University Application Advice Needed
Hey everyone. I’m applying for Economics courses this year, aiming to break high finance, preferably investment banking (BB/EB) eventually. My predicted grades are A* in DT, A in Maths, and A in Physics, and my current shortlist is:
- Bath, Economics (Placement Year) (A*AA)
- Bristol, Economics (A*AA)
- Leeds, Economics & Maths (A*AB)
- Nottingham, Industrial Economics (AAA)
I recently came across LSE’s Economics and Economic History (AAA) course, which doesn’t need an A* in math. However, they prefer an essay-based subject like history or geography alongside math, and they list DT as non-preferred.
- Is it worth applying to LSE with DT as one of my subjects, or is the non-preferred status a dealbreaker?
- Would studying a related course like Economics and Economic History at LSE/UCL be a better option for high finance than Economics at a semi-target like Nottingham or Leeds?
I’m trying to find the right balance between ambition and practicality. Any advice would be appreciated—especially if you’ve applied to LSE or know how they view non-preferred subjects.
1.If u wanna maximize ur chance for breaking into IB with A in maths then just apply to management in LSE, its less competitive in terms of admission compared to econs&econs history.
LSE management has some economics modules as well and I don't think the course matters that much at LSE. Pure econ history is also decent and the offer rate is much higher than econs&econ history.
If it's pure econs/econometrics/finance than it might have some halo effect but Ive seen LSE social anthropology graduates getting into BBs.
For UCL, if u want to study econs than apply to Econs & Biz with East European studies or BASc or HPE or Social science with Data science at UCL. Although these courses are less quantative compared to the pure econs course but you can select econ specialism/pathway in these courses.
Thanks for the advice. I was wondering, how would employers (especially in IB and high finance) view someone who takes a less econ-heavy course like Management, Econ & Business with East European Studies, or Social Science with Data Science over the more traditional, econ-heavy courses like Economics or Economics & Econometrics? Would the halo effect of LSE/UCL still carry enough weight to stand out against the hundreds of applicants with pure econ-focused degrees?
It depends on the firm/hiring managers but it shouldn't matter that much
UCL student here- with your predicted grades its gonna be tough getting into LSE- my course (HPE) is rammed with LSE econ +econ history rejects who all had 3-4 A* predicted , obviously you never know till you apply so worth a shot as your top choice.
Dont apply to Leeds if you’re gunning for high finance- would say its a non target. Better semi targets to choose from e.g Durham , maybe KCL. Also you can easily get into Notts and Leeds via clearing if it comes to that (notts were giving clearing offers for finance and accounting for like BBC so im sure industrial econ would be around the BBB-ABB range)
Bristol and Bath are really good options though- Bath placements are best in the UK and bristol econ places really well.
Basically If i were u id apply to LSE UCL Bath Bristol then one other semi target of your choice (maybe apply to notts for straight econ? ) up to you
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