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Economics at Durham and contextual offers

Oll1925

Hey

I am on a gap year atm, but have an unconditional from Durham university for earth sciences. But over the last few months I have further grown my interest in economics and am thinking on taking another year to complete an A level in economics. Due to personal reasons during year 13 and the exams, I only got AAB in Maths, chemistry and physics (predicted A*A*A lol), but I’m hoping I could get an A* in the economics over the year if I put in the work :smile:

since I’m eligible for contextual offers at Durham, would I have any chance at Durham for economics if I got predicted an A* in economics?

Thank you :smile:

Reply 1

3Engineer141592

You can easily change course once you’re in. The hard thing is getting into Durham. Easy to change once you’re in (first 2 weeks is ideal as someone always drops out).

Btw. I went to durham and be warned it’s fairly dull. If you want a more lively experience go to a bigger city. Even Newcastle isn’t well linked for night life. The college you go to will deffo determine your experience (the more “prestigious” ones will give you a better time/experience)

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

With durham university do they accept BTECs

Reply 3

Durham Rep Ghala

Official Rep

Original post by Oll1925

Hey

since I’m eligible for contextual offers at Durham, would I have any chance at Durham for economics if I got predicted an A* in economics?
Thank you :smile:

Hi there

It's cool that you have an interest in more than one subject and are exploring them further. From a practical perspective, an A* in Economics will not guarantee you an offer from Durham because meeting the grade requirements is just the threshold for being considered. You'll also need a strong personal statement and references, which I would say is the main challenge.

As someone else has said, it is possible to change your course. You can do it once you start your Earth Sciences course but it is also possible to ask for a course change before that. You have a better chance before because there may not always be people who drop out in the first 2 weeks but there are definitely people who miss their conditional offers or only insure Durham. If you're sure you wish to study Economics instead, I would suggest contacting the admissions team as they might be able to switch you. You can also submit a substitute personal statement for this. During this process, your original Earth Sciences offer will stay intact. You can read more about the process here: Changes to your application

There are two other options:

While asking for a change of course, you can ask to switch to Natural Sciences as this will allow you to study both Economics and Earth Sciences. You will have an equal number of modules from both courses and your final degree certificate will be BSc Natural Sciences.

You can continue with studying Earth Sciences but take optional modules in Economics. Per the course handbook, you can take 1 optional module in Years 1-3 of your degree. Your final degree will still be Earth Sciences but these optional modules in Economics will count towards your grades. I took this option as I'm studying law but took an optional module in Korean.