A-Level Economics - any views?

[grumiosmum]

DS was supposed to do Maths A level, but didn't do well in his Further Maths GCSE. So he's thinking of doing Economics instead.

Anyone got any views on it? Other subjects are History, English & German AS.

I did an Economics degree a gazillion years ago & thought it was quite boring, but hoping the A-level syllabus is better?

DS is bright but lazy.

Fair enough if he is absolutely dead set on History. The thing is, so many 16 year olds change their minds, and let's face it, it's hard to know you'd want to do Economics at Uni before you've even started to study it at A Level. In the past, before schools and colleges got very tight on warning students about the need for maths for most Econ degrees, there were always aces students each year who did Econ without Maths - it was often their 4th subject in the days of AS and A2...then they found they loved it and wanted to carry it onto uni, but were frustrated by the lack of choices open to them due to their lack of maths. That's why schools push the info now, as do thevRussel Group in their Informed Choices booklet where they point out which subjects have specific - Level entry requirements in many Unis - Economics often needing Maths is mentioned there.

Often the rather lazy boy who hasn't worked hard at school before, finds he is really grabbed by Economics - it seems real and I terestig and exciting, and even if it was never in the radar for further study before A Levels (and let's face it, most have nothing on their radar,mor if they do, it's only very loosely there or can change pretty easily) they suddenly find they want to carry it on. And yes, there will be places you can do it....but Op sounds like she might have aspirations for top notch Unis, and most will be closed to him without maths.

My nephew is doing economics at Nottingham uni and he didn't do A level maths. He had offers from Exeter, Manchester, Leeds and Cardiff (think it was Cardiff)

He's second year and very happy. He says it's a very interesting subject.

Thanks again for the advice everyone. The key thing is we don't want a place to read History at a top uni to be closed to DS because he only gets a B in Maths, when he maybe could have got an A in a different subject, such as Economics.

But as Wombat points out so many 16 year olds change their minds and who knows what he'll be thinking of in a year's time, when he needs to be making the actual applications.

I think he'd find Economics interesting too, he's not sure. At the end of the day it will be DS's decision, not ours or the school's (which is supportive whatever he chooses).

I would be a bit more radical and suggest he does History and German at university. Universities are crying out for students in German and this combination will help him get in for History. The universities want to fill their MFL courses. There is far less competition. The fourth subject won’t really matter. The huge advantage of this combination is the opportunity to study abroad in Y3 and you stand a very good chance of being accepted at a good university.

If he’s lazy, forget PPE. It just won’t happen without Maths. History and German is the way to go and I assume German is a known subject, unlike Economics.

DS did Maths, Further maths, economics, theology and politics at a'level (getting A*'s and A's, can't remember which subject for whic Intending to read PPE. He loathed Economics a'level, so much so that he ditched PPE because the idea of three more years of economics was not an option.

Is there a careers advisor who can assist him?

Hi, I don't often post but wanted to share my story regarding A'level Economics, albeit it was a while ago! In 1986 when I did my o'levels I got a D in maths ( I planned to do a reset in the November) I started 6th form college in the September and 'fancied' doing Economics A level (I didn't have an o'level in it as my school did not offer it) the Economics lecturer asked me my maths o'level grade, saying a D, he took a breath and said he wasn't sure I would cope. I told him I really wanted to do it, and he let me. First I had to resist my maths (I got a c) then I sat o' level Economics and got an A. In my Economics A'level mock I got a C. In my actual A'level exam I came out with an A. It really annoys me when schools/colleges the Govt or whoever stops pupils from sitting exams - you just never know.... but at least have the chance.

Hi op; I teach economics. I’d agree with all the posters; A level Maths for Economic degrees not needed for A level Eco. I pitch my subject as marmite to the students; if he’s interested in the news/current affairs/ likes debating and thinking about world issues it’s amazing; if not then not so much so.

I remember the politics pitch to DD that mentioned debating - little time to do it in reality!

Doing Maths will open a lot more doors than Economics, even if the final goal is a Social Science degree. If it is just a case of picking an A level with the best chance of getting an A I'm not convinced Economics without any other Maths / Science interest would be it.

@BubblesBuddy is it the case that it is easier to get into a French degree course as well. I have been told to discourage Ds from doing French A level because it is very hard for a non native speaker to get a top grade as so many native speakers take it as a easier option.

The top grades are not easy but many who take MFL are not native speakers. If your DS is good at French, why dismiss it because of what others do? Some children are the offspring of Cambridge mathematicians but thstveoukdnt our uou off Maths if they turned out to have an advantage. The native speakers do have an advantage but he probably wouldn’t need an A to get into any competitive university. Most offers are A for MFL. There are plenty of courses to go round! They wouldn’t get people on the courses if universities asked for A in a MFL.

I do believe adding a MFL gives you an edge but French and Spanish are popular. The reason I specifically mentioned MFL to the op is because it is German and the A level numbers have gone downhill sharply.

My DD did MFLs from 11/12 up to degree. The vast majority on the degree were not native speakers but a few were. However on her second language, loads were ab initio. In the world of employment, doing a degree in a subject you are partially already good at isn’t seen as particularly great. You haven’t extended yourself much. Doing it from scratch is far more impressive. Ditto the A level. If he enjoys French and is willing to get down to the hard yards with the vocabulary, I think he should do it. It does open more doors at university.

But this wouldn’t put you off Maths (ignore the rubbish).