A-level choices...

Definitely do Chemistry, Maths and Biology. Then as the 4th AS subject choose the one you think you would enjoy the most. Why do you want to do Medicine if you want to be a Psychiatrist? Also, would you rather do 4 AS subjects or 5? And which subject will you drop (if you are going to drop a subject)?

Why do you want to do Medicine if you want to be a Psychiatrist?

Definitely do Chemistry, Maths and Biology. Then as the 4th AS subject choose the one you think you would enjoy the most. Why do you want to do Medicine if you want to be a Psychiatrist? Also, would you rather do 4 AS subjects or 5? And which subject will you drop (if you are going to drop a subject)?

Psychology is probably better than Geography if you think you want to follow that route - you'll have 3 other pure subjects so don't let anyone tell you that would be a problem. If it turns out you don't enjoy it as much as you thought you would then you'll stop yourself going down a career path you don't want to do - and alternatively, it will make up your mind if you do enjoy it.

If you're not a big fan of Maths then don't bother. Usually you only need two sciences for things and you have two. Go for English Lit as it's a respected subject and you love it, which is massively important for motivation.

You can usually swap a subject after a couple of weeks if you find it's not quite right or as you say, do five (with a possibility of dropping one early on if you find you don't like it/too much).

I'd do Maths because its a respected A-level unlike geography lol and do the subject you would enjoy the most cause I'll be honest, Uni's don't give a **** if you've done physcology and someone else has done english..they just want the applicant who is a better overall candidate. So just do what you think you'll enjoy and get a better grade in.

Great choice, i'm also hoping to study Medicine in order to become a Psychiatrist! Personally i'd go for the Biology, Chemistry and Psychology as a no brainer. English Lit however is a whole different kettle of fish at A Level as opposed to GCSE, it's largely about linguistics. The processes of how you do the Maths also change at A Level so i'd advise you get a heads up on them both before you make your decision. I'd likely go for the one that you think will get you the best grade for you fourth choice but consider the Uni requirements too.

Please read this booklet.

And 5 AS's everyone? Doable?

I did five A2s, so did my sister, we carried on with part time jobs and lots of extracurricular stuff and had time spare so yep, doable and not even necessarily too bad... hell of a lot easier if you enjoy the subjects and they compliment eachother (I did sciences and maths). Not worth the effort if you don't have any interest or dislike one of them though...

and I didn't realise you needed medicine to be a psychiatrist. *shrug* Learn something new every day!

I absolutely hate this leaflet.....it really pushes the sciences and is like you must do three for medicene

This made me laugh sooooo much.......... a Psychiatrist is a doctor of mental health.

Thanks....I hear that 5 AS's are superhard.....but achievable right?

Isn't geography a traditional subject too? That was another reason I was considering it.....its more respected than Psychology, unless I got that wrong. And I don't really know how great I am at Eng Lit. I've done alright in class exams but I won't be sitting any proper exams till may....also I heard maths is very different at a-level. I find it easy but not a big motivator.


Really? What A levels are/did/going to do? Linguistics? How different is it from GCSE? And if you don't mind me asking how do you know this?

I absolutely hate this leaflet.....it really pushes the sciences and is like you must do three for medicene and under values anything non-"facilitating". All I got from them is that apparently geography is "facilitating"
And 5 AS's everyone? Doable?

You have to study Medicine to become a Psychiatrist...

May I ask what A2s you and your sister did?

I didn't either till I looked it up....wanted to be a psychologist first but then changed my mind


Oh, and is it likely to get into Medical school with only two science A-levels?

No it doesn't. It says that Chemistry and Biology will keep the vast majority open to you.

Also, you can't really disagree with it given that it's written by admissions tutors from some of the country's top universities.

Honestly it's sooo different, i mainly took it cause i loved to write at the time but that ended up being the lesser assignment of the course! I got a B at GCSE then near enough flunked the A Level because for me linguistics were largely monotonous. I ended up putting all my effort into the others i was studying which at the time we're Communication Studies and Film Studies. I later studied Chemistry, Biology and Psychology in an Access course then a Certificate in Public Health. I'm now on a BSc in Occupational Therapy and plan to study Medicine after i graduate. PS, the requirements are immensely different for post-grads so that's always an option for you too x

Ok lol. I don't even know what a Psychiatrist is. Oh well. Atleast I made someone laugh. I say you do Maths, Biology, Chemistry and English Literature (because you love it, and that's important). What's a Psychiatrist?

I know a few people who are doing medicine with two science A levels so they managed, at least. I don't know the stats on whether doing three has much effect on your chances though, I'm afraid.

We both did chemistry, physics, maths and further maths, and I did biology where she did history. We did them at the same time so it probably helped a lot that we could share resources and there was someone to ask for help nice and close during revision periods and my brother was doing maths and biology too. Family revision teamwork ftw!

But like I said, we didn't exactly dedicate our lives to A levels (ie didn't lock ourselves in rooms and have no social life...) so I think if you have the interest and dedication, you're capable of doing five if you're willing just need to decide whether it's worth it!

Thanks....I hear that 5 AS's are superhard.....but achievable right?

And 5 AS's everyone? Doable?

I am in lower sixth, and started the year taking 5 subjects - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths A2 (I took the AS in year 11) and French. I was really confident that I could do it, and still get the A*s that my school expect of me, but by a few weeks ago the pressure was a bit too much. I found that I was getting all of the classwork and homework done, but no revision or extra reading, which means that I would be at a disadvantage when applying to the top universities such as Cambridge. For this reason I decided to drop French.

My advice is to be absolutely sure you can do five subjects and still get amazing grades, and do extra reading about each of them. I want to study Natural Sciences, but especially with studying Medicine you are going to need very detailed knowledge around your course, to prove your interest in the subject.

Good luck

Great choice, i'm also hoping to study Medicine in order to become a Psychiatrist! Personally i'd go for the Biology, Chemistry and Psychology as a no brainer. English Lit however is a whole different kettle of fish at A Level as opposed to GCSE, it's largely about linguistics. The processes of how you do the Maths also change at A Level so i'd advise you get a heads up on them both before you make your decision. I'd likely go for the one that you think will get you the best grade for you fourth choice but consider the Uni requirements too.