Hello! I’m Rashed, a 3rd-Year student studying Economics. I wanted to let you know what studying Economics is like, and some things you should look forward to! I’ve really enjoyed my time at York. In my blog, I’ll showcase a week in the life of an Economics student, and answer any questions about time management, extracurricular opportunities and course structure.
But just quickly, one of the reasons I enjoy studying Economics at York is because of the community of like-minded students I meet who share similar interests. For example, I hold a committee position in the Investment & Finance Society (IFS); we organise super-fun events where people can meet each other and socialise. IFS has definitely been one of my favourite parts of university!
Monday
I start the week strong by waking up at 3am… just kidding!!
In my opinion, the best thing about university is the flexibility and freedom you are given; the only time I ‘need’ to be somewhere is when attendance is compulsory (for example, lectures/seminars). This means I get to structure my day around these events.
Mondays are usually my most intense days, with each of my lectures being one hour long.
My Monday timetable:
- 1pm – Principles of Corporate Finance lecture
- 2pm – International Economics lecture
- 4pm – Applied Economics lecture
- 7pm – Chess Society
Considering I do six modules, and that by the end of Monday I have completed the week’s content for half of them, it motivates me to continue this momentum throughout the rest of the week. Also, after a long day of lectures, Chess Society is a nice detox environment where I can forget about everything else and focus on a singular game!
Tuesday
Tuesdays are arguably my favourite day of the week. I usually start my day by watching some of my lectures that have been recorded virtually (today: Structure & Regulation).
I then head to basketball practice at 1pm for James College. I picked up basketball during my first year, and I really enjoy playing it for fun.
After, I go to the library, where I’ll do some reading before the weekly Investment & Finance Society (IFS) meetings at 6pm! IFS is one of the largest societies at York; it’s a great way to meet people who share similar interests as yourself. Most people in IFS want to pursue a career in finance, and the society creates a collaborative environment where people can help each other with CV/cover-letter support.
Wednesday
Seminars are probably where the real learning happens. Before each seminar, you are given a problem set to go through. The tutor will then go through the answers and answer any questions you have.
This is a great way of tracking your learning, as sometimes simply watching lectures isn’t enough. Seminars are also good because the problem set is usually previous exam questions! I have around three or four seminars for each module per semester.
Thursday
I occasionally have a seminar on Thursdays, but my timetable is usually empty. This means Thursdays are for Griff. I’m currently the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of the Griff Investment Fund. This is a society that invests £17,000 of the University’s money into the stock market. I joined in my first year as an analyst, and have since worked my way up to CRO! Griff is cool because you get to debate your interests with like-minded people.
In our weekly meetings, analysts pitch stocks, and we have a vote to see if we should buy them (with real money). This is my favourite part of Griff as I love learning about other people’s perspectives on the stock markets.
We usually host a social after Griff. Who knows, you could end up discussing monetary policy and how it may impact the Griff portfolio while waiting in the queue for Kuda (a club at York) – can it get any better than that?
Friday
I usually get out of bed thinking the weekend has arrived one day early… (I definitely behave like it).
By Friday, I have usually completed all my lectures for the week, and I spend the day reviewing content I didn’t understand. In terms of teaching hours, Friday is pretty quiet for me. I use this time to work on my dissertation, and I’m usually most productive on days when I have the most ‘free’ time.
College basketball matches happen on Friday from 5pm onwards. We usually play other colleges in a league game. As the week has finished, you’ll find this is when most students are free; hence, there are lots of social events happening.
The weekend
Saturdays are usually pretty chill. It’s important to give your mind a break and do stuff you enjoy (not that revising isn’t fun…). I also find it fun to visit other local cities, such as Leeds and Harrogate.
I use Sundays to read ahead on lectures for the following week. Even if it’s a 20-minute session of reading the content for the next lecture. This is a highly underrated tip, as it means there won’t be any surprises when you go to the lectures. There are also the social events that happen on a Sunday night. For example, the Investment & Finance society have their formal coming up. This year’s theme is ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ style – and, hopefully, you can come to it next year!
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