Recent Bachelor of International Economics graduate Ben Horovatin is utilizing the problem-solving skills he learned in the program as a law student at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
“I am just astounded every single day how impactful having an undergraduate in economics, and particularly international economics, has had on my current studies,” said Horovatin, who graduated from UBC earlier this year.
Ben answers some questions about his BIE experience in this Q&A.
What are your interests within economics and how has the BIE program helped shape them?
I’ve always just been interested in understanding why people make decisions. BIE has been super beneficial in that it gives me a context for decisions that have real world implications. The BIE program is important because it teaches you to think about global issues and issues that don’t necessarily just pertain to theory. We had a lot of applications in statistics and business, and it really has ingrained in me that these fundamental decision-making processes are things that I can employ readily now. It feels really good to know that I’ve picked the right path, certainly for my undergrad and now I’m progressing forward. Without those fundamentals there, I feel I would not be at all confident in any of the decisions I make now.
What was your favourite memory from the program?
This is going to be a weird one, but I nearly failed my first statistics class. It was a big watershed moment. I’ve never had difficulty like that with class. I remember resenting stats for a couple of weeks afterwards. But it really became the challenge of my undergrad and it was a challenge that the people around me and particularly the professors were receptive to helping me with. And by the end, I felt so satisfied in my final year because people were coming to me with statistic questions, issues, and even with data.
What are your goals with law school?
I’m currently in a curriculum stream at my school for its international, comparative, and transnational law. Funnily enough, I’ve now ended up in another international-oriented program. I think BIE has been fundamental in guiding me towards this direction. Five years from now, hopefully I’ll have finished an articling position and began my legal career somewhere with an international focus in Canada.
