Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

'Soft' A levels for Oxbridge

Scroll to see replies

Reply 60

chbutterfly

would hist, eng lit, geog and maths AS be ok?

any suggestions?

thanks

Reply 61

solihp

Can I just clear up whether politics and philosophy are considered soft subjects?

Reply 62

OxyMoron.

solihp

Can I just clear up whether politics and philosophy are considered soft subjects?

I would say they're both fine. Just in case, make sure you have some 'traditional' subjects as well.

Reply 63

solihp

The other two I'm doing are History and Latin, both of which I'm sure are considered pretty acadmically rigorous :smile:

Edit: And I'll drop politics, one of my 'soft' 'uns :smile:

Reply 64

Llamaaa

Politics isn't considered soft. Philosophy, it depends on your exam board. If you are doing the philosophy and ethics course then that is considered soft, but if it is straight philosophy then it isn't (according to a Law DoS on an open day I went to in Cambridge)

Reply 65

solihp

Straight philosophy, as far as I know, it's very hard.

Reply 66

Bumblebee3

Geoff Parks (Cambs) official line on it is that at least 2 A levels must be 'traditional' such as History, English, Physics, French etc. It's ok to have one from 'the list', although doing media studies isn't as desirable as English lit. I hasten to add that the list they produced is designed for people who wish to do well at Oxbridge courses.

I've been having heated discussions with people who say there is an obvious bias against state school students going on. My view is that there are some really bright students who are choosing soft A levels because the schools make these fashionable and don't teach the traditional subjects well. There are students at some schools who are being really let down by their schools and the government. I know a girl who was really bright but was never really encouraged. She chose photography, English Language and Drama. By the time she realised she could have got into a top univeristy it was too late :frown:

Reply 67

Turdburger

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/14/nalevels114.xml

And the government wonder why less state school people go to OXbridge than they would like.

Reply 68

lucy_helen

My AS levels this year are French, German, English lang & lit, Theatre studies and philosophy & Ethics. I really want to apply for modern and medieval languages and I know that theatre studies would be seen as 'soft' but would English lang & lit be seen as 'soft' too? I am going to drop philosophy & ethics next year so i have four A levels which will hopefully make me look good and clever :smile:

Reply 69

Jessaay!

Nah, English Lit and English language aren't seen as soft at all, but English Lit is less soft than Language (I'm not biased or anything, just did my research :P)

Reply 70

at_amber

if you mean the one course that is lang and lit combined thats not soft either

i wouldnt have got into trinity cambridge with my A levels

ive got history and biology for the acceptable ones (but biology is a B and will so remain) and then eng lang (soft, haha) and politics.

Reply 71

t.w.

I think Philosophy will hinder your chances at Oxford. A Philosophy fellow told me this, saying thata candidate lacking philosophy A-level is considered as being stronger than someone having it, all else being equal. He also cited a student who found Philosophy A-level very easy, but simply couldn't cope with philosophy at Oxford and had to switch to theology. Apparently the Philosophy A-level is more about learning details/facts than learning about how to philosophise (although I haven't done the course).
I don't know about Cambridge - they do a pure philosophy degree, so things might be different.

Reply 72

YouAreWhatYouEat

I just wanted to ask (rather than make a new thread about it) is Religious Studies (Philosophy and Ethics' considered a soft a-level?

I know it is not on any blacklist for Oxbridge/LSE etc but i have always got the impression uni's (but more specifically employers in the city) see religious studies as some 'kumbya my lord kumbya, lets all hold hands and smile' type course, i.e. not as rigorous as other subjects to the extent it may put you at a disadvantage lol

Reply 73

Catsmeat

I have no desire to trawl through four pages of argument on what will -I assume- revolve around the same formulaic TSR debates about 'easy' A-Levels, and will simply add that, personally, my Media Studies A Level has been the most consistently useful of my qualifications for my course so far.

Reply 74

HCD

My Theatre Studies AS level was of bugger all use, mind. :p:

Reply 75

Tickety Boo

Drop DT at A2 and carry on with history, RS and law.
I would do that anyway...

Reply 76

lol_wut

I think Philosophy will hinder your chances at Oxford. A Philosophy fellow told me this, saying thata candidate lacking philosophy A-level is considered as being stronger than someone having it, all else being equal. He also cited a student who found Philosophy A-level very easy, but simply couldn't cope with philosophy at Oxford and had to switch to theology. Apparently the Philosophy A-level is more about learning details/facts than learning about how to philosophise (although I haven't done the course).
Philosophy A level might not be perfect preparation for degree level study, but I doubt it would hamper your ability to do philosophy at a higher level. It's not exactly unheard of for a student to perform well at A level in a given subject, but then not cope that well at university, so I wouldn't draw any conclusions from that one example.

Reply 77

Demoskratos7

There was a ridiculous article in Varsity (Cambridge student newspaper) today attempting to defend the qualification of A-level 'Dance' as a suitable qualification for moving on to Oxbridge study. LOL!

Reply 78

Es*

Demoskratos7

An admissions tutor I spoke to at one of the colleges said that he felt A level dance was a suitable qualiication. They may not all agree, but it's a valid opinion and he had valid reasons.

Reply 79

Catsmeat

Demoskratos7

I recently studied an interesting theory about the 'Cult of Dance' in early Neolithic society -a book I acquired from the Cambridge Archaeology Library.

Anyway, the assumption that an 'Academic A-Level' is any less prescribed by a tight rubric than Dance is a fallacy. English Literature seemed to ask little else than to see that writing about blood in WWI poetry was a bit non-conformist and that, correspondingly, Sassoon (et al) changed 'tone' and 'content' during the war. A+? I think so.