A level choices, French or Further Maths

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berks_mum
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by berks_mum »

Dear all, thank you so much for your posts. This is really helpful. It is a great forum.

So, if the DCs take Physics, Chemistry, Maths and FM, do they drop FM/other subject at A2?

As I understand;

- dropping physics will close engineering/architecture options
- dropping chemistry will close bio-technology/bio-medical engineering options
- dropping further maths will close economics options

Do the DC's carry FM to A2? slightly confused.
mad?
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by mad? »

DC usually do the full A level, but check your school.
Not doing Physics does not close off architecture, but means she is relying on Maths, has no essay subject to rely on and will probably need a strong portfolio, is she talented in this area? Check the link ToadMum sent you. No FM will not close off Economics, she will just have to catch up in the 1st year, depending on the course, see my comments above. Also, consider joint hons (eg Economics and French).
mad?
Catseye
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by Catseye »

IMOH, FM is very useful for most STEM degrees for top-flight Unis. Other than that there is no advantage whatsoever doing 4 A levels . Economics does not need A level FM.

I cannot believe there are still schools routinely encouraging 4 A levels :shock:
Daogroupie
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by Daogroupie »

Economics at Uni does not even require Economics let alone FM.

There are lots of schools that do not offer Economics.

Having said that Economics is a very popular subject and keeps getting more and more popular.

So if she is interested it would be wise to get a bit more focused on it now. Perhaps starting watching some topical programmes. DG
berks_mum
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by berks_mum »

Dear all, thank you so much for your posts. This is going to need a good amount of research. DD and I agreed to look on various university websites to get some more clarity.

1. We looked on the LSE website for an economics undergraduate course. There are 17 options.
We looked at the first option - http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Under ... -Economics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems they really need FM for this course.
"Further Mathematics at A-level is also desirable, and is acceptable for entry in combination with Mathematics and one other A level. In these cases we would prefer that the third A-level should be an essay-based subject. It is acceptable to take Further Mathematics to AS-level only, in which case you will be required to achieve grade A. If you take four or more full A-levels, you will be expected to achieve A* A A (with A* in Mathematics), and a pass in the fourth A-level. We understand however that not everyone has the opportunity to follow a Further Mathematics programme, and you will not be disadvantaged because of this. Therefore it is helpful if you and/or your referees can indicate whether or not your school or college offers Further Mathematics classes.

In addition to Mathematics, we are looking for subject combinations which indicate that you possess both analytical and writing abilities. Subjects which appear as common post-16 choices are Economics; Physics; History; Chemistry; English and Government and Politics, of which Economics, History, English and Government and Politics are good indicators of writing ability.
Not sure if I fully understand which one of the 17 options is better from an employment perspective.
mad?
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Location: london

Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by mad? »

No, what LSE is saying is that FM is desirable at LSE for straight Economics, it is helpful for any Economics degree tbh, but not having studied it does not preclude your DD from successfully applying, albeit that if your school offer it and she has chosen not to do it they might be interested as to why. As for employability I think you are looking at this the wrong way round. What does she enjoy? What is she good at? An Economics degree studied in sufferance is a long haul of data and tedium. No degree is an easy ask for the uninterested and employability is dictated by SO much more than degree subject it is almost not worth referencing.
mad?
berks_mum
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by berks_mum »

mad? wrote:No, what LSE is saying is that FM is desirable at LSE for straight Economics, it is helpful for any Economics degree tbh, but not having studied it does not preclude your DD from successfully applying, albeit that if your school offer it and she has chosen not to do it they might be interested as to why. As for employability I think you are looking at this the wrong way round. What does she enjoy? What is she good at? An Economics degree studied in sufferance is a long haul of data and tedium. No degree is an easy ask for the uninterested and employability is dictated by SO much more than degree subject it is almost not worth referencing.
Thank you for your reply. Our school does offer FM though.

Employability is not the sole criteria but also a good one to look at. Many of us have to do something for living and other things for interest. If we can make a living out of what we are interested in then that is ideal. And we can only plan so much in life ...
Blitz
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by Blitz »

For the LSE economics degree, you must have taken Further Maths if your school offers it. If taking 4 A levels, your offer will be A* (Maths) A,A, E (FM)- if you get an A* in maths it is likely you will do better than an E in FM, but that is the usual offer. LSE generally want 3 A levels above grade A in addition to FM. So if you take 4 A levels inc FM, you could be rejected if you get A*, A, B, A (FM).

For LSE, grades are essential but the PS is seen as equally important and has to be written to match their course. Last year for Economics they received: Applications 2,649, made 543 offers and accepted an intake of 250.

No offers have been made yet for any course at LSE but a few rejections have been received (all with stellar grades)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... 1421539587" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
berks_mum
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by berks_mum »

Thank you for all the replies.

Just wanted to know which universities are good for the following subjects:

1. Architecture: UCL, Bath and ?

2. Economics: LSE, Warwick and ?

3. Engineering: Imperial and ?

I did try to google but barring the RG group, different websites will come up with a different list. For non-native parents, getting hang of the education system is slightly hard. Your help is much appreciated.
Tinkers
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Re: A level choices, French or Further Maths

Post by Tinkers »

Engineering degrees are accredited by the relevant institution (so IChemE, I MechE, etc), so they all need to provide a good offering so to speak.

Where’s ‘best’ depends on what type of engineering, how they teach and what else they offer. How much support they give when it comes to finding placements. At some unis, hardly any grads actually go into engineering jobs, others most do. Their links to industry can be important too. How many on the course? In your DDs case, the female to male ratio might be of interest. How many drop out? How do they assess?

There are loads of well respected unis for engineering. Imperial is only one. I didn’t even consider it at the time due to location.
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