need help on a-level options (year 11)

i’m thinking of taking of taking a-level biology, chemistry and english literature. i definitely need to take bio and chem since i want to pursue something in science (possibly dentistry, med or natsci???) but i’m not sure if i should take something like psychology instead. is there anyone else who has taken the same subjects/ how is it? i’m worried that i’ll have to take maths because i’m not so confident in it and there are many more people better at it than me.

Reply 1

zebra.mouse7

3

Original post by viatrix

i’m thinking of taking of taking a-level biology, chemistry and english literature. i definitely need to take bio and chem since i want to pursue something in science (possibly dentistry, med or natsci???) but i’m not sure if i should take something like psychology instead. is there anyone else who has taken the same subjects/ how is it? i’m worried that i’ll have to take maths because i’m not so confident in it and there are many more people better at it than me.

i might be able to help a little! I'm in year 13 and i took Biology Chemistry English Literature and History A levels in year 12. i also wanted to pursue something science based in year 11, predominately medicine or biomedicine. Personally i found Chemistry A Level particularly difficult, especially as maths has never been a strong suit of mine and i ended up dropping it at the end of the first year after achieving AABD in my AS exams (D in chemistry. I've now applied for English Literature/History courses at University, having realised that what i wanted to do and what i thought was the 'right thing' to do were different things. However, don't let my negative experiences with chemistry put you off - it's absolutely essential for medicine courses and i have friends with different teachers that love the subject. What i would say is just to make sure that science is definitely what you want to pursue before committing to all- science a-levels (psychology) I would advise not to take a levels because you 'have to' and instead because you really enjoy them - you may end up hating the a levels you have chosen. There are also science based courses that don't require chemistry but they're more difficult to find, but if maths is something you struggle with as i did you may need to speak to one of your teachers about whether chemistry is the right choice for you. On the other hand, if English Literature is something you genuinely enjoy then i would really recommend taking the A-Level, it's great! additionally, doing a third a level in something STEM related won't necessarily guarantee you a place above someone else or help your application in any way, in fact doing a third a level in something like English, or a language is actually better- it shows you're a more well-rounded individual and you stand out from the other candidates more. I wish you the best of luck with your GCSEs and A Levels!

Reply 2

viatrix

OP

4

thank you so much for this reply, it’s really helped me - originally i was unnerved since so many people argued that maths is necessary for a science career, but truth be told i’ve never had a liking towards it nor have my grades been extraordinary, so i think i’ll avoid it. i really do want to take biology and chemistry- they interest me a lot especially since taking separate sciences in year 10&11, and i’ve always loved english (reading/essay writing/analysis comes easily to me), so as long as i get the grades in my exams i’ll take the unconventional stem + humanity route in year 12…. as for my future uni course/career, i’ll figure that out when i get there :,)

Reply 3

StudyMind

8

Original post by viatrix

i’m thinking of taking of taking a-level biology, chemistry and english literature. i definitely need to take bio and chem since i want to pursue something in science (possibly dentistry, med or natsci???) but i’m not sure if i should take something like psychology instead. is there anyone else who has taken the same subjects/ how is it? i’m worried that i’ll have to take maths because i’m not so confident in it and there are many more people better at it than me.

Heya!
If it helps, you could use uniguide alvl explorer to see what combos you could do :h:

Your combo seems fine to me! Chem and Bio go well together but can be difficult subjects! Don't force yourself subject you wouldn't like is my recommendation!

I hope this helps!
Milena
UCL PFE
Study Mind

Reply 4

TazmeenX

18

hi, i take eng lit and honestly, it takes up pretty much 85% of my time bc there's just so much work. you're at an advantage tho bc you say analysis and stuff comes easy to you however personally, i felt the biggest 'jump' in eng lit. i do maths and sociology as well and tbh, maths isn't that bad if you have really good teachers and dedicate time to it but since you're also doing sciences, i'd say steer clear of maths if you don't need it.

i also used to do chemistry but i dropped in within the first half term. the content was actually quite interesting but difficult. i ended up dropping it tho for different reasons (there was only me and another girl in the class and my teacher changed half way through the term and i hated him)

you could also try taking 4 at the start to see which ones you like and don't like. i felt that looking through past papers of subjects helped me decide which subjects i wanted to take (you gotta look at them and ask yourself 'do i really want to be learning about this').

at the end of the day, you should pick what you know you will enjoy and be good at bc you're gunna be studying these subjects very intensely. but make sure you're not closing too many doors

need help on a-level options (year 11)

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