Rosie Goncalves
Rosie is going into her third year studying for a BSc in Economics and Finance at the University of Bristol.
Why did you choose to study economics?
I chose to study Economics because I’ve always been interested in the complex interactions between people and institutions around the world which I didn’t quite understand before! Frequent buzzwords such as ‘inflation’ and ‘money creation’ were frequently spoken about in the news and I was determined to grasp what they meant, when it seemed everyone else but me already knew! I also knew that studying Economics could open so many doors for many different career paths.
How would you describe economics?
I would describe Economics as a dynamic subject about individual behaviour. From my university studies, I can attest to the fact that it definitely uses complex theories and mathematical models but these are only tools developed to help understand and analyse real-life phenomena we observe on a daily basis! Hence these theories and models are constantly being updated and re-worked as we as economists come across new real-life challenges.
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
If I could meet my 16-year-old self I would advise myself to not worry too much about my future both academically and career-wise, as I really did believe that the path I chose back then would be the ‘be all end all’. Luckily I focused on pursuing my interests, keeping my academic options open and just hoped for the best!
What is your favourite part of economics?
My favourite part of Economics concerns contractual completeness, information asymmetry and principal-agent problems which I learnt about in my 2nd-year Intermediate Microeconomics module this year. It’s so relevant and applicable to everyday life in terms of labour markets and credit markets, especially with the rise of the Gig Economy and our ever-increasing Uber usage!
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
If I had the chance to do something differently I would definitely find out what revision method works best for me earlier on at university as the style of teaching is definitely different in terms of the independent study and time spent studying that is expected of students. I’d recommend trying different methods early on in first year and thinking about what is expected for that particular unit - for example, is there a lot of content to memorise or is it mostly something that can be practiced with exam questions?