First of all, hi there, I'm new.

I am currently studying for a BSc Countryside and Environmental Management, and I hope on graduation to undertake ESRC 1+3 funded postgrad work, as the vast majority of the courses and institutes that interest me are covered by this method of funding, and there's no way I can afford to continue studying after my degree without external funding.
So my question is this- as all ESRC quota places seem extremely competitive, what can I be doing while studying for my BSc to improve my chances of acceptance? Also, I have a placement year incorporated into my course, and was also wondering if anyone had any advice concerning how this could be best spent. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

a simple thing to do is ensure that the placement you do is worthwhile and is related to an area of research you would like to do. By saying worthwhile, I mean that it should be for a company popular in the topics you are interested in (looks good on a CV), should show that you can do research/work on own initiative and that you did well in the placement (i.e. get a good mark for it).

By ensuring that it is closely related to your research area, try not to be too specific, for example it gives you experience in some lab techniques you may use in a PhD.

You are not expected to know everything when you start a PhD, so the most important thing you can do is keep your options open, and get at least an upper second degree.

Thats a good idea Emmy, I would agree that voluntary work at a country park or something would look really good on your application, and would give you something to talk about at interviews.

I agree with Mia about the studying but it would be really beneficial if you could manage to organise and event or something similar. Especially if you managed time (for you and other people). It's good experience and looks fantastic on your CV, especially when it comes to job interviews (eventually).

Cheers for your advice everyone. So far I've got the captaincy of my university riding team and am on the exec of the uni forum, involved with arranging guest lecturers etc.
My interest is roughly focussed on environmental economics and policy, but finding placements in these fields is quite challenging. There are some research assistant positions available at the Allerton Trust and the Game Conservancy, but I'm not sure how relevant these would be as they are very ecology oriented, and my interests are more in the social science side of environmentalism. Or do you think any research work would be an advantage?