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A-level subjects

Hi. Long story short; I wish to study medicine. Am definitely taking chemistry/biology. I can either take, with those, maths, Spanish, psychology.

Maths - I'm at an A* now, at GCSE, but it isn't a subject that particularly excites me.
Spanish - At an A* again, at GCSE, and since I love language learning, I wouldn't mind taking it to A-level.
Psychology - The course sounds interesting to me, but I've been warned that this is considered a soft subject? :colonhash:

Anyone got a combination of a-levels using (chem, bio) + 2 of the options above for me with the information I've provided? :colondollar:
Reply 1
Avatar for flippantri
flippantri
OP
10
Bumpity bump :colonhash:
Original post by flippantri
Hi. Long story short; I wish to study medicine. Am definitely taking chemistry/biology. I can either take, with those, maths, Spanish, psychology.

Maths - I'm at an A* now, at GCSE, but it isn't a subject that particularly excites me.
Spanish - At an A* again, at GCSE, and since I love language learning, I wouldn't mind taking it to A-level.
Psychology - The course sounds interesting to me, but I've been warned that this is considered a soft subject? :colonhash:

Anyone got a combination of a-levels using (chem, bio) + 2 of the options above for me with the information I've provided? :colondollar:


Why don't you do maths, I'm sure studying it at A level will exite you. :tongue: How you considered taking Physics?
If you really want to go into medicine, maths is essential. When learning Chemistry and Biology you'll notice how maths involved the subjects are. The other two subjects depends really on which one you'd enjoy the most, because it will most likely be the one you drop at the end of AS. If you enjoy Spanish, take Spanish. Psychology is a lot of hard work because of the huge content and not necessarily considered a soft subject, but it's up to you.

I strongly recommend taking Maths though, my friend was in the exact same position as you and she didn't particularly enjoy maths but was above average at it... she said she would have regretted not taking it. Personal preference though!
Reply 4
Avatar for 11ahf
11ahf
6
Take maths (I've been told it's more interesting later on) to a level and Spanish to AS - languages show breadth and are considered hardcore:tongue:

Psychology is an awkward subject between the sciences and the arts, but if you want to take it because you think you'll really like it, go ahead.

I would definitely take maths though.
Original post by flippantri
Hi. Long story short; I wish to study medicine. Am definitely taking chemistry/biology. I can either take, with those, maths, Spanish, psychology.

Maths - I'm at an A* now, at GCSE, but it isn't a subject that particularly excites me.
Spanish - At an A* again, at GCSE, and since I love language learning, I wouldn't mind taking it to A-level.
Psychology - The course sounds interesting to me, but I've been warned that this is considered a soft subject? :colonhash:

Anyone got a combination of a-levels using (chem, bio) + 2 of the options above for me with the information I've provided? :colondollar:


im in the same position as you..dont like maths but i like spanish but ive heard spanish a levels are gonna be harder and more suited towards those doing the new gccses which were not doing...i personally am considering english lit as its quite a respected subject..dunno if id be any good at it though
Reply 6
Avatar for celloel
celloel
20
Maths to A Level and Spanish to AS.
Reply 7
Avatar for Ayaz123
Ayaz123
3
Id say take maths only because its considered as an essential subject and maybe go for spanish as?
Original post by Babs Posh
If you really want to go into medicine, maths is essential. When learning Chemistry and Biology you'll notice how maths involved the subjects are. The other two subjects depends really on which one you'd enjoy the most, because it will most likely be the one you drop at the end of AS. If you enjoy Spanish, take Spanish. Psychology is a lot of hard work because of the huge content and not necessarily considered a soft subject, but it's up to you.

I strongly recommend taking Maths though, my friend was in the exact same position as you and she didn't particularly enjoy maths but was above average at it... she said she would have regretted not taking it. Personal preference though!

starting next year if you drop a subject at a level after the first year you dont get an as level..whats the point?
Reply 9
Avatar for Gogregg
Gogregg
14
Take whichever one you want.
Maths is useful, but in no way essential if you can generally understand maths.
Spanish is very difficult, and requires a lot of work, so you have to be really committed to learning it.
I don't think Psychology is considered 'soft', and I've heard it is very interesting, but also that there is a lot to learn, so you need to be good at learning stuff. It goes well with biology though :h:
Original post by PenguinNinja
starting next year if you drop a subject at a level after the first year you dont get an as level..whats the point?


The new reforms are stupid, but if you drop a subject after the first year; you do get a qualification but it doesn't contribute to your a levels. It's deemed the same as 40% of an a level.

I suppose the point is that it shows unis that you're capable of doing more than 3 subjects, it's an extra grade that makes you look better on paper. I guess. :tongue:
Bio, Chem, Maths, Spanish or Bio, Chem, Maths, Psych. i have read some people on here mention that some medical schools highly recommend A-Level Maths.
Take Maths and Spanish!!! Don't bother taking psychology, it's just gonna be a lot of extra work and it most certainly isn't necessary for the course you want to apply to.
Also, I know a few people who have taken bio, chem and maths with French. So that combo isn't too uncommon.
Original post by flippantri
Hi. Long story short; I wish to study medicine. Am definitely taking chemistry/biology. I can either take, with those, maths, Spanish, psychology.

Maths - I'm at an A* now, at GCSE, but it isn't a subject that particularly excites me.
Spanish - At an A* again, at GCSE, and since I love language learning, I wouldn't mind taking it to A-level.
Psychology - The course sounds interesting to me, but I've been warned that this is considered a soft subject? :colonhash:

Anyone got a combination of a-levels using (chem, bio) + 2 of the options above for me with the information I've provided? :colondollar:


Ii was in your position when chosing my A levels. I definetly wanted to do bio, chem and geog but was torn between maths (didnt enjoy but was good at) and psyc (same as you thought it was considered soft). i ended up taking maths and it is the biggest regret of my life!!
I got a B in it and left it behind at AS, but if your not passionate about it, then it will be a slog.
I am now studying medicine and just this morning sat a year one exam, every exam is 20% maths, but its mostly chemistry maths (likes moles and Vmax) as well as basic maths such as risk and standard deviation. you in no way need to have studied A-level maths! so ignore everyone that says its essential as its just not.
go with your gut, do spanish and psyc.
psychology is not a "soft" subject, its very difficult and a lot of med students in my year took it, and it is more helpful than maths I promise you that!
Original post by Absent Agent
Why don't you do maths, I'm sure studying it at A level will exite you. :tongue: How you considered taking Physics?


No. It bores me so much now, at simple GCSE level, that there's no way I'd be able to take it to a-level.
There is a whole TSR section devoted to Applying for Medicine - lots of advice and info about all aspects of the application process, including subject/grades required :

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine
I'm doing Psychology and have done a Foreign Language for A-level. Psychology is 'bae' ;p It's extremely interesting, but there's a lot of work; the workload is massive, due to a huge amount of content which you need to cover, constant essay practice, a plethora of case studies to remember, et cetera.

On the other hand, I dropped out of French in December. It was horrendously bad, even though I got an A in it at GCSE. I was one of eight people who dropped out. It's demotivating, and makes you hate the language which you previously loved. I love learning langs, but this is just too much. My advice is; if you want to learn a language - do it at home or through evening classes, it saves you from so much stress and pressure. A-level will probably screw you over. So, I would advice you to take Maths, Bio, Chem and Psychology ^__^ Hope this helped! :3


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Original post by Babs Posh
The new reforms are stupid, but if you drop a subject after the first year; you do get a qualification but it doesn't contribute to your a levels. It's deemed the same as 40% of an a level.

I suppose the point is that it shows unis that you're capable of doing more than 3 subjects, it's an extra grade that makes you look better on paper. I guess. :tongue:

aah right...i got told you dont get anything..my bad:colondollar:

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