Are these subjects TOO heavy? A level HELP

Hey,

Would I be undertaking a huge burden if I took:

Maths
Economics
History
French

For my As, and then A levels?

I'm leaning in the direction of Economics/law for Uni.

Also, I wasn't sure whether to do A level French or Law...considering the workload of the other subjects.....

Thanks

Reply 1

OphyCal

7

It's all about your strengths, your subjects go nicely together. Personally I'm good at essay writing so my subjects are english, history, philosophy and economics. That's a lot of work and extra reading but it's playing to my strengths.

If it feels right to you go for it. For economics at uni you'd need economics and maths and then some good balancing subjects so I wouldn't worry there.

Reply 2

Fruitcake_OX

1

It really depends on what kind of person you are, all of these subjects are exceptionally difficult. Dont panic and think its 100% necessary to pick really difficult subjects for the sake of it, its honestly better to pick 3 subjects and get 3 A's rather than pick 4 and get 4 C's. I started looking at doing the same thing by picking History, English Lang, Literature and Chemistry but found very quickly on that it was too much of a stretch for me as Chemistry wasnt my biggest strength. If all of these subjects are ones you enjoy are exceptionally good at (A* good) then I would replace one subject with another subject which might be more lighthearted or practical?
If you want to deffinantly do Economics then obviously take Maths and Economics but maybe think about dropping/replacing History/French.

Massive essay I know, but I hope this helped!

Reply 3

Fruitcake_OX

1

Just to put it in perspective aswell - at AS Level History you do (the equivilant volume) of 2 years of GCSE content in one and then a little bit more. Also the marking standards drop by 2-3 grades. So if you got an A at GCSE then your currently working at the same standards as a D-C grade student at A-Level...

Obviously I cant speak for the other subjects but they get more difficult aswell of course.

Dont mean to scare you, I just wish someone told me about the massive difference between A-Level and GCSE

Reply 4

carpe diem 123

OP

9

Original post by OphyCal

It's all about your strengths, your subjects go nicely together. Personally I'm good at essay writing so my subjects are english, history, philosophy and economics. That's a lot of work and extra reading but it's playing to my strengths.

If it feels right to you go for it. For economics at uni you'd need economics and maths and then some good balancing subjects so I wouldn't worry there.

Thanks, thats really helpful :biggrin:

Reply 5

carpe diem 123

OP

9

Original post by Fruitcake_OX

its honestly better to pick 3 subjects and get 3 A's rather than pick 4 and get 4 C's. I

Really wise advice! Thanks, its really helped- wish teachers at school could be as helpful.

Reply 6

charlotte-rose

2

Original post by carpe diem 123

Hey,

Would I be undertaking a huge burden if I took:

Maths
Economics
History
French

For my As, and then A levels?

I'm leaning in the direction of Economics/law for Uni.

Also, I wasn't sure whether to do A level French or Law...considering the workload of the other subjects.....

Thanks

Take them all and see how you feel, it's easily possible to do well in all but you won't know until you do them!

Reply 7

Hullo

8

Original post by OphyCal

It's all about your strengths, your subjects go nicely together. Personally I'm good at essay writing so my subjects are english, history, philosophy and economics. That's a lot of work and extra reading but it's playing to my strengths.

If it feels right to you go for it. For economics at uni you'd need economics and maths and then some good balancing subjects so I wouldn't worry there.

Economics is a essay writing subject? Seriously?

Reply 8

Liblover

6

No A-levels are hard,some are just easier than others. No matter what you take, university will be a million times harder. P.s. don't take law; it's on the Russell group universities' black list of subjects.

Reply 9

Liblover

6

Original post by Fruitcake_OX

It really depends on what kind of person you are, all of these subjects are exceptionally difficult. Dont panic and think its 100% necessary to pick really difficult subjects for the sake of it, its honestly better to pick 3 subjects and get 3 A's rather than pick 4 and get 4 C's. I started looking at doing the same thing by picking History, English Lang, Literature and Chemistry but found very quickly on that it was too much of a stretch for me as Chemistry wasnt my biggest strength. If all of these subjects are ones you enjoy are exceptionally good at (A* good) then I would replace one subject with another subject which might be more lighthearted or practical?
If you want to deffinantly do Economics then obviously take Maths and Economics but maybe think about dropping/replacing History/French.

Massive essay I know, but I hope this helped!

I hope English was one you changed...

Reply 10

patra

2

Maths and Economics is a really good blend especially if you take statistical maths...Economics is a good subject, the exam has an 18 marker question as the last question for AS. History and French go really nicely together. I wouldn't say the work load is too bad. There is a good balance there I would say! :smile:

hope that helps.

Reply 11

Carnationlilyrose

18

All A levels are designed in theory to be of a similar level of difficulty. Now that might be a bit debatable in real life, but that's the intention. However, what you PERSONALLY find difficult is going to depend on what your strengths and weaknesses are. I'd be completely unable to handle physics if I had one to one tuition from Stephen Hawking 168 hours a week, nothing else to concentrate on and a brain transplant, but give me English, French, German and Latin and I'm laughing. Only you can tell whether you need to balance arts and sciences or essay writing and practical subjects or whether you want to go totally in just one direction. Other people's opinions on here are interesting and, for the most part, helpful, but they are talking about what is right for THEM. Know yourself first, then choose accordingly.

Reply 12

OphyCal

7

Original post by Hullo

Economics is a essay writing subject? Seriously?

Yes, there's a good deal of critical analysis involved.

Reply 13

Groat

13

Original post by carpe diem 123

Hey,

Would I be undertaking a huge burden if I took:

Maths
Economics
History
French

For my As, and then A levels?

I'm leaning in the direction of Economics/law for Uni.

Also, I wasn't sure whether to do A level French or Law...considering the workload of the other subjects.....

Thanks

What were your GCSE results like? I managed Maths, Biology, English Literature, Economics and Further Maths at AS-Level.

Are these subjects TOO heavy? A level HELP

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