Marketing Uni offers for Maths A level

[Neapolitanicecream]

Hi just wondered if mumsnet had some experience. DS wants to do marketing but has not had offers back, is regretting doing maths A level as not predict a top grade. DS now thinks he would have got offers if taken an easier A level subject and had top predictions. But rejected from top SW uni

Has he got four other choices he's waiting for though? How low is his grade prediction?

It’s a C prediction for maths. The offers are the same for his friends who did the arts/media subjects. So AAB, hence the regret at choosing maths.

Easier to whom? Why does he think that some subjects are 'easier' than others?

My DS has taken maths and further maths. I always felt further maths was a mistake and he will get a C I think. Try getting in through clearing as often you can speak to the course leaders at that stage and they can make a judgement

Unless it’s changed they used to stipulate what they wanted AAB in eg: A maths, A or B in either of the other subjects.
So for example all my A levels were creative arts based and I wanted to do a creative arts based degree and I was offered AAB, my friends doing science, maths and English were offered AAB too but they wouldn’t have been able to get on my degree course and vice versa.

@Obbydoo maybe easier to him!

Secondary school Maths teacher here. We often have pupils, or worse their parents, saying they want to do Maths A level because it is useful. I tell them it is only useful if you need it for your next step and if you are good at the subject. There is no point doing Maths and getting a low grade . Your son was badly advised by his school.

I think clearing is probably his best option now.

To add some nuance to @jeanne16 - a B or C in A-level Maths has more lasting value than A*s in many humanities/social sciences A-levels. The maths will pay off for decades, too, and is so much harder to just pick up later.

Marketing is increasingly data science - he will find a way in if he is determined. He doesn't need to do a marketing degree and there are conversion masters. Any good programme which combines both social/psychological insight (not necessarily a marketing-specific degree) and numeracy, topped up by free short courses in coding, would be a good route into the industry.

Remember that many universities oversell degree programmes that don't match people very well to the graduate job market. So those making the next step might find themselves hamstrung in the longer run.

Advice to your DS: don't have regrets. Redouble efforts, and think creatively about other routes in. None of us have any entitlement to a particular academic or career journey. Early obstacles teach us valuable lessons we would otherwise have to learn later when the stakes are higher. Careers are long and the Maths skills will endure long after he's forgotten his A-level scores and degree classification and long after recruiters have stopped caring about them.

Arts A levels are not easier. I mean if you are not strong at maths but you are at French, then French is probably a better choice. But certainly not easy.

C at maths is a good grade; has he got some offers? If not, clearing is a real option. Make sure you are ready on results day with info on possible clearing offers and unis; I did clearing with Dd two years ago and it was a tough day.

Possibly. In most cases maths is recognised as an asset but for the sorts of courses where they will specify wanting you to have it (does marketing ask for it?). So if it's a subject he has found harder than say, media studies for example, it may slightly hold him back to have chosen it where he might get a lower grade as a result. A lot of universities do respect maths as a subject choice though, and understand that a smaller pool of people obtain top grades in it than in some other subjects.

Can you get a tutor or anything to help him edge up and work like mad to try for a B then apply next year?

Following with interest.
DS1 has offers for a Geography degree of AAB. He's doing Geography, Business and Maths A level. The maths hasn been a real struggle, not helped by lockdowns and lack of face to face teaching. He's probably looking at a B or C but could go either way. Marks over the two years have ranged from A* to E!
I kind of wish he'd had chosen a different third A level, just to get the grade. It seems crazy his friend doing a Btec in sport and the same two other A levels doesn't seem to be having the same stress over the same uni place. And DS1 massively outperformed him at GCSE.

Did he apply for one or two courses typically asking for above his predicted grades, one/two on and one/two safe. If he only applied to those needing A* and A but was only predicted lower he was ill advised . With no offers could he try UCAS extra or wait until Clearing?

Arts A levels are not easier. I mean if you are not strong at maths but you are at French, then French is probably a better choice. But certainly not easy.

There are some subjects which more people are strong at than others. Meaning its harder to stand out in a sea of high grades. The grade distribution isnt fixed, meaning a lower proportion of students get top grades in some subjects.

Thankyou all for your comments yes it looks like we’ll be using clearing @MovingNorthards Thankyou. That was my experience of dealing with marketing dept that surely it is more data science driven so maths A level should be valued. But this is not born out in the uni application process. I wonder why the uni admin don’t see the added value skill of maths ? You have certainly given some supportive advice and I agree it’s About building a career and maths is harder to pickup later. I will share your post with DS thanks but think we will be looking at clearing

What grades did the courses he applied for ask for ABB? Did he not have any back up choices that were ABC instead?

@Neapolitanicecream yes, it's unfair - university places are increasingly allocated centrally rather than by academic lecturers making decisions for their departments. Often there is no specific subject requirement for generalist degrees, so A-level Maths is often/usually weighted equally with other subjects. I teach university subjects where numeracy makes a difference and really wish we could use our discretion or give A-level Maths more weight - I can really tell the difference and it's something employers want.

Maths A-level has recruited well in recent years. But the percentages dropping maths completely at 16 is far too high - it's an education policy failure not to have a widespread quantitative/numeracy qualification to bridge the 16-18 gap. The collapse in A-level modern languages is also suggestive that students have been shifting into safer bets just to clear the university admissions hurdle. It's a real shame.

Your son made a good, serious choice that will pay off in the long run. Ofc that will be small comfort right now - and his cohort have had a really rubbish A-level experience all round. Because university admissions are very competitive at the moment, he could do really well via Clearing - I hope so. We're cheering him on.

I wonder why the uni admin don’t see the added value skill of maths ?

Who's to say they haven't seen it? But they may have seen it from many others with higher predicted grades. The universities have a massive juggling act to do - with an end goal of a) having a full course for maximum fees and b) having the lowest possible drop out rate and c) having the highest possible number of graduates go into work at the end of the course.

Marketing is not a career that requires a marketing degree. Thinking outside the box a bit - do you know someone with their own business with a poor social media presence that he could improve for them as a project? Can he seek out a part time job at a local printing place and start designing leaflets, can he volunteer to support a local charity with their fundraising/marketing efforts? All of that is something that would be just as valued by a savvy recruiter in 3 times as someone with a marketing degree, if not more so.

My daughter needed AAB to get onto her Marketing with Business course. She got BBC but her chosen Uni offered her a foundation course to be followed by her degree course. She took this route, is graduating this summer and is due to start her MSc in a top US Uni in September. Although her A levels didn’t include Maths, I know she had to work really hard at the Maths element of her course. Not sure if any of this helps but just highlights that there are different ways to get where you want to be!