Is 3 AS levels enough?

Universities only ask for your grade in 3 subjects anyway. Once you've done your A levels nobody cares about your leftover AS grade either so you're not missing anything.

My only concern would be that if you take 3 subjects you absolutely cannot drop one if you want to go to university. So if you pick something you've never done before and end up hating it then :/ is all i can say.

I did 4 A levels (5AS) and I don't regret it even if I didn't really get an advantage because of it. It gives you a spare as well in case you bomb in a subject. Furthermore, you get so many frees only doing 3 a levels i honestly would be at a loss for what to do with my time though i suppose that varies from person to person. If you did take 4 and really wanted to drop one after the first year would your college really stop you? It seems a bit unreasonable especially if you're doing badly in the subject.

Reply 4

Why can't you just drop out of one early if your school won't let you sit the AS level

Reply 5

Original post by Kyle1198

Why can't you just drop out of one early if your school won't let you sit the AS level

AS levels don't exist any more don't they? I thought that was why many colleges now only ask you to take 3 subjects in the first year.

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Marked Target

Universities only ask for your grade in 3 subjects anyway. Once you've done your A levels nobody cares about your leftover AS grade either so you're not missing anything.

My only concern would be that if you take 3 subjects you absolutely cannot drop one if you want to go to university. So if you pick something you've never done before and end up hating it then :/ is all i can say.

I did 4 A levels (5AS) and I don't regret it even if I didn't really get an advantage because of it. It gives you a spare as well in case you bomb in a subject. Furthermore, you get so many frees only doing 3 a levels i honestly would be at a loss for what to do with my time though i suppose that varies from person to person. If you did take 4 and really wanted to drop one after the first year would your college really stop you? It seems a bit unreasonable especially if you're doing badly in the subject.

Sadly, they've told us that to drop it after a year would be a complete waste of teachers and your own time (since you wouldn't have any qualifications to show for it - the final grade is the A2 one now that it has been reformed) and that I'd have to stick with 4. But, do you know if doing an EPQ could be seen as a 4th AS by universities maybe?

Reply 7

OP

Original post by Marked Target

AS levels don't exist any more don't they? I thought that was why many colleges now only ask you to take 3 subjects in the first year.

yep but I meant for when I apply after lower 6th with 3 grades from my mocks, won't it look worse than before the reforms where students would apply with 4 as'?

Reply 8

Original post by Marked Target

AS levels don't exist any more don't they? I thought that was why many colleges now only ask you to take 3 subjects in the first year.

Yes they do, they just won't count towards your final A Level grade, and you have to sit the AS content in year 13 again. Only schools have the option of whether they want to enter you in for AS exams or not, and even if the OPs school decides not to enter for AS, they should still be able to drop out early.

I did my AS exams this year so I know how it works

Reply 9

OP

Original post by Kyle1198

Yes they do, they just won't count towards your final A Level grade, and you have to sit the AS content in year 13 again. Only schools have the option of whether they want to enter you in for AS exams or not, and even if the OPs school decides not to enter for AS, they should still be able to drop out early.

I did my AS exams this year so I know how it works

does this mean AS levels are basically irrelevant now apart for forming your A2 predictions?

Reply 10

Original post by ethanlester

does this mean AS levels are basically irrelevant now apart for forming your A2 predictions?

Basically yeah, they're now no more than just half a mock exam where you will get a certificate in it. Bare in mind that some AS haven't yet reformed like government and politics or maths so you will still have to do an AS in that. Some A Levels are still using the old style modular system until 2017 when all the A levels will be linear.

But your school or subject department will have the option of entering you for AS in the reformed subject or not, so you might not have AS grades

Reply 11

OP

Original post by Kyle1198

Why can't you just drop out of one early if your school won't let you sit the AS level

I think they see it as us wasting the teachers time... Do you think an EPQ would be a good alternative to a 4th A level?

Reply 12

When it comes to doing an EPQ I'd suggest considering if it will really help you. For some subjects its pointless. I did an EPQ for maths and none of the universities cared at all. I remember bringing it up in an interview and the interviewer was like "Oh, we don't care about EPQs but do go on about this book you read." However, on the other hand I know someone who did one for history and it brought their offer down from A*AA to A*AB.

Reply 13

Original post by ethanlester

I think they see it as us wasting the teachers time... Do you think an EPQ would be a good alternative to a 4th A level?

EPQ is worth half an A Level, do it if you want.

3 AS Levels are fine, but you have to make sure that you actually like the subjects otherwise you're stuck!

Reply 14

megannie

9

Original post by ethanlester

To those of you who don't know, you can no longer take 4 AS levels then decide to drop one at the end of the year, since (at my school at least) you have to carry all 4 subjects to A2...
So, if I were to choose 3 + an EPQ a levels, would this be enough for when applying to university??
many thanks.

Thats exactly what i am applying with :smile:

Unis don't ask for anything more.

Reply 15

Original post by Kyle1198

EPQ is worth half an A Level, do it if you want.

3 AS Levels are fine, but you have to make sure that you actually like the subjects otherwise you're stuck!

In points? I don't know anyone who got offers based on points. I get the impression that Russel group unis and the like go on grades and other unis use points. The problem with points is its easy to get them from random stuff (I did a maths exam at the same time as my GCSEs which gives me 60 ucas points and there are plenty of exams like it).

Yeah, this is very good advice.

Reply 16

gaary kasparov

2

pls help me http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4287140

Reply 17