Full A-level, EPQ, what should I do?

I did very well and I'm pleased with my core 3 subjects (Maths, Further Maths, Physics), as I got A* quality results in all of them :smile:

However my summer exam has dragged by Economics AS down to a B, by 4 marks (gonna get the paper back and hopefully remark). :frown:

I've been toying with the idea of Economics at A2 for a while now, but I don't know now. My first choice for a uni course would be Maths at Cambridge, but it scares me that 90% of their students (and those at other top maths unis) have done 4 full A-levels. I really doubt I'd end up with an A if I took the whole Economics A-level, and it may be a struggle to get a B, from what I hear about it.

There's also the option to do an EPQ, and I could base it on something Economics-y, as I do have a genuine interest in the subject and would like to carry it on.

I'm just wondering, is the fourth A-level likely to harm my others? Do Oxbridge care about it? How will they react to my B?

I need to make this decision real snappy as a tonne of research needs to be done for the EPQ before September... and if I decide to the the A-level I still have a couple of books on the reading list :s-smilie:

Reply 1

lp386

12

Original post by LShirley95

I did very well and I'm pleased with my core 3 subjects (Maths, Further Maths, Physics), as I got A* quality results in all of them :smile:

However my summer exam has dragged by Economics AS down to a B, by 4 marks (gonna get the paper back and hopefully remark). :frown:

I've been toying with the idea of Economics at A2 for a while now, but I don't know now. My first choice for a uni course would be Maths at Cambridge, but it scares me that 90% of their students (and those at other top maths unis) have done 4 full A-levels. I really doubt I'd end up with an A if I took the whole Economics A-level, and it may be a struggle to get a B, from what I hear about it.

There's also the option to do an EPQ, and I could base it on something Economics-y, as I do have a genuine interest in the subject and would like to carry it on.

I'm just wondering, is the fourth A-level likely to harm my others? Do Oxbridge care about it? How will they react to my B?

I need to make this decision real snappy as a tonne of research needs to be done for the EPQ before September... and if I decide to the the A-level I still have a couple of books on the reading list :s-smilie:

The B won't matter too much for maths at Cambridge, since they'll be focusing more on your maths ability. With 90+ in the other three you should be competitive. I wouldn't recommend an EPQ as it won't benefit you much, but if you take A2 economics and retake your AS modules, the extra theory you've learned at A2 will bump your marks up, allowing you some breathing room for A2 and making an A possible - it may well be part of your offer if you do continue though. I'd recommend focusing on doing a good maths interview and passing STEP, but if you think you can continue economics without affecting the others you could carry on.

Reply 2

LShirley95

OP

I believe my Maths and Physics I am very able to get the grades next year (90%+ in all exams so far, 5/8 of them 100%), the STEP paper is what is going to be the most difficult part of that, but I'm confident in my cognitive ability too. If I were to take Economics to A-level, and I got a condition offer upon an A in Economics, this would definitely be the most challenging aspect of the offer.

However the bigger challenge is getting that offer in the first place! Would Cambridge not be interested whether I was taking the EPQ or A-level? Would they consider me more favourably with four A-levels?

Reply 3

lp386

12

Original post by LShirley95

I believe my Maths and Physics I am very able to get the grades next year (90%+ in all exams so far, 5/8 of them 100%), the STEP paper is what is going to be the most difficult part of that, but I'm confident in my cognitive ability too. If I were to take Economics to A-level, and I got a condition offer upon an A in Economics, this would definitely be the most challenging aspect of the offer.

However the bigger challenge is getting that offer in the first place! Would Cambridge not be interested whether I was taking the EPQ or A-level? Would they consider me more favourably with four A-levels?

I doubt the EPQ would make a huge difference, though the fourth A level might. Either way, your mathematical ability will be far, far more important, and it's perfectly possible to get an offer with three A levels.

Reply 4

LShirley95

OP

This puts me in an awkward position, because if the EPQ is useless then I either have to go all out and hope I'm better at Economics A2 then I was at AS, or only do three. Toughest decision of my life!

Full A-level, EPQ, what should I do?

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