[California1970]

Next year, I plan to study: history // business (or i.t) & moving image art (animation). What courses could I study at university?

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Sony Tablet S

[MeGusta]

You can study any course you want at university...the A levels you do don't restrict you to follow a certain path.

[aWildPidgey]

(Original post by MeGusta)
You can study any course you want at university...the A levels you do don't restrict you to follow a certain path.

...They do exactly that... With those choices you are seriously restricting what you can do at uni. For example, you can't really do any science at all.

[MeGusta]

(Original post by aWildPidgey)
...They do exactly that... With those choices you are seriously restricting what you can do at uni. For example, you can't really do any science at all.

Universities are not going penalise you just because you want to do something different to what your studying...the OP can do anything he wants provided the grades meet the requirements.

[Historophilia]

As had been said before by taking very targeted A levels (ie business or IT and animation) you rule out most traditional academic subjects.

So no sciences or economics (you would need maths for that or at least economics A level) and you probably wouldn't be able to do history either. Since History is a very academic and over subscribed subjects most universities wouldn't be too impressed at your other A levels.

Computer science course would also be out (due to lack of maths).

So you could study Business and some IT and computer related courses (you'd have to look at entry requirements) but not much else.

My advice is that you take some more traditional and flexible subjects. Keep History definitely and replace Business with either Economics or Maths or do both. And replace animation with maybe Fine Art?

Overall I suggest the following subjects to give you more flexibility and academic credibility while also fitting to your interests.

History
Economics
Maths
Fine Art/IT (it'd be fine as a 4th subject)

Those subjects would allow you to do a whole range of good courses: History, Law, Politics and related courses, Economics, Business, Computer Science and other computer courses etc.

And I'm not sure if you are choosing your AS levels now or if this is what you're choosing to carry on with to A2 (in which case your choices are already made so my points will be largely irrelevant) but if you are choosing AS's I highly recommend you take 4 not 3 as many Universities require a 4th AS.

[Historophilia]

(Original post by MeGusta)
Universities are not going penalise you just because you want to do something different to what your studying...the OP can do anything he wants provided the grades meet the requirements.

Sorry to say that isn't true. Universities will want to see certain subjects for certain courses to ensure they have the level of knowledge and skills that course requires.

That isn't being "penalised", it means that if he doesn't have the required subjects then he is under-qualified for that course.

[MeGusta]

(Original post by Historophilia)
Sorry to say that isn't true. Universities will want to see certain subjects for certain courses to ensure they have the level of knowledge and skills that course requires.

That isn't being "penalised", it means that if he doesn't have the required subjects then he is under-qualified for that course.

Ok, sorry, I take back what I said in my original post.

[BeansAndCheese]

are you only doing 2 a levels? if so then you can't do very much at uni, if anything at all

[aWildPidgey]

(Original post by MeGusta)
Universities are not going penalise you just because you want to do something different to what your studying...the OP can do anything he wants provided the grades meet the requirements.

It's not just grades that are important! The subjects that you do determine if you can actually apply for certain courses! You can't do a physics degree without Maths and physics, or a biology degree without bio/chem, or a French degree without French!!!

You could get A*A*A*, but if you don't do the required subjects for a given degree, you can't do it.

[BeansAndCheese]

(Original post by Historophilia)
As had been said before by taking very targeted A levels (ie business or IT and animation) you rule out most traditional academic subjects.

So no sciences or economics (you would need maths for that or at least economics A level) and you probably wouldn't be able to do history either. Since History is a very academic and over subscribed subjects most universities wouldn't be too impressed at your other A levels.

Computer science course would also be out (due to lack of maths).

So you could study Business and some IT and computer related courses (you'd have to look at entry requirements) but not much else.

My advice is that you take some more traditional and flexible subjects. Keep History definitely and replace Business with either Economics or Maths or do both. And replace animation with maybe Fine Art?

Overall I suggest the following subjects to give you more flexibility and academic credibility while also fitting to your interests.

History
Economics
Maths
Fine Art/IT (it'd be fine as a 4th subject)

Those subjects would allow you to do a whole range of good courses: History, Law, Politics and related courses, Economics, Business, Computer Science and other computer courses etc.

And I'm not sure if you are choosing your AS levels now or if this is what you're choosing to carry on with to A2 (in which case your choices are already made so my points will be largely irrelevant) but if you are choosing AS's I highly recommend you take 4 not 3 as many Universities require a 4th AS.

that subject combo is baddass, but consider doing a language as many universities will like a language (at least to AS) as many of them see it as a good part of a rounded education and may alow you to learn a completely new language at uni alongside your course

[Historophilia]

(Original post by MeGusta)
Ok, sorry, I take back what I said in my original post.

That's ok you don't need to apologise! To a certain extent you have a point, there are lots of courses that don't require specific A levels to study them.

However there will be A levels that will be more suited towards them and if you can't take the subject you would want to study at University (ie. you want to do Politics at Uni but your school doesn't offer it) then doing the next closest thing to it (which would be History or perhaps Economics in this example) will make your life a lot easier and up your chances.

And more "flexible" and "traditional" A levels will open up more options that very specific ones such as the kind the OP has chosen. Animation is very specific but doing Maths would still allow you to take IT courses like animation but would also let you do a whole range of other subjects which having Animation A level would restrict you from.

[Historophilia]

(Original post by BeansAndCheese)
that subject combo is baddass, but consider doing a language as many universities will like a language (at least to AS) as many of them see it as a good part of a rounded education and may alow you to learn a completely new language at uni alongside your course

Thanks

Having a language is very useful but not everyone has the aptitude for them. I don't and was severely put off languages by the way they are taught in schools.

However that doesn't mean you can't take up a language later on, in my course which I will be starting this autumn I'm going to be taking the option to learn Russian from scratch!

[Joinedup]

Check the informed choices leaflet on the russell group website for advice on selecting a levels. Tbh those a levels mentiones are going to be rather restricting.

[California1970]

I dont want to study any sciences anyway? As for computer science, I CAN study it without a-level maths! both my brothers have completed their degree in computer science of which none of them have studied a-level math. One of them has just finished his final year and is awaiting his results, btw he only attained two C's and a B at a-level!

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Sony Tablet S

[Historophilia]

(Original post by California1970)
I dont want to study any sciences anyway? As for computer science, I CAN study it without a-level maths! both my brothers have completed their degree in computer science of which none of them have studied a-level math. One of them has just finished his final year and is awaiting his results, btw he only attained two C's and a B at a-level!

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my Sony Tablet S

Yes no offence but where did the study it? Particularly with only two C's and a B.

Please don't take me for a snob but the best Computer Science courses require maths and even further maths.

IT is getting to be a much more competitive field these days (if that's what you want to go into) so there's more scrutiny of degree courses. These days you can't get a job in IT just with any Computer Science degree, the people doing the recruiting for IT these days know which courses are good. And some they regard as little more than glorified IT A level courses, despite the label of "computer science"

You say you don't want to study sciences, but proper computer science courses ARE a branch of science. It's a lot of maths and physics.

But the point everyone is making is that since you are clearly not sure what you want to do at University your A level choices are heavily restricting. You might change your mind later about doing computing related courses but if you only have what you've chosen now then you could have shut a lot of doors for yourself.