The Economist is a brilliant source to increase general awareness of subject-specific current affairs for personal statement writing and university interviews. The magazine (and Economist podcasts) are not only fantastic for aspiring economists, but students preparing for a whole array of STEM and Humanities courses. In this Curious Minds digest, we explore five of the Economist’s top 10 trends for the world ahead in 2022, posing a range of Oxbridge interview-style questions and offering reading suggestions for students looking beyond the syllabus in their degree preparation.

This Curious Minds digest is based around a prominent topic in the news: “the first energy squeeze of the green era”. If you are looking to study a scientific or social science degree (e.g. Geography, Economics, Politics etc.), it is crucial to examine current affairs articles and topics in the news. This digest will pose a range of questions around the energy market shortage, and will start you thinking about the potential causes and implications.

Humans introduce bias into all research (scientific, economic, political, geographical…). This Curious Minds digest aims to help you develop a critical eye when analysing data and research studies - when reading articles around your subject, it is important to hone your ability to critically appraise and challenge assumptions in research, especially if approaching university interviews. The digest will pose a range of interview-style questions and suggest tasks to get you thinking about bias in research, as well as recommend a number of further reading resources.

Since the 18th century we have seen ourselves as separate from nature. But as human activity threatens the very climate system we need to survive, is it time to reconsider? In this Curious Minds digest, 1st Class Cambridge Human, Social and Political Sciences graduate, Keira, traces the development of the human-nature relationship from its encapsulation in Enlightenment thinking, to today’s warming world. This digest is particularly relevant to students thinking of Social Sciences degrees.

Sophie is an MU Sustainability/ Geography expert, with extensive knowledge on marine environments and seascape ecology, her specialism in her current job as a research assistant in the Oxford University Seascape Ecology Lab. Sophie has contributed to three recent academic papers about the Seychelles, Blue Carbon, and the Arctic and worked with a range of academics with specialisms from Maritime Law to International Climate Policy. Find out about her exciting research on the growing interest in marine ecology to include indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts.