Tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to study your course.

I’m Joe, a final year student studying BA (Hons) Business Economics. I come from Dover, Kent, and I’m an avid sports fan who loves attending as many sporting events as possible. Being a Leeds United and Rhinos fan, it has been great to study in Leeds as I’ve had the opportunity to go to many matches. Whilst I have a keen interest in economics, my passions lie with a range of sports, including football, rugby, cricket, and boxing.

Whilst at sixth form, I felt a bit lost about what type of job I saw myself doing in the future. However, I quickly realised I had a strong grasp of economics and the complexities of business. Thus, combining my passion for Leeds United and my natural understanding of economics, I chose to study Business Economics at Leeds Beckett University.

What have been the highlights of your course experience?

At university, I experienced a lot of ups and downs. The pandemic disrupted my first year, necessitating online lectures. However, Leeds Beckett lecturers ensured that the learning remained as interactive as possible.

In my second year, I was hospitalised for a month due to a sudden illness, which caused further interruption to my studies. During this time, my academic advisor, the lecturers, and the course leader offered outstanding reassurance and support. They facilitated my ability to continue my studies remotely by offering one-to-one calls, providing me with lecture recordings, and setting up a Reasonable Adjustment Plan. These actions ensured that I could persevere through this challenging time. Despite these setbacks, I am proud to have continued with my studies and everything I achieved over my three-year course.

In addition to the esteemed teaching staff at Leeds Beckett University, another highlight of my journey whilst studying Business Economics has been the great friends I have made along the way. Without such peers, my university experience would not have been the same. The course itself and the modules I studied challenged me to develop my critical thinking and helped me realise my career aspirations of working in finance. Under the supervision of the course leader, I completed my dissertation on Financial Fair Play in English football, combining my interests and studies to create a piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed writing.

How would you say the course helps you to utilise your previous experiences and skills?

The course offered a wide range of modules. The Macro and Microeconomics modules helped to develop my knowledge from A-Level Economics, whilst the optional modules gave me an opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge on topics that particularly interested me. I really enjoyed the Supply Chain and Operations module, where we had to suggest improvements for a company to make it more cost-effective and to encourage smoother operation.

Can you tell us about your experience of any practical opportunities on the course to apply your learning?

During my dissertation, I had the opportunity to interview a representative of a football club within the EFL. When creating questions to build my interview, I was grateful to my course for having instilled in me an analytical approach to thinking. The Accounting and Finance module in the first year provided me with the knowledge to imagine the skeleton of my questions and walk into the interview with confidence. As a result of this successful interview, I gained invaluable insight into finance in football, making my essay more credible and leading me to achieve a First.

How has the course helped your own professional/skills development and (where relevant), your job?

As previously mentioned, whilst completing my dissertation, I interviewed a football club to get first-hand experience of the impacts of Financial Fair Play rules. Securing this interview was particularly challenging due to the sensitivity of the research topic amongst football clubs. Thus, I had to phone and email numerous football clubs before one finally agreed. This was something that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Although initially daunting, this experience boosted my confidence and enriched the quality of my dissertation.

This independent research project module has boosted my resilience and my communication skills, two attributes that I will bring into my professional life. Moreover, this course has sharpened my ability to collate, present, and analyse data, something which will be useful to bring into my finance job.

Would you recommend this course to others, if so, why?

I would highly recommend this course, especially to those who want to gain a stronger understanding of the business economics world. Furthermore, the BA (Hons) Business Economics course offers a comprehensive insight into the political aspects of economics, an area that really interested me. The variety of different modules this course offers lets you explore a plethora of economic thoughts and concepts.

What are your plans for when you complete the course?

This course has helped me realise my career aspirations of working in finance. Thus, after university, I will be working as a trainee financial advisor at a financial advisory firm called Strategic Solutions Financial Services.