applying for Econ at uni but no further maths

I just wanted to get someone’s honest opinion about dropping further maths. I currently take Chemistry, Further Maths, Maths, and Economics at A-level and I’m on target for A*-A grades. I achieved eleven 9s at GCSE and have completed multiple work experiences and extracurriculars related to Economics. I’m also a senior prefect and an Economics subject prefect at school.

I’ve been considering dropping Further Maths as the workload is becoming quite overwhelming — especially since my school only offers it as a fourth subject and we only start doing the course in year 13. I’m worried that dropping it might put me at a disadvantage when applying to universities like Warwick and UCL for Economics, even though I’ve heard from several institutions (including Warwick, UCL, Bath, Bristol, Manchester, and KCL) that Further Maths isn’t required.

Given everything I’ve mentioned, do you think I’d still have a strong chance at getting into these unis without Further Maths? I’m not planning on applying to Oxbridge or LSE.

Also, if anyone is already studying Economics at Warwick or UCL, I’d love to know what subjects you took, whether you did Further Maths, and what kind of stats you applied with. It would really help me to get a sense of what worked for others!

Thanks

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 1

KUROYT

Original post by hepsc

I just wanted to get someone’s honest opinion about dropping further maths. I currently take Chemistry, Further Maths, Maths, and Economics at A-level and I’m on target for A*-A grades. I achieved eleven 9s at GCSE and have completed multiple work experiences and extracurriculars related to Economics. I’m also a senior prefect and an Economics subject prefect at school.
I’ve been considering dropping Further Maths as the workload is becoming quite overwhelming — especially since my school only offers it as a fourth subject and we only start doing the course in year 13. I’m worried that dropping it might put me at a disadvantage when applying to universities like Warwick and UCL for Economics, even though I’ve heard from several institutions (including Warwick, UCL, Bath, Bristol, Manchester, and KCL) that Further Maths isn’t required.
Given everything I’ve mentioned, do you think I’d still have a strong chance at getting into these unis without Further Maths? I’m not planning on applying to Oxbridge or LSE.
Also, if anyone is already studying Economics at Warwick or UCL, I’d love to know what subjects you took, whether you did Further Maths, and what kind of stats you applied with. It would really help me to get a sense of what worked for others!
Thanks

Hi! I got an offer to study econ at UCL this September. I’d say you need further maths. All these top unis that say “further math isn’t a requirement” are lying to you. In hindsight, it is. UCL is super competitive as it’s one of the top unis in the world so a subject like further math will put you at a good advantage to those who don’t and apply.

They mention on the website: For the UCL Economics BSc program, while not strictly a requirement, having completed Further Mathematics (A-level) is a highly preferred qualification and can improve your chances of admission.

Alternatively, if you really don’t wanna do further math A-level, you can get a grade at AS level (idk if your school offers that?) and drop it for A2.

There’s still a chance of you getting in without further math but your chances are a lot smaller with the percentage of successful candidates who didn’t take further math are less than 4% with the reasonings of their school not offering it.