I am a junior with 5 5’s under my belt (Bio, Lang, USH, Comp Sci, Latin), but I messed up last year and got a 3 on WH ( I had a high fever) as well as a 4 in micro and macroeconomics ( I had random subs all year sophomore year and got a 2 and 3 originally). I really wanted to apply to LSE for Philosophy and Economics but will the scores kill me? I’m also taking 5 AP classes senior year and I can retake the econ tests again. Do I have to report these scores on UCAS?
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Yes, you have to report all scores on UCAS. Mention that you’re retaking the econ APs, and get your academic reference to explain your poor score in WH was due to illness.
Are you taking Calc BC AP next year? That would be advisable for econ at LSE.
Yes I am @Conformist1688 thanks for ur help
Are you saying you took micro/macro econ as a sophomore and got:
Grade 10- 2/3
Grade 11- 4/4
Grade 12- plan to take a third time?
Yeah @VickiSoCal should I just give up it this point?
You have to report all those scores. I’m just a little unsure PPE is the right course for you if it takes 3 tries to get the needed scores…
Yeah I know… it sucks because if I picked a course in something STEM related or something I wouldn’t have such a bad track record but I really want to study philosophy and econ. @VickiSoCal. Is it almost impossible to switch courses?
Well, here’s a question:
Why are you focused on PPE at LSE?
Here’s a list of schools that offer PPE:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy,_Politics_and_Economics
Plenty of American ones, and most of those admit holistically and don’t care what you will major in.
I wanted to originally pursue only philosophy at LSE because I really liked the program (and I still don’t want to do politics), but I heard the program was even harder to get into than Philosophy and econ (not as hard as PPE at LSE though). @PurpleTitan
You should apply to study what you really want to study, not the program that might be easier to get into. You also do not have calc at AP level, which is desirable/required for econ courses.
OK, but there are other schools than LSE in the world. So why fixate on LSE? And most American ones are very flexible about letting you decide on/switch between majors and double-majoring.
@distressedloser1 I pulled up Phil & Econ at LSE and there are quite a few econ courses. Also, LSE does not include any of the liberal arts courses so you spend your years only studying the predefined courses.
http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Undergraduate/Degree-programmes-2018/BSc-Philosophy-and-Economics
I’m applying to American schools for the same subject. I just wanted to know if I had a chance at LSE (it’s not my top choice or one of the only schools I’m applying to) before going through with writing a personal statement or anything @PurpleTitan
Yep, you only study what you sign up for at English unis and you don’t typically get allowed to switch. Stylistically, the education is also different, with more of your total grade coming down to a few big papers/tests.
I know US students whose admission conditions were tougher for LSE than for Oxbridge.
Fwiw, anecdotally, most of the people that I know who have gone to undergrad at LSE came away feeling that LSE is better for grad than undergrad. Look at Oxford, Birmingham, Durham, StA’s & Exeter (all strong in philosophy & a great undergrad experience).
I had an offer from LSE (International Relations) but turned it down knowing I would lose it; what @collegemom3717 says is true, they were adamant on me receiving 5’s on all of my AP exams my senior year and I knew I wouldn’t get a 5 on Calc BC (which is a little odd considering Calc BC is relatively unrelated to Int’l Relations?) when Cam only wanted 5’s on Lit and Gov for HSPS.
If you truly love the LSE course then you could try taking the exams again, making sure your extra-curricular activities involve your subjects of interest, and that you pursue your subject in outside reading (i.e books, news articles, newspapers). Doing this would make a strong foundation for your personal statement and help your application.
If you were going to try taking the AP tests again your senior year, you wouldn’t have the scores in time for your application - AP exams are May, your application will already have been submitted before that. The best you could do is have your recommender “predict” your micro/macro AP scores as 5’s when you apply, but LSE and other uni’s might see a lack of 5’s in econ or math as a red flag. Students will be dedicating 3 years to the study of their subjects, and universities do their best to ensure that the course is the right fit for the applicant.
I think it’s always worth a shot to apply if it’s your dream, but do consider other universities and courses. You might find one that’s an even better fit!