Handling 5 A levels?

I just wanted to ask you for some advice:I'm starting my a levels in September and I want to do
maths
further maths
chemistry
French
economics

In future, I'm interested in doing an economics degree, then going into a maths-related occupation like an investment banker, trader, actuary or stockbroker.

Do you think doing all my a levels is worth it?

Reply 1

Chlorophile

Original post by abigail706

The only point of doing 5 A Levels is if you're personally really, really interested in all of them. Doing 5 A Levels will not give you an advantage over people doing 4 A Levels regardless of how impressive you think it is - if anything, it'll disadvantage you because you run the risk of getting lower grades due to the increased workload. By all means go ahead with 5 if you think you can cope (the subject choice is fine for your future plans), but make sure you're doing 5 for the right reasons.

Reply 2

abigail706

Original post by Chlorophile

Thanks for the advice! SO which one would you say that I should drop in relation to my future career?

Reply 3

purplemind

Original post by abigail706

...

It's definitely worth doing Maths, Further Maths and Economics. You should do one more (Chemistry or French, or both if you wish) because some unis treat FM as a 4th subject only. I did 4 A Levels at A2 (Maths, FM, Econ and Chemistry) and in addition to that I did Biology at AS. But 4 is enough. I have an offer to study Economics at Cambridge.

Reply 4

hlyon200

Original post by abigail706

I myself am doing something similar:
Maths, Further maths, Physics, Chemistry and economics.
I thought about it and I have it timetabled so that I still have 6 free periods a week. I would say that you have picked a set that isn't "essay" subjects, so you should have to spend a long time writing for prep etc.

Also, you have to take into consideration that if you start of with 5 that you can always drop a subject. But if you start with 4 then you cannot pick up a subject. In terms of which subject you should drop I would say that chemistry is probably the least relevant.

Finally, universities DO take into account the number if subjects you do. Oxford for Physics ask for A*AA but if you do 4 ask for AAAA. So if you are confident in all of them then I would go for it.

Reply 5

lerjj

Original post by hlyon200

Finally, universities DO take into account the number if subjects you do. Oxford for Physics ask for A*AA but if you do 4 ask for AAAA. So if you are confident in all of them then I would go for it.

Is this universally true for Oxford courses (hard ones that is, I'm sure there are some that don't need 4As, right? :frown:

)? Or is it just a case that they are more likely to make a 'low' offer for a candidate with 4 A levels rather than three.

At any rate, I don't think anywhere gives you leeway because you took 5 subjects. Re the OP: I'm doing 5 sciences for A level next year, but I can't really help you until then. Maybe try to learn some maths over the summer holidays to help you next year and get tutors for subjects which need a lot of work? That's my current survival strategy.

Reply 6

hlyon200

Original post by lerjj

Is this universally true for Oxford courses (hard ones that is, I'm sure there are some that don't need 4As, right? :frown:

I know that that is true for physics and other sciences, and I assume that the principle of being able to get a grade lower in one subject is universal across all courses, except the essential ones such as a* in maths for a maths course, physics for physics etc. I'm gonna try and do the first modual in all of the subjects instead of sitting on my ass for 9 weeks as well.

Reply 7

lerjj

Original post by hlyon200

I suggest the OP does this as well. I do AQA further maths GCSE and it's basically C1 maths already, so that's a small help. Gonna try to cover unit one of each science and maybe C1&2 as well. That ought to be a real help.

Reply 8

hlyon200

Original post by lerjj

I'd recommended that for chemistry you check out: E Rintoul on YouTube and for physics: DrPhysicsA. If you have a useful resource for maths it would be great if you could share. Are you doing economics?

Reply 9

lerjj

Original post by hlyon200

No, sorry.

For maths, examsolutions is pretty good I think. I'm not doing econ, so I don't really know. TBH, for maths just doing past papers ought to be alright so long as you don't run out. Had my last exam this morning, so I might leave it a while before I actually start to LEARN. :frown:

Reply 10

hlyon200

Original post by lerjj

Cheers, good luck with the summer learning

Reply 11

dogs4eva7

Original post by abigail706

I started off with 6. 1 was a bit wishy-washy so let's just say I started off with 5. Couldn't deal with it so dropped Further Maths the December of Year 12. DO NOT do it if you don't enjoy the subjects. Especially Chemistry, it's okay if you have a real passion for it besides Economics, but if you don't, don't even bother

It's a waste of time and it will affect all your other A-Levels and you won't be able to maintain a social life on the side. Maybe that's just me but if you think you can do it, go for it!! :smile:

Reply 12

abigail706

Original post by purplemind

If I did:
Maths A2
Further Maths A2
Chemistry A2
French A2
Economics AS

Math and Further Maths are pretty much essential. I really love Chemistry and I'm good at it. I want to be fluent in French and either spend the fourth year of my degree abroad or do a gap year in France when I graduate. The economics A level doesn't really interest that much (I'm doing it to learn more as I don't know much); but I want to do it as a degree as it look very interesting and useful to pursue the career I want.

Do you these A levels are good enough to get m into Cambridge to study economics?

Reply 13

purplemind

Original post by abigail706

They would be enough but which subjects you do isn't all that matters. You should have good GCSE grades (actually, Cambridge care less about GCSEs than Oxford or LSE), good AS results (around 90% across 3 best/most relevant subjects at least) and predictions. Then it is important you do some extra reading and generally show interest in your subject (Economics).
Look at Cambride requirements on their website. They say:
"Economics and Further Mathematics are considered useful preparation but are not essential. A Level Business Studies can be helpful if you are unable to take Economics."

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 14

OxfordMathsDept

Original post by hlyon200

Finally, universities DO take into account the number if subjects you do. Oxford for Physics ask for A*AA but if you do 4 ask for AAAA. So if you are confident in all of them then I would go for it.

Original post by hlyon200

Hi there. I'm afraid you've got a few misconceptions about standard Oxford offers. The only science subject to make an offer on 4 A-levels is Earth Sciences which has a standard offer of either A*AA or AAAA. All other science courses have an A*AA offer, usually with the A* in the subject A-level or maths A-level. For Maths and Maths joint degrees (e.g. Maths & Statistics, Maths & Philosophy) the standard offer is A*A*A (with the A* in Maths and Further Maths).

Original post by lerjj

Is this universally true for Oxford courses (hard ones that is, I'm sure there are some that don't need 4As, right? :frown:

)? Or is it just a case that they are more likely to make a 'low' offer for a candidate with 4 A levels rather than three.

No, this is not at all universally true for Oxford courses. As stated above, all the Oxford courses have standard offers on 3 A-levels, even Medicine. Most of the non-science degrees at Oxford have a standard offer of AAA. You can find more information on the Oxford University website, and each course page specifies what the entrance requirements are. These can also be found in the Oxford University prospectus.