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Not sure what to do

I am going to apply for maths next year at universities such as Warwick, Bath, Bristol etc. and my AS levels were maths, further maths, business studies and english literature. My problem is over which subject to take as my third A-level out of business and english. I got an A in business AS level but really didn't enjoy it, and would be fairly confident that I could get an A at A level. In english I got a B at AS level but enjoyed it, and would not be very confident of getting an A at A2 level. I e-mailed these universities asking whether they have a preference between these two subjects and Bristol and Warwick said that they didn't, with no reply yet from Bath. I have some questions:
1. Would this generally be the view of all universities (possibly excluding Oxbridge)?
2.Would this actually be the case when it comes down to considering whether to give you an offer?
3. How much do employers look at your A levels after a degree (ie would they care if my third A level was in business, a subject not as respected as english lit)?
4. Ignoring universities, what would generally be considered a more respected result, an A in Business at A-level or a B in English Lit at A-level?
5.What would you reccomend that I do?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Reply 1
Avatar for Menrva
Menrva
7
As a student at Bath University, I can say with near certainty that Bath Admissions will not have a strong preference on your third A Level either. They are solely interested in your Mathematical ability and passion for the subject.

Just be warned that if you were to obtain a "B" grade in A Level English, Bath would require you to obtain at least a 2/Merit in one the STEP/AEA Maths papers according to 2011 entry (entry requirements may change for your application cycle). If you obtain an "A" grade in A Level Business Studies, you could choose to avoid the STEP/AEA papers and your grade predictions will probably look more attractive to universities.

EDIT: At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what you choose, but ideally you want excellent grades in 3 standard A Levels to get into these top mathematics departments (Warwick, Bristol, Bath etc). If you are going to choose English I would highly recommend applying for some lower requirement universities so you have a good chance of going somewhere.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Menrva
As a student at Bath University, I can say with near certainty that Bath Admissions will not have a strong preference on your third A Level either. They are solely interested in your Mathematical ability and passion for the subject.

Just be warned that if you were to obtain a "B" grade in A Level English, Bath would require you to obtain at least a 2/Merit in one the STEP/AEA Maths papers according to 2011 entry (entry requirements may change for your application cycle). If you obtain an "A" grade in A Level Business Studies, you could choose to avoid the STEP/AEA papers and your grade predictions will probably look more attractive to universities.

EDIT: At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what you choose, but ideally you want excellent grades in 3 standard A Levels to get into these top mathematics departments (Warwick, Bristol, Bath etc). If you are going to choose English I would highly recommend applying for some lower requirement universities so you have a good chance of going somewhere.


Thanks a lot, it seems as though I should probably take business if I am to have a better chance of a successful application to these universities. Do you do maths at Bath? If so would you recommend it?

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