A levels

Why would universities look down on that?
What are you hoping to study?

No, I can't see why it would. Look at uni entry requirements on their websites or give them a call if you're not sure.

Some universities dont accept Economics and Business Studies together. They class them as 1 subject. You will need to check which universities will accept them by looking through ucas course search. Your other option would be to re start year 12 taking a different subject, dropping 1 and fast tracking another in year 13 or possibly looking into Further Maths as an additional subject. Taking Maths, FM and Economics would probably get you in nearly all universities.

Thanks I have thought about this before but I Not really sure as I don’t want to be one year behind people my age. The worst thing is universities like Warwick/LSE don’t like this combination at all. They say they don’t prefer it. Do you think I would still have a chance applying there or should I look at other unis

If they are saying that dont apply there. They also like Further Maths which you are not offering. It is very unlikely you will get an offer in those.

Do you really think Economics is the right subject for you if you are finding Maths hard. Very few get into LSE without Further Maths. Would business or politics perhaps suit you better. Economics is a very Mathematical subject. I know you dont want to but resitting year 12 is probably your best option. Lots of students do it when they have taken the wrong subjects. The problem is many schools dont seem to advise people of the pitfalls of taking Economics and Business Studies together and it seems like that has happened with you. Other than retaking year 12 or taking further Maths the alternative would be to look into other universities who will accept your combination or dropping one of your subjects and fast tracking another A level over 1 year. It will effectively be like taking 4 A levels in year 13. You could consider something like Government and Politics or Sociology. I would suggest discussing this option with your school or college to see whether they would allow it.

What is it like to fast track an a level. I’ve thought about doing business earlier in the year and at one point even swapped to physics but I disliked the subject greatly and swapped back. Do you think government and politics would be too much work

What is it like to fast track an a level. I’ve thought about doing business earlier in the year and at one point even swapped to physics but I disliked the subject greatly and swapped back. Do you think government and politics would be too much work

I have just done a quick check and Durham prefer students who are not taking Economics and Business studies together so that rules out them but Bath, Birmingham, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham are not showing this restriction so it might be worth contacting them to see whether they will accept you with your mix of subjects before deciding on a course of action.

I made the mistake of picking A level subjects: Maths, Economics and Business Studies. I’ve heard a lot of top universities look down on the combination of business and economics. What top unis can apply for realistically to study Economics?

I wouldn't worry about rankings or reputation as they are meaningless and it doesnt matter whether somewhere is or isnt in the Russell Group. Rankings are useful to tell you what university is doing well but basically the top 25 or so are of broadly equivalent standard and differences are marginal. The key issue is you go where you are happiest. If you end up not being happy you either wont do as well or you will end up leaving. The most important issues are to choose the course that suits you best and the locational where you will be happiest. Consider what part of the UK you would prefer to be, whether you want to be in a big city or someone smaller and whether you want to be in a campus or city based university.

The international rankings tables tend to be based on historical reputation and research quality. This favours the older universities usually in large cities like UCL, LSE, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. The UK rankings concentrate more on teaching standards, student satisfaction rates and entry standards. The universities in smaller cities and newer universities tend to do well in these and you will see the likes of Bath, Durham, Exeter, Lancaster and St Andrews usually do well in these.

As far as the RG is concerned Durham and Exeter joined in 2012. Prior to this they were in the same 1994 group as St Andrews, Bath and Lancaster. The havent suddenly got better or worse by joining or not joining the Russell Group. It was set up to protect universities who feared losing their lucrative research funding to newly appointed universities. It is a marketing body to protect the interest of its members and is very good at self promoting itself. Dont be fooled there are universities outside of it every bit as good as those in it.

I agree 100%. Look at Lancaster and St. Andrews for example. Both top 15 U.K. Unis. My problem however is Russel group unis just have that added boost that employers would like and even for foreign employers they may attribute your uni being good as to whether or not it’s in the Russell Group