University of Warwick

Coventry

Official Warwick Economics Q&A Thread

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Hi i'm looking to apply for 2013, here are my results so far:
AS:
A - Maths
A - Chemistry
B - Physics
C - Economics.

GCSE:
5 A*S
4 A'S
2 B'S

I am going to continue all 4 AS's into A2 and will resit economics and physics, i also have quite a strong personal statement according to my personal tutor, is this good enough for an offer? How much will getting a C in economics in AS affect my offer?

I thank you in advance for your response.

University of Warwick

Coventry

Reply 601

printergirl

What is your opinion on further maths as, is it sufficient or is a2 further maths preferred

Reply 602

JoeWHU

I'm kind of in the same boat as Prianka.
i got AACC with a C (retaking) in economics and i want to drop history (got a C but retaking).

Also, like someone said earlier, how bad does getting a C in AS economics make my application look?
I'm predicted A*AAA

Reply 603

jadzirt

Hello,

I was just wondering what weighting you put on an applicants predicted grades? My AS levels went as good as i believed they would have been, which has made me more determined to achieve the highest grades possible at A2. Do you accept that students may have just had a bad day in one or two modules? And if so, in my case, i did an extra maths module in the same year which was pretty high, could this help balance out a poor maths C2 result, which was just, i believe, an anomally?

Reply 604

Pancakeman123

Hi, I'm starting L100 this year, and I've seen that we have the option to choose our optional modules already! Are we expected to choose them now, and if we don't, is there a chance that we won't get our first choice of modules?

Reply 605

username963570

Original post by University of Warwick

Hi,
we don't have any GCSE requirements, so long as you are studying Maths at A-Level or IB, but we do look for strong overall GCSE performance when evaluating an application.

Hi there , could i ask what YOU regard as 'strong ' as a GCSE performance ? And is it possible to know last year the % of people who earned an offer which had Further Mathematics as an A-Level ?

Reply 606

HSR08

Is work experience essential to show commitment to this course? Also if work experience is preferred, which type of firm is preferred? An accountancy firm or a bank?

Reply 607

Warwick Rep

Original post by Philipwo

Hi, I've just completed my GCSEs (6 A*s 4.5As) and come from an 'Ofsted inadequate' school. How much of a factor is the school I come from when judging the GCSE grades in my application?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

You obviously have good GCSEs but remember they are not the sole deciding factor, we also take AS grades and A2 predictions into account, along with personal statements and school references. The school where you studied has no influence on the offer and we do not discriminate. However, we do of course make use of the school reference, and any information regarding provided by your school will be considered alongside the other parts of the UCAS form.

Reply 608

Warwick Rep

Original post by rummy

Hi,

I am currently a student in the Business School, going to my second year in October.
However, I would like to make a course transfer to BSc Economics. Do you know whether it is still possible to proceed with a change? I'm an EU student.

Thank you very much.

First off, transfers from second year to second year are not considered by the admissions team but by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and would incorporate things like your first year exam results and having covered sufficient Economics in your first year (judged on a case by case basis). For transfers to the first year the admissions team would look at transfers from other Warwick departments, such as WBS, and within courses which are based in Economics, but changes are also made on a case by case basis, and as a rule of thumb we always compare transfer students to the current intake, so we would expect a transfer student to look close to identical to an outside applicant. For example if you have A* A A B - if you did 4 A2's (including grade A at Maths A2 for L100 and L112), and A* A A a - if you did 3 A2's and at least 1 AS (including grade A at Maths A2 for L100 and L112) and your motivation is good (you need to justify the transfer) then you would have a strong case. You can find more information on transfers in our current undergraduate handbook http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ec...g_handbook.pdf

Reply 609

Warwick Rep

Original post by printergirl

What is your opinion on further maths as, is it sufficient or is a2 further maths preferred

In past years, if you studied Further Maths at A2 level, you would receive a harder offer (A*AAA) than if you didn't (A*AAB), and this was, rightly, perceived as pretty unfair. As such, we've now removed all our "special" offers for those studying Further Maths, and it is now considered as a standard subject like any other, which means it can be taken as an AS Level for our A*AAa offer as well.

Reply 610

Doglamlico

Is it true that for Maths, if you have the predicted grades, you're practically guaranteed (90%+) to get an offer, and that you filter out candidates through the A*A* and STEP offers?

Reply 611

Hebbamundo

Hi, I'm taking 5 subjects this year (4 A2s and a single AS). Does this mean that if I was offered a place, I would have a slightly more flexible offer? Ie I could achieve either the A*AAB offer or the A*AAa offer?

Also, with regards to the A*AAa offer... If a prospective student achieved 4As at AS, would their offer simply be A*AA? Or does Warwick require 4 exam sittings in the final academic year of study?

Thank you

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 612

jinggie

heyyy
i m an international student
due to my school timetable i could only take 3 AS exams in May
( my school put physics and business lessens on exact same time so i could not take both)
now i am going to take AS physics exam in october...

ll it be a negative part in my application??

btw i would like to apply for MORSE

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 613

mrf815

Hi,

I got my A level results in 2009 and got A A A a. At that time the A* grade had not started but if it had I would have gotten A* A A a. I just wanted to know if the A* grade will play a factor in my application as it was not in effect at the time that I gave my exams. I will also be applying as a mature student as I will be above 21 by the time I start university next year. Your help will be greatly appreciated in this matter.

Thank you.

Reply 614

Warwick Rep

Original post by EdScrutton

Hi,
I was just wondering whether getting the Grade A in your AS subject is essential as I only got a B in chemistry. Do I have to get that A or will you look at my A2's more (I got 192/200 over my 2 AS economics papers).

Given that with your current qualifications you do not meet our published offer, you will be at a disadvantage. If however, you feel you underperformed for a particular reason (B in Chemistry, for example) this is something you should convey in your personal statement. You could also consider re-taking your 4th AS level.

Reply 615

Warwick Rep

Original post by pritpals

Hi I have Results
I was wondering if i should apply to economics at warick I have grades
A* Economics (184/200) at A2
A Maths (86 C3 85 C4)
A Chemistry With a
b at AS level biology and c at as Level Critical thinking I am also doing
A full A level Further Maths in my gap Year pridicted A/A*
My Gcse
Math A*
Chemistry A*
Physics A
History A
English Lit A Religious Studies A
French B English Lang B
P.E B
Drama B
Biology B

Congratulations on your results so far, however, they fall just short of our current offer of A*AAB/A*AAa, so you will be at a disadvantage. Regarding your further maths course this will not receive as much weight in your application since, as I’m sure you can understand, this would be unfair to students who took the course while taking other A-levels. If there is any reason you felt you underperformed in your as levels, you should make this clear in your personal statement and ask your referee to mention it too.

Reply 616

Warwick Rep

Original post by Fas

Hi there , could i ask what YOU regard as 'strong ' as a GCSE performance ? And is it possible to know last year the % of people who earned an offer which had Further Mathematics as an A-Level ?

As you point out ‘strong’ is a subjective term. Simply, the higher your GCSEs the more likely you are to receive an offer. That being said, they are not the sole deciding factor, and we also take AS grades and A2 predictions into account, along with personal statements and school references. It is entirely possible that someone with 0 A* GCSE's gets an offer, while someone with 11A* doesn’t.
Regarding the proportion of students who attained Further Mathematics you should contact undergraduate admissions for this information. Note however, Further Mathematics is treated as a standard A-level and we do not place any greater weight on this subject in the application process.

Reply 617

Warwick Rep

First off, well done on your 3 A’s at AS. But yes, you are correct given the quality of the Warwick applicants a B in AS history would place you at a disadvantage. If you retake and get an A at as then this would increase your chances of being made an offer. All the best with whatever you decide.

Reply 618

Warwick Rep

Original post by HSR08

Is work experience essential to show commitment to this course? Also if work experience is preferred, which type of firm is preferred? An accountancy firm or a bank?

Work experience forms one of many components in your personal statement, and commitment to the course can be shown in many ways (such as your reading preferences … etc). As such, an individual with no work experience will not be rejected purely on those grounds. Further, an individual with seemingly related work experience is not necessarily more equip for undertaking a degree at Warwick than someone who does not (for example, work has many transferable skills, such as organisation, time keeping, communication skills …etc, all important for attaining a quality degree – you can learn the technicalities when you get here).

Reply 619

Warwick Rep

Original post by mrf815

Congratulations on your results. By all means apply, the breakdown of your results will be in the application – so we can see your equivalent grades. Also be aware, your personal statement will probably hold more weight since you will need to explain your activities between finishing your a-levels and applying for university (how they have been related to the course, for example).