GCSE options / is Business Studies viewed as a 'soft' / easy subject or well respected these days?

boys

It is interesting isn't it

Ds is taking two "what I call soft subjects", BS and citizenship

I wish he had taken triple science, he just didn't want to. And he had no interest in IT or a language which were the only two other vaguely academic subjects offered ( I am excluding music and drama because I think you should have a vague talent/desire)

I think part of the trouble is that not all schools offer the same subjects or the same amount if GCSEs, I look at threads where children are taking 12 plus subjects and look a bit [shocked]

Genuinely, though, for the vast majority of universities- to the extent they look at GCSEs at all- they look at grades achieved over subjects taken, and I think it is disingenuous to suggest that one softer subject at GCSE with a high grade in it will have any impact at all on someone's university application.

Not taking certain GCSEs can obviously close certain doors, but taking one, especially as one of 10 or 11 subjects is very unlikely to.

Realistically, most students who will chose 10 GCSE options this year will probably have room for maybe 2 softer subjects at a push. Also, a student is far more likely to not have a shot at a top university based on grades achieved rather than subjects taken at GCSE level.

As I understand it, a lot of universities (even Russel Group universities) just aren't that interested in the GCSEs you've taken.

It's silly to talk about facilitating subjects at GCSE, and it's worth remembering that lots of applicants get into top universities, having NOT taken 3 facilitating subjects at A-level. Unless it's written on the university or UCAS website, it's not a hard entry requirement, and shouldn't be treated as such.

cricket I am involved in Oxbridge admissions.

And of course a GCSE in Business Studies is not fatal, providing it is accompanied by plenty of academically rigorous GCSEs. But that does not mean that anyone rates it, or that it won't prove fatal if in tandem with other soft subjects.

My view is this. If a student has a burning desire to do it for GCSE, then why not? Ditto Law or Dance or Food Tech... But it is utterly wrong to lie about the academic value of such qualifications.

I never said music gcse was a soft option. Nor art. There's no snobbery: the op asked for honesty. A gcse is a gcse - they're all hard work but they're not all equally regarded or equally useful when it comes to a level preparation or university entrance.

It isn't as respected as Economics at either A level or GCSE. It is waffley in comparison to Economics. Our students do not suffer when they start Economics having done neither at GCSE. I'd go for the Ebacc subjects in general - they're good wide ranging subjects.
The rightness or wrongness of the perception is somewhat irrelevant to the question. The point is that IS perceived to be soft.

All of which are covered from scratch in professional exams.

It would be relevant to my area of work; budgeting, forecasting, basic economics? All good.

Massa - honestly, not really.

For the courses done at my kids schools? Yes. I also know kids studying it. Nobody is going to reject someone with a great grade for business studies GCSE because they did business studies GCSE. But it opens no doors. If it's a choice between e.g. business studies and history or business studies and computing, then history or computing will be more useful and more respected. doing business studies won't taint you. But it won't help, either. It just won't.

DS just got an Ain BS and is now doing economics for A level which I think is a natural progression. He is interested in the world of business and with 9 traditional subjects, yes BS was an easy extra A, but he found it interesting and certainly about practical real life issues.

TheFirst Classical Civilisation is very well regarded at GCSE and at A level and for some university courses it is a preferred A level. DS is doing it a A level and it loves it. He is considering doing something classics based at uni or maybe history, so CC is a useful adjunct to straight history at A level.

GCSE subjects don't matter (unless they restrict your A level choices. Ie don't do maths, English, science, art and DT and expect to do physics, french and history for A level).

With regards to A level your subject choices are restricting. That is not snobbery, it is fact.

Google the Russell Group 'informed choices' publication, it is very... informative.

Oxbridge might not teach Business Studies, but they accept the qualifications (including BTEC Level 2)

I can see Business Studies being pretty useful for any graduate. It might not get them on the course, or get them a job after graduation, but once they're working it would come into its own.

Rabbit have you read the specifications?

Oxbridge don't teach business studies. I, on the other hand, have taught on MBA courses at a RG university, and on professional exam courses, and I am tangentially involved in recruitment policy for an international professional services network (and also for the profession itself). But if you don't want to believe me then that's fine. No skin off my nose.

Word Business Studies is of value, is relevant and is worth studying (unless you know better than Oxbridge admissions?) Every GCSE is worth studying if the student wants to complete the course.

Agree wholeheartedly with Molly regarding the snobbery shown not only on this thread but I find on MN in general regarding qualifications

It might be hard to think of a course that might need it, but having looked at the syllabus I can see how useful it could be in the workplace, particularly for a young person who hasn't had the chance to pick up basic finance skills on the job.

DS1 is doing Classical Civilisation GCSE for no other reason than that he enjoys it. It is not going to be listed as an entry requirement for any A-levels or university courses.

It is probably considered a 'soft option' but is actually moderately rigorous, especially the paper on The Odyssey.

He is doing plenty of 'well-regarded' subjects: Maths, English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, German, History & Latin. So I think it is completely appropriate for him to have one subject that he is studying just because he likes it and finds it interesting.

A useful rule of thumb would be - if you don't need an A level to study a degree with the same name (e.g. economics, business studies, law, psychology) then it probably is soft. It may be difficult, but that's a different issue. Many people studying maths at A level find it blissfully easy, that doesn't stop it being regarded as a 'non soft' A level.

BS A level is considered a very soft subject. You can argue about the rights and wrongs of that (and other subjects too, I'm personally stunned that Computing is considered soft. It was the harder than my "facilitating" subjects [english and history]) until the cows come home but it will not change the fact. Please don't mislead your children.

I'm not being an education snob, I'm being a business snob. BS GCSE is not worth studying, not because it is not educationally rigorous but because it lacks worthwhile content. It's desperately superficial and would be regarded as irrelevant by anyone recruiting into a business related trainee programme.

Although 'facilitating subjects' describes A-levels, there is no doubt that some GCSEs are more useful than others in terms of meeting entry requirements for post-16 courses.

There is definitely a hierarchy of how essential each subject is. I see English and Maths as being at the top, because they are needed for so many courses. GCSE Business Studies is much less useful from that point of view; it's hard to think of a course that would require it.

The reason for doing GCSE Business Studies would be because he finds the content interesting, not because it will increase the post-16 options available to him.

Milly art, drama and music are all well worth studying at GCSE and considered perfectly solid.

Business Studies just isn't.

And there's no point trying to pretend to DC that is has equivalent value. Well you can tell them that, but you'd be doing them no favours.

There are so many education snobs commenting on this! Business Studies, Art, Drama and Music are all very worthwhile subjects provided they are studied alongside the eBac subjects. Also, no school should restrict an able linguist to just one MFL GCSE. No wonder we struggle to get language graduates!