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It's fine. You can basically get a good grade if you know how to structure a few essays.
But it's incredible boring.
SuicideCommando
It's fine. You can basically get a good grade if you know how to structure a few essays.
But it's incredible boring.


:ditto:
Reply 3
I'm enjoying it, but at the same time finding it pretty hard. Dates, essay-wise, etc. It probably doesn't help that I didn't do it at GCSE. Good trips though.
The last module in A2 looks hard. Other than that, its ok if you pay attention to detail.
Depends what syllabus you are doing as to how interesting it will be, i know mine was terribly boring but im doing a history degree now. Skills wise you will in theory become great at analysis but really all you need to be able to do is structure a two sided argument and a good essay style.
Reply 6
loopykitten!
Depends what syllabus you are doing as to how interesting it will be, i know mine was terribly boring but im doing a history degree now. Skills wise you will in theory become great at analysis but really all you need to be able to do is structure a two sided argument and a good essay style.



Is it a lot of memorising dates and things?
Reply 7
I'm doing A2 History atm and it's turned out to be my favourite subject so far! :smile: Did you do GCSE History? It's basically building on the skills you learnt there (evaluating evidence, themes & ideas, putting together balanced arguments etc.) although you're expected to draw a lot more inferences/conclusions from the sources. Lots of essay writing too! Overall the skills you learn are really useful for lots of other things and subjects too. I'm doing Edexcel so I don't know about OCR for History but chances are you'll end up finding a module which really interests you (well I did anyway!) Hope you enjoy it :smile:
Reply 8
No it's anything but boring!
It depends on your teacher though. I'm lucky to have an amazing history teacher who brings everything alive. It's great!]
Check what modules you'll be doing, and whether you'd find them intersting. for example i dont know if id be able to hack 'Farming and Agrarian Law, 1876 - 1877'
but Nazi germany, the russian revolution, civil liberties.............. :biggrin: :smartass:

go for it, history is really respected. you leaarn how to interpret things differently, and how to analyse things closely and reach a good judgement based on evidence and the analysis of a situation.
:smile:

:bhangra:
Jinxy
Is it a lot of memorising dates and things?

No. I got an A and don't even know when WW2 was!!
personally i find it incredibly difficult and very boring, and its a lot of work with essays and tonnes of dates and facts to learn.
did you do it at gcse? if your joining the course after half term, it will be loads of work to catch up..
I joined my AS course after half term after deciding I couldn't stick French anymore, and I was fine :biggrin: You just need to be prepared to REALLY get into it, but once you go onto the second module you'll be sorted!
I like History, but I don't love it. It drives me nuts sometimes, but I think that's cos I'm doing Nazism for the 4th time :P
History's my fav subject (go figure, if you see my sig), but if you're not really passionate about it it could get a bit boring, especially if you have to follow a dull syllabus or your teachers aren't that good. I loved studying the Bolshevik module in AS for example, but found the Roosevelt and US Boom and Bust modules dull as hell coz they were so economics based. There's actually not too many dates and stuff to memorize, it's more about interpreting sources and arguing your case for or against something using evidence you've picked up from learning the events or causes of something.

Depending on your teacher, the workload might be pretty tough though - my friends in the other history class are dying right now coz their teacher sets them about 2 essays a weekand they're on the verge of revolting haha. Learning the facts themselves won't be too difficult - if you do other essay type questions like English Literature, you'll adapt easily.

Overall however, it shouldn't be too difficult - it will be pretty tough trying to catch up after missing half a term of stuff, but I did that for my GCSE course and it wasn't impossible. Yes it's considered a 'traditional' subject, and so it is quite respected by most universities, and you will gain lots of handy transferable skills like critical analysis, time management, evaluation, and fluency in argument. That's why history still remains such a popular degree course, despite it seeming to lack any vocational elements for future employment - apparently these sort of skills are really handy for a lot of professions. If it's of any interest to you, the majority of my dad's lawyer/banker friends graduated with History degrees. :smile:
Reply 13
nikegoddess
History's my fav subject (go figure, if you see my sig), but if you're not really passionate about it it could get a bit boring, especially if you have to follow a dull syllabus or your teachers aren't that good. I loved studying the Bolshevik module in AS for example, but found the Roosevelt and US Boom and Bust modules dull as hell coz they were so economics based. There's actually not too many dates and stuff to memorize, it's more about interpreting sources and arguing your case for or against something using evidence you've picked up from learning the events or causes of something.

Depending on your teacher, the workload might be pretty tough though - my friends in the other history class are dying right now coz their teacher sets them about 2 essays a weekand they're on the verge of revolting haha. Learning the facts themselves won't be too difficult - if you do other essay type questions like English Literature, you'll adapt easily.

Overall however, it shouldn't be too difficult - it will be pretty tough trying to catch up after missing half a term of stuff, but I did that for my GCSE course and it wasn't impossible. Yes it's considered a 'traditional' subject, and so it is quite respected by most universities, and you will gain lots of handy transferable skills like critical analysis, time management, evaluation, and fluency in argument. That's why history still remains such a popular degree course, despite it seeming to lack any vocational elements for future employment - apparently these sort of skills are really handy for a lot of professions. If it's of any interest to you, the majority of my dad's lawyer/banker friends graduated with History degrees. :smile:



thanks for that!
what kinds of jobs would a history degree or even A level be quite good for? I'm just curious :smile:

and yeh it sounds ok then, my other subjects are similar to yours im doing biology, english literature, religious studies and history after half term :smile:
Reply 14
OCR's quite a good examining body for History.

It's not incredibly difficult, but it can be quite dull at times, especially at AS. I'm really enjoying A2 mind you :biggrin: I didn't think it would be this good.
Reply 15
It's definately my favourite subject in A2, maybe because the modules I've done are actually interesting (Nazi Germany, Russia,Civil War) compared to some of the other modules in the OR spec which looked dreadfully dull and pointless. I actually enjoy writing the essays as well:o: although it's going to be tough work for me this year to get a B which I need.
Reply 16
I thought AS History was easy tbh as that's the subject I got a C in with barely any effort.
vidachick
I thought AS History was easy tbh as that's the subject I got a C in with barely any effort.


If it was easy why didn't you get an A? :rolleyes:
Reply 18
Love it!
Doing AS at the moment, The Tudor unit is not the best but the other unit on Europe before 1914 is very interesting.

Not sure what we will be doing for A2, the teachers have not confirmed it yet so nearer the time we will be able to have a choice in what units we are studying which should be good, but knowing my History group they will pick a unit that I am not interested in :wink:
I love the subject.
Got full marks in module 3 on the Jewish Persecution and didnt even revise it.
Teachers are really important in getting a good grade in History.
If you;'ve got an idiot of a teacher, or someone you cant work well with then dont bother tbh!
While we're on the topic of history does anyone know of any good (and i mean good- not Peter Clements) America US boom and bust and isolationism books. I hate clements!

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