The Student Room Group
Reply 1
Clue is in the name
Reply 2
Its not a real subject is it....
'Cos Sociology is what people consider a 'Mickey Mouse Course'.
Reply 4
Mr Anononomous
'Cos Sociology is what people consider a 'Mickey Mouse Course'.


than why does lse and cambridge offer a degree in it? :s-smilie:
Reply 5
LSE wants to have the reputation of having the highest applications per place
Sociology is not a mickey mouse subject at university - just at A level
A lot of the LSE courses have relatively lower requirements but they still select candidates with higher grade potential.....
that is low

im interested to find out too
Reply 7
Because it is Sociology and not Economics/Accounts or Maths. Same goes for the course at oxford and cambridge they have lower entry standards for sociology compared to their other subjects
Reply 8
I wondered that as well, maybe Sociology isnt their best department.
Reply 9
Some courses have lower entry requirements to boost the number of applications per place
Reply 10
Entry requirements are not set on difficulty of the course, they are set by how many applicants the course receives. Sociology obviously doesn't get as many applicants as Law, so it is not as competitive to get in to, and so the cut off point for acceptable grades is made lower.
Reply 11
nikdc5
Entry requirements are not set on difficulty of the course, they are set by how many applicants the course receives.


Do you actually know this?
BSc. Management Sciences at LSE is BBB too.
Reply 13
Imson
Because it is Sociology and not Economics/Accounts or Maths. Same goes for the course at oxford and cambridge they have lower entry standards for sociology compared to their other subjects


The entry standards are the same for every degree at Oxford and Cambrdige (if by entry standards you mean typical offer).
nikdc5
Entry requirements are not set on difficulty of the course, they are set by how many applicants the course receives. Sociology obviously doesn't get as many applicants as Law, so it is not as competitive to get in to, and so the cut off point for acceptable grades is made lower.

Not really true.

BA Geography at LSE has fewer applicants per place than Sociology but you need AAB.
Reply 15
Imson
Because it is Sociology and not Economics/Accounts or Maths. Same goes for the course at oxford and cambridge they have lower entry standards for sociology compared to their other subjects


Cambridge's PPS degree (which is the "sociology" degree they offer) is fiercely competitive and requires AAA(+) at A-Level, not to mention previous academic excellence and interview performance.
Reply 16
Joy Division
Not really true.

BA Geography at LSE has fewer applicants per place than Sociology but you need AAB.


Applicants per place is not necessarily the only factor indicating the competitiveness of a course. BSc in Economics (typical offer AAA) is understandably one of the most competitive courses at LSE, yet the applicants:first year students ratio is ~14. Social Policy with Economics (typical offer ABB), on the other hand, has a ratio of ~15. Would you say that the latter course is more competitive than BSc Economics? You also need to consider the calibre of applicants - I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the applicants for BSc Economics have better academic credentials than the applicants for Social Policy with Economics, hence making it more competitive.
Frontier
Applicants per place is not necessarily the only factor indicating the competitiveness of a course. BSc in Economics (typical offer AAA) is understandably one of the most competitive courses at LSE, yet the applicants:first year students ratio is ~14. Social Policy with Economics (typical offer ABB), on the other hand, has a ratio of ~15. Would you say that the latter course is more competitive than BSc Economics? You also need to consider the calibre of applicants - I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the applicants for BSc Economics have better academic credentials than the applicants for Social Policy with Economics, hence making it more competitive.


Yeah I agree with that, that's why I disagree with what nikdc5 said. :yes:
Entry requirements are not set on difficulty of the course, they are set by how many applicants the course receives.
Reply 18
Joy Division
Yeah I agree with that, that's why I disagree with what nikdc5 said. :yes:


But it isn't set by how difficult the course is, all degree courses are (at least technically meant to be) of the same difficulty. Two courses at the same university will certainly be of the same difficulty. But the other chap has a point, if there are 4 applicant per place on two courses, but on one course the median grades held by applicants is AAA, and on the other BBB, then that will mean there they have a different cut off point.