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Business or economics A level for medicine?

Out of all the universities I am planning on applying to, none require maths/physics/ third science as a third A level alongside biology and chemistry.

I am sitting my business GCSE this year and perform well in the subject but don’t know if I should continue with it at A level or if something like economics will be more valued. I know maths/physics/ social science would be more optimal, but I doubt my maths physics ability to continue with either at A level; psychology also seems too heavy a workload alongside the recommended two sciences.

I know that I can get at least a grade 6 in maths so that I can apply for economics A level should it be more helpful for me than business.

All old forums i’ve seen on here and reddit say that the third option will not matter as long as the required biology chemistry and sufficient grades are met. Everybody i know who has recently entered or left university has said the same. Looking for insight as I plan to apply for A levels soon

Reply 1

Original post
by user33713469
Out of all the universities I am planning on applying to, none require maths/physics/ third science as a third A level alongside biology and chemistry.

I am sitting my business GCSE this year and perform well in the subject but don’t know if I should continue with it at A level or if something like economics will be more valued. I know maths/physics/ social science would be more optimal, but I doubt my maths physics ability to continue with either at A level; psychology also seems too heavy a workload alongside the recommended two sciences.

I know that I can get at least a grade 6 in maths so that I can apply for economics A level should it be more helpful for me than business.

All old forums i’ve seen on here and reddit say that the third option will not matter as long as the required biology chemistry and sufficient grades are met. Everybody i know who has recently entered or left university has said the same. Looking for insight as I plan to apply for A levels soon

What subject do you prefer or think that you can get a better grade in?

Reply 2

Original post
by FunPsychoStudent
Economics is considered a "hard" subject not in terms of difficulty but in that they're more rigorous and force you to develop more skills like complex problem solving while business is the "soft" counterpart. It's kind of an unspoken rule but if you're applying for more prestigious universities (and I mean really prestigious) go with economics because it will make you look like a stronger candidate all around but if you're not aspiring to Oxbridge level universities go with the one you think you'll perform better in and enjoy more

Universities have dropped the idea of strong/facilitating vs soft/non-facilitating subjects.

The exception would be if the university has a preferred list of subjects for a course or in general like LSE and UCL do for example.

Reply 3

Original post
by Talkative Toad
What subject do you prefer or think that you can get a better grade in?

I prefer business, but have no experience in economics; my maths skills aren’t bad though just not enough for A level maths alone. For business i’m projected an 8

Reply 4

Original post
by user33713469
I prefer business, but have no experience in economics; my maths skills aren’t bad though just not enough for A level maths alone. For business i’m projected an 8

If you prefer business, then do business. Check university websites (the ones that you’re interested in) to see if they have a list of preferred subjects but normally Chem+Bio+a 3rd subject is fine.

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/for-students/applying-to-medical-school/entry-requirements/?course_type=standard-entry-medicine (entry requirements for 2026 for example).

For A-level economics (I’m not sure about business), it’s usually based on the assumption that you haven’t done Economics before. I found that when I did A-level Economics, it was more of an essay based subject than a Maths one (obviously different if you study Economics at university but you’re not looking to do that).

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