13.22 Teenage CEO dreams?

"My oldest child is interested in a business career and will be taking O Level exams this year. What should they do to get into the best colleges?"

Many parents are asking themselves this excellent question! When someone messaged me a few days ago on LinkedIn to ask exactly this, my first thought was, "I'm so glad you asked now and not a year from now."

Athena Advises

What is so important about this moment? If your teenager is at this point in their schooling, they will soon need to decide which classes to choose for their final two years of pre-university schooling. If your teenager intends to apply to study economics or business at universities in the United Kingdom, the choice of subjects is absolutely critical.

This is true whether your teenager will enroll for A Levels, the International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement courses or any similar national curriculum. The information you need is not secret, but every year I am surprised--and not pleasantly--to learn that so many teenagers and their parents have not researched the entry requirements for their chosen course of study before settling on their A Level or equivalent classes.

The biggest surprise for business-bound students who wait until the point of application to research entry requirements is this: Economics is a quantitative course of study. That is why so many degree programs in economics in the UK require or prefer Further Maths, IB Maths Higher Level or the equivalent.

Yes, there are business degrees that accept less demanding maths courses. (US colleges are less specific about requirements, but wil be looking at your record with the same eye.) However, I would caution you to ask yourself very carefully about the level of career to which you aspire. Look at the sample career paths of graduates in economics versus business. You may be surprised.

Why should this matter to students who are three or more years away from finishing their college-prep studies? You need to start early to acquire the foundation you need to excel in advanced mathematics. It is extremely difficult to perform well in advanced mathematics, if you do not begin with a firm grasp of algebra. (If you must catch up, do not despair; but start a serious review program right now.)

So my most important advice to the father who asked is this: Go to www.ucas.com. Together with your teenager, look at the entry requirements for degree programs at representative UK universities. Make sure that your teenager prepares for and enrolls in any subjects that are required for the degree programs in question.

And start strengthening those maths skills today!

Dr. Marlena Corcoran

Founder and CEO

PS In case you missed this, I was recently interviewed on the podcast, "Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast"--and you can access the recording for free.

Click below to learn the one thing you absolutely must not tell an Ivy League admissions committee—and what to do instead!

​“How to Tell the Ivies Apart”​

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