The Student Room Group

Mid-High ability Y10 Student needing advice on A-Level options

Hi,

Before I start off I'm new to this community as my post count shows so please excuse any irregularities. :tongue:

I'm a reasonably high level student and am achieving top end grades for all my subjects. Besides from the Core Subjects I'm taking Extended Science (Triple Award), Business Studies, IT and Extended Religious Studies at GCSE.

My ideal course at university would be Medicine/Law/Computer Science, what would be the best choices at A-level to keep my options open and all the while credible enough for these courses or something similar. Would a mesh of Sciences and Maths be enough? Also I have heard A-Level is a big jump from GCSE and taking an "oddball" subject at AS would be a wise choice, what are your suggestions?

Also, is having a Further Maths A-Level a huge advantage over Single Maths?
Will an A in GCSE Maths suffice for entry into Further Maths?

Maybe Y10 is too early to be thinking about A-Level options but I wanted to have a head-start and have some background knowledge.

Thanks in advance.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1
Original post by I Persia I
Hi,

Before I start off I'm new to this community as my post count shows so please excuse any irregularities. :tongue:

I'm a reasonably high level student and am achieving top end grades for all my subjects. Besides from the Core Subjects I'm taking Extended Science (Triple Award), Business Studies, IT and Extended Religious Studies at GCSE.

My ideal course at university would be Medicine/Law/Computer Science, what would be the best choices at A-level to keep my options open and all the while credible enough for these courses or something similar. Would a mesh of Sciences and Maths be enough? Also I have heard A-Level is a big jump from GCSE and taking an "oddball" subject at AS would be a wise choice, what are your suggestions?

Also, is having a Further Maths A-Level a huge advantage over Single Maths?
Will an A in GCSE Maths suffice for entry into Further Maths?

Thanks in advance.


Universities usually don't accept maths and further maths as two different A levels, unless you're applying for maths.

For medicine, The best combination would be Chemistry (vital) and Biology with mathematics. You could take a fourth and drop it (I'd advise taking a fourth due to the massive competitiveness of medicine) but make it a humanity to broaden your skills. For this, I'd recommend English Lit (or lang, but lit over lang) or history.

The first thing I would suggest though, it acing your GCSEs because they could play a vital role in whether you get in for medicine or not.

I find it stupid that your academic performance as a 14/15/16 year old during YR 10 and Y11 effectively guage whether you are able to complete a medicine degree and undertake the role of a trainee doctor at the age of 24. The system is messed up but what can we do?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
You're only in Y10, you should wait until you have more experience with your subjects before deciding, but I'll offer my advice anyway. If you are good at Maths then further maths is definitely an advantage, I regret not taking it. As far as I'm aware the only thing computer science requires is A-level Maths. Medicine requires Chemistry and most Biology. Thus I would recommend Maths, Further Maths, Biology and Chemistry as the best options for the degree choices you brought up. You would have a strong application for any of the three. It is also not irregular for someone doing further maths at AS to pursue five AS levels, if you feel you are up to this (in a years time) then you could take an essay based subject like English Lit or History to enhance your application for Law and also make you stand out relative to other applicants for Medicine.

As I've said you still have a year and a lot can change. But if you're good at maths and have the opportunity to do further maths then do it, it was a big regret of mine and it is advantageous for pretty much all quantitative degrees at top universities.
Reply 3
Original post by Ras17
Universities usually don't accept maths and further maths as two different A levels, unless you're applying for maths.

For medicine, The best combination would be Chemistry (vital) and Biology with mathematics. You could take a fourth and drop it (I'd advise taking a fourth due to the massive competitiveness of medicine) but make it a humanity to broaden your skills. For this, I'd recommend English Lit (or lang, but lit over lang) or history.

The first thing I would suggest though, it acing your GCSEs because they could play a vital role in whether you get in for medicine or not.

I find it stupid that your academic performance as a 14/15/16 year old during YR 10 and Y11 effectively guage whether you are able to complete a medicine degree and undertake the role of a trainee doctor at the age of 24. The system is messed up but what can we do?


What would be a good alternative to English lit. I dont mind lang. however I think I lack the analysis skills for lit. at A-Level and I think I would be bored.

Original post by tateco
You're only in Y10, you should wait until you have more experience with your subjects before deciding, but I'll offer my advice anyway. If you are good at Maths then further maths is definitely an advantage, I regret not taking it. As far as I'm aware the only thing computer science requires is A-level Maths. Medicine requires Chemistry and most Biology. Thus I would recommend Maths, Further Maths, Biology and Chemistry as the best options for the degree choices you brought up. You would have a strong application for any of the three. It is also not irregular for someone doing further maths at AS to pursue five AS levels, if you feel you are up to this (in a years time) then you could take an essay based subject like English Lit or History to enhance your application for Law and also make you stand out relative to other applicants for Medicine.

As I've said you still have a year and a lot can change. But if you're good at maths and have the opportunity to do further maths then do it, it was a big regret of mine and it is advantageous for pretty much all quantitative degrees at top universities.


Thanks, would an A suffice for FM, I've been talking to my teacher and want to get Maths out of the way in Y10 and am pretty confident I can get an A this year however would it be worth retaking the exams next year to push me up to an A*, also would it be necessary to have History as a GCSE to take it at A-Level because I chose IT over History thinking it would be beneficial. Would an A in Bio. and Chem. also be enough for A-Level seeing as I have achieved A* for core and additional however the extension part of the course seems a lot more advanced and I don't think I could get the A*
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by I Persia I
What would be a good alternative to English lit. I dont mind lang. however I think i lack the analysis skills for lit. at A-Level and I think I would be bored.

Thanks, would an A suffice for FM, I've been talking to my teacher and want to get Maths out of the way in Y10 and am pretty confident I can get an A this year however would it be worth retaking the exams next year to push me up to an A*, also would it be necessary to have History as a GCSE to take it at A-Level because I chose IT over History thinking it would be beneficial.


A good alternative to English Lit would be History... But to be honest any traditional humanities subject would be beneficial. Like Geography, languages etc.

It would 'suffice' but it doesn't necessarily mean you'll cope. I'd strongly advise against taking it early if you think you will get an A, may as well go for the A* if you can get it (without having to retake)

If you can still change your options then History might be more useful but you should still be able to take it without having done so at GCSE and it probably won't make that much difference. I'm pretty sure GCSE ICT won't teach you anything relating to a computer science degree (or anything that any average teenager doesn't already know about computers)
Reply 5
Original post by tateco

If you can still change your options then History might be more useful but you should still be able to take it without having done so at GCSE and it probably won't make that much difference. I'm pretty sure GCSE ICT won't teach you anything relating to a computer science degree (or anything that any average teenager doesn't already know about computers)


Thanks for the advice on Maths, an A* for me isn't impossible but I feel I have an A secured and can spend the Maths slots in my timetable next year to focus on improving my Sciences; I pretty much found that out a couple months into the course, by then it was too late to switch to History.
Reply 6
Original post by I Persia I
Thanks for the advice on Maths, an A* for me isn't impossible but I feel I have an A secured and can spend the Maths slots in my timetable next year to focus on improving my Sciences; I pretty much found that out a couple months into the course, by then it was too late to switch to History.


If you don't think Further Maths is right for you then don't do it. It won't add to your application for Law or Medicine. You'd be better off doing the core Chemistry, Biology, Maths and then a traditional humanities subject.
Original post by I Persia I
Hi,

Before I start off I'm new to this community as my post count shows so please excuse any irregularities. :tongue:

I'm a reasonably high level student and am achieving top end grades for all my subjects. Besides from the Core Subjects I'm taking Extended Science (Triple Award), Business Studies, IT and Extended Religious Studies at GCSE.

My ideal course at university would be Medicine/Law/Computer Science, what would be the best choices at A-level to keep my options open and all the while credible enough for these courses or something similar. Would a mesh of Sciences and Maths be enough? Also I have heard A-Level is a big jump from GCSE and taking an "oddball" subject at AS would be a wise choice, what are your suggestions?

Also, is having a Further Maths A-Level a huge advantage over Single Maths?
Will an A in GCSE Maths suffice for entry into Further Maths?

Maybe Y10 is too early to be thinking about A-Level options but I wanted to have a head-start and have some background knowledge.

Thanks in advance.


For Medicine: Chemistry is Essential (biology preferable)
For Law: I believe there is no such essential single A level
For Computer Science: Definately Maths (preferably FM) and Physics.


So that would leave you with Maths,Physics,Chemistry and AS FM/Biology
Reply 8
Original post by QuantumOverlord
For Medicine: Chemistry is Essential (biology preferable)
For Law: I believe there is no such essential single A level
For Computer Science: Definately Maths (preferably FM) and Physics.


So that would leave you with Maths,Physics,Chemistry and AS FM/Biology


Would it be better to take Biology in favour of Physics or vice-versa, which will help more towards the respective course?
Original post by I Persia I
Would it be better to take Biology in favour of Physics or vice-versa, which will help more towards the respective course?


The thing is Medicine requires a good deal of commitment (more so than the other 2 choices) because it is so competitive, so ideally if you want to do medicine then biology would be a better option. Howvever this wont help that much for Comp Sci. For law having 1 essay based subject is preferable and Biology is more essay based, but ideally you would want to be taking: history,geography,English lit e.t.c as a 4th subject for law.

Since you are in Year 10 I would recommend waiting a while to see what GCSES you like. If you really love biology, then perhaps medicine would suit you. Likewise if IT/maths is your favourite then compsci (Note, I wouldnt take IT for A level, it wont help in a CompSci application) . For Law, its perhaps harder. But a year down the line, if your passion turns towards it then perhaps take subjects more suited to that.
Reply 10
Original post by QuantumOverlord
The thing is Medicine requires a good deal of commitment (more so than the other 2 choices) because it is so competitive, so ideally if you want to do medicine then biology would be a better option. Howvever this wont help that much for Comp Sci. For law having 1 essay based subject is preferable and Biology is more essay based, but ideally you would want to be taking: history,geography,English lit e.t.c as a 4th subject for law.

Since you are in Year 10 I would recommend waiting a while to see what GCSES you like. If you really love biology, then perhaps medicine would suit you. Likewise if IT/maths is your favourite then compsci (Note, I wouldnt take IT for A level, it wont help in a CompSci application) . For Law, its perhaps harder. But a year down the line, if your passion turns towards it then perhaps take subjects more suited to that.


Thanks millions for your help I understand now :smile:
Reply 11
Original post by I Persia I
What would be a good alternative to English lit. I dont mind lang. however I think I lack the analysis skills for lit. at A-Level and I think I would be bored.



Thanks, would an A suffice for FM, I've been talking to my teacher and want to get Maths out of the way in Y10 and am pretty confident I can get an A this year however would it be worth retaking the exams next year to push me up to an A*, also would it be necessary to have History as a GCSE to take it at A-Level because I chose IT over History thinking it would be beneficial. Would an A in Bio. and Chem. also be enough for A-Level seeing as I have achieved A* for core and additional however the extension part of the course seems a lot more advanced and I don't think I could get the A*


An alternative for English Literature would be History, Religious Studies or Geography.
Original post by I Persia I
What would be a good alternative to English lit. I dont mind lang. however I think I lack the analysis skills for lit. at A-Level and I think I would be bored.





Remember that English Language is completely different at A Level than it is at GCSE, so bear that in mind :smile:.

Maths, Biology, Chemistry, History? That would be a good range. Or maybe a language - that's always beneficial.

But you're only in Year 10, give yourself time to have a good knowledge of your GCSE subjects first.
Reply 13
Original post by Ras17
Universities usually don't accept maths and further maths as two different A levels, unless you're applying for maths.


This is just not true at all. Many courses accepte maths and Fmaths as two A-levels and by many science courses as being useful. The only course, to my knowledge, which generally doesn't is medicine.

Looking at some CompSci entrance requirements:
Cambridge - FMaths is preferred by almost every college.
Oxford - The A* in their standard offer must be obtained in either maths, fmaths, physics or computing.
Imperial - FMaths is highly recommended
(I am in no way saying that the OP said they wanted to go to these unis, they just came to mind as ones I knew favoured fmaths as do others)

To say FMaths wouldn't count as another A-level for a course like CompSci is, frankly, ridiculous.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by ElMoro
This is just not true at all. Many courses accept maths and Fmaths as two A-levels and by many science courses as being useful.<snip>
Looking at some CompSci entrance requirements:
<snip>
Oxford - The A* in their standard offer must be obtained in either maths, fmaths, physics or computing.


Quite. At Oxford, for Computer Science, Maths A Level to at least A grade (or equivalent) is essential. Computing is a mathematical subject, so it's important than students have developed their ability in mathematical thinking. We think doing both Maths and Further Maths to A2 (or equivalent) is the best way of doing this - and, yes, we see it as two A Levels. We recognise that some schools are unable to offer this combination, so you can apply without Further Maths, but we strongly recommend it where possible.

If you wanted to study a joint undergraduate course in Maths and Computer Science with us the A* of the A*AA standard offer has to be in either Maths or Further Maths.
Reply 15
Original post by ElMoro
This is just not true at all. Many courses accepte maths and Fmaths as two A-levels and by many science courses as being useful. The only course, to my knowledge, which generally doesn't is medicine.

Looking at some CompSci entrance requirements:
Cambridge - FMaths is preferred by almost every college.
Oxford - The A* in their standard offer must be obtained in either maths, fmaths, physics or computing.
Imperial - FMaths is highly recommended
(I am in no way saying that the OP said they wanted to go to these unis, they just came to mind as ones I knew favoured fmaths as do others)

To say FMaths wouldn't count as another A-level for a course like CompSci is, frankly, ridiculous.


Actually, the OP put in Law and Computer Science after I had answered, so my information was correct about Medicine, which even you have agreed to. Look at the part of your commented I have put in bold
Reply 16
Original post by Ras17
Actually, the OP put in Law and Computer Science after I had answered]


No they didn't? Look at your original quote.
Check out the Cambridge list of black listed subjects & avoid :wink:
Reply 18
Original post by tateco
No they didn't? Look at your original quote.


I see, you're right but I did specify that my answer was only for medicine.
Reply 19
Original post by Ras17
Actually, the OP put in Law and Computer Science after I had answered, so my information was correct about Medicine, which even you have agreed to. Look at the part of your commented I have put in bold


I didn't disagree with saying that for medicine but the OP says compsci and law in the post you quoted.

Also the only point I was arguing was "Universities usually don't accept maths and further maths as two different A levels, unless you're applying for maths." - which wasn't true. So I felt, for the OP's sake, that it should be clarified. Nothing personal :smile:

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