Šimon Pekar comes from Považská Bystrica. He studies at Bilingválné gymnázium Milana Hodžu in Sučany from 2016. Beside Economy he also likes debate competitions and he is a member of school parliament. He likes to read or do sports in his free time. In the future he would like to study at a university in the UK.
How did you like today?
Amazing, I am happy about the results as well as how the competition went and there were a lot of nice people too. Really amazing.
What do you think about the way we tested you today? Did you like it?
The way of testing suits me, I really like the areas from which we picked the questions and I also like the way how the test was structured – essay, multiple choice test and the randomly picked questions. I do not know how the test is corrected, or how objective is it to choose who is better economist, when you must write 2 essays, which are about 2 different things and both are analyzed very well. But on the other hand, it is amazing for the development of education – learn how to objectify your opinions, try to analyze everything in every detail, support the claim by using pictures or graphs. These things are useful in real life to, which is amazing. The oral part was good for me also because of my upcoming graduation.
What does the second place in International Economics Olympiad mean for you?
A lot. I was not interested in economy or finance very much. Overall, I was not interested in this business world. I was going to debates and I read the basic principles of economy in some articles and from that moment on I knew that I like it and maybe I could do it as a job in the future. Economics Olympiad is the first economic competition I have ever joined. I could compare my knowledge with the others, and I tried to achieve something. So, it is nice to know that I like something like economy, because I liked the whole competition and I was looking forward to every round. Economics Olympiad gave me also a perspective that economy is something I could do in the future.
Was testing in English hard for you?
No, no, it was maybe easier than it would be in Slovak language. I can still explain myself in Slovak better than in English, but I also use much more filing words in Slovak than in English. I go to a bilingual gymnasium, so English is not a problem for me, and I know the terminology in English, because we studied economy in English from the beginning. So, because of the reason that the testing was in English, the whole terminology was easier for me.
Was your preparation special in some way? Did you read something…?
I read a book about economy and I also had an internship in a bank during the summer which could count as a practical preparation. I opened Hazlitt, read few chapters and I tried to read articles about what is going on in the world – It was more of a gradual preparation than some kind of an intensive preparation just before the finals.
What would you say to the students that are not sure about participating in Economics Olympiad?
Do not think about it and If you like economy the test will be without any effort for you. The test is done in a few minutes and you will know if you understand the questions and then you have nothing to lose. I went to school rounds with just 2 months of economy education and I was not even that good – 15. place or something in the regional rounds. Finally, I ended up here, which is great progress, I think. So, I think you have nothing to lose and It is amazing way how to spend your time too.
In which year at high school are you right now? What would you like to study at a university?
I am in my fourth year, but I still have 2 more years to do. I would like to apply to some UK universities, Cambridge, LSE, UCS in Netherlands have some amazing economy programs. Masaryk university is a good university also, and I am already accepted, so we will see. It will definitely depend on where will I be accepted.
Which part od economy do you like the most?
I would say I like Macroeconomic policy making (monetary and fiscal politics), also I like analyzing the whole macroeconomy and macroeconomic aggregates from the science point of view.
Do you have any idea what would you like to do after school? Private or public sector?
I see myself more in the public one, considering the policy making. Also I like when I can help people and not just earn money, so I would maybe like to work in a central bank, public institution or on the other side I can also see myself in a financial sector (private sector) or in an investment bank.
