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Is maths A level required by many universities?

Hello. I'm in year 11, and the time has come to pick A levels, however I'm unsure on a few things.

I'd like to do politics, economics and RS/Philosophy, and have in mind doing PPE, international relations or political science at uni. However, I'm unsure whether or not I should do maths A level (if it is an entry requirement for universities) or not, and if I do, whether or not I should do 4 A levels or ditch one and do 3. Maths isn't something I'm jumping up at the chance of doing, but it's also not something I hate (at GCSE, anyway). I'm predicted to get 9's in most subjects (including maths), and one 7 and 8, so it isn't like I'm bad at maths, in fact its always been something I haven't had to work too hard at to understand. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily mind doing maths A level, I'm not too keen on the idea of replacing one of the other 3 to fit it in, meaning I'd be doing 4 A levels. I'm unsure if this is manageable or not.

I guess, my main question is, is how valuable is it to have a maths A level? How manageable is it to do 4 A levels? If I should do maths, and only do 3, which of the other 3 should I not do?

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 1

aloevera4

do maths!! i've applied to PPE for all my unis, and I have not studied maths a level. this has really limited the amount of unis i can apply to, which is annoying. instead, i studying AS maths on the side, which will be very valuable for me next year, but reduces the time i have to study my main 3 subjects.
all in all, if you hate maths, just drop it for year 13 - but if i could do year 12 again i would absolutely do maths a level :smile:

Reply 2

Crrogleysn

Original post by aloevera4

Do you think it is manageable to do 4? Or should I replace one of the 3 with maths, although I wouldn't be sure which one

Reply 3

swanseajack1

Original post by Crrogleysn

Hello. I'm in year 11, and the time has come to pick A levels, however I'm unsure on a few things.

I'd like to do politics, economics and RS/Philosophy, and have in mind doing PPE, international relations or political science at uni. However, I'm unsure whether or not I should do maths A level (if it is an entry requirement for universities) or not, and if I do, whether or not I should do 4 A levels or ditch one and do 3. Maths isn't something I'm jumping up at the chance of doing, but it's also not something I hate (at GCSE, anyway). I'm predicted to get 9's in most subjects (including maths), and one 7 and 8, so it isn't like I'm bad at maths, in fact its always been something I haven't had to work too hard at to understand. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily mind doing maths A level, I'm not too keen on the idea of replacing one of the other 3 to fit it in, meaning I'd be doing 4 A levels. I'm unsure if this is manageable or not.

I guess, my main question is, is how valuable is it to have a maths A level? If you were to take someone doing 3 A levels (politics, econ and RS) and then were to add maths on top, how much of an increased workload would it be?

Most top universities like Russell Group or similar require Maths A level for Economics courses and sometimes PPE. A couple will also require Further Maths as well.

Other than that Maths A level isnt required for something like Politics or International Relations.

Only you can decide whether to take Maths but if you decide you want to take Economics as a degree you will need A level Maths for top 20 or so universities.

Here is an example for LSE for Mathematics
AAA with an A in Mathematics Please also see subject combinations regarding Further Mathematics requirements. We also consider your AS grades, if available.

and for Politics
AAA We also consider your AS grades, if available.

Reply 4

McGinger

For a degree in International Relations/Politics you wont need A level Maths. Examples :
Birmingham - Politics and International Relations BA | University of Birmingham - University of Birmingham
Sheffield - Courses | Politics and International Relations | The University of Sheffield
Bath - Politics courses (bath.ac.uk )

PPE etc is a bit different because of the Economics element - that does usually require Maths.
Check the entry requirements for each individual Uni. Examples :
LSE - BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics (lse.ac.uk )
Birmingham - PPE Course | Policy, Politics and Economics | University of Birmingham - University of Birmingham
York - Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) (BSc) - Undergraduate, University of York

Reply 5

aloevera4

Original post by Crrogleysn

Do you think it is manageable to do 4? Or should I replace one of the 3 with maths, although I wouldn't be sure which one

i think it is manageable to do 4, it just depends on how much you want it. if you're getting 9s in maths now, you should be fine taking it as a 4th a level. i think the wise thing to do it take maths (at least for year 12), so you're not struggling in first year at uni.