The Student Room Group

Is Business A-Level respected by top universities?

Hi, I am a Year 12 student currently studying Maths, Economics and Geography at A-Level and I am currently considering whether I should drop Geography for Business as I am really struggling with Geography, however I have been told that Business is not really a respected A-Level which gives me some doubts. I want to apply for a place to study economics at Warwick and if not then a uni like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds or Nottingham. I'd really appreciate it if someone could let me know if switching to Business is a good idea as I prefer the subject as opposed to Geography, but want to make sure that it is a respected A-Level first.
Look, I loved Business Gcse, it was amazing, but As of my experience, Business A level had been jus a rewind of Gcse and tbh it's jus a bit long. I'm in year 12 doing maths business and economics and I can't frankly say I regret taking business, I suggest staying with geography. but if u have any other questions about Business, lmk
Original post by looking-likeness
Look, I loved Business Gcse, it was amazing, but As of my experience, Business A level had been jus a rewind of Gcse and tbh it's jus a bit long. I'm in year 12 doing maths business and economics and I can't frankly say I regret taking business, I suggest staying with geography. but if u have any other questions about Business, lmk


The thing is i could probably get an A in Business but I would consider myself lucky to even get a C in geography which is why id rather do Business, do you reckon its possible to catch up on a terms worth of Business lessons considering that I did quite well in it during gcses
Original post by Luar smaili
The thing is i could probably get an A in Business but I would consider myself lucky to even get a C in geography which is why id rather do Business, do you reckon its possible to catch up on a terms worth of Business lessons considering that I did quite well in it during gcses


yh tbh u ain't miss tons of stuff in terms of content, tbh the only kinda stuff u would need to learn r structures and those r pretty easy, but I would consider switching, geography could get better, so I would think a bit harder, but business is not fun at A level in my opinion
Original post by KUROYT
Unfortunately business is viewed as a “weak” subject for A-level. Top unis also dislike when students choose econ and business. But since you have math and Econ which are strong A-levels it shouldn’t be too bad


Im considering warwick, bristol, leeds, nottingham and birmingham. Will my subject choices limit my chances even if i were to get an A* in maths and A’s or A*’s in the other 2?
Reply 5
Original post by Luar smaili
Im considering warwick, bristol, leeds, nottingham and birmingham. Will my subject choices limit my chances even if i were to get an A* in maths and A’s or A*’s in the other 2?

Not entirely. Some unis are more selective and look at subject combinations as a factor in someone’s application more importantly than others. I think for the unis you want to apply to you should be all good (maybe except for Warwick as Warwick is highly ranked for econ so that might come with it being more harsh). But just to clarify I’d recommend calling the admissions office for each uni to get there perspective on this.
(edited 2 weeks ago)
Reply 6
Original post by Luar smaili
Im considering warwick, bristol, leeds, nottingham and birmingham. Will my subject choices limit my chances even if i were to get an A* in maths and A’s or A*’s in the other 2?


I’m currently studying business a level and love it!! I find the content relatively interesting, as well as somewhat simple. It just takes time to embed the knowledge, but with some flash cards it’s fine. I’ve applied to four russel group uni courses (including leeds) and have had offers for all of them, so I personally wouldn’t say business would be disadvantageous for leeds.
Original post by luarsm
Hi, I am a Year 12 student currently studying Maths, Economics and Geography at A-Level and I am currently considering whether I should drop Geography for Business as I am really struggling with Geography, however I have been told that Business is not really a respected A-Level which gives me some doubts. I want to apply for a place to study economics at Warwick and if not then a uni like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds or Nottingham. I'd really appreciate it if someone could let me know if switching to Business is a good idea as I prefer the subject as opposed to Geography, but want to make sure that it is a respected A-Level first.


The idea of facilitating A-levels has been scrapped. Check individual university websites to see if they have a list of "preferred" subjects. Also check to make sure that doing Economics+Business won't cause any issues (some university might take issue with this combination due to the large amount of overlap).

From Warwick: We do not specify a subject mix at A Level, but we particularly value applicants who can demonstrate a strong breadth of study.

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/bsc-economics/

Doing Economics+Business could put you at a disadvantage here in my opinion, but someone with better expertise could hopefully give some better advice.

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