governments also offer funding.

Further information on tuition fees, living costs, loans and scholarships .

Learning and assessment

How you learn, how you're assessed.

Contact hours: you’ll have around 12 hours of lectures and classes each week.

Independent study: you’ll need to complete around six hours of independent study per course each week. Exact hours vary depending on the course. Get a broad idea of the study time involved in the Calendar within the Teaching section of each course guide .

LSE teaching: you’ll learn in classes with around 20 students. Academic staff deliver most lectures while classes are generally taught by graduate teaching assistants, including many experienced PhD students. Learn more about the teacher responsible for each course in the relevant  course guide .

Academic support

Academic mentor: you’ll meet with your academic mentor regularly to discuss your work. Your mentor can provide advice and guidance on academic issues and, where appropriate, personal concerns.

Other academic support: at LSE, we offer lots of opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom.

LSE LIFE is a great place to get advice and practise the skills you’ll need during your studies and beyond.

Through LSE LIFE, you can:

• attend workshops on developing leadership skills, finding the right study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work
• develop your reading, academic writing and critical-thinking skills
• gain experience of working in study groups and develop your cross-cultural communication and teamwork skills.

Disability and Mental Health Service: we want all LSE students to achieve their full potential. Students can access free, confidential advice through our Disability and Mental Health Service . This is the first point of contact for students.

Your timetable

• The standard teaching day runs from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Undergraduate teaching is not normally scheduled for Wednesdays after 12 noon to allow for sports, volunteering and other extra-curricular activities.
• The lecture and seminar timetable is published in mid-August and the full academic timetable (with information on classes) is published by mid-September via the LSE timetables web pages .
• All personal undergraduate timetables are published in LSE for You (LFY) . For personal timetables to appear, you must be registered at LSE, be signed up for courses in LFY and ensured that there are no unauthorised clashes in your course selections. We try our best to minimise changes once personal timetables have been published. However, you’ll be notified about any changes by email.

Formative unassessed coursework

All taught courses include formative coursework, which is not assessed. This helps prepare you for summative assessment. We use a range of formative assessment methods, such as essays, case studies, reports, quizzes and mock exams. Feedback on coursework is an essential part of the learning experience. Class teachers mark formative coursework and provide feedback within two weeks – provided the work is submitted on time.

Summative assessment

This assessment counts towards your final course mark and degree award.

Summative assessment is largely through examinations in May to June each year (and occasionally in the January assessment period). This is complemented by other forms of assessment, such as essays, policy reports, research projects and class participation. Our new curriculum has allowed us to introduce a broader range of assessment methods – so you can develop and be assessed on a wider variety of skills.

You'll also receive feedback on any summative coursework you're required to submit as part of the assessment for individual courses (except on the final version of submitted dissertations). You'll normally receive this feedback before the examination period.

Assessment on individual courses can change from year to year. Get details of the current formative coursework and summative assessment for each course in the relevant   course guide .

Find out more about LSE’s teaching and assessment methods

Graduate destinations

Career support.

This degree provides an excellent preparation for a range of careers, but we particularly welcome students who want to learn about economics, rather than simply prepare themselves for a prosperous future.

Almost all students on the BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics programme progress to do a graduate degree (often a PhD) and have careers in research and/or teaching in academia, central banks around the world, think tanks or government.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Median salary of our undergraduate students 15 months after graduating:

Top 4 sectors our students work in:.

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.

Discover Uni

Every undergraduate programme of more than one year duration will have Discover Uni data. The data allows you to compare information about individual programmes at different higher education institutions.

Programmes offered by different institutions with similar names can vary quite significantly. We recommend researching the programmes you're interested in and taking into account the programme structure, teaching and assessment methods, and support services available.

Find out more

Explore lse, student life.

Student support

Accommodation

Meet, visit and discover LSE

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Successful Personal Statement For Economics At Cambridge

Last Updated: 12th April 2022

Author: Chloe Hewitt

Table of Contents

Welcome to our popular Personal Statement series where we present a successful Personal Statement, and our Oxbridge Tutors provide their feedback on it. 

Today, we are looking through a Economics applicant’s Personal Statement that helped secure a place at Cambridge University. The Economics Course at Cambridge provides a rounded, rigorous education in Economics which is valuable for a wide range of career paths.

Read on to see how this candidate wrote a Personal Statement that helped secure their place on a reputable degree. 

Here’s a breakdown of the Personal Statement:

SUCCESSFUL?

The universities this candidate applied to were the following:

Enrolling on our Cambridge Economics comprehensive Programme will give you access to Personal Statement redrafts. 

With our  Oxbridge Economics Premium Programme, your tutor will give you regular actionable feedback with insider tips on how to improve and make your Personal Statement Oxbridge quality for the best chances of success.  

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Economics Personal Statement

The right answer – does such a thing even exist? When considering the field of mathematics, my response would be an unequivocal yes – indeed, I find its simplicity and elegance some of its most attractive qualities. For economics, however, the question of a right answer is not so straightforward. My interest in economics was sparked when I read “Freakonomics” and “SuperFreakonomics”. I found the search for a logical explanation behind seemingly illogical behaviour intriguing, and the idea that small changes to incentives could effect such large changes to those behaviours fascinating.

To further my understanding, I attended lectures at the LSE, including one given by Ha-Joon Chang. His arguments challenged much of what I had learned – deregulation and trade liberalisation would not, apparently, stimulate competitive growth, while education, it turned out, could not be counted on to increase entrepreneurship or productivity. These contradictions made me eager to read his “23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism” and “Bad Samaritans”. Although relishing his controversial stance on almost everything, I found his central thesis – that by using protectionism to support fledgling domestic industries, other poor nations can emulate South Korea’s success – overly optimistic and one-size-fits-all. As Paul Collier argues in “The Bottom Billion”, many are trapped by conflict or bad governance, with even bleaker prospects after “missing the boat” on which many Asian economies sailed away to prosperity.     

While economics is rooted in the world around us, with all its fascinating, messy complexities, mathematics derives its beauty from its abstract nature. It is unique in that it can lead us to an answer that is not merely the right one, but is true in an absolute sense. This was emphasised by G. H. Hardy in “A Mathematician’s Apology”, where he spoke of a mathematical reality distinct from the ordinary one, of which we can only ever hope to produce a “partial and imperfect copy”. Another of the appeals of mathematics is its breadth of application. I was able to explore this over the past three years in a series of Royal Institution master classes covering topics from graph theory to the mathematics of juggling. My decision to continue with mathematics was confirmed when I undertook the AEA; I found it challenging but immensely satisfying to be able to use simple concepts from the A-level core modules to solve even the most daunting problems.

Over the past year, I have mentored two students in mathematics. Explaining concepts to them helped deepen my own understanding and led me to explore proofs behind theorems I had previously accepted. In addition, acting as a primary school classroom assistant inspired me to set up my own volunteering scheme, in which I and other students help children learn to read. I have enjoyed competing in the UKMT Mathematics Challenge, in which I won a medal at Olympiad level, and the UK Linguistics Olympiad, in which I twice progressed to the selection round for the national team. I have also represented my school in the Hans Woyda competition, and am excited to be doing the same in the Target 2.0 challenge later this year.

Despite their differences, the authors I mentioned above hold something in common: their use of empirical methods to reach conclusions. It is here that the attraction of combining the study of mathematics and economics becomes especially apparent. Without mathematics, economics risks beginning to earn its title “the dismal science”, reducing to speculation and rhetoric without even the emotional investment enjoyed by politics. This is not to dismiss the importance of normative economics, but to say that it draws meaning from a basis in fact. I am not arguing for sound bite solutions to complex questions, but rather that, even in a field as hotly debated as economics, the right answer is still a worthwhile goal, reachable through the use of data and copious amounts of trial and error.

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Good Points Of The Personal Statement

This statement is thoughtful and interesting, and conveys clear motivations for studying Economics, as well as demonstrating a good level of preparation for university study. The student elaborates on their response to each preparatory activity they engaged in, rather than falling into the trap of simply listing books read and lectures attended. They are clearly passionate about the subject, and show promise as an economist, which they demonstrate in, again, not only listing their achievements, but explaining what they took from the experience, and subtly indicating what this says about them as a student.

Bad Points Of The Personal Statement

I have very little to say in criticism of this essay except that, perhaps, it could come across as a little cliché. Questioning whether there is such a thing as ‘the right answer’ in the introduction, and concluding that pursuit of the field to which they’re applying for further study is worthy are both very common.

UniAdmissions Overall Score:

This is an exceptional personal statement. Not only is the student accomplished, they convey this without bragging, and in enough detail that we gain insight into their abilities, motivations, and personal interests, rather than simply receiving a list in prose form. Though the ideas with which the student begins and concludes the statement are somewhat unoriginal, the explanation found in between is exceptionally strong, and justifies the unoriginal sentiments – they’re clearly not being added just as throwaway lines.

This Personal Statement for Chemistry is a great example of demonstrating motivation and development which is vital to Admissions Tutors.

Remember, at Cambridge, these Admissions Tutors are often the people who will be teaching you for the next few years, so you need to appeal directly to them.

Check out our other successful personal statements and our expert guides on our Free Personal Statement Resources page.

Successful Personal Statement For Natural Science (Physical) At Cambridge

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Our expert tutors are on hand to help you craft the perfect Personal Statement for your Cambridge Economics application.

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Mathematics with Economics

Applied in: winter 2013, university offers: lse, ucl.

One of the most amazing parts of Mathematics, historically, is the concepts behind various proofs. For example reading William Dunham's 'Euler: The Master of us all' gave me an insight into how great Mathematicians can tackle problems. Euler's solution to the Basel Problem was outstanding; I was astonished at his ingenuity in taking an infinite sequence to prove an exact result for a seemingly inexact one. Reading David Acheson's '1089 and all that' when I was younger introduced me to more complex ideas such as imaginary numbers and chaos theory. Keith Devlin and his online lectures have been of great interest and his book 'The Language of Mathematics: Making the Invisible Visible' was enjoyable to read and showed how much of the world we live in can be explained and understood in a mathematical way. Although not going into great depth mathematically, it gave a good overall summary of the ways in which Mathematics can be used as a tool to explain life and the universe.

One of my favourite equations is that of the quartic formula and its solutions. Lodovico Ferrari's solution was impressive enough, but Euler then proposed that each depressed quartic equation had a resolvent cubic, three roots of which were identical. This is what impresses me the most: individuals' ability to approach problems differently, and come up with unique solutions.

I engaged with the subject from early on, going to classes with those in the years above me in primary school. Ever since then I have set high standards for myself. From years 9 to 11, I was awarded the Mathematics Prize for the best in year, also being the only pupil in my year to achieve an A* with distinction in the Level 2 Further Mathematics Certificate. In Year 12 I obtained a gold award in the UKMT Senior Mathematics Challenge. The A Level modules I have taken have been hugely enjoyable and I am very proud to have attained 100 UMS in both C2 and M1. I found particularly interesting the Pure Mathematics modules, as they offer wonderfully complex problems and methods that are extremely satisfying. An excellent part of taking A Levels is being able to tie all my knowledge in together; Physics has been made far more enjoyable with the mathematical underpinnings of Quantum and how simple mathematical equations can relate so heavily to the world we live in. I have also taken part in various Mathematics-related courses at Sussex University, consisting of eight consecutive Sundays and a residential three-day course at Oxford University among others. These two courses introduced me to a lot of material beyond the shackles of A Level syllabi, such as coding relating to the enigma machine and the pigeonhole principle. I was fascinated by the influence that the mathematicians during World War II wielded and how Turing managed to calculate and break down such a sophisticated method of coding that the Germans were using.

I also took part in a Salter's Chemistry Course, which I really enjoyed and spurred me on further. I have also tutored people taking GCSE Mathematics, helping them in the months leading up to exams.

Besides academia, I enjoy participating in sports such as hockey and tennis, always trying to improve my skills in both, joining clubs locally and playing competitive matches against other teams, something which I find extremely satisfying given my competitive nature. I also thoroughly enjoy playing the piano and learning about some of the great composers of Classical and Romantic periods. Mathematics has always been my greatest interest, though, and I look forward to being able to focus on this exclusively at university. It is an exciting prospect to look forward to.

Please note UCAS will detect any form of plagiarism. PSE and its contributors do not take any responsibility for the way in which personal statements are used.