From Oxford Economics and Management to UK Government: Miranda’s Top Tips For E&M Preparation and Work Experience
I’ve always been interested in understanding how the world works, how are public services delivered? How and why do politicians make decisions? And how can we genuinely and efficiently improve people’s lives? I currently work in Cabinet Office as a Covid-19 Policy Advisor and was previously an EU Exit Advisor. As I am in Cabinet Office, we don't make any policy; my department’s job is to be at the centre of government, like the centre of a spider’s web. We coordinate and often commission policy to be made, and run the Cabinet meetings that ministers hold to make this policy. We provide them with advice and context to the policies that arrive at their desks; it's a highly pressurised role, but I don’t think I would want to be anywhere else!
I previously graduated from the University of Oxford, with a degree in Economics and Management. Whilst the degree doesn't directly relate to the work I do, it has encouraged me to be highly rigorous and precise. E&M was comprised of mathematical models, organisational psychology, sociology, marketing strategies, economic history, and much more. It was challenging, but taught me to think about a wide range of issues that organisations face, and it is interesting to see these play out with the civil service, who employ thousands of people. It structured what I know and understand of the world, encouraging me to be analytical of the information presented to me, which informs the policy recommendations I make.
In this blog, I’m going to lead you through my top tips for securing a place at Oxford for E&M and how best to seek work experience so you can do what you love.
Miranda’s Top University Preparation Tips
Think deeply about your subject, display natural curiosity and think about what happens beyond the simple models you are taught
Read the news, and journal articles: Check out JSTOR, The Economist or the FT, for high quality articles
Read about the professors at the college you are applying to: what interests them, what their research areas are etc. For example, a professor at my college was researching the utility of altruism, and the socially optimal level of this. I didn’t look into this in depth, but engaged with the subject and thought about what questions she might ask at the end of her interview
Read something you are genuinely interested in: I didn’t read any of the ‘classic’ books e.g. Nudge, as the number of students who mention these in personal statements, mean tutors are likely sick of them. Instead, I read a book by Vince Cable – The Storm. As I was applying in 2014, the financial crisis was still relevant at the time. Make sure you engage with your reading, have opinions and be willing to express them in your personal statement and in an interview
Start early with your Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) preparation: I ended up doing every past paper and read answer papers in-depth, to ensure I was fully prepared for the difficult admissions test
Brush up on your maths: Be comfortable with the manipulation you have learnt in your first year of A Level maths: Differentiation, integration, stats and probability
Make your personal statement personal: Tutors want to understand who you are, and what you think. They don’t want to see a personal statement that replicates the other 1000s being written each year! I would say that you can only benefit from making it personal – what do you find interesting? Is it something that’s happened in the news? Or is it a particular area of economics? A concept that you want to unpick? It could be anything! What have you done to research this, in reading or working?
Think aloud: When you get to interview, talk them through your thought process and ask clarification questions if necessary. They are meant to be a bit challenging, so don't be afraid of opening the dialogue around a question
Work Experience: The Ins and the Outs
Work experience is not crucial to a successful application. I actually used the example of volunteering in a charity shop for my Duke of Edinburgh award. It's far more about how you bring any economics/management concepts to life by explaining how they relate to what you have done, or anything you have realised through your experiences. For example, I talked about how voluntary work made me consider people’s motivations for doing unpaid work - the obvious loss of their time for no utility gain, and whether this impacts on how we can incentivise the voluntary sector to be productive.
Prior to my application to Oxford I had undertaken the below:
● Parliamentary experience: I worked for my local MP in her parliamentary office, doing admin and learning more about her day to day job
● Voluntary experience: I had worked in a local charity shop for around a year
During Oxford:
● Small consultancy: I was actually poached on Linkedin for this one! I would recommend making an account - make it look professional
● Spring week at BNP Paribas: spring week applications can be intensive - don't think that you need one to be happy or successful in life!
● Civil Service Early Diversity Internship: I applied for this on their website (https://www.faststream.gov.uk/early-diversity-internship-programme/index.html) and got through
● Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship: If you’re not eligible for this, I would recommend applying for the Government Economic Service internship (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-a-government-economic-service-summer-vacation-placement)
● Live better with cancer: a socially minded startup, I found this on reed.co.uk by just typing in ‘summer internship’
In general, if you’re interested in politics/economics/social sciences:
1. I would recommend the website http://www.w4mpjobs.org/. Have a look at your local MP or those in nearby constituencies
2. Think tanks are also super interesting, but most don’t offer internships or work experience – though its worth a try
3. Try reed.co.uk for start-ups and be willing to try something different
4. Volunteer! Any sort of volunteer work will look impressive, whether to Oxbridge professors or graduate employers, it shows you’re motivated, kind and good with people
How to prepare a Civil Service Application
What qualities are they looking for?
They have a set of behaviours that they want their employees to display:
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together Form
Developing Self and Others
Managing a Quality Service
These are the most crucial part of the success profiles that you will find on their website -https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf. They won't expect you to have much technical ability or experience as a student!
Essentially I would say these behaviours are about being sensible, logical, enthusiastic, and caring. These attributes are crucial characteristics that all civil servants share, as well as being intelligent! (Which you must be if you’re applying to this course)
Final Words of Inspiration
Follow your interests! If you don't know what they are, try a few different things. Every experience adds to and colours your life, nothing is wasted. Through work experience, you meet new people, try new things, and understand what works for you. You don't need to follow a specific path or pattern, and there will be many jobs out there that you won't even have heard of yet. Get reading and investigating, make a Linkedin so you can be poached by recruiters and firms, and know that it’s not the name or status of the firm that matters, but what you learn from it.
Are you interested in Oxbridge Economics & Management (E&M) tuition/ interview preparation?
We have a large number of Oxford E&M mentors / tutors on our team, or those that have transitioned to study Management at Cambridge. Mentors are able to support you through each stage of the application process, including personal statements, admissions test and interview preparation. Be sure to check out our further articles on E&M preparation and other Economics degrees on U2’s Free Resource Library too!
Find out more about our Oxbridge mentoring process here on our tuition division site and book a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can support your Oxbridge journey.
Build a Standout Co-curricular Profile for Oxbridge Entrance with our Minds Underground Economics Summer School & Research Projects
Minds Underground™ organise work & research experience through our network of bright minds like Miranda. Get in touch for more direction, and if you are interested in applying for an Economics-related degree, be sure to check out our masterclasses & virtual summer schools to kickstart your application!
