Is it better to take 3 or 4 A-Levels to A2?

I'm stuck between choosing to take 4 a-levels or dropping one next year. Most people are advising me to drop one, but I'm concerned that doing so will limit my chances of getting into university?
I want to study Biology at uni and am currently taking Maths, Physics, Biology and Psychology. If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise? And for those that took 4, what's it like?

Thanks :smile:

P.S. I'm hoping to go to possibly Warwick or Bristol.

Reply 1

doivid

17

If you think you are unable to get the grades that are needed to get into the universities you want without dropping an A-level, then drop one. If you are able to get the grades even while studying four A levels, then studying an extra A-level might give you an advantage in the admissions process (and you might enjoy the challenge of studying an extra A level).

Reply 2

DaniLou17

10

most people only do 3
iv had friend that have tried to do all 4 but they found it was to much work

Reply 3

orca92

13

I decided not to drop one; Biology, Geography, Maths, Chemistry. Its a lot of work; the workload and what you have to do in each subject to understand it does increase quite considerably; the jump from As to A2 is in my opinion a bigger gap than from GCSE to As.

I got AAAB last year and im looking to get AABA this year (im hoping to sacrifice the A in geog for an A in chem), so im able to cope but the workload is more; if you can get similar or better than me and are happy to have a much bigger workload then i would recommend it. However, if i went back i would drop geography (now that i know soton dont accept it); i've already got 70% of the A level though so its a bit late.

I would take 4 for a month of A2 then decide; also, remember to revise the stuff you learn; i've left this till now after going out all the time before christmas and i got into a false sense of how much work it is; im having to work hard now.

Reply 4

didgeridoo12uk

16

doing 4 really isn't much work, especially when you compare it to how much you'll be doing at uni.

so i'd definitely take all 4 at A2, if however you do feel that its getting too much, you can always drop it halfway through the year

Reply 5

username356927

13

Stevey-R

I'm stuck between choosing to take 4 a-levels or dropping one next year. Most people are advising me to drop one, but I'm concerned that doing so will limit my chances of getting into university?
I want to study Biology at uni and am currently taking Maths, Physics, Biology and Psychology. If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise? And for those that took 4, what's it like?

Thanks :smile:

P.S. I'm hoping to go to possibly Warwick or Bristol.

I suppose that depends upon what you intend to apply for?

Reply 6

unknownrebalz

17

Stevey-R

I'm stuck between choosing to take 4 a-levels or dropping one next year. Most people are advising me to drop one, but I'm concerned that doing so will limit my chances of getting into university?
I want to study Biology at uni and am currently taking Maths, Physics, Biology and Psychology. If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise? And for those that took 4, what's it like?

Thanks :smile:

P.S. I'm hoping to go to possibly Warwick or Bristol.

3 alevels best.
I asked one of the dean of admissions at Cambridge and thats what he said.
you get to focus on 3 subjects and are more likely to get higher grades.
plus, offers are only based on 3 subjects and not 4

Reply 7

Awesomesauce

10

didgeridoo12uk

doing 4 really isn't much work, especially when you compare it to how much you'll be doing at uni.

so i'd definitely take all 4 at A2, if however you do feel that its getting too much, you can always drop it halfway through the year

Coming from the guy who went to Cambridge.

You are my hero for that.

Reply 8

Tommyjw

18

Four A levels = better view of you, 'more' chance to get the grades for a Uni
Three A Levels = Less work so higher chance of achieving more in those three.
So its all down to whether you think you can handle the four.. because if you CAN and DO handle the extra one well then it will be better for you.. but if you dont.. then you'll come out worse.
P.s
Can always take up the four then drop one few months/weeks in if you cant handle the work.

Reply 9

sidrah

8

I decided to carry on all four and I do think my application could have been ok with just 3.. Especially seeing as the 4th grade (usually for English lit) is considerably lower.
I find it tough to manage my time sometimes, but that is more due to the non- academic things I do, so given the choice, I would have probably dropped English lit (although I do really love it).
In your situation, its not harmful to drop one, as long as your grades are good, and so I'd decide it on how much you enjoy the subject you may drop and if you feel like you are prepared to commit a lot more time to all your subjects next year..

Reply 10

michael clayton

15

Stevey-R

I'm stuck between choosing to take 4 a-levels or dropping one next year. Most people are advising me to drop one, but I'm concerned that doing so will limit my chances of getting into university?
I want to study Biology at uni and am currently taking Maths, Physics, Biology and Psychology. If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise? And for those that took 4, what's it like?

Thanks :smile:

P.S. I'm hoping to go to possibly Warwick or Bristol.

For straight biology I would do 3. Taking a non-science subject to AS already shows universities that you are well-rounded but taking a 4th subject to A2 is unlikely to add much to your application.

Reply 11

d123

17

I'm doing four. I don't think it had any advantage in terms of UCAS application, but that wasn't why I took four. I didn't want to drop one because I genuinely enjoy all my subjects. It's not too much work - the only problem is that everyone else gets 10 frees a week and I get 2. The workload is higher than doing 3, but honestly, if I was doing only 3, I'd be bored half the time.

If you want to take four and are confident it won't impact negatively on your grades then take 4. If you think it might mean you get, for example, AABB instead of AAA then maybe reconsider.

Generally I'm glad I do 4.

Reply 12

Chloeee02

I've taken 4 A levels this year but have decided that Biology, Chemistry and Maths are my main 3. I mainly kept German on because I feel that it would be useful to me and don't concentrate on it quite so much.
You could keep all 4 up for a little while and make sure you concentrate on 3 more than the other one, then drop it if it gets a bit much.

Reply 13

at18

10

Just do four for as long as you can, that's what I started off by saying and hopefully you'll find the workload pretty much the same as AS. I'm still doing four and the workload isn't too extreme. Go for it methinks :smile:

Reply 14

LizzyLou =]

i think it'd be OK... why don't you wait until you have your AS exam results to decide?

Reply 15

coolh5000

12

Offers will only be made on three subjects and tbh, I don't think I've ever known an admissions tutor say they give preference to four. In fact the main thing I remember being told by Cambridge was that there was a chance they'd give you a four subject offer if you took four.

The people at my school who did four used to go on and on about how much work they had to do, even though it was their choice to be doing the fourth subject and tehy could have easily dropped it.

Unless you love all of your subjects and want to be working like crazy next year, I would drop one and stick with the three. It's not going to give you any considerable advantage and you'll impress more with three amazing grades than four ok ones.

Reply 16

AnythingButChardonnay

14

I'm doing all 4: chemistry, maths, physics and biology.

I couldn't decide what to drop and so the status quo ruled. It hasn't wooed any universities into giving me a lower offer, but I am at a slight advantage for the course(s) I applied for because it will allow me to do either biology or physics units at university if I feel compelled to do so. But I think that only really applies to me. With hindsight, I probably should have dropped a subject.

Reply 17

BJack

19

Stevey-R

If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise?

It won't have a big impact on your chance of making successful applications either way, so carry on with psychology if you enjoy it & can cope with the workload, and drop it if you're not enjoying it or think the pressure will be too much next year. If you're not sure whether the workload will be too much, carry on with all four after AS exams and possibly into the start of the autumn term.

If you've found the workload easily manageable this year, you probably shouldn't have too many problems next year, because sciences are pretty much more of the same but a bit harder. I took double maths, physics and chemistry to A2 and found that it was enough to be attentive in class and do the minimum required homework, though I appreciate that others might have to work harder — I only mean to say that if you're a good student, you will probably be fine if you carry on with four.

Reply 18

twentyquestions

Stevey-R

I'm stuck between choosing to take 4 a-levels or dropping one next year. Most people are advising me to drop one, but I'm concerned that doing so will limit my chances of getting into university?
I want to study Biology at uni and am currently taking Maths, Physics, Biology and Psychology. If I were to drop one it would definitely be Psychology but what do you guys advise? And for those that took 4, what's it like?

Thanks :smile:

P.S. I'm hoping to go to possibly Warwick or Bristol.

I'd say drop a subject unless you think you can cope with the workload.

Reply 19

bruce_t89

8

I would recommend that you should take only 3 for A2. However, if you get say AAAA for AS then taking up all four may not be the worst idea. But tbh unis will only ask for 3. Plus, the subjects you are taking up are difficult and will only get tougher during A2, so think of the workload you will have to cope with next year if you took up all 4 subjects. You don't want to suffer from burnout.

Is it better to take 3 or 4 A-Levels to A2?

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