For International Women's Day 2021, six A-level economics students from Jersey College for Girls tell us what they love about studying economics!
"economics is about looking at decisions people make and what can affect those decisions"
Hi, I’m Ellie and I study economics along with psychology and biology. My journey to taking economics is slightly unconventional in that I switched to economics from a different subject after being introduced to it through an elective course at school. It was in this course that I realized that economics isn’t actually just maths and graphs, in fact there’s not that much maths at all (which was a huge relief). In reality economics is more about looking at decisions people make and what can affect those decisions which links quite nicely with psychology so that’s helpful. I’d definitely recommend economics to literally anyone. I had practically no clue how our economy worked before starting economics and it’s genuinely so interesting to learn exactly how the world around us functions. Like why did Game Stop stocks suddenly go up in value, it’s time to find out! Also economics pays well so there’s also that (monetary incentive, you’ll be studying that so take notes). In all seriousness economics has helped me so much with my understanding of how the world works and I always go to class ready to learn more.
"I was surprised at how fascinating it is to learn about the different aspects of the economy"
Hi, my name’s Scarlett and I am currently studying A Level Economics, along with Biology and Psychology. After my A Levels I plan on gaining my accountancy qualifications whilst working as a trainee accountant. Initially, I chose to do A level textiles as I honestly wasn’t too sure what the subject of Economics was. It was a new course at my school and my misunderstanding of the subject led me to ruling it out completely. After deciding textiles as an A Level wasn’t for me I spoke to a classmate who was doing economics and gained an insight into the different topics covered in the subject, realising it wasn’t just a slightly different A Level maths. She was doing microeconomics at the time and I was surprised at how fascinating it is to learn about the different aspects of the economy and why certain people (e.g. the government) make certain decisions and the details of how these decisions are implemented. After this I decided to switch to Economics although I had quite a bit of catching up to do. I’d really recommend the A Level to any student, regardless of the other subjects you take as I feel it links into every other course in some way, even psychology, for example, irrational consumer behaviour and why these behaviours exist. I am so happy I decided to switch to Economics as I’ve found the course really enjoyable and interesting to learn, even helping me decide what I’d like to do after A Levels.
"Economics can be applied to any industry that you would want to go into...so taking it at A-Level is a really good start if you’re not entirely sure what to do in the future"
Hi, I’m Maddy, I’m taking A-Level Economics with Psychology and Textiles. I picked Economics in year 11 not fully knowing what it was, but knowing I wanted to something business related after year 13. It’s very different to my other subjects and it so relevant to what is happening in real time, especially now, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy it. In the course you cover both macro and micro Economics, so you get a mixed understanding of how the general and world economy works and how an individual firm operates. If you’re not sure whether to take economics, don’t be put off by the maths element as it’s nothing as complicated as GCSE, mainly percentages and ratios, and it is by no means a ‘boy subject’. At university next year I’m studying Fashion Business and Management, so economics helped me gain a broad understanding of the basics, as well more complex theory. Economics can be applied to any industry that you would want to go into, even if you think its not related, so taking it at A-Level is a really good start if you’re not entirely sure what to do in the future, whether that be university or straight into work.
"Economics has helped me with my Geography as it can explain reasons for why countries are the why they are and links strongly with development and migration"
Hi my name is Kirsty and I study Economics, Geography and Sports Studies at A level. I chose Economics because I thought it would link well with the human side of Geography and be applicable to the world around me. Having studied Economics, this couldn’t be more true. I love how everything can be applied to a different place in the world or a concept in everyday life. For anyone thinking Economics is full of maths; it isn’t - there are plenty diagrams though. Having said this, once you work your head around them, they definitely become easier. Economics has helped me with my Geography as it can explain reasons for why countries are the why they are and links strongly with development and migration.
"After studying almost two years I can hold much more intellectual conversations about the ongoings in the world"
Hi I’m Honor, I study economics, maths and media for A level. I chose economics because I had no idea what I wanted to do post A levels but after looking into the subject I realised it would facilitate this uncertainty by providing me with such a wide range of tools and greater understanding whilst keeping my options still open to change. I find economics so interesting and before I began studying it I had such little knowledge of the global economy and how a country allocated their materials. Now after studying almost two years I can hold much more intellectual conversations about the ongoings in the world as almost every day economics can be found in news articles and social media. I loved the new found understanding Economics A level gave me so much that I have decided to continue to study it at university. To someone who is unsure whether to take the subject or not I would highly recommend it as it is not confusing in a maths or finance perspective but instead it’s enlightening and simply provides a great understanding to your basic knowledge of how the world’s economies work together.
"I would recommend A Level Economics to any student"
Hi, I'm Isabella and I study A Level Economics, as well as Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. In the future I am hoping to study maths and economics at university. I find economics interesting because of the numerous real-world applications and the diversity of the topics covered. I believe economics has given me essential understanding of how decisions are made by countries, people and governments and how those decisions impact other groups. It has also made me aware of issues that affect me as a consumer and employee. I would recommend A Level Economics to any student, even if maths isn't one of their strongest GCSEs, as I found economics really easy to get interested in and it was very simple to build your knowledge.