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Is taking a language at A-level too much?

Hey, so I'm currently leaving year 11 about to start year 12 at the end of summer. My dream career is to be an orthodontist, so I want to apply for dentistry at university. I had chosen the subjects Biology, Chemistry, and English Language as the 3 I will study. I picked the first two because I like them, and are compulsory. I picked English Lang. because I am fascinated by it and do really well in it at GCSE level (yes I know they are different). In the last coming months to the final GCSE exams, I began to become super obsessed with Spanish and my grade. In English, I was on a grade 9, and by the last mock of Spanish, I was on a grade 8; I'm hoping for a grade 9, but will be content with another 8. Because of this obsesion, I eventually decided that I wanted to study Spanish, but I don't want to give up English either. 2 days ago I had my induction day at the school I want to attend, I sat in the English session and really liked it. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to do the same with Spanish, and I didn't go to any open day stalls because I didn't really care for it as much at the time. I've done my own research and many people are advising against it. They say taking 4 is too hard, and they say it's hard to achieve A*/A in a language. To become a dentist I need AAA (potentially AAB because of where I live). I really need help in deciding whether to take 4, or to drop English and go with my passion, Spanish. Or to play it safe and take the subject I know I can get an A in. Bio and Chem will take up alot of my time, is pairing them with a language wise?
Maybe I should take all 4 and drop one before Year 2?
I'm really having a crisis here y'all cause like, Español is my passion but I'm not sure if I can get an A. English, I can get an A and will help me to get into my course at uni, but it's not my passion. Can I do a language and 2 sciences? I know nothing is impossible but realistically, please, I really need some advice because I'm truly overthinking.
Thanks :frown:

Reply 1

hm-notsure098

It is true that it may be difficult to get an A or A* in a language, but who's to say that it isn't hard to get an A in, say, physics? Difficulty is subjective, and if you enjoy your subject and work hard at it, you're much more likely to do well than if you pick a subject based on what will be a 'lighter' workload. The 'advantage' that native speakers have isn't as significant for Spanish as, say, Arabic, where few people take the A-Level.

Original post by Kiki_07

I'm really having a crisis here y'all cause like, Español is my passion but I'm not sure if I can get an A. English, I can get an A and will help me to get into my course at uni, but it's not my passion.

You describe Spanish as your passion. Surely, that means you should pick it? There are no hidden requirements for university courses, and English Language doesn't relate much to dentistry at all, considering all students get taught how to write to a university-level standard (different from A-Level).

Doing a language takes up plenty of time, but writing essays regularly (which you will be doing in Spanish, albeit to a lesser degree) takes up plenty of time too. I would argue there are plenty of ways to fit in revision for vocabulary and practise a bit of grammar, so the workload is definitely manageable.

About 4 A-Levels: with how competitive dentistry is, I wouldn't recommend jeopardising a place just to do more work. The application process is long, and 4 A-Levels require plenty of time. Even if some schools do make people do 4 AS-levels (be grateful if your school doesn't), not doing so doesn't disadvantage you. It's only useful for some STEM courses, such as chemical engineering and physical natural sciences. However, if you do decide to take a fourth AS and think you can handle the extra workload to try out all 4 subjects, it wouldn't be the worst thing.

Finally, don't be afraid to change your mind! People grow and evolve, so expect your interests to evolve too.

Reply 2

Castrovalva

Hola Kiki_07!

I study Lit/Lang/Spanish at A-Level at the moment, and really enjoy it. I can't speak for its relation to dentistry as it's not a subject I (or anyone in my classes I know) takes an interest in! Like you, I'm naturally pretty talented at Lit and Lang. Throughout this year, I've been going through a severe mental breakdown, meaning I didn't feel like revising at all, but I still got A*s in Lit and Lang. I don't advise it at all, but what I mean is that I understand your passion for Lang and Spanish.

As a special case, I was allowed to transfer to do Spanish instead of Religious Studies at the end of Year 12/Lower Sixth - meaning that I've had a lot of catching up to do in half the time. I'd like to do Linguistics or Languages at Cambridge, so I also need an AAA+ realistically - which, right now, I'm just about managing.

I'd say that Spanish is quite difficult to get an A/A* in, but statistically it's about as difficult as sciences, so if you're doing well there, you'll be fine with Spanish, I think. Unlike GCSE, a lot of Spanish isn't focused specially on new vocab, but context and cultural studies of topical issues, during which you'll pick up new vocab. It's a real change from GCSE, but not at all difficult if you get used to it. In short, practice, practice, practice!!! Make sure you know your statistics (usually mentioned in your textbooks etc.), make sure you know your conjugations (you'll usually learn at least 3 new tenses at A-Level), and make sure you're giving it a go at home! I do language exchanges online, meaning I get to practice with native speakers whilst also helping them learn English - that's really good on a Personal Statement as part of "further study/reading". Another advantage of doing a language is that very few kids do these days - so if you do well, even if you don't end up in dentistry, you'll have a highly sought after skill you can use at work, as well as having a smaller, close-knit class. My Spanish class is between 8-12 depending on the day and we all know each other really well. Despite the challenge of learning a whole language, if you have the drive, and you give it the time and effort it needs, you'll be sure to do well. The most important thing is to love it.

Buena suerte :smile:

Reply 3

Castrovalva

Original post by hm-notsure098

Finally, don't be afraid to change your mind! People grow and evolve, so expect your interests to evolve too.

I agree with this. I wouldn't recommend doing 4 A-Levels in general, let alone with a language. Most Unis aren't focused on the what you did, but the how well you did, and adding a whole subject on top strains you more. The best thing to do, Language or not, is to focus on what you're doing. :-)