Sociology or Lit?

For my a-levels i'm definitely taking History, Gov & Politics and Philosophy, and I want to do a History degree, however I can't decide whether to take Lit or Sociology. I know Lit is a stronger subject and i'm worried in case I won't be accepted into a really good university without it (because my only "strong" a-level would be History) but I think i'd both enjoy and do better in Sociology. I'm currently attaining a B in GCSE Lit and i've heard it's really difficult at a-level in comparison to a lot of other subjects.

Opinions? :-)

Reply 1

maleeha1

Definitely choose English Literature, Sociology is a pile of **** haha, but i think that's because my teachers are rubbish. Plus nothing is hard if you work for it. :biggrin:

Reply 2

GPH92

Sociology is what girls study who are too thick to do psychology.

babeez n singul parnt familys .......xx

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Oaktree

Original post by GPH92

Sociology is what girls study who are too thick to do psychology.

Bull shi** my Female friend does both at A Level and shes getting an A in Psychology and B in Sociology so...

Reply 4

maleeha1

Yeah, i'm doing psychology and sociology. I'm on an A for psychology and B/C for sociology. pft girls who are thick, have ya heard

Reply 5

Morganb804

Having done English Lit, Sociology and Gov+Pol (as well as History and English lang; achieving A's in all) I can tell you that Sociology does not deserve the negative rep it gets, its just a fairly new subject which naturally attracts skepticism (just as evolutionary biology did in the 19th Century). I found Sociology invaluable, for the concepts you learn (Marxism, Feminism, Post-Modernism, contemporary ideologies etc) exist within all my other subjects, particularly within the interpretation of historical events, and even English Literature (specifically literary theory at A2).
However, I would say Sociology and Gov+Pol are rather similar, so I would recommend you pick one or the other :smile:

Reply 6

JollyGreenAtheist

Lit is more traditional, and I certainly found it much more enjoyable, but the whole affair is subjective.

The standard of essay required in Lit is x5 higher than sociology, but I would argue that Socio is slightly more relevant to history than Lit is.

Reply 7

whatsername2009

It's a fourth A-level and I'd say your other subjects are strong, so just pick whichever you think you'll enjoy more and get the better grade in. I can't tell you anything about Sociology because it wasn't offered at my school, but A-level English Lit is substantially more difficult than GCSE. Have you looked at the course content for both? If not, it may help you decide. Also, compare how you'll be assessed for each subject, e.g. how much of your mark depends on coursework and the structure of the exams. I did AQA English Lit A, which was completely different from GCSE - the emphasis was on close reading of unseen extracts, which some people enjoyed but others really struggled with. If possible, talk to the A-level teachers for both subjects and get as much information as possible before you decide. Good luck!

Reply 8

Soph(:

I took both sociology and English lit but dropped english lit after AS as I found I am never really going to need to analyise poems in my future but if I want to work with people Sociology will look good. I'd take Sociology because it's interesting although saying that I did like English but not enough to take for A2. Also I got a B for GCSE and ended up with a 'C' which you can't really do much

Reply 9

Amyyyy:)

Hi,
I'm currently at A2 Level and do History, RS and Sociology. I did Lit at AS Level then dropped it. I think Sociology ties in well with History, particularly the teachings of Marx etc. And I'm wanting to do History at Uni, and Sociology in no way hindered this as I still got offered places at Unis such as Leeds uni and Manchester uni. I never even knew what Sociology was but now I'm in such a good position, and absolutely love learning about it.
Hope this helps, Amy :smile:

Reply 10

turkishdisco

Sociology is really fascinating, lots to get your teeth into, but I'd go with Lit.

Reply 11

username826246

I've literally had the same battle OP! I was torn between the credibility/'strength' of Lit, and the enjoyability of Sociology. I chose Socio in the end as I figured I'd do better in a subject I'd actually enjoy! Lets hope it pays off when I start sixth form in September :rolleyes:

OP, if your heart's really not in it, then don't take Lit; you have 3 other 'strong' subjects, so as your fourth, do what you'll enjoy! :biggrin:

Reply 12

alexsasg

Sociology really isn't terrible reputation-wise, despite what you may hear! It's a good subject and it's only because it's more 'new' that is has many sceptics. If it was such a rubbish subject, it wouldn't be offered at LSE or even Cambridge/Oxford. (and before anyone says anything, it is offered at Oxford - as a postgrad course).

If you enjoy Sociology more, then do that. It ties in nicely with Govt & Politics. I do Sociology at the moment and I wish I'd done Politics too as they would have gone so well together.

Reply 13

Heidi_27

I've heard eng LIT is really hard, from my close friends... I personally would pick sociology because that type of thing interests me more and it is meant to be easier than english literature.

Because eng lit is so hard you need to be really passionate about it in order to do well, which I dont think many people are... Ignore what people say about sociology, just because someone takes it doesn't mean they're dumb, psychology and sociology are very different. You really want to make sure you dont pick too many hard subjects and stress yourself out though

Reply 14

noodlepies

I do English Lit, Sociology and Psychology. Sociology doesn't really deserve the reputation it gets, the things you learn are truly invaluable to how you view your life and people around you. That said, whilst it would definitely compliment your other subjects you may get a bit bored of it all and English Lit may make a nice change from that. English Lit isn't too hard as long as you read a lot and you are capable of making lots of quality connections in texts (and can then showcase these in an essay). So, it may be that you will be sick of writing due to your History A level and so don''t want to be writing loads of English essays. To be honest, go with what you think you will enjoy!

Reply 15

Heidi_27

Original post by rachb708

A lot of my friends who got A in GCSE Lit are finding AS lit really difficult now and often barely scratch a C, I think it depends if it really fascinates you, it doesnt interest me much really and so I opted for english language... I personally would say sociology as its enjoyable and possible to do well in. But I see your point about having strong subjects... if you have really looked into Lit and feel its something your passionate about i'd say go for it but if not maybe steer clear ! x