How is business studies GCSE viewed by good universities?

[homeanddry]

DD is currently choosing her GCSEs. She is academically able, particularly good at English and languages, and her ideal future career (at this stage) is in writing/journalism. She is aiming for Oxbridge/RG for university.

As well as all the usual, she is considering business studies GCSE. I'm not sure about it - would she be better off doing computing/ICT/RE/music instead? Or something else?

If she has 9 good GCSEs at good grades and one fun subject it wont matter.

Indeed its her A levels that matter really much more. GCSEs not that important as long as they are good grades and have all the traditional subjects covered in subjects.

To be honest going on what I learned last night, history would certainly seem to be a softer more "fun" option than business studies!

I did business studies at GCSE and A level back in the mid 90s and then read law at Newcastle Uni. I don't see it as any more of a soft option than RE or even geography or history.

RE is what they call now a "national expectation" subject. All students have to study it up until age 16. They have no opportunity to "choose" it.

I would say it's the kind of thing you can study later on as an adult.

Interesting range of opinions, thanks.

They're apparently having a Business Studies taster lesson on Monday. And I'm having a chat with her head of year this week, I'll see what he says.

Out of interest, what is considered the right number of GCSEs these days, for a bright pupil?

It says nothing in the prospectus that they take people with certain number of GCSEs. They are intelligent enough to work out that some schools won't offer more than a certain number of GCSEs. It might even help if you come from a 'bog standard' school as they are trying to encourage more children from those schools now.