should i switch out my a-level subjects?

deciding a-level subjects soon (year 11). am set on taking economics at uni: was looking at econ, psychology, biology and maths (at my school's sixth form, students take 4 a-levels in year 12 and drop one before year 13, so i'd only study 3 a-levels to completion). would not taking further maths hinder my ability to get into a good university? i am taking Additional Mathematics (admaths) at the moment but am struggling a bit. should i switch out biology/psych for an essay subject e.g. history to strengthen my application even if i have less of an interest in it?

note: i would like to attend a russell group uni - someone i know got into LSE taking econ and maths without further, so wondering if this is possible/realistic to pursue or highly discouraged.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

martin7

Original post

by rhia_.b

deciding a-level subjects soon (year 11). am set on taking economics at uni: was looking at econ, psychology, biology and maths. would not taking further maths hinder my ability to get into a good university? i am taking Additional Mathematics (admaths) at the moment but am struggling a bit. should i switch out biology/psych for an essay subject e.g. history to strengthen my application even if i have less of an interest in it?

Have you looked at the relevant web pages of universities you might want to study at? I've just looked at pages for Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, and Oxford. All of them say that their offer will have a requirement for A-level Maths -- but none of them make reference to Further Maths.

You might want to reconsider taking more than 3 A-levels. Universities don't require more than 3, and by doing 4 you risk spreading yourself too thinly and therefore not getting the results you might otherwise achieve. A*A*A* is always going to look much better to a university than A*AAA.

Reply 2

rhia_.b

ah, sorry, should've clarified, will edit!! at my school and its sixth form, we take four subjects and then drop one going into year 13, so i would only actually take three a-levels. not sure which one i'd drop.

my issues regarding further maths aren't really whether it's possible sans further but more if it's realistic? quite a few people on this site have said that to get into an economics course at oxbridge/LSE/imperial etc. chances are stunted without further, but i reeeeally don't want to take it because i feel like i'd fall behind and the workload would impact my studies in other subjects.

also, would the combination of a-levels (econ, psych, bio, maths) even be a good cocktail to try to apply to a russell group uni with? worried that they're all a bit random and that biology might be useless without another science/i should take an essay subject instead...

thank you!!

Reply 3

hotpud

Original post

by rhia_.b

deciding a-level subjects soon (year 11). am set on taking economics at uni: was looking at econ, psychology, biology and maths (at my school's sixth form, students take 4 a-levels in year 12 and drop one before year 13, so i'd only study 3 a-levels to completion). would not taking further maths hinder my ability to get into a good university? i am taking Additional Mathematics (admaths) at the moment but am struggling a bit. should i switch out biology/psych for an essay subject e.g. history to strengthen my application even if i have less of an interest in it?
note: i would like to attend a russell group uni - someone i know got into LSE taking econ and maths without further, so wondering if this is possible/realistic to pursue or highly discouraged.

Rather than setting your goal as university, have you considered life after university? I can't help but feel too many students set their heart on a subject without really thinking about what they are going to do with it. You only get one funded shot at university so make it a good one. No harm in delaying and going a bit later once you have figured out the end goal.