Err...SLIGHT problem

No-one can guarantee that you'll get an offer!! Even people with AAAAA predictions and yards of A*s get rejected sometimes. Just make sure that your PS demonstrates a clear understanding of the discipline and explains why you want to study it without lecturing the admissions tutors. These bits of your application will need to be particularly strong - remember that the entry requirements are the minimum and sometimes you do have to be predicted AAA to get the ABB "typical offer".

Reply 21

a_shot2remember

OP

9

Yeah, I realise there's no guarantee, but I'd like to think I have, even a meagre chance!

It all sounds so completely impossible though =[

Also, I was thinking of doing Economics with french. A couple of Unis offer this and I was wondering whether or not I'd have a better chance at that because I've got french?

Reply 22

Minerva

17

No it's not impossible, but you will need to be realistic about your chances at the really really competitive unis - so don't put more than one or two of those in your choices list. Joint honours with French may be less competitive but I don't know - maybe ask in the Economics forum?

Reply 23

Werty675

Warwick you will need to be on course for AAA to get an offer.

Bristol - the standard offer has been AAA for years with a very very small amount of lower offers (and the chances are these people are set to get AAA).

Bath want AAB and usually specify an A in maths.

By all means apply and hope for the best, but your chances are slim as these are all very competitive and reject tonnes of people with AAAA (particularly Warwick and Bristol).

and without wanting to sound to harsh, if you don't think you can get an A in a level maths, you will find the Economics courses at these unis very tough.

I'd suggest looking at lower options (which are still good, but a bit less hard core on the maths), such as York, Manchester, Birmingham, St Andrews, Southampton etc and perhaps try your luck at two or three of the higher ones

Reply 24

a_shot2remember

OP

9

Ummm, it very clearly states that the entry requirements are AAA-ABB on the website

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/2008/sections/ECON/49/admissions

And on the Warwick site it says that you need AAB with a maths A-level at grade B.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/depta2z/economics/l100/

But thanks, I'll definitely be looking at some of the lower options.

Reply 25

Minerva

17

a_shot2remember

Ummm, it very clearly states that the entry requirements are AAA-ABB on the website

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/2008/sections/ECON/49/admissions

And on the Warwick site it says that you need AAB with a maths A-level at grade B.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/depta2z/economics/l100/

But thanks, I'll definitely be looking at some of the lower options.

Yes, but what Werty675 and I mean is that to get offers like this you usually have to be predicted AAA. If a range is quoted, you should assume the higher grades are what's necessary, unless you have special circumstances or are at a low-achieving school. You may have some other factor in your application that would increase your chances of an offer, but your main problem goes back to where we started: you don't know very much about economics yet and so are going to have some difficulty writing a convincing PS. I refer you back to PQ's advice earlier on - this (as always) is well informed and sound.

Reply 26

a_shot2remember

OP

9

Thanks a lot for all your help.

I'm just a tad confused 'cause everyone's giving me different advice.

The general consensus here sems to be that I'd have little to no chance of getting into any of the unis I want, whereas a lot of my teachers have told me that most universities don't require or expect any previous knowlege of Economics.

And as for PQ's advice, I was told by my school that getting my PS in as early as possible was the only way I'd stand any chance with my chosen unis.

*sigh* I just don't know whom to trust :P

Reply 27

Minerva

17

I'd certainly trust PQ, myself.

There's a difference between not having studied economics before, which many applicants won't have done, and not knowing anything about the discipline. You need to be able to convey in your PS why you want to study it, and you can't do that convincingly unless you can show some understanding of what it's about. For that, you need to do some reading, and fast.

The unis we have been discussing so far are, in general, very competitive and economics is one of the subjects where a full house of rejections is not unknown. Trust me, this is an experience to avoid if you can.

Have a look at the unis Werty675 suggested - I would suggest you include at least two of them in your five. I would also suggest you look at Lancaster - the Economics department there is part of the Management School, which is one of the top Management Schools in the country - but the entry requirements are nothing like as scary.

Reply 28

a_shot2remember

OP

9

Yeah, Birmingham and St Andrews are in my list of choices too actually!

And I'm not entirely clueless anymore :P I've been reading bits here and there and I'm half-way through an introductory Economics book.

Though I'm not relying on your opinions, I'd love to know what you guys think of this (preliminary) list of choices:

Warwick
Birmingham
Bristol
Surrey
St. Andrews

I'm still working on it....personally I'd rather put St Andrews as first choice, but my parents don't want me to move all the way to scotland =[

Reply 29

bright star

1

for goodness sake, it's your decision. plus you save like £2000 a year on fees...

Reply 30

Good bloke

19

Two points:

1. You do not state an order of preference on your UCAS form;

2. An English student in Scotland does not save £2,000, only about £1,300.