[EmilyAl]

I'm my final year of GCSE's at secondary school and really want to do philosophy at Cambridge, is there any advice I can get from anyone on what to pick for A level's and how hard the course is.

[benq]

In my point of view the perfect combination for Philosophy at university looks like this:

Math
History
Philosophy
Ancient language

[Funtry]

(Original post by benq)
In my point of view the perfect combination for Philosophy at university looks like this:

Math
History
Philosophy
Ancient language

No RS? I would do RS over maths if OP wants to do philosophy

[Id and Ego seek]

(Original post by Funtry)
No RS? I would do RS over maths if OP wants to do philosophy

Religious Studies shouldn't be taken along side Philosophy, even if your 6th form offers both as separate A Levels; they are the same thing in terms of subject combination, just with a different focus.

A perfect combination is Maths, Philosophy/Religious Studies, English Literature/History, Biology/Psychology.
Obviously subjects like languages, Chemistry, Physics, Politics, etc. can be taken depending on your interest. Just make sure there is an academic balance.

[thatgirlbecky]

I've heard that if you're applying for Philosophy, then they like Maths and obvs. Philosophy

And then after those two, I think as long as you have two 'strong' traditional subjects then you should be fine. Ones that further highlight your writing ability, such as History and English Lit, could be good.

I'd say the ideal combo would be something like,

Maths
Philosophy
History/English Lit
MFL or science subject

Just make sure you choose subjects that you think you'll enjoy! Good luck

[member591354]

(Original post by Id and Ego seek)
Religious Studies shouldn't be taken along side Philosophy, even if your 6th form offers both as separate A Levels; they are the same thing in terms of subject combination, just with a different focus.

A perfect combination is Maths, Philosophy/Religious Studies, English Literature/History, Biology/Psychology.
Obviously subjects like languages, Chemistry, Physics, Politics, etc. can be taken depending on your interest. Just make sure there is an academic balance.

My subjects are; Biology, Psychology, English Language and Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) - the last option was chosen because there was no option to do Philosophy A Level at my sixth form college. Are my options suitable? Even the top universities state that they have no necessary A Level (or equivalent) subject(s) required to take the course, and want a mix of science and art based subjects. In accordance with that, I have the perfect combination; two of each!

[Id and Ego seek]

(Original post by liamdunne)
My subjects are; Biology, Psychology, English Language and Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics) - the last option was chosen because there was no option to do Philosophy A Level at my sixth form college. Are my options suitable? Even the top universities state that they have no necessary A Level (or equivalent) subject(s) required to take the course, and want a mix of science and art based subjects. In accordance with that, I have the perfect combination; two of each!

I was always told the perfect combination for subjects without specific requirements but ask for a mix between the liberal arts and sciences is Biology, English Literature, History and Maths. Your combination is definitely great too! The same as mine bar Biology.

[member591354]

(Original post by Id and Ego seek)
I was always told the perfect combination for subjects without specific requirements but ask for a mix between the liberal arts and sciences is Biology, English Literature, History and Maths. Your combination is definitely great too! The same as mine bar Biology.

Who actually told you that? Do they have the appropriate credentials? I hate how subjects with no specific requirements prefer subjects that are not related to them though... For instance, some medicine courses do not require Biology! This is insane...

[Jackkkkk]

Maths is very usefull for philosophy - especially in the areas of logic. It will prove you are capable of both analytical, scientific and descriptive reasoning which is essential in philosophy due to the content of most degrees. A science/Maths will help with topics such as logic and philosophy of science/medicine. Humanities help with argument and reasoning skills which is te fundamental aim of philosophy. Ancient languages are not necessary, as you will work for translation texts and commentaries not original material, for the most part! A good combination would be something like Maths/Science, RS/philosphy History/Geography, and maybe a language or further humanity as the 4th.


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[member591354]

(Original post by Jackkkkk)
Maths is very usefull for philosophy - especially in the areas of logic. It will prove you are capable of both analytical, scientific and descriptive reasoning which is essential in philosophy due to the content of most degrees. A science/Maths will help with topics such as logic and philosophy of science/medicine. Humanities help with argument and reasoning skills which is te fundamental aim of philosophy. Ancient languages are not necessary, as you will work for translation texts and commentaries not original material, for the most part! A good combination would be something like Maths/Science, RS/philosphy History/Geography, and maybe a language or further humanity as the 4th.


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With the appropriate training and external reading mathematical logic and philosophy of science are fairly easy to grasp. Mathematics may be involved in Philosophy but you do not NEED to have done it at A Level to do well at university in Philosophy!

[Jackkkkk]

(Original post by liamdunne)
With the appropriate training and external reading mathematical logic and philosophy of science are fairly easy to grasp. Mathematics may be involved in Philosophy but you do not NEED to have done it at A Level to do well at university in Philosophy!

Hence i said it is USEFUL. The BEST combination would include a Maths or science. However, as you say, it can be learnt, but to prove your capabilities across a broad range of subjects Maths and science would help attain a place at a top university. When I say 'help' I do not mean it as a necessity!


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[member591354]

(Original post by Jackkkkk)
Hence i said it is USEFUL. The BEST combination would include a Maths or science. However, as you say, it can be learnt, but to prove your capabilities across a broad range of subjects Maths and science would help attain a place at a top university. When I say 'help' I do not mean it as a necessity!


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I have two sciences though; namely, Biology and Psychology.

[milkytea]

As long as the subjects you choose are not on Cambridge's "blacklist", which I believe can be found on this website, I recommend that you choose the subjects that interest you most. Presumably one of those will be Philosophy. It's important to pick subjects that you like because A levels are a lot of work and it can be tough to find motivation sometimes - if you enjoy the content it makes things far easier. Speaking as somebody who will hopefully be studying philosophy at uni next year, I wish in hindsight that I had taken it for A level because I find the subject more interesting than any other. Maths, as mentioned, will be useful and interesting for you if you want to do work in the area of logic.

[Jackkkkk]

(Original post by liamdunne)
I have two sciences though; namely, Biology and Psychology.

Perfect then good luck, where are you applying ?


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[Existentialistic]

(Original post by liamdunne)
two sciences

(Original post by liamdunne)
Biology and Psychology

Pick one.

[RobertWhite]

I can imagine they like maths because it shows you have a strong academic grounding. In philosophy maths is often seen as the only thing which is true and I think I read somewhere lots of philosophers are really good at maths... but I'm not sure how true that is

I would take something like:

Philosophy/Philosophy and Ethics/Religious Studies
Maths
History/English Lit
Biology/Psychology

I think a good combination like that would have you in quite a strong position.

[member591354]

(Original post by Existentialistic)
Pick one.

Why? I am taking both to A2. Unsurprisingly, I have been predicted an A* in both of them.

[Lord of the Flies]

(Original post by liamdunne)
Unsurprisingly, I have been predicted an A* in both of them.

Modest.

[member591354]

(Original post by Lord of the Flies)
Modest.

This is The Student Room; not run-down high schools and colleges filled with imbeciles.

[Lord of the Flies]

(Original post by liamdunne)
This is The Student Room; not run-down high schools and colleges filled with imbeciles.

Thanks for the info.