[LLUCIEEE]

When I started my A-Levels, I wanted to do either medicine or natural sciences or something science-based. I took physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology for my AS subjects. I'm getting good grades in them and my target grades are all A*'s.

But recently I've had a change of heart so to speak when I found out about a linguistics degree. In an ideal world, I would study it at Cambridge but I've also looked into UCL and York, amongst a few others.

Most places say you don't need an English A-level, but would I be at a disadvantage applying with the A-levels I have, seeing as they are so science-based? Opinions and advice would be so helpful!

Thanks!

[Periwinkle]

I actually found that my subjects (French, German, English language, plus AS Lit and philosophy) cut me off from a lot of linguistics options. Some unis (UCL comes to mind) *require* science subjects!

I don't think you'd be at a disadvantage: it *is* a science (there are courses that lean more towards science or arts, but I wanted an arts one and came across mostly sciencey ones), they're all good academic subjects and presumably you have a genuine interest in it. If you did want to bolster your subjects, I'd say take another AS next year in English or a modern language, but you should be fine as you are - lots of background reading and enthusiasm will probably do.

(FTR, I ended up applying for modern languages.)

[Great Lord Xenu]

(Original post by LLUCIEEE)
When I started my A-Levels, I wanted to do either medicine or natural sciences or something science-based. I took physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology for my AS subjects. I'm getting good grades in them and my target grades are all A*'s.

But recently I've had a change of heart so to speak when I found out about a linguistics degree. In an ideal world, I would study it at Cambridge but I've also looked into UCL and York, amongst a few others.

Most places say you don't need an English A-level, but would I be at a disadvantage applying with the A-levels I have, seeing as they are so science-based? Opinions and advice would be so helpful!

Thanks!

On the contrary, science A-levels are an advantage when applying for Linguistics. My A-level in Chemistry was what swung it for me when I got a transfer from English Lit to Linguistics at York. Then again, I also have A-levels in English Language and English Literature (as well as Art) and I'm not sure whether it would be easy applying without any language-related subjects. I would ring/email admissions departments and find out.

[scireamortente]

I want to apply to linguistics too. They say they welcome people from scienced-based subjects as well as art-based so you're at no disadvantage. UCL even like you more if you do a science/maths subject. Some will want a foreign language at gcse, but apart from that I don't think they are too fussy. It's best to have a look at the uni requirements.

[LLUCIEEE]

(Original post by scireamortente)
I want to apply to linguistics too. They say they welcome people from scienced-based subjects as well as art-based so you're at no disadvantage. UCL even like you more if you do a science/maths subject. Some will want a foreign language at gcse, but apart from that I don't think they are too fussy. It's best to have a look at the uni requirements.

Thank you! Yeah I got A*s in both French and English Language at GCSE, hoping that will make up for my lack of a language at A-Level

[TurboCretin]

(Original post by LLUCIEEE)
When I started my A-Levels, I wanted to do either medicine or natural sciences or something science-based. I took physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology for my AS subjects. I'm getting good grades in them and my target grades are all A*'s.

But recently I've had a change of heart so to speak when I found out about a linguistics degree. In an ideal world, I would study it at Cambridge but I've also looked into UCL and York, amongst a few others.

Most places say you don't need an English A-level, but would I be at a disadvantage applying with the A-levels I have, seeing as they are so science-based? Opinions and advice would be so helpful!

Thanks!

I am a graduate of the UCL programme. I think the only reason I got an offer in the first place was because my A-levels were weighted towards the sciences. Maths and Biology have more to do with Linguistics than English (lit) or French A-levels, believe me. The actual skills you will need on the degree are mostly analytical, rather than literary. A big problem they have had historically is arts students enrolling thinking it's going to be like an English degree, and dropping like flies a few weeks into first term.