Rant about subject choices!

What are you planning on applying for?

There certainly are unis that will consider you for some courses. The overlapping subjects issue seems to have relaxed somewhat over the last 5 years or so - LSE is the major standout which explicitly states they have an issue with that. Others may consider you less competitive for it but I don't think it's as formalised as before (although I still wouldn't recommend the combination to be on the safe side).

Usually universities don't mind if one of your subjects is not traditionally academic (and debatably media may or may not fall into the category of traditionally academic). The only university that specifically would consider business studies as non-preferred or non-traditionally academic as well as media studies is, again, LSE.

I think you possibly have more options than you think. Obviously LSE is not an option but you could reasonably chance an application at Oxbridge or UCL or similar (would not necessarily recommend pegging your hopes and dreams to it but worth a consideration), and most other good universities Bristol, Edinburgh, Loughborough, Bath, Manchester etc, I think probably are less fussed about it on the whole (provided there aren't any required subjects you're missing e.g. maths for a maths degree!).

But it is a fair point that there are probably some common grey areas that are avoidable such as doing both business studies and economics or taking two or more subjects that aren't traditionally academic if aiming for a traditionally academic degree subject (if one wanted to do e.g. illustration then taking say two visual arts subjects would probably be welcomed!).

I have an interest in law really. It fits because there are no subject requirements, but generally the combination I took is very poor. Media is very close to English Lit according to my mates who did both - the ones who did do both got the same grade for both, so we can rule it out that it is somehow easy lol - but universities don't realise that. Instead they insist that Business and Econ are more closely related.

Sorry, rant is over now I promise

Well - if you do find that a significant number of universities consider business and economics to be too close then I think you are justified in feeling upset if no-one warned you in advance. I'm surprised that many do - which have you seen where this will be a problem?

Cambridge list Media and Business under 'less preferred A-Levels' as they view the subjects as vocational for some reason? I'd really hate to say I know more about cambridge about the subjects but vocational is not the way to put it lol. I would love to apply to Cambridge (I would sell my left testicle to get a 50/50 of getting in, genuinely, I get sad at the thought of not going) but chances are very low - I'll try my luck with Bristol, Warwick, Durham etc as my aspirational universities I think.

Well at the end of the day you can always apply anyway, it's only one choice out of five. You only need two offers in the end after all (firm and insurance). Costs you nothing to roll the dice!

In this case it will cost. It means I need to find and book a place that I can take the LNAT in before 15th October, and it also means possibly a rushed personal statement (although I have mine from last year), as well as a rushed LNAT as I will have prepared less for it.

So yeah lol.... thoughts?

In this case it will cost. It means I need to find and book a place that I can take the LNAT in before 15th October, and it also means possibly a rushed personal statement (although I have mine from last year), as well as a rushed LNAT as I will have prepared less for it.

So yeah lol.... thoughts?

But generally, for all top universities, an application with both subjects is going to be considered less competitive.

For Oxbridge they say you should be registered by 15 September for LNAT btw, taking on or before 16 October.

Any source for that?

Anyway - you only need one offer. You can apply for four aggressive options and see what happens pre January.

Hi all, very angry right now. I really don't know what to do.

For anyone reading who hasn't yet chosen their A-Level choices, please, please be careful. You're on TSR already though so I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm really having a dilemma. This year I got my results and got A*A*A but the caveat is the subjects... Economics, Business, Media.

Firstly, some universities don't like Business and Econ together because of 'overlapping content' which, as someone who did both this year, is grossly overblown. I can name 1 tiny topic area (a literal equation), which didn't come up in either subjects' exams, which overlapped.

Secondly, Media is a terrible A-Level. If you want to do it, do it, I'm not saying its easy or a 'soft' subject at all - in fact it was by far the hardest subject I did, purely because the content is stupidly petty and it's strangely technical. I did have a terrible teacher for it though - probably because even teachers view it as a subject who people that don't care about their academics take.

I have no idea what was going through my head when I chose these - I hadn't done any for GCSE. My best areas for GCSE were Maths and the Sciences - where on earth did I get the idea to study MEDIA from??????

Anyway, rant over. Not sure what to do or where to apply. I have decent GCSEs, and nominally at least, great A-Levels. I hate myself for taking the subjects I did, I limited my potential massively. Please don't make the numerous mistakes I did!