Realistic advice for economics

Unfortunately, if you want to go into a top university for Economics, Mathematics is pretty much a prerequisite [and even Further Mathematics, if you're looking at Oxbridge / LSE etc].

Have you considered BSc Economic History? You can get into a top uni for it without maths (https://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Undergraduate/degree-programmes-2024/BSc-Economic-History) and if you're interested in the essay part of econ/ qualitative aspect, it might be more up your alley (unlike pure econ at uni which is basically applied maths ngl)

Hi. I have been going through a pretty uncertain week. I am set to go to UoBirmingham for Law in a week - but a gap year is looking more and more attractive.

In this extremely confusing time, I have been looking at other degrees just to make sure it isn't the degree I'm scared about, its university in general. I think its the degree.

I got A* in Economics A-Level, then A* in Business and A in media. I LOVED economics A-Level and I have always loved social sciences and essays, hence my original choice of law.

But I need some realism in this situation from more level-headed people. Firstly, because I didn't do maths, where can I go? I would prefer top universities so if someone can help, thanks. Btw I got an 8 in Maths GCSE (which Ik is nothing compared to A level but may sway admissions people).

Secondly, what are the REALISTIC job prospects? IB doesn't seem all appealing atm, what does interest me is the research aspect of being an economist. But is this realistic? Is it horrible in reality? Does it pay well?

I need clarity. Is BSc Econ much more employable than PPE? Both seem interesting.

Any comments on my situation would be GREAT. Thanks for the help

Hi. I have been going through a pretty uncertain week. I am set to go to UoBirmingham for Law in a week - but a gap year is looking more and more attractive.

In this extremely confusing time, I have been looking at other degrees just to make sure it isn't the degree I'm scared about, its university in general. I think its the degree.

I got A* in Economics A-Level, then A* in Business and A in media. I LOVED economics A-Level and I have always loved social sciences and essays, hence my original choice of law.

But I need some realism in this situation from more level-headed people. Firstly, because I didn't do maths, where can I go? I would prefer top universities so if someone can help, thanks. Btw I got an 8 in Maths GCSE (which Ik is nothing compared to A level but may sway admissions people).

Secondly, what are the REALISTIC job prospects? IB doesn't seem all appealing atm, what does interest me is the research aspect of being an economist. But is this realistic? Is it horrible in reality? Does it pay well?

I need clarity. Is BSc Econ much more employable than PPE? Both seem interesting.

Any comments on my situation would be GREAT. Thanks for the help

I think there are some important factors to note here. Firstly, it's worth recognising that a-level economics is very very different to degree-level economics. The way you learn is pretty distinct and the level of maths is incomparable. There's virtually no maths within a-level economics, whereas at degree level often 25-50% are maths modules and the remaining 50-75% are economics modules with large maths components. For sure you'll still get to write essays, but it's very different to a-level, tho the extent of the difference will depend on course/uni.

Secondly, as others have noted, majority of top unis require a-level maths as a minimum requirement. So you'll have to be looking for joint honours courses at most of the top unis or slightly lower ranked economics courses. Manchester's BA is solid, and it's worth noting that Nottingham's BSc Economics course states that maths a-level is preferred rather than required - this is often seen as the best UG economics course that doesn't require maths. As suggested above, there's a host of good pol + econ, PPE, Econ hist, etc courses at top unis that don't require maths too.

Thirdly, the job prospects will largely depend on what you're interested in tbh. You'll be able to enter most economics graduate jobs with an undergraduate degree in straight economics, joint honours or PPE.

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by economic research, normally this refers to academia. If you mean economic research in industry (e.g. public/private sector) then yes this is realistic, though naturally it will depend on the role (e.g. some will require an MSc, most will not). With the pay, again this varies by role and location. Starting salaries in London for public sector roles are usually around the 30k mark for Civil Service and Bank of England, for the private sector is varies more and is usually somewhere between 30-50k, with some of the more competitive finance-related economist roles offering graduates even more.