want to go to a levels, but feel like the ones i want to take won&#x27;t be useful

Original post by kylantwom

I'm in Year 10 at the moment, currently studying for mocks;
I know the sixth form I want to go to, and I don't think I will have difficulty getting in (hopefully!) but there's a problem:
I don't particularly enjoy Science or Maths but I feel like that's the only subjects that will make me succesful in the long-run;
I'm alright at these subjects, and I could probably do them at A-levels without much issue but I don't enjoy them
I want to do an a-level like film studies.

Film studies is a fine A-level. Depends on your life goals

Reply 2

Original post by kylantwom

I'm in Year 10 at the moment, currently studying for mocks;
I know the sixth form I want to go to, and I don't think I will have difficulty getting in (hopefully!) but there's a problem:
I don't particularly enjoy Science or Maths but I feel like that's the only subjects that will make me succesful in the long-run;
I'm alright at these subjects, and I could probably do them at A-levels without much issue but I don't enjoy them
I want to do an a-level like film studies.

what job do you want? or what uni course do you want? which uni do you want to go to?

If you want to do an arts subject at uni, or go into work in arts, a level film could be useful. i work in financial law and I don't know anyone else apart from me with science and math a levels. most people did history, economics, business, English, geography, etc

Reply 3

StudyMind

8

Original post by kylantwom

I'm in Year 10 at the moment, currently studying for mocks;
I know the sixth form I want to go to, and I don't think I will have difficulty getting in (hopefully!) but there's a problem:
I don't particularly enjoy Science or Maths but I feel like that's the only subjects that will make me succesful in the long-run;
I'm alright at these subjects, and I could probably do them at A-levels without much issue but I don't enjoy them
I want to do an a-level like film studies.

Heya!
You don't have to do sciences and maths to be successful - do what you will enjoy :h:

For example, law doesn't have specific entry requirements, so you can pick anything you want like film-studies! If it helps, use prospects and uniguide to research what you can do with different combinations and look at the entry requirements as well

I hope this helps!
Milena
UCL PFE
Study Mind

Reply 4

kylantwom

OP

6

Original post by shinytoy

what job do you want? or what uni course do you want? which uni do you want to go to

I honestly do not know what job I want , I'll go to whatever uni i can when the time comes
that's probably where my issues come from

(edited 1 year ago)

Original post by kylantwom

I'm in Year 10 at the moment, currently studying for mocks;
I know the sixth form I want to go to, and I don't think I will have difficulty getting in (hopefully!) but there's a problem:
I don't particularly enjoy Science or Maths but I feel like that's the only subjects that will make me succesful in the long-run;
I'm alright at these subjects, and I could probably do them at A-levels without much issue but I don't enjoy them
I want to do an a-level like film studies.

Hey @kylantwom

That's great that you're thinking about A Levels now, and it's always recommended to do something you think you'll enjoy.

I know it feels like forever away to think about what kind of job you might like to do. You don't have to pin down a specific job now, but do take some time to think about what kind of industry you might like to work in (or rule out the ones you don't) and what degrees might be relevant to that industry. Like if you have no interest in working in a scientific field then you don't need to choose sciences at A Level but if you like the idea of computer engineering, video game design, economics etc then it's a good idea to take maths as some degree courses require A Level maths.

There's nothing wrong with taking film studies at A level, but what else do you think you'd like to study? English or history is a good option as some degrees like law want you to have done an essay based subject for A level
You can choose up to 4 subjects and your entry to university will be based on your 3 highest grades. A lot of people decide to just take 3 subjects as the work load can get intense and the 4th is a 'back up' or a subject that you take for fun.

Good luck in your mocks! You've still got lots of time to decide what you want to do next 😊

Best wishes
Essex Student Rep - Hayley

Reply 6

Original post by kylantwom

I honestly do not know what job I want , I'll go to whatever uni i can when the time comes
that's probably where my issues come from

OK well if you are going to uni, you should start thinking about courses soon because you have to apply in a year!

regarding subjects, you have three possible strategies. 1) subjects you love the most. then it's like doing hobbies for 2 years, and could lead to a degree or career you love too!

2) subjects you will get great grades in. think of your highest gcse grades. think of "easy" subjects where its just memorising and reproducing info. this will. increase your chances of getting AAA. most unis don't care what subjects you do, only the grades. this strategy will help you in your university choice (if you want a top uni) and future jobs (some good graduate schemes ask for high a level points and don't care the subjects). also on your CV you will have great grades. many people just see AAA and don't look at the subject

3) choosing only respected subjects. maths. English. physics chem or bio. languages including latin. possibly economics. history and geography.
I call this the "transferable skills" approach, some call it "facilitating subjects" approach. this benefits some employers. I'm much older now and when hiring graduates for a major company, if they have a degree that is not in a relevant subject I look at the a level subjects for good numerical reasoning and analytical skills. I'd rather employ someone with a B in math or physics than an A* in PE because I need to know they can deal with numbers and algebra confidently. I also look for a written subject like history or English or similar because I need someone who can use grammar and spell. I think about what skillset their a level choice gives them. I have no idea how many employers or even universities do this. there used to be a blacklist for some top unis but this was withdrawn

Reply 7

Original post by kylantwom

I honestly do not know what job I want , I'll go to whatever uni i can when the time comes
that's probably where my issues come from

Then pick a flexible combination of A-levels

Original post by shinytoy

OK well if you are going to uni, you should start thinking about courses soon because you have to apply in a year!

regarding subjects, you have three possible strategies. 1) subjects you love the most. then it's like doing hobbies for 2 years, and could lead to a degree or career you love too!

2) subjects you will get great grades in. think of your highest gcse grades. think of "easy" subjects where its just memorising and reproducing info. this will. increase your chances of getting AAA. most unis don't care what subjects you do, only the grades. this strategy will help you in your university choice (if you want a top uni) and future jobs (some good graduate schemes ask for high a level points and don't care the subjects). also on your CV you will have great grades. many people just see AAA and don't look at the subject

3) choosing only respected subjects. maths. English. physics chem or bio. languages including latin. possibly economics. history and geography.
I call this the "transferable skills" approach, some call it "facilitating subjects" approach. this benefits some employers. I'm much older now and when hiring graduates for a major company, if they have a degree that is not in a relevant subject I look at the a level subjects for good numerical reasoning and analytical skills. I'd rather employ someone with a B in math or physics than an A* in PE because I need to know they can deal with numbers and algebra confidently. I also look for a written subject like history or English or similar because I need someone who can use grammar and spell. I think about what skillset their a level choice gives them. I have no idea how many employers or even universities do this. there used to be a blacklist for some top unis but this was withdrawn

4) A mix, flexible subjects.

But in fairness... A* and A grades are what I consider quite strong. AAA is decent, not great to me

Other than that I agree

Reply 8

Original post by shinytoy

OK well if you are going to uni, you should start thinking about courses soon because you have to apply in a year!

regarding subjects, you have three possible strategies. 1) subjects you love the most. then it's like doing hobbies for 2 years, and could lead to a degree or career you love too!

2) subjects you will get great grades in. think of your highest gcse grades. think of "easy" subjects where its just memorising and reproducing info. this will. increase your chances of getting AAA. most unis don't care what subjects you do, only the grades. this strategy will help you in your university choice (if you want a top uni) and future jobs (some good graduate schemes ask for high a level points and don't care the subjects). also on your CV you will have great grades. many people just see AAA and don't look at the subject

3) choosing only respected subjects. maths. English. physics chem or bio. languages including latin. possibly economics. history and geography.
I call this the "transferable skills" approach, some call it "facilitating subjects" approach. this benefits some employers. I'm much older now and when hiring graduates for a major company, if they have a degree that is not in a relevant subject I look at the a level subjects for good numerical reasoning and analytical skills. I'd rather employ someone with a B in math or physics than an A* in PE because I need to know they can deal with numbers and algebra confidently. I also look for a written subject like history or English or similar because I need someone who can use grammar and spell. I think about what skillset their a

Original post by justlearning1469

Then pick a flexible combination of A-levels

4) A mix, flexible subjects.

But in fairness... A* and A grades are what I consider quite strong. AAA is decent, not great to me

Other than that I agree

this is kinda crazy to me. I did my a levels back in the day before a* existed. anyway just choose a combination of easy subjects and ones you enjoy I guess.

Reply 9

Original post by shinytoy

this is kinda crazy to me. I did my a levels back in the day before a* existed. anyway just choose a combination of easy subjects and ones you enjoy I guess.

A grade in 60s-80s is roughly equivalent to A* in 2010s

So old-times AAA would be equivalent to A*A*A* today

Reply 10

Original post by justlearning1469

A grade in 60s-80s is roughly equivalent to A* in 2010s

So old-times AAA would be equivalent to A*A*A* today

haha I'm not that old, but I did my a levels in the mid 2000s just before A* grades came out. so now when we have new grads applying for jobs and I see A and A* I just assume both are good! when the grades are replaced with numbers, that will really fry my brain!

Reply 11