Pathways to Economics - Your Journey to University and Beyond

We are pleased to report on the success of our recent Pathways to Economics virtual event which saw over 130 Year 10 and Year 11 students, teachers and parents from 23 different schools across the UK, sign up to learn more about the fascinating subject of economics and see how it helps solve major global issues such as social inequalities, poverty, health care and climate change.

The event was organised by the Department of Economics and sponsored by the Royal Economic Society via the Discover Economics grant scheme – a national campaign to increase diversity in economics.

The main organiser of the event was Dr Lory Barile, Associate Professor and Widening Participation (WP) Academic Lead in the Department of Economics, supported by the WP and Outreach Team from the Department.

The event was in 3 parts spanning over two days: on the first day the participants had an opportunity to attend an introductory session delivered by Dr Barile followed by a presentation delivered by Professor Caroline Elliott – 'An Introduction to Economics and what Economists do'. Part 2 of the event, 'From GCSE – Your Student Journey to University' had a format of a panel discussion where panellists (Maths and Economics teachers and current and former students of the Department) engaged in a conversation about the best study techniques for succeeding in A level exams and preparing for undergraduate study in economics. The final part of the event looked at how we prepare students for 'Careers in Economics' and what support they can expect from us during their undergraduate studies, including information about student finance.

All sessions were followed by a live Q&A which gave participants a chance to ask specific questions regarding the topics that were covered. Questions ranged from the application process, the choice of programmes, and employability skills to typical career choices of students of economics.

Dr Lory Barile said:

"It was really good to see so many students and parents engaging with the event and discussion, to receive so much positive feedback from participants, and to hear that they had learnt so much. It is always extraordinary to see how many different things they learn in only few hours with us. The Department is committed to working on increasing diversity within the discipline and these events are part of our plan to inspire young people from all backgrounds to think about studying economics."

Below are some aspects students found interesting about the event:

"The representation of a female professor."

"It was interactive, informative and covered lots of details."

During the event, Dr Holly Heshmati (Associate Professor, Centre for Teacher Education at the University of Warwick) shared her prior experience of being Maths and Further Maths A Level Teacher for five years and offered the following advice to participants:

"A Level Maths involves lots of different skills but four areas which are covered are mainly: fluency, reasoning, problem solving and modelling and it’s continuation of what students have done at GCSE. So, to be successful at A level Maths, I would say you need to make sure that you master your GCSE Maths first."

"The main difference between GCSE and A Level Maths is the level of independent learning which is required for A Level Maths. If you decide to do A Level Maths (or if you are doing A Level Maths) my advice is for every hour of lesson, make sure you do one hour of independent work and practice in A Level Maths"

Our Speakers

Thank you to our speakers for their presentations and insights:

• Dr Lory Barile, WP Academic Lead, Department of Economics
• Professor Caroline Elliott, Department of Economics
• Dr Holly Heshmati, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
• Mr Chris Mason, Teacher of Economics Business at Arden Academy Trust
• Prabhjot Parmar, BSc Economics (Class of 2021) - Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse
• Chris Marshall, BSc Economics (Class of 2021) - MSc Economics at the University of Warwick
• Dr Atisha Ghosh, Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Economics
• Dr Amira Elasra, Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Economics
• Chrissie Cooper, Student Funding Advisor, Wellbeing Support Service

Catch-Up on Pathways to Economics

If you, or somebody you know missed the Pathways to Economics virtual events and are interested in catching up, please email economics.admissions@warwick.ac.uk.