Malaika Rana
Malaika is a research Master's student in Economics.
Why did you choose to study economics?
Initially what motivated me to pursue Economics as an undergraduate was the curiosity to look beyond finance and numbers, and study the drivers of the socio-economic conditions of a nation. Since my teens, I have always been keen to describe inequality and social standards through monetary development and growing advancements which made sense through Economic theories. Continuing the subject in my masters was entirely due to the passion I have developed for gender economics and finance in the new era of sustainable living.
How would you describe economics?
Economics is anything and everything between the two extremes of simplicity and complexity. It is an art, having no boundaries, and at the same time a social science which incorporates finance, sociology, mathematics (the scary part for most out there; trust me I still fear it at times!) and a perfect blend of the two. The subject gives you knowledge, it answers the why of every financial, social, international and national trend. The subject has the ability to provide you knowledge (symmetric information) and change your whole outlook towards the swings happening in an economy. The subject makes you a logically calculative person, and drives your knowledge beyond numbers and monetary terms, driving you to take risks and understanding them.
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
It all happens for a reason, find yourself within and not in the midst of societal acceptance. Just keep working on yourself, it is totally fine to prioritise your mental health above anyone and anything and take a break to recharge yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself, your grades do not define your future.
What is your favourite part of economics?
My favourite part of Economics is when we use economic logic to explain data and situations that often go unseen at the first glance. The very aspect of the subject to study the underlying reasons behind an instance through facts and figures and beyond, taking outliers into consideration and not discarding them during an analysis is my favourite part of the study.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
I wold have taken more calculated risks. The achievements I have got so far are all because of taking risks, and prioritising myself more.