econ but no further maths

hi, can someone give me some advice

context:
-want to do econ at uni, except oxbridge and lse (not my vibe and way too competitive)
-eleven 9s at GCSE
-doing chem, econ, maths, and further maths a-levels atm (predicted A*-A, except further maths we havent started the course and the predicted grade is based upon our maths grade)
-multiple extracurriculars related to economics including work experiences, school prefect and econ subject prefect
-on Pathways to banking and finance, LSE springboard and more
-EPQ based around economics

would dropping further maths affect my application/offer for universities such as warwick, ucl and other top unis. only dropping it as workload is overwhelming and i want to maximise grades in my other subjects

any advice is appreciated. thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Gravity0

Original post by hepsc

hi, can someone give me some advice
context:
-want to do econ at uni, except oxbridge and lse (not my vibe and way too competitive)
-eleven 9s at GCSE
-doing chem, econ, maths, and further maths a-levels atm (predicted A*-A, except further maths we havent started the course and the predicted grade is based upon our maths grade)
-multiple extracurriculars related to economics including work experiences, school prefect and econ subject prefect
-on Pathways to banking and finance, LSE springboard and more
-EPQ based around economics
would dropping further maths affect my application/offer for universities such as warwick, ucl and other top unis. only dropping it as workload is overwhelming and i want to maximise grades in my other subjects
any advice is appreciated. thanks :smile:

Definitely not, from what I’ve seen and heard just having maths is necessary. If you drop further maths and get a good grade in maths, instead of keeping further maths and doing only okay in both, you have a higher chance with uni offers.

If you need more specific information about which a levels are recommended, you can go onto the unis website and look for the courses. Also UCAS has a new feature that shows the average grades and subjects that some students took who now are doing the uni course.

Reply 2

hepsc

Thanks for your advice! I really appreciate it.
I’ll definitely look into the specific course requirements on university websites, but it’s reassuring to hear that as long as I do well in Maths, dropping Further Maths shouldn’t hurt my chances.
Thanks again for your input!

Reply 3

Gravity0

Original post by hepsc

No problem :smile:

Also remember that there is always your insurance choice for uni and clearing if you don’t get in (due to any shocks that make you perform lower than expected) so there is always another option!

Reply 4

ageshallnot

Original post by hepsc

hi, can someone give me some advice
context:
-want to do econ at uni, except oxbridge and lse (not my vibe and way too competitive)
-eleven 9s at GCSE
-doing chem, econ, maths, and further maths a-levels atm (predicted A*-A, except further maths we havent started the course and the predicted grade is based upon our maths grade)
-multiple extracurriculars related to economics including work experiences, school prefect and econ subject prefect
-on Pathways to banking and finance, LSE springboard and more
-EPQ based around economics
would dropping further maths affect my application/offer for universities such as warwick, ucl and other top unis. only dropping it as workload is overwhelming and i want to maximise grades in my other subjects
any advice is appreciated. thanks :smile:

Would studying FM help with your TMUA preparation?

Reply 5

hepsc

Yeah, I think FM could help with some TMUA skills like problem-solving and algebra, but at my school we do A-Level Maths at double speed in Year 12 to fit in Further Maths for Year 13. So I’ve technically finished the whole Maths course already, but I’m still struggling with some of the Year 2 content. It’s been really intense and means I barely have time for my other subjects unless there’s a test.

Also, we won’t have covered much of the Further Maths course by the time we sit the TMUA, so I’m not sure how helpful it’ll even be for that. That’s why I’m considering dropping FM and using the time to fully nail Maths and prep properly for TMUA instead — just trying to figure out if it’s worth the trade-off.

Reply 6

ageshallnot

Original post by hepsc

Yeah, I think FM could help with some TMUA skills like problem-solving and algebra, but at my school we do A-Level Maths at double speed in Year 12 to fit in Further Maths for Year 13. So I’ve technically finished the whole Maths course already, but I’m still struggling with some of the Year 2 content. It’s been really intense and means I barely have time for my other subjects unless there’s a test.
Also, we won’t have covered much of the Further Maths course by the time we sit the TMUA, so I’m not sure how helpful it’ll even be for that. That’s why I’m considering dropping FM and using the time to fully nail Maths and prep properly for TMUA instead — just trying to figure out if it’s worth the trade-off.

Fair enough. Go with that strategy.

Reply 7

hepsc

Thanks! Do you think dropping Further Maths and just focusing on getting a strong TMUA score + solid predicted grades is the good route for econ at uni (not oxbridge and LSE)?
Also, just curious — are you applying for Economics too or already studying it? Would be great to hear your experience either way :smile:

Reply 8

ageshallnot

Original post by hepsc

Assuming your addressing me...

Given that your focus is on UCL and Warwick, then yes.

The latter say they ignore a fourth A-level and that FM is treated the same as any other "strong" subject. They also only require an A in Maths, which is another indication that heavy duty maths isn't paramount. UCL are less expansive and don't even mention FM.

No, neither. My knowledge, such as it is, comes from many years on TSR and checking requirements pages!!! 😁

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 9

hepsc

Original post by ageshallnot

Assuming your addressing me...
Given that your focus is on UCL and Warwick, then yes.
The latter say they ignore a fourth A-level and that FM is treated the same as any other "strong" subject. They also only require an A in Maths, which is another indication that heavy duty maths isn't paramount. UCL are less expansive and don't even mention FM.
No, neither. My knowledge, such as it is, comes from many years on TSR and checking requirements pages!!! 😁

Ah got it haha — well your advice has been super helpful, so thank you! I think I’ll go ahead and focus on Maths + TMUA like you said, and just try to get my predicted grades as strong as possible.
Only thing is my teachers are really encouraging me not to drop FM, even though I’ve explained my situation a few times. I get where they’re coming from, but it’s frustrating when I feel like it’s not the best move for me. Any advice on how to handle that?

Reply 10

ageshallnot

Original post by hepsc

What reasons are they giving you for not dropping FM?

PS. Some universities prefer 3 A-levels at 1 sitting, but I can't see anything about that on Warwick or UCL.

(edited 2 weeks ago)

Reply 11

Gautham_

Original post by hepsc

hi, can someone give me some advice
context:
-want to do econ at uni, except oxbridge and lse (not my vibe and way too competitive)
-eleven 9s at GCSE
-doing chem, econ, maths, and further maths a-levels atm (predicted A*-A, except further maths we havent started the course and the predicted grade is based upon our maths grade)
-multiple extracurriculars related to economics including work experiences, school prefect and econ subject prefect
-on Pathways to banking and finance, LSE springboard and more
-EPQ based around economics
would dropping further maths affect my application/offer for universities such as warwick, ucl and other top unis. only dropping it as workload is overwhelming and i want to maximise grades in my other subjects
any advice is appreciated. thanks :smile:

I don't do fm and got 3.0 in tmua (pretty low) but still got warwick pure econ offer so honestly dropping fm shouldn't hinder ur chances of Warwick or ucl as long as u have strong predicted grades and/or good tmua score

Reply 12

hc.

Original post by ageshallnot

What reasons are they giving you for not dropping FM?
PS. Some universities prefer 3 A-levels at 1 sitting, but I can't see anything about that on Warwick or UCL.

they said that they really recommend not dropping it as it will be extremely beneficial for my application, and that i am a great student. however, i dont see the point in doing further maths, esp if the unis have stated they dont require it. i guess i will keep having to pester them to let me drop it atp lol

replying from my other account btw, couldnt log into my previous account for some reason. sorry for any confusion

(edited 2 weeks ago)

Reply 13

hc.

Original post by Gautham_

thank you for sharing this - it really is reassuring
also well done with the offer! hopefully your alevels go well as well 🤞

Reply 14

sophtsr

I think you should definitely consider dropping after checking thoroughly the entry requirements for where you want to go. I am not sure but I think UCL will be wanting an A*AA with an A* in maths .... and the Warwick will probably want A*A*A .....both want TMUA ....that is enough pressure. Warwick are very clear that FM is treated the same as other subjects and that only 30% of students have FM.UCL state that A* Maths will suffice.

Reply 15

hepsc

Thanks again to everyone for all your advice — it’s honestly helped me feel way less stressed about the whole thing! I think I’ve finally decided I’m gonna drop fm fully now… just gotta convince my teachers who are still really pushing for me to keep it 😅

Reply 16

BenRyan99

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by hepsc

hi, can someone give me some advice
context:
-want to do econ at uni, except oxbridge and lse (not my vibe and way too competitive)
-eleven 9s at GCSE
-doing chem, econ, maths, and further maths a-levels atm (predicted A*-A, except further maths we havent started the course and the predicted grade is based upon our maths grade)
-multiple extracurriculars related to economics including work experiences, school prefect and econ subject prefect
-on Pathways to banking and finance, LSE springboard and more
-EPQ based around economics
would dropping further maths affect my application/offer for universities such as warwick, ucl and other top unis. only dropping it as workload is overwhelming and i want to maximise grades in my other subjects
any advice is appreciated. thanks :smile:

Two minor points.on this:

1) just because a uni doesn't require FM for econ, it doesn't mean that they don't factor it in during the admissions process.
2) FM will be very useful when you're actually on courses like Warwick/UCL (assuming you get in). Many will have it, which may put you at a very modest disadvantage to begin with.

If you're mainly thinking about unis below Warwick/UCL, such as places like Bristol/North/Bath/Edinburgh/etc then further maths is pretty irrelevant in the admissions. UCL and Warwick don't require it, but they do prefer it.