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A levels? What should I pick?

I'm really not sure which A levels to pick on enrollment day! Could anyone give me advice?

The subjects I currently doat GCSE are:
English
Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
History
Computing
Music
Religious Education

My current grades are all A*/A for every subject I do apart from music where I sit at around a B.
I like science but I find maths a struggle. In the future I am thinking of being a medical doctor but I am worried about being stressed and sleep deprived for most of my life, that is a thought which terrifies me. Is it even a good idea to be a doctor?

So I currently put down that I want to do for A level: Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Ancient History. I have now changed my mind and would rather do modern history than ancient history but I am not sure about the suitability of history if I want to be a doctor. Will I be accepted for a medical course at uni if I do history?
I could change it to maths instead of history but I have a feeling that doing this would make me unhappy.

So what should I do? I'm just really stressed right now and I need some advice. Are the sciences the hardest? Will I be in a constant state of struggle for two years with them? Am I making a big mistake?

Reply 1

usycool1

Original post by Avin101Agiggle

Your current grades are fine for Medicine - you can find a list of entry requirements here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15897-medical-school-gcse-requirements (some may be out of date though).

In terms of stress in Medicine - the only way that you can only really get an idea of if you think you like it is by trying to get some work experience in a medical environment.

So I currently put down that I want to do for A level: Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Ancient History. I have now changed my mind and would rather do modern history than ancient history but I am not sure about the suitability of history if I want to be a doctor. Will I be accepted for a medical course at uni if I do history?
I could change it to maths instead of history but I have a feeling that doing this would make me unhappy.

That's completely fine - you don't need Maths for Medicine and nor will it give you an advantage at most Med Schools. It seems sensible not to do it if you think doing Maths instead of history will make you unhappy. As long as you have Biology, Chemistry and two other subjects (excluding things like General Studies), it should be fine. UCL actually give a small preference to people with a contrasting, non-science subject too.

So what should I do? I'm just really stressed right now and I need some advice. Are the sciences the hardest? Will I be in a constant state of struggle for two years with them? Am I making a big mistake?

I think it's very subjective to decide which subjects are the hardest as different people will have different strengths.

Reply 2

username1908761

I don't think physics is necessary for being a doctor so you could take maths in place of that and keep the history. If you want to be a doctor, you should definitely go for it! You sound like you work really hard so I'm sure that even if you did struggle a bit at first, you'd be able to sort it out.

Have you spoken to your teachers or looked at any uni courses? They would probably be very helpful in guiding you to make the right decisions.

The only other thing I can really say is that you should do the things that make you happy. If you want to take history then take history. If you enjoy it it's much easier to stay motivated and you won't regret it either :smile:

Reply 3

tiquismiquis

The number one important thing is that you know you will be happy whilst studying! If you love history, do it - it opens up your options for uni if you decide to go down a more humanities based route in the future (you never really know how you'll feel in 2 years time). If you're struggling with enjoying maths, physics might not be the best idea imo. Biology & chemistry sound like the best choices for medicine. Ps.Try not to stress, because accidentally picking a subject you regret is not going to ruin your life/career! Good luck