Hey everyone,
I would like to send a genuine message coming from experience. After giving a talk to the younger years at my school and reading some threads on TSR even, I think this is important to raise. To the younger years especially, I hope you can take into consideration what I am about to say. Here is a message from me to you.
So guys and girls, I'm telling you this from experience...please don't make your A level choices solely on the basis to whether or not the subjects are deemed as "soft" or "hard". Taking traditional subjects like History, Maths, Chemistry, Biology etc is only good if you certainly need them for your course at university i.e Chem and Bio for medicine and if you sincerely enjoy these subjects.
I'm not saying avoid these subjects because I will admit, taking certain traditional subjects such as Maths, English Literature and Chemistry would give you more flexibility in terms of allowing you more options to choose from with the course you'd like to study at uni. It's why they are called 'facilitating subjects.' The definition of the word, 'facilitate' is 'to make easier or less difficult; help forward, an action, a process, etc' which means when trying to find a subject to study at uni, you wouldn't face obstacles when finding a course, being limited but would have more access to possible options. This is a good thing but for those who already know what they want, you don't have to go down this route. So it isn't because these subjecs are 'harder' but because with these, you could choose options from both sides, not only for example only humanities-based courses or science-based courses.
I knew from the beginning, I wanted to do something humanities based but made this mistake of ditching my interests for what is seemed more 'respectable'. I left my first option: English Literature, religious studies, psychology and Drama for English Literature, Maths, Chemistry and Physics though I knew I've always been humanities-based, having a true interest in RS and Drama. Unfortunately, (though it wasn't only this that contributed) it resulted in me repeating a year.
I tried going back to my second option but after having to find a new school, last minute in mid-August after results day, it was too late. There weren't spaces for those courses which I now regret.
To end on this note. Earlier, I was sent a PM by a kind user on here who explained to me his journey with education and how he ended up in Cambridge. He's actually a mature student. When I tell you, this dude is a fighter. He studied English Literature, Psychology, Sociology and Media Studies at AS, taking English Lit, Sociology and Psychology at A2 then he just started doing HSPS at Cambridge this September. Same with our head girl who took English Literature, Psychology, Art and Sociology at AS, taking English Lit, Psychology and Art into A2. She'll be studying psychology and behavioural science at Cambridge this September also.
So please, pick a subject if you need them for course at uni or if you have an interest in it. Once you get in, no one would be speaking about 'soft' or 'hard' A levels. If you already know what you want to study i.e Psychology, this flexibility wouldn't matter to you. When unis on their sites mention "no required subjects needed", underneath their requirements section- they truly do mean it! Please do not force yourself to take subjects you do not enjoy simply because of labels that these unis themselves do not consider.
Unless the university says that they do not accept it, i.e some unis not accepting general studies then you will be fine!
Don't consider what others may think about your options. Let them talk, just do you and focus on your own goals and where you want to get to in life. People will always have their opinions. So ladies and gents...do what makes you happy!
Thank you for reading xx