Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance
George’s interests in Economics and Finance has been long-developed due to the impact and functions they have, especially how economic policy ‘can be used to shape and grow a nation’.
"I have always found economics interesting because you look at how people react to changes, and in economics they make it very clear how the average consumer will react to a certain change," he says. "It’s cool when you start to understand the underlying causes of what is currently happening in the world around us."
In particular, George really enjoys how applicable his studies are to events currently happening in the real world.
"Using different models you can explain how a change in expected spending is going to impact the exchange rate or how the interest rate affects the consumption of new houses. It’s also really interesting to be able to understand what’s happening around very topical events like the Auckland housing market or the TPPA."
With a brother having studied at UC for a few years, and hearing from him about campus life, UC was a top choice for study away from home in Wellington. George has spent his first years living at College House, and currently works part-time in the cafeteria.
"I had a great time," he says. "You never got bored because every week there was a different event happening. Apart from the social things they also had great academic assistance with free tutorials for any paper, and the 2nd Year students are a great help too."
Living up to his brother’s word, George has made point of getting involved with campus clubs, and also regularly participates in the football social league through UC Football.
"I’m part of quite a few clubs but, in my opinion, the best are UCOM and The Investment Society," he says. "UCOM is great because of their events and they are starting to do things that help Commerce students more. I enjoy The Investment Society because they put on lots of interesting talks and competitions for anyone interested in finance."
One great advantage from his time with UCOM was taking part in their mentoring programme getting advice and tips on job hunting.
"As part of this we had a day at UC’s Careers Centre where they had a mock interview and tests, they also took a look at our CVs and cover letters. The service they provide is incredibly helpful and has really helped make the interview and testing process a lot less intimidating."
George’s biggest highlight however was taking the MGMT 228 course involving a trip to Hangzhou, China, through which he was awarded a Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia to fund the trip, including flights and some tourist activities.
"It has been the best thing I’ve done at UC so far. The trip gives you a great insight into the Chinese culture and how they do business. I would definitely recommend this trip; you learn so much on it and it’s really fun to explore such a vastly different culture."
It was such an experience for George that it has shifted his future focus onto foreign business policies.
"I would like to create government policies which combat trends that are undesirable. For example I think it would be interesting to devise a policy that can target the impacts of when production becomes more automated."
"I am also interested in how policies of foreign economies have an impact on our own economy - for example, how China’s rapid industrialisation over the past decades have seen them become the power-house of global manufacturing but also the biggest consumer of core materials such as concrete and construction steel. The way in which Chinese economic policy impacts New Zealand is what I want to understand more."
