News
Traditional A’levels preferred by top universities
- 04th February 2011
Students opting for ‘soft’ A’levels are damaging their chances of an undergraduate place at a top UK university, according to guidance issued this week.
According to the Russell Group of so-called redbrick universities, the top institutions have officially said they favour students who had studied traditional subjects at A’level such as science and maths, classics and modern languages over the more modern subjects such as media and business studies.
The guide, produced in partnership with the Institute of Career Guidance, suggests that without studying traditional subjects, many degrees at the most competitive universities will not be open to them. And it sounds a note of caution for students planning to study a so-called ‘soft’ subject. Most of the 61 undergraduate courses in the guidance state that maths and/or science would be useful, if not an actual requirement, to win a place.
The guidance comes just months after the universities minister, David Willetts, called for greater transparency from universities for students.
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