Does DS have a chance to get into a top uni for economics?

[StressedaboutUni]

My DS is aiming to read economics at a target uni (LSE, Cambridge, UCL, Warwick, Imperial). He got very good GCSEs (9 grade 9's) and straight A's at AS level this year in his 4 subjects (there is no A star at AS).
However he will only be predicted 3 A stars and 1 A in Further Maths.

Does he have a chance to get into these Unis without straight A* predictions. He also goes to a superselective grammar so will these predictions look even worse compared to everyone else? Should he apply to a much less competitive Uni?

Also does he need to declare individual marks in the AS grades as some of the actual marks are not very high.

Thanks in advance.

Yes, with 3xAstar+1A predictions he should consider applying only to RG unis.

Why are you framing it as "only 3a*" ?!!
He cannot get higher than that
Which uni asks for more than 3a* ?
None

Look them up Sussex is AAB but Warwick AAA*

they are all easy to access online
3A* is more than enough for Warwick?

I don’t understand your post he got straight level 9 at GCSEs, and straight A as top grade for AS (internal or external isn’t clear for your post) and predicted 3 A* and an A?

he can apply for any university ??

but PPE is different for each uni - some unis will not accept critical thinking or general studies

@cestlavielife As in I have heard of Cambridge specifying an A star in Further Maths in their offer even if officially it is not required so if DS is not predicted that then I wonder if it is worth applying, especially as Uni is getting really competitive now.

@cestlavielife
i agree - especially as not that many students even take 4 A’levels anymore ,,?

@StressedaboutUni sounds like your DS has an excellent chance of getting into one of those unis

Both my children read Engineering at RG universities and their offers were the standard 2 x A and 1A. Only a few universities would ask for 3 x A and none for more.

The grades are less important than their passion and talent- some of those Unis will require admission tests and interviews.

Sorry that was 2 x A and 1 A. And 3 x A ....

@Hopeandlove I have just been hearing horror stories of people not getting any offers this year despite all A star predictions. Just a few days ago there was a story in the Times about a young Lady who created an educational app and is working with IBM and got no offers despite having 3 A star predictions.

Cambridge does specify an A-star in FM for a few subjects (maths, engineering... not sure about any others) - I didn't think economics was one of them though.

No OP he’s going to fail at life and will be lucky to get a job stacking shelves

Make sure he’s got one safe choice but on the face of it he’s got the academic profile to get an offer. As long as he’s doing appropriate reading etc there’s nothing more he can do

If he's worried about not getting any offers (or not making the grades) then he should do what most sensible students do - don't choose all 5 at the same highest entry level.

If your DS isn't sure if it's worth applying to some of these unis because of the FM prediction being an A (despite afaik nowhere except Cambridge making 4 a level offers or stipulating FM within a 3A* offer out of 4 A levels) then he should contact the admissions tutors. Their contact details are generally easy to find on the websites.

His grades are fine for a top Uni. However, he’s picked the top ones only and should consider an insurance choice a bit lower down like Durham or Nottingham in case he stumbles at the end and ends up with lower grades. Do you know that 80% of predicted grades are wrong? And most of them are overestimated rather than underestimated.

The horror stories are true because getting the grades is just the first hurdle, for Cambridge only 1 in 10 with the grades get offers. There’s also the entrance exam(s) which further winnow out what on paper appear to be fantastic applicants. So it’s basically a long shot for even the best students because it’s so competitive.

Re Cambridge in particular- what does he have to support his application other than his exam grades - does he do things beyond the curriculum which demonstrate his engagement with the subject?

@StressedaboutUni He has entered a few essay comeptitions but has not won any of them and he does run the school's economics magazine. He has done an EPQ on an economics related topic. This is all mentioned in depth in his PS, though we are concerned he will not stand out due to having not won anything.

Well if he does not apply
He certaunly wont get an offer
He has five ucas choices
Oxbridge
3 other topunis
One insurance

Sure to get in one of them

You can be top scoring and not get oxbridge offer it wont be because of that fm a but other factors

And if all goes wtong eg illness he can take a year more and apply later

Go for a set of five decent unis
Go with
Apply and do your best
Get any interview prep
It wont be end of world if he ends up at non Rg or

takes degree apprenticeship instead

Passionate about the epq subject
Will be worth lot more
Than winning essay competition
But you need to not be stressed
It s competitive
He may get knocked back
But he has a fantastic chance for great uni offer
Change your username to
"Excitedaboutselectingunistoapplyforasds ispredicted3a" "cannot waittoseehow ds gets on he preducted 3a " "so pleased for ds as we choose unis to apply for with 3a* predicted he is on a good starting place"
Encourage him to apply to where he likes with a decent insurznce abb offer place
Believe in him and his passion for the subject
Dont make not winning x or y the be all and end all
He didnt win thatbut he does xxxx or yyyyy and is predicted 3a*
Look at it positively
Dont stress

@cestlavielife yep I think you are right! I will encourage DS to put a slightly lower ranked uni as insurance and just go with the flow.

If he likes the course ( really important to check out the course content as they will differ from place to place ) and the vibe of the Universities mentioned then it would be worth applying. As others have said apply to a range so not all requiring top grades but include some mid range as well making sure they like those choices too so the back up is exciting in some way.

Maybe encourage him to expand from that list of five by thinking about what sort of places he'd like to live. Cambridge and Warwick are probably each rather different from the London ones.

LSE standard offer is AAA. It's competitive to get in and they are more interested in your personal statement which need to demonstrate your wider reading etc.

My dd is there.

Ditto - based on me being an alumni

Three As required but they seemed to care a lot more about personal statements

The thing is that there are so many people with predicted top grades who don’t get into the university of their choice.
My friend is a teacher and said that many of their top students received four or five rejections .

Despite his academic excellence, your DS needs to drop one of that 5.

DS friend had all 8s and 9s at GCSE, predicted straight A*s ( and just achieved them) and got rejected by Cambridge (after interview) , UCL and one of those others. His only acceptance for a long time was York. Leeds rejected him. Just before deadlines, he got an offer from Warwick. This is not an unusual story.

For some reason, economics has really soared in popularity in the last 5 years and is becoming one of the most difficult subjects to gain a university place for high fliers. I suspect the unis are a bit disingenuous about entry requirements. Most of them don't state a requirement at all to do FM , for example, but that then is perceived to be a reason for rejection. I wish they'd be more transparent.

In your DS's case he has a string of excellent results and predictions, and FM, so he stands a better chance than many. But it would be foolish to risk chances of a university place by stuffing all 5 options with enormously competitive choices.

The massive grade inflation hasn't helped... it gets much harder to differentiate amongst the huge numbers of A stars..!

So yes, a demonstrable passion for the subject, a convincing interview and/or entrance test are increasingly important.