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A Level options

I've always wanted to be a Paediatric Nurse and have decided to take Biology, Health and Social Care, Geography and English Literature at A Level. However, recently I have become interested in becoming a Geologist. Would these A Levels be sufficient to get into a good uni to study Geology? I don't particularly enjoy Chemistry, Physics or Maths which is what most universities require.
Original post by LovingJenniferr
I've always wanted to be a Paediatric Nurse and have decided to take Biology, Health and Social Care, Geography and English Literature at A Level. However, recently I have become interested in becoming a Geologist. Would these A Levels be sufficient to get into a good uni to study Geology? I don't particularly enjoy Chemistry, Physics or Maths which is what most universities require.


Why exactly do you want to study Geology? Just so that you're aware, any Geology degree is going to have a substantial amount of Chemistry, Physics and Maths. Geology is a very multidisciplinary subject - it's completely possible to specialise in a branch like paleobiology but you're definitely not going to be able to avoid studying the physical sciences. All geologists need to have a broad scientific education even if you do end up specialising in a biological aspect of the subject so if the physical and mathematical sciences make you miserable, it might not be the best idea. It'd help if you could tell me what exactly you're interested in :smile:

To directly answer the question though, you can get into Geology with those subjects. The first course I've looked at, Glasgow, asks for a minimum of 1 "relevant science" and it counts both Biology and Geography as being a relevant science. The only issue is if you're looking at the very competitive top ranked courses, some of which may require Maths and a physical science.
Original post by Chlorophile
Why exactly do you want to study Geology? Just so that you're aware, any Geology degree is going to have a substantial amount of Chemistry, Physics and Maths. Geology is a very multidisciplinary subject - it's completely possible to specialise in a branch like paleobiology but you're definitely not going to be able to avoid studying the physical sciences. All geologists need to have a broad scientific education even if you do end up specialising in a biological aspect of the subject so if the physical and mathematical sciences make you miserable, it might not be the best idea. It'd help if you could tell me what exactly you're interested in :smile:

To directly answer the question though, you can get into Geology with those subjects. The first course I've looked at, Glasgow, asks for a minimum of 1 "relevant science" and it counts both Biology and Geography as being a relevant science. The only issue is if you're looking at the very competitive top ranked courses, some of which may require Maths and a physical science.


I'm just really enjoying geography at the moment and find the sort of work geologists do really interesting. I know I've only just come up with the idea but I don't want to finish my A Level's and find that I've cut myself short. I do enjoy science and am predicted A*'s in all of them but I find it difficult to get my head round sometimes and don't know if I'd enjoy doing two years specifically studying one of them.

Thank you so much for your help though :smile:
Original post by LovingJenniferr
I'm just really enjoying geography at the moment and find the sort of work geologists do really interesting. I know I've only just come up with the idea but I don't want to finish my A Level's and find that I've cut myself short. I do enjoy science and am predicted A*'s in all of them but I find it difficult to get my head round sometimes and don't know if I'd enjoy doing two years specifically studying one of them.

Thank you so much for your help though :smile:


If you enjoy the sciences in general but don't want to study a single one of them (which is basically my situation) then geology is a great idea - but you do need to be prepared for the fact that it will be science-heavy! It might be worth looking into Geography - a lot of Geography courses allow you to take some similar modules to Geology but it's less science-heavy and more human focussed.

If you do decide to study Geology, what the universities want is students with the strongest scientific foundation at A Level. If you just take Biology and Geography then you will probably get offers but taking one or more of Physics, Chemistry and Maths would put you in a stronger position as an applicant and also when you start your degree.
Original post by Chlorophile
If you enjoy the sciences in general but don't want to study a single one of them (which is basically my situation) then geology is a great idea - but you do need to be prepared for the fact that it will be science-heavy! It might be worth looking into Geography - a lot of Geography courses allow you to take some similar modules to Geology but it's less science-heavy and more human focussed.

If you do decide to study Geology, what the universities want is students with the strongest scientific foundation at A Level. If you just take Biology and Geography then you will probably get offers but taking one or more of Physics, Chemistry and Maths would put you in a stronger position as an applicant and also when you start your degree.


Thank you so much for all of your help :smile:

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