Having a nightmare deciding my A levels/Uni course! Help needed
Hey!
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
Original post by Oddwatermelon
Hey!
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
What about trying this website:
http://www.ukcoursefinder.com/
It's free to register and you could input different A levels to see what it suggests.
Your A - levels are fine for most universities, doing most courses.
It is hard to say whether or not you could get into your chosen course, because you haven't chosen one yet.
You can still apply to Durham for Biology, which is an excellent university, as they consider Geography to count as a science.
If you want my advice, figure out what you want to do before getting too worked up over it. However, I think your AS levels are excellent for a career in science, due to geography/biology. or law, due to History/government politics.
Good luck
It is hard to say whether or not you could get into your chosen course, because you haven't chosen one yet.
You can still apply to Durham for Biology, which is an excellent university, as they consider Geography to count as a science.
If you want my advice, figure out what you want to do before getting too worked up over it. However, I think your AS levels are excellent for a career in science, due to geography/biology. or law, due to History/government politics.
Good luck
Change geography for chemistry. It will give you more options. A lot of degrees need/prefer chemistry over geography such as healthcare.
You are right that law careers are very competitive because its very popular with large numbers of law and non law graduates wanting to do it and there are far more graduates than jobs.
You are right that law careers are very competitive because its very popular with large numbers of law and non law graduates wanting to do it and there are far more graduates than jobs.
All jobs (not just law) are competitive and tricky to get.
Just think hard whether you want to go for the science or the humanities side at uni.
If you've no preference then you've probably done the right thing 'spreading' yourself.
But it sounds as if Biology at uni is where your heart is, in which case yes, check requirements at different unis, and change to Chemistry now if that is going to help.
But surely you could drop one of your humanities subjects and keep geography if you're good at it?
Just think hard whether you want to go for the science or the humanities side at uni.
If you've no preference then you've probably done the right thing 'spreading' yourself.
But it sounds as if Biology at uni is where your heart is, in which case yes, check requirements at different unis, and change to Chemistry now if that is going to help.
But surely you could drop one of your humanities subjects and keep geography if you're good at it?
Original post by Oddwatermelon
Hey!
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
I'm two weeks into my A levels and yet I haven't really settled into my subjects. My main point of concern is that I have no idea what I want to do at Uni or as my future career. At GCSE I got A*'s in the three sciences, geography, history, English lit and ICT, so 7 A* and 3A's in maths, English language and Spanish.
Anyway, I'm currently taking Biology, Geography, History and government and politics at AS level. I do like these subjects, but are they truly useful for any degree. Ideally, I would be aiming for a well respected degree at a good university. However, I feel I have spread my butter too thin everywhere. My teachers assure me I could get into a biology course If I wanted to, but, from what I've read, they want Maths and Chemistry as well. Honestly, this has been playing on my mind constantly, it's driving me crazy. I feel like I should take a maths AS level so that it opens more doors for me, or even a chemistry A level so that I can go down the science route if I want to. My parents seem to think something like law is well suited to me - but from what I read, law is becoming less respected. Also, I know this is snobby but according to articles the average wage of people with law degrees is decreasing and graduates are struggling to find jobs due to the incredible competition. It seems you really have to go to a top uni if you wish to get a decent job out of a law degree, is this truly the case? As well as this, (from what i read - this could be BS again) the top degrees at the moment all seem to be science/maths &economics based. Are History/law etc degrees running out of steam or am I just completely misinformed?
I'm taking geography purely because it is a respected facilitating subject and I seem to find it easy (full UMS at GCSE). Plus, the AS level grade counts towards the A level grade which decreases a lot of stress if you do well at AS level. I'm not interested in doing a geography degree.
I just have no idea what I want to do in terms of uni, and my life. I sound like a knob when I say this but I am overly ambitious - I don't want to end up in a 'good' job, where I end up doing the same thing everyday for an 'impressive' wage which, when you consider it, is not all that impressive. That scenario is like a nightmare for me - I don't want to make a wrong decision and end up regretting it dearly. It is daunting to think that I could end up doing the same thing for 40 odd years - It's not natural. My Dad works as a dentist, which many would consider to be a good job, and yet over the years I have seen the stress really get to him and its saddening. He truly hates it now, he has no enjoyment going into work and I don't want to end up like that. He has strongly advised me against doing dentistry, medicine etc because he tells me its just not worth it.
I know I'm thinking way too far ahead, but I can't help it!
Can anyone give me some advice?
basicallllllyyyyyyyyyyy, it seems like physics is the way to go for you! Maybe astrophysics, or some sort of engineering. You will literally find jobs everywhere as anything, you could be a theoretical physicist, a mechanical engineer, anything you could think of. You could work in Formula 1, or you could work for NASA. Tbh theres SOOOOOOOO many options.
(Further maths), Maths, Physics, Geography and/or computing is all you need! It's amazing tbh bc there's always new updates and new evidence found, new theories developed, more competition. It is a lifetime of fun, adventure and exploring. And you're perfectly capable of getting there.
that's my opinion anyway
BUT:
If you TRULY have no idea AT ALL of anything you wanna do, our 6th form has come up with the subjects that give you the most options.
Maths, Chemistry, English lit and economics
maths and chem count as sciences so you've got medicine, dentistry, chemistry, anything science related down
eng lit can be applied to varioussss degrees and help you stand out
economics and maths could be paired to study politics/ economics/ everything
its a pretty good deal
If you TRULY have no idea AT ALL of anything you wanna do, our 6th form has come up with the subjects that give you the most options.
Maths, Chemistry, English lit and economics
maths and chem count as sciences so you've got medicine, dentistry, chemistry, anything science related down
eng lit can be applied to varioussss degrees and help you stand out
economics and maths could be paired to study politics/ economics/ everything
its a pretty good deal
Original post by z33
BUT:
If you TRULY have no idea AT ALL of anything you wanna do, our 6th form has come up with the subjects that give you the most options.
Maths, Chemistry, English lit and economics
maths and chem count as sciences so you've got medicine, dentistry, chemistry, anything science related down
eng lit can be applied to varioussss degrees and help you stand out
economics and maths could be paired to study politics/ economics/ everything
its a pretty good deal
If you TRULY have no idea AT ALL of anything you wanna do, our 6th form has come up with the subjects that give you the most options.
Maths, Chemistry, English lit and economics
maths and chem count as sciences so you've got medicine, dentistry, chemistry, anything science related down
eng lit can be applied to varioussss degrees and help you stand out
economics and maths could be paired to study politics/ economics/ everything
its a pretty good deal
As tempting as that sounds, I'm just not sure I'm good enough at maths. I would ideally be aiming for A's at A level. I could take it for AS and work my ass off, but is an AS in maths truly useful? It seems that for courses like PPE, they are fine with just an AS.
Original post by Oddwatermelon
As tempting as that sounds, I'm just not sure I'm good enough at maths. I would ideally be aiming for A's at A level. I could take it for AS and work my ass off, but is an AS in maths truly useful? It seems that for courses like PPE, they are fine with just an AS.
tbh maths is a very useful subject for many many degrees. Most unis want a B in gcse maths to even apply! It opens up more doors for you. I didn't do it because I've always wanted to do medicine/ pharmacy, but I did physics... kinda wish I did maths but then i know i just wouldn't have coped. But maths is seen as a science too so doing just chem and maths can get you into medicine and most other health related courses, it can also get you into IT, business, computer science and technical degrees. Just a wiiiiiiiidddddeeeee variety.
Idk your choice tbh but I'm just saying if you're not sure it's a very good subject to do. If you think you won't achieve your best at it then there's no point obviously because it will just be a disadvantage, but if you think its within reach if you work your arse off, i'd say its worth it. Even if it's just to AS because atleast you've got that to show. However for computer science and medicine and that i think they want a full a level but half is better than nothing. Unless you've got a bunch of options that appeal to you in mind that doesn't require/ prefer maths, i'd say do it.
you never know you might love it and carry it on to A2! sit in class for the first 2 weeks and if you find yourself coping well, then stay but if you find it difficult go for something else
otherwise i recommend physics, its designed specifically so that people who dont take maths can do it, and its still got a decent amount of fairly easy maths in it. I mean if I could do it anyone can... tbh i got a C but thats cos i didnt revise enough and work hard enough. I got As in past papers but only those with questions that i could do, I would get Ds in difficult past papers... so as long as you understand everything and practice everything an A is easily achievable with not much maths involved. Tbh the worst it got was SOHCAHTOA, which you can just use a calculator for
btw i got a B at gcse maths, which was a miracle considering i hadnt a clue wtf fractions were and how to use them... yeah we had multiple **** teachers and the whole course was messed up and then we were thrown into further maths and then withdrawn from the exam and it was just a mess.
(edited 8 years ago)
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