Economics Applicant Thread UCAS 2012

"Groat has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space."

Well I had the standard configuration which is font 12 and Times new roman. I didn't change the left and right margins. Still weird... I'd recommend copy your PS into the PS section on UCAS regularly if you're still working on it. Otherwise you'll be surprised in the end...


Oh you lucky guy! No TSA? I think it is partly difficult and partly alright. I am quite good at the reasoning part. But I am not so good at the problem solving part... Have to work on that somehow. I wish I didn't have to do it though. First of all it costs me 120€ to take it here in Germany and second it is another exam to put pressure on me next to my school work...

Yeah if it goes well it's another thing to boost your application profile But I am glad I have to do it, extra exams aren't what you need when you're focusing on school work!

Especially with Cambridge when you have to take it before an interview. I don't think I mind how Oxford do it, as it's just like any other exam. But I'd be nervous enough as it is waiting for interview.

That's true. If I had to take it right before the interview... I don't know if I could concentrate at all. How many Cambridge colleges actually require the TSA for economics? Do some colleges require instead of the TSA written work or anything else?

The TSA is being phased out as it isn't a good predictor of Tripos performance, so only four of five colleges at Cambridge use it now. Some of them require you to send in school essays and a few of them ask you to sit a college-specific exam. The rest just have a preparatory study which is quite standard to an interview.

Or does your college only interview

hey do reckon it would be good to go to a lecture at lse, or just watch it on youtube and say that i went??
and refer to it in my ps.

I don't think you'll gain any merit for actually going rather than watching it. Either way, it's what comments you make about the lecture that counts. Simply saying you watched the lecture will get you no credit.

well yeah obviously, but i was talking about a lecture that has a major relevance to ideas I've talked about in my personal statement, so i reckon it would be quite simple to make comments on it.

Anyone sitting AQA Econ 3 and Econ4 next year? I'm terrified for Econ 3; Microeconomics seems to be a living nightmare for me at the moment! :-(.

Hi, I'm sorry, I'm new to this forum and I was wondering which universities I could get into with AAA-AAB at A-level? (economics of course)

I've looked on the University websites and seen the entry requirements but my friends have told me that they often offer places for results lower?

Anyone sitting AQA Econ 3 and Econ4 next year? I'm terrified for Econ 3; Microeconomics seems to be a living nightmare for me at the moment! :-(.

Yep, just going to have to really practice the essays. AQA Economics is definitely an essay subject at A2, you have to do two 25 mark questions, one 50 mark question and then another 3 questions which make up the other 50 marks.

What's it like for everyone else?

Economics isn't too difficult at all next year. Provided as always you put the work in. What's nice, at least for AQA, is the depth you can go into and the immense difference between quite an easy AS subject. It is a step up nonetheless, but for most keen Economists it is a a good step up - learning a whole lot more.





Not sure if you're explaining it right there. The papers composed of a data response and an essay section. There are 40 marks available in each section.

In the data response there are 3 questions. One asking to explain some data (5 marks), one asking to usually explain a term and then some further analysis (10 marks) and then a 25 marker essay question. You have a choice of 2 data response tasks - you do one.

In the essay section there 3 available questions to attempt - again you do one. Each question has two parts. The first part (15 marks) is usually connected to the second, which is another 25 marker essay.

So yes there is a huge amount of essays in the AQA course, but it gives you tonnes of skills. It really is much better than the AS course

EDIT: Have a look on the AQA website

Economics isn't too difficult at all next year. Provided as always you put the work in. What's nice, at least for AQA, is the depth you can go into and the immense difference between quite an easy AS subject. It is a step up nonetheless, but for most keen Economists it is a a good step up - learning a whole lot more.





Not sure if you're explaining it right there. The papers composed of a data response and an essay section. There are 40 marks available in each section.

In the data response there are 3 questions. One asking to explain some data (5 marks), one asking to usually explain a term and then some further analysis (10 marks) and then a 25 marker essay question. You have a choice of 2 data response tasks - you do one.

In the essay section there 3 available questions to attempt - again you do one. Each question has two parts. The first part (15 marks) is usually connected to the second, which is another 25 marker essay.

So yes there is a huge amount of essays in the AQA course, but it gives you tonnes of skills. It really is much better than the AS course

EDIT: Have a look on the AQA website

The AS course was really quite straight forward. With a good memory you could gain pretty much a B in the first half of the paper (multiple choice, definition, comparing).
I really enjoyed the essay though, when a good question came up so I guess there is less to worry about.

How hard would you say it is to average 90/100 UMS in the A2 syllabus?

I think that might happen for universities which require AAB and lower, but generally at the top AAA-A*AA it is so competitive they don't have places to give to people who miss the grades (unless they really like them for whatever reason)
Manchester, Southampton, York, Birmingham etc.