uni help!!!

I currently do maths, chem and econ and I have no clue what to do at uni. Econ interests me alot but i heard at uni it's very mathsy, and i do not want to go near maths after the torture of a level maths. I know its impossible to avoid maths, but i would rather my course have very minimal maths. I was thinking about law and then specialising in either patent or medical, but it would be weird since my alevels arent essay based. HELP!!!

Reply 1

UniofReading

Official Rep

Original post by salmaabdel16

Good afternoon,

It's great to hear you are thinking of going to university; it sounds like you have a tough decision to make.

Choosing a university course depends on what you want a career you are thinking of and what you enjoy studying. Also, it's important to look at the style of the course as every student wants something slightly different, such as lecture style or exam vs no exams. I always recommend deciding what you want from your university/course and writing a list. You can compare the two courses to your own criteria; this means the university course will be the best fit for you.

In terms of BSc Economics, it is quite maths-based, but the lectures would talk you through what you need to, so it is understandable.There is an ambassador scheme at the University of Reading where prospective students can message current students; you can message the economics student here, and they can explain exactly what maths is included on the course. They can answer any questions you have about the course, or the university in general.

The LLB Law courses are great; they have a lot of reading and a lot of difficult texts to understand, but they do not have much maths at all. The typical offer for Law is an AAB at A levels. There is a unibuddy ambassador in Law, who you can message here.

The University of Reading has contextual offers scheme, where every application is based on individual merit, ensuring every student's application is considered. However, this does not mean every student gains an offer to the university.

Another option for you may be BSc Business Economics or Business and Management, which have similar pathways to economics but are not just economics, so there will be less focus on the maths. There is an ambassador for the business and management course, which you can message here.

Alternatively, there is LLB Law with International Business or BSc Criminology, which have a wider scope than law or business by themselves.

The majority of these subjects are essay-based; however, in the first semester, the lectures will teach you how to write academically, as academic writing is slightly different from a level. So, you will not be at a disadvantage from not having an essay subject. So this sin't something to worry about, the best thing is to pick a course you will enjoy, and then learn how to complete the essays required.

I hope this has helped answer your questions, if you have any more questions please let us know.
All the best,
Ella
Bsc Ecology

Reply 2

McGinger

Look at 'related subjects' :
Business Management BSc - University of Birmingham
Banking and Finance BSc | University of Leeds
Finance and Technology (FinTech) BSc : University of Sussex
etc

Law does not require an essay-based subject - and science/maths heads make good Law students because of the emphasis on analytical skills and logic.

Reply 3

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by salmaabdel16

Hi @salmaabdel16

It’s amazing that you’re already starting to think about your uni choices! It’s quite a difficult decision especially if you haven’t considered yet what you want to do in the future.

I was actually in the same position as you! I did Maths, Economics, and Geography for A Levels - loved econ and geog but maths was very painful 😅. My first plan was to study economics until I did a summer school at the University of Bath where we did taster lectures, and I then realised how “mathsy” it was.

This led me to look into geography degrees! At the University of Southampton (and I’m sure most other university will do to), as part of their geography degrees, they offer an optional module in economic geography. Economic geography covers a lot to do with geographical mobility, the importance of place in businesses, and the spread of economic growth - just to name a few topics.
This was perfect for me who liked economics in the real world, but didn’t want to learn about making graphs to show this or having to learn the hard maths to understand it all.
So if you don’t like the maths side of economics, it'll be good to have a look into degrees that have modules based on economic topics that you’re interested in.

A lot of universities, including Southampton, may allow you to choose optional modules outside of your degree as well. So if you’re interested in a specific economics module that’s part of a degree you’re not studying, then this is an option worth looking into when choosing courses and universities.

At the University of Southampton some of the economics degrees, such as Economics and Business Management BSc, have maths modules as optional. So this means that you don’t necessarily have to learn the maths side of economics - although this might be very beneficial to your studies.
Here’s the link to all of the economics degrees Southampton offers, and have a look at the module choices to see if it’s something you might want to look into.

Overall, It’s worth looking into specific universities and what they have to offer. Economics will be taught differently at different universities so make sure to look at their course plan and module choices.

If you have any questions about what I’ve talked about don’t be afraid to ask.
I hope this helped,
Lucy (2nd year Geography BA student)