Neha Sudhakar

Since the college buzz has come quite to an end, I thought I’d share my “Statement Of Purpose”.I was applying for the Economics and Philosophy courses, and hence most of the article revolves around how/why I developed interest in these subjects.I’m still not entirely aware if this is the right format for an SOP, but I wanted to put my heart out, hoping that I would find a uni where I belong or rather the uni would find me.I’ve hit a lot of change of plans over the course of months, but my subject interests and intentions to pursue them remains quite the same.So here you go:

Against all stereotypes that exist in India about how a boy child would be a ‘knight in shining armour’ and lift the family to a better position,my mom made negotiations with God(as she likes to believe) to have a girl child.

Since then I’ve been brought up in an environment where I am encouraged to aim higher and grow up to become independent and empowered.

I always took a keen interest in understanding how my dad’s biomedical waste management firm functioned.Interning during the pandemic gave me insights on their contingency planning and how the firm worked closely with the government, while keeping its employees motivated.  

But beyond the ideas of giving back to my family, what motivates me to pursue this subject is how simple economic ideas can quantify and solve the most paralytic and complex problems of the world.

The dance of the market mechanism is such that the inefficient are inevitably driven out of the market, maximising welfare in the economy.Yet ,complications of the real world has simply magnified the disparities, where the wealth converges in the hands of a few.

I’ve always been disturbed by this degenerative growth.

Ideas shape the course of history, and the changing economic ideas have only intended to bring stability to the world and cure it of it’s illnesses.And I believe that the right economic ideas will aid humanity achieve a balance while still being able to make progress.

Futhermore, learning different economic concepts engulfs me in a feeling of revelation about how human societies work, and the subject by itself has me engrossed and focused.

Apart from choosing to study economics at A levels,I also opted for business and maths.While business and economics might come off as overlapping subjects, delving deeper into these subjects expanded my perspectives.While business adopted a more self-centric approach of profitability and feasibility, economics focused on achieving efficiency and equilibrium.

The combined knowledge has empowered me to think from different angles and has expanded my horizons.

Maths simply seeped into every step of my economics learning process, leaving me convinced of the important role that it plays.This was advantageous as it consequently boosted my interest in the subject.

On completing my AS level English Language,I consciously noticed my language evolve.This came in handy when I began to write my blog.

Writing my blog has helped me understand the subject to a deeper level.While I learnt the ill effect of corruption from my textbook, through researching for my blog ,I learnt that corruption can grease the wheels of economic growth as well.It also kept me on my toes as I had to update myself with the latest economic ideas such as development of the nudge theory and concepts of institutional voids to impress my audience.

In a time where everyone is financially, socially and politically addicted to economic growth,I believe that the mystery lies not in bringing out the most compelling questions, but rather working out the most acceptable answers to these questions.And I suppose that this is what philosophy promptly does.

Further I’m of the opinion that understanding human biases and assumptions can enhance decisions in any sphere of working.The disciplining role of philosophical discourse in the context of economics simply cannot be overlooked.

My interest in philosophy, I believe rubbed off because I studied in a residential school that was affiliated with a spiritual mission.We were encouraged to discuss on topics such as ,”fate vs free will” ,”the beginning of universe” ,”the most moral decision in a situation’”.More complex topics were introduced to us through simple analogies.

The spiritual guides there placed a lot of emphasis on looking within oneself, and that the world outside is a mere reflection of what’s on the inside.

Economics that taught me the value of money, also taught me that the value of money is not intrinsic, and what is truly valuable, is knowledge and expertise that will help me grow resilient to any contingency.As Steven Levitt rightly put,“Most of us want to fix or change the world in some fashion. But to change the world, you first have to understand it.”

This thought has motivated me to study economics and philosophy at university level.Further, I believe that a multifaceted course of combining economics with subjects such as philosophy and psychology will help to empower me with a wider outlook and chisel my unrefined thought process.