Arafat Ariori studied BSc Economics and Mathematics (Industrial) at the University of Leeds

Arafat Ariori

Arafat studies Economics and Mathematics BSc and completed an industrial placement year at Lloyds Banking Group after his second year of study.

Choosing Maths

Arafat chose to study Economics and Mathematics BSc at Leeds after doing maths and economics at a-level and not wanting to choose between them. He said, “I thought it would make me different in the sense that a lot of people do single honours and are limited to the things they can do and I thought I’d like to mix things up a little and not limit myself.”

Maths at Leeds

Economics is almost 100% essay based and maths is more about calculation homework and exams which is great because you get to develop skills in both areas.

Arafat Ariori

When asked how he is enjoying studying to subject he said “Some of the modules like econometrics, linear regression and statistics cross easily over the two subjects but at the same time each course demands different things and skills from you and I am enjoying challenging myself in that way.

Economics is almost 100% essay based and maths is more about calculation homework and exams which is great because you get to develop skills in both areas.

He added ‘If you just do maths you gear your brain up to think a certain way but if you are studying two subjects you need to have the ability to use different skills in order to achieve in each area.  

Each subject expects different things of you - in economics you are expected to do a lot of extra reading whereas maths is more homework based so you can see how you progress through the course.”

Industrial placement year

At Leeds you can enhance your degree by spending a year in industry. Arafat did just that and said “I did an industrial placement at Lloyds Banking Group, and whilst there I did do a lot of maths and calculations but I was also expected to write legibly and articulate myself well and I think my experience of writing essays in economics has definitely helped me to develop those skills which I will need later in my career.”

Student life

Being a student at Leeds gives you the opportunity to gain new skills and experiences. Arafat said “Student life is very vibrant - there is something for everyone so whatever kind of character you are you will find something to suit you.
The fact that the campus is right in the city centre gives you lots of things to do in the day.”

Looking forward 

Arafat has secured a job for when he finishes his studies. He said, “I have received a job offer from RBS in their investment banking division in London which will involve structuring trades.

I think that my industrial placement year at Lloyds Banking group and my summer internship at RBS last summer really helped me to get this job.

Although my placement was in a different area of banking to investment banking, the experience gave me a chance to familiarise myself with a formal banking setting and gain an understanding about how the sector works.”

Future students

When asked what he would say to future students, Arafat said “Research the modules available heavily - I looked at the module catalogue to see how the modules from each subject fit together and whether the subjects overlap at all.

Once you are here, I think it is important to be able to plan your time well and be proactive in your learning because you will be expected to engage in different things for each subject.”

Find out more about our Economics and Mathematics BSc here.