Astha Tripathi

I am a student of Economics and an aspiring Economist who wants to leverage the power of Economics to make this world a better place. In my current program for Indian School Certificate (SC) conducted by CISCE (Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations) which will complete in March 2023, I have both Economics and Mathematics as my Major Subjects.

Statement of Purpose:

Economics impacts our lives all the time, whether we realise it or not. It has significant potential to influence the decisions we make in life- be it major decisions like home mortgage or day-to-day decision like what we buy at the grocery store. I believe that choosing economics as my specialization in undergraduate will broaden my horizons, help me imbibe practical and logical thinking skills, positively enhance, and furthermore challenge me academically, and most importantly, allow me to work towards making this world a better place.

My interest in economics started in early teens. My father would invite me to watch macroeconomic country reviews on CNBC along with him. I was intrigued when I learnt that stock markets, interest rates, prices and standard of living depended on the state of the economy. When I moved to pre-university, I chose commerce, economics, and mathematics as my core subjects. During pre-university, I grew further interested in the subject when my economics teacher explained that studying economics is not just about understanding the economy but also about analysing how individuals, groups and countries manage their scarce resources to generate the best outcome. I was fascinated by the mere thought of enormous difference economists can make in this world. I was equally attracted to the concepts of microeconomics like consumer behaviour, demand, and supply. I would notice myself analysing people’s behaviour while purchasing an item and the role demand and supply could be playing in their decisions.

During my pre-university, I undertook multiple projects to further firm up my interest in the subject. I conducted cross-country research on changes in consumer behaviour during COVID lockdown. I spent time drafting the questionnaire to make sure it was simple to understand while covering distinct types of goods including essential, comfort and luxury. While sending out the survey, I made sure I circulated it to various demographic segments categorized by gender, income, age, city tier, employment status and education while ensuring a statistically significant sample size. I then used statistical tools as well as methods like cross-tabulation to analyse the survey responses. Beyond conclusion, my key take-away from the project centred around importance of survey methodology and statistical analysis.

In my effort to understand implications of financial metrics on a company’s performance, I conducted detailed financial analysis of Bharat Petroleum, a very prominent Public Sector enterprise in India. As part of this project, I gathered all publicly available information from last 10 years, analysed financial statements, performed SWOT analysis, and assessed company’s performance in relation to Government’s policies. It was easy to conclude that in these enterprises, the objective of profit maximization gives way to larger public good based on Government policies. My key take-away from this project was deep interlinkages between various financial metrics.

I have also tried to broaden my understanding of the subject by reading books. The book ‘Poverty is Not Natural’ by George Curtis was intriguing to me. The author raises fundamental questions about the distribution of wealth. This book also resonated with my goal of using my economics degree for the betterment of society.

While continuing to solidify my understanding of economics as a subject, I also undertook multiple assignments in mathematics including statistics and calculus. I have always been a keen student of mathematics, participating in International Mathematics Olympiads since fifth standard.

It is a well-known fact that good leadership at the helm contributes to the growth of the economy. Keeping this in mind, I have grasped every opportunity that came my way to hone my leadership skills. One role which is worth a mention is that of House Prefect where I contributed towards motivating students for participation in extra-curricular activities and sports. Leadership has taught me to be fair and just while providing equal opportunities to my peers.

I have also been part of the organizing committee for Model United Nations that my school had conducted. This proved to be a very insightful learning experience for me.

I would like to study in the Cambridge as it offers international students an excellent academic experience that is exceedingly difficult to find anywhere else in the world. Cambridge University is renowned for its pedagogy and offer a wholistic experience that helps in a student’s all-round growth.

I am sincere, responsible, hard working and academically inclined to enroll in this program. I shall use this opportunity provided to me to the fullest and shall strive to learn all that I can. I am confident that your university will meet my academic needs with the courses it offers and pave the way for a successful career. I am looking forward to you accepting my candidature for the applied course.