[thatgirlbecky]

Hellooooo TSR I'll try and keep this as brief as possible

So basically, I go to a high achieving grammar school, and I'm mostly achieving A*, A's and a few B's at GCSE, which I'm happy with (no where near as good as the majority of students at my school, who get 10+ A*s but meh ) and for A-level I was set on taking; Maths, German, Sociology and Economics

But I looked at other sixth forms centres in my area and applied to one, for Maths, German, Sociology, but Psychology instead of Economics.
My current school doesn't offer Psychology which is something that I really want to study as I'm considering it as a degree (possibly combined honours with Sociology?) which is one of the reasons why I considered moving for sixth form.

So my dilema is, do I move sixth form or not? My current school is very good, I have lovely friends and the teachers know me, and I feel that it would be the 'sensible' option.
But the other sixth form has a lovely, slightly more relaxed vibe which I feel I may be able to excel in and it has very good ofsted and results (not as good as my current grammar school but still good That's why people think I'm crazy for considering moving, but part of me feels like its the right thing to do ) I know a few people there already, and feel ok with meeting new people and making new friends so that's not a problem.

TLDR; So to cut a long story short, I was wondering if anyone has any personal experiences of moving sixth forms, from grammar school to comprehensive, or have any advice about my situation.
Also, would the above combinations of A-levels be acceptable for a Psychology degree?
Can anyone give me some info, from a student's perspective, about A-level Psychology (or any of the subjects that I've mentioned?)
If I stayed at my current school, would I be at a disadvantage if I applied for Psychology at uni, if Maths is my only 'science-ey' subject?

Thank you so much for any comments/advice and thank you for reading (sorry it was so long )

[aWildPidgey]

Don't do subjects such as psychology because you think that you'll enjoy them because you've not done them before, and because you're not interested in any other subjects that you have done before.

[thatgirlbecky]

(Original post by aWildPidgey)
Don't do subjects such as psychology because you think that you'll enjoy them because you've not done them before, and because you're not interested in any other subjects that you have done before.

So what is your point - do you not recommend Sociology or Psychology because I've never studied them before? Why do you think that

[AlexandraRose]

Personally, I took up psychology at sixth form, without having any interest beforehand, and I love it.
I'll hopefully be studying it at uni in Sep.
Obviously is isn't everybody's idea of fun though, my friends dropped it pretty quickly!

[laurenbowes]

I moved from a private girls school to a state sixth form college, best thing I ever did. Still predicted A*A*A like all my friends at my old school. Made some amazing friends (who, to be honest, are far nicer than the girls at my old school).

[thatgirlbecky]

(Original post by AlexandraRose)
Personally, I took up psychology at sixth form, without having any interest beforehand, and I love it.
I'll hopefully be studying it at uni in Sep.
Obviously is isn't everybody's idea of fun though, my friends dropped it pretty quickly!

Psychology just looks so interesting and something that I'd love to study! Where have you applied? How science orientated is Psychology A-level? Sorry for all the questions

(Original post by laurenbowes)
I moved from a private girls school to a state sixth form college, best thing I ever did. Still predicted A*A*A like all my friends at my old school. Made some amazing friends (who, to be honest, are far nicer than the girls at my old school).

Well done on your predicted grades! Its nice to know that it worked for you
I have a friend in the year above who went from my school to the sixth form I'm looking at, and she got two A's and a B in her January modules. It was kind of a 'Ha!' at everyone at my school who though she'd fail because she moved to a state school, there are some really snobby girls at my school

[AlexandraRose]

(Original post by thatgirlbecky)
Psychology just looks so interesting and something that I'd love to study! Where have you applied? How science orientated is Psychology A-level? Sorry for all the questions

Portsmouth as my firm and Coventry as insurance
I would say fairly science orientated.
I do biology too, and I find I'm often learning similar things in both at times which is interesting as you get two different perspectives.
I honestly love the course though, especially the crime/forensics module in A2 (in OCR anyway.

[.Missy]

(Original post by thatgirlbecky)
Hellooooo TSR I'll try and keep this as brief as possible

So basically, I go to a high achieving grammar school, and I'm mostly achieving A*, A's and a few B's at GCSE, which I'm happy with (no where near as good as the majority of students at my school, who get 10+ A*s but meh ) and for A-level I was set on taking; Maths, German, Sociology and Economics

But I looked at other sixth forms centres in my area and applied to one, for Maths, German, Sociology, but Psychology instead of Economics.
My current school doesn't offer Psychology which is something that I really want to study as I'm considering it as a degree (possibly combined honours with Sociology?) which is one of the reasons why I considered moving for sixth form.

So my dilema is, do I move sixth form or not? My current school is very good, I have lovely friends and the teachers know me, and I feel that it would be the 'sensible' option.
But the other sixth form has a lovely, slightly more relaxed vibe which I feel I may be able to excel in and it has very good ofsted and results (not as good as my current grammar school but still good That's why people think I'm crazy for considering moving, but part of me feels like its the right thing to do ) I know a few people there already, and feel ok with meeting new people and making new friends so that's not a problem.

TLDR; So to cut a long story short, I was wondering if anyone has any personal experiences of moving sixth forms, from grammar school to comprehensive, or have any advice about my situation.
Also, would the above combinations of A-levels be acceptable for a Psychology degree?
Can anyone give me some info, from a student's perspective, about A-level Psychology (or any of the subjects that I've mentioned?)
If I stayed at my current school, would I be at a disadvantage if I applied for Psychology at uni, if Maths is my only 'science-ey' subject?

Thank you so much for any comments/advice and thank you for reading (sorry it was so long )

Hi, I am currently doing A level psychology and doing a degree of it in Uni

Psychology is very interesting, but I've noticed certain people have hated it in my sixth form. This is because there is quite alot of studies to remember, a lot of content and you have to be good at writing essays (dw, you'll learn this)

Certain topics in Psychology I've hated myself. Do you know what exam board you are going to be? You can go the spec to see if its for you. Or you can ask me anything

There can be quite a bit of biology in psychology.. Which some people found difficult.

Also, the sciences aint required when applying for uni. However, some unis may want them. So just look it up

[thatgirlbecky]

(Original post by AlexandraRose)
Portsmouth as my firm and Coventry as insurance
I would say fairly science orientated.
I do biology too, and I find I'm often learning similar things in both at times which is interesting as you get two different perspectives.
I honestly love the course though, especially the crime/forensics module in A2 (in OCR anyway.

Yeah Biology is my favourite of the sciences, as I find it pretty interesting, I just don't like it enough to study it at A-level I think the exam board is AQA but I've read through the syllabus and it looks really interesting - especially the 'media influences on behaviour' and all the stuff on mental disorders! Thank you for all your help

(Original post by .Missy)
Hi, I am currently doing A level psychology and doing a degree of it in Uni

Psychology is very interesting, but I've noticed certain people have hated it in my sixth form. This is because there is quite alot of studies to remember, a lot of content and you have to be good at writing essays (dw, you'll learn this)

Certain topics in Psychology I've hated myself. Do you know what exam board you are going to be? You can go the spec to see if its for you. Or you can ask me anything

There can be quite a bit of biology in psychology.. Which some people found difficult.

Also, the sciences aint required when applying for uni. However, some unis may want them. So just look it up

Thanks for your reply I find Biology alright, so I hope that side of Psychology I will be able to do. If I go to that sixth form then I'll be on AQA; I've looked at the specification and a lot of the topics look really interesting! Also, I'm fine with learning case studies as long as it's a subject I'm interested in (which in theory, it would be ) Thanks for all the info!

I have looked up a few unis that I might be interested in - most of them want one science, which could include Maths, so if I stay at my current school I would fullfil those requirements, but I really want to study Psychology at A-level so I get an idea of what its like to study.

[thatgirlbecky]

Does anyone else have any advice - I'm pretty much sold on Psychology now, but about moving sixth form, from grammar to state school? Thanks

[alexissocool]

(Original post by thatgirlbecky)
Does anyone else have any advice - I'm pretty much sold on Psychology now, but about moving sixth form, from grammar to state school? Thanks

I did exactly that. Went to a grammar school in the local area but fancied a change; hence moved to a state school although a very good one and comparable to a grammar in its own right.
Psychology is great, I got an A for AS and am hoping for an A/A* at A2. I never did it at GCSE but liked the look of it as you do. I'm hopefully going to Nottingham University in September to study it there.

There are some topics that are boring don't get me wrong as with all other A-levels there are, but it depends what you're doing.

For A-level I do Psychology, Biology and Economics and no I do not regret Psychology. Memorisation is the key to it at AS.

If you want to do Psychology at university, a top one/Russell Group you'll probably need AAB at A-level if a science is included (Psychology is considered a science) but I know the same university requires AAA if you haven't done a science A level. This is the case with me for Nottingham for example. Thus it is quite a good idea. P.S. Sociology isn't considered a science; it's a humanities I believe. But the choice is up to you! :-)

[thatgirlbecky]

(Original post by alexissocool)
I did exactly that. Went to a grammar school in the local area but fancied a change; hence moved to a state school although a very good one and comparable to a grammar in its own right.
Psychology is great, I got an A for AS and am hoping for an A/A* at A2. I never did it at GCSE but liked the look of it as you do. I'm hopefully going to Nottingham University in September to study it there.

There are some topics that are boring don't get me wrong as with all other A-levels there are, but it depends what you're doing.

For A-level I do Psychology, Biology and Economics and no I do not regret Psychology. Memorisation is the key to it at AS.

If you want to do Psychology at university, a top one/Russell Group you'll probably need AAB at A-level if a science is included (Psychology is considered a science) but I know the same university requires AAA if you haven't done a science A level. This is the case with me for Nottingham for example. Thus it is quite a good idea. P.S. Sociology isn't considered a science; it's a humanities I believe. But the choice is up to you! :-)

Cool, thanks for your post! So how did you find the change of schools?
So would you say that Maths, Psychology and Sociology (+German AS) would be an ok combo for applying to Psychology?

[alexissocool]

(Original post by thatgirlbecky)
Cool, thanks for your post! So how did you find the change of schools?
So would you say that Maths, Psychology and Sociology (+German AS) would be an ok combo for applying to Psychology?

Yeah that's a brilliant combination. Maths always goes down well and you have the Psychology there for A-level which is considered a science so if you wanted a Russell Group uni such as Nottingham you'd only need AAB as opposed to AAA which is helpful; trust me!
Changing school was fine, regardless of where you go be it state or grammar you can be successful, it's all down to your ability and you seem to be more than capable judging by your GCSE grades.
Maybe you would consider changing the Sociology - History maybe? Only reason is I know that it's considered to be quite flimsy at A-level.

A few of my friends managed A's in Sociology and then achieved D's and E's for AS Psychology and Maths respectfully. So I do think that shows you something.

[Lollyage]

I do psychology, and although I don't regret taking it, it's a lot more difficult than I had expected. Nevertheless, it's all very interesting so if you're willing to put the work in, you should go for it!

[FallenMan]

I do psychology now, about to finish my A Level in it and for me personally wasn't very enjoyable. I'm not a "sciencey" person. At GCSE I DID get 3 B's for the sciences, but it was never my strong suit. I excelled in things like film and English literature. I can write essays with ease, but to write an essay where I'm not analysing with my own opinion? Very difficult. And the amount to memorise, for me, is excessive.

However, you seem to be doing other subjects which require that same sort of thing, thus telling me that you do well in that. I think you know that the best thing for yours to take the risk because I think you'll always question it if you don't.

[Alotties]

Unlike the majority on this thread I took Psychology as my 4th subject (5th if you count Gen Studies) and I absolutely hated it and most of my friends do. I've dropped it now after my AS year. I'm on AQA and the content sounds really interesting but is actually super boring, I found very little of it interesting and many people dropped out without completing the AS! Beforehand I was also looking into a psychology degree and honestly thought it may be my new favourite class (seeing as I had never taken it before) but the AS has put me off that idea completely. Myself and around 6 other people have just dropped out of it after the AS exams so there are only 6 people carrying on to A2 out of 18 people originally!
I recommend getting the large textbook and having a good look through it before committing to the subject!

(btw my 3 other subjects are maths, chemistry and biology which i thoroughly enjoy )

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9000

[The Doggfather]

(Original post by thatgirlbecky)
Hellooooo TSR I'll try and keep this as brief as possible

So basically, I go to a high achieving grammar school, and I'm mostly achieving A*, A's and a few B's at GCSE, which I'm happy with (no where near as good as the majority of students at my school, who get 10+ A*s but meh ) and for A-level I was set on taking; Maths, German, Sociology and Economics

But I looked at other sixth forms centres in my area and applied to one, for Maths, German, Sociology, but Psychology instead of Economics.
My current school doesn't offer Psychology which is something that I really want to study as I'm considering it as a degree (possibly combined honours with Sociology?) which is one of the reasons why I considered moving for sixth form.

So my dilema is, do I move sixth form or not? My current school is very good, I have lovely friends and the teachers know me, and I feel that it would be the 'sensible' option.
But the other sixth form has a lovely, slightly more relaxed vibe which I feel I may be able to excel in and it has very good ofsted and results (not as good as my current grammar school but still good That's why people think I'm crazy for considering moving, but part of me feels like its the right thing to do ) I know a few people there already, and feel ok with meeting new people and making new friends so that's not a problem.

TLDR; So to cut a long story short, I was wondering if anyone has any personal experiences of moving sixth forms, from grammar school to comprehensive, or have any advice about my situation.
Also, would the above combinations of A-levels be acceptable for a Psychology degree?
Can anyone give me some info, from a student's perspective, about A-level Psychology (or any of the subjects that I've mentioned?)
If I stayed at my current school, would I be at a disadvantage if I applied for Psychology at uni, if Maths is my only 'science-ey' subject?

Thank you so much for any comments/advice and thank you for reading (sorry it was so long )

Just out of curiosity, why do you want to do Psychology at university?

[Evanesyne]

Originally I also wanted to pursue a psychology degree. I read psychology textbooks(undergrad)/journals and loved it, HOWEVER, psychology AS turned out to be a huge disappointment and I grew to dislike it. I have a massive hating on it every once in a while (even after a whole year since I'd stopped studying it ) The subject itself is very interesting, but the A Level...

You don't need psychology A Level to study it as a degree. Although many of the top unis for psychology prefer you to have at least one science subject (so maths would count towards that). If you have two, it'd be a bonus.
I chose Maths, Biology, Chemistry & Psychology for it (went for the more clinical approach )

About the 6th form, I think you should go with whichever you prefer. If you don't know, flip a coin. If you feel disappointed with the result, you know it's the other one. It doesn't really matter which one is better in Ofsted reports, as long as you work hard there isn't anything stopping you from getting good grades.


End of babble.

[Evanesyne]

(Original post by Alotties)
Unlike the majority on this thread I took Psychology as my 4th subject (5th if you count Gen Studies) and I absolutely hated it and most of my friends do. I've dropped it now after my AS year. I'm on AQA and the content sounds really interesting but is actually super boring, I found very little of it interesting and many people dropped out without completing the AS! Beforehand I was also looking into a psychology degree and honestly thought it may be my new favourite class (seeing as I had never taken it before) but the AS has put me off that idea completely. Myself and around 6 other people have just dropped out of it after the AS exams so there are only 6 people carrying on to A2 out of 18 people originally!
I recommend getting the large textbook and having a good look through it before committing to the subject!

(btw my 3 other subjects are maths, chemistry and biology which i thoroughly enjoy )

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9000

We are subject twins
This is exactly what happened to me as well

Out of curiosity, what did you apply for?

[thatgirlbecky]

(Original post by alexissocool)
Maybe you would consider changing the Sociology - History maybe? Only reason is I know that it's considered to be quite flimsy at A-level.

A few of my friends managed A's in Sociology and then achieved D's and E's for AS Psychology and Maths respectfully. So I do think that shows you something.

Yeah I know that Sociology is a bit of a 'soft' subject but its something that I'm really interested in and am also considering at degree level (possibly) so I definitely want to take that Thanks for your post

(Original post by The Doggfather)
Just out of curiosity, why do you want to do Psychology at university?

Um, well I'm not set on it, but its an option that I've looked a bit into as Psychology is something that I've always been interested in. Whether I then took my Psychology degree and used in a Psychology career, or applied it to an area of business that I'm interested in such as human resources or marketing, I don't know. Its just a degree that looks interesting to me, and I wanted to study it at A-level to see what its like

Thanks everyone for your replies, keep 'em coming