Land Economy
The Department of Land Economy admits around sixty undergraduates a year; in their first year they will attend lectures and have supervision work in the areas of law, economics, land policy, statistics and accounting. These culminate in four three hour exams; they are also assessed on three different projects in the areas of accounting, statistics and land policy. As can be seen by this brief description, Land Economy is a multidisciplinary subject; because of this career choices are wide and varied with the Department’s graduate employment record being amongst the strongest in the university.
There are only a small number of Land Economy students at Peterhouse; however, this is not a negative point as there are plenty of opportunities (formal halls, barbeques, pub crawls and black tie dinners) to socialise with other Land Economists. There are also practical advantages; students have the advantage of having first choice over the books that they need for their supervision/project work in Peterhouse library. It also helps that most of the lectures are held at Mill Lane lecture rooms which are a two minute walk from college (especially good for late risers); the Department library is also situated at Mill Lane (another plus point). Land Economists at Peterhouse also find it extremely useful that the Director of Studies (Dr Turner) is very approachable and friendly; he arranges regular meetings to discuss progress and see if there are any problems with the course. Dr Turner will also try to order any books on the reading list that the college library do not have. Therefore, do not look at being the only Land Economist in the year as a disadvantage as there is always someone there to help you; for example, one of your college ‘parents’ will be a Land Economist who will help you with the locations of the department, libraries and lecture rooms. They will also help you with which books are necessities on your reading list and give you ‘tips’ on getting established in your course. The college also has a Land Economy representative who you can go to if you have any problems and need support; you are welcome to contact this representative at any time. Therefore, I would argue that Peterhouse is an excellent place to be a Land Economy student; come and visit and see if you like it!
Laura Tuplin