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A Level Options PLZ HELP

I know I want to take 4 A level, as i really enjoy learning, and i dont want to do an epq as it is boring. I want to pursue a career in medicine. Here are the subjects i am considering ranked by personal passion and interest:

1.

English Lit (love reading analysing and stuff but bad careers)

2.

Biology (also rlly enjoy)3

3.

.Maths

4.

physics or further maths

5.

Chemistry


what 4 should i take? i want them to be useful but also stuff i enjoy. can i get into cambridge without traditional triple sciences and maths.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by ismaelishere
I know I want to take 4 A level, as i really enjoy learning, and u dont want to do an epq as it is boring. I want to pursue a career in medicine. Here are the subjects i am considering ranked by personal passion and interest:

1/2. Biology and English Lit (love reading analysing and stuff)
3.Maths
4. Physics
5. Chem

what 4 should i take? i want them to be useful but also stuff i enjoy. can i get into cambridge without traditional triple sciences and maths.
you don’t need to do maths for medical school in cambridge, just chemistry and another science subject including bio physics and maths is fine. 4 a levels is a looooot of work a levels is a massive jump from gcse’s please don’t underestimate the amount of work load. i do english literature and it’s a lot of memorisation, a lot of essays and there’s coursework that you have to do as well, so maybe think about that? with physics as well it’s quite difficult to do without maths from what i’ve heard. i’d say do the ones you’re strongest at, you only really need 2 science subjects like i mentioned. most people doing medicine in my school pick bio chem and a subject they enjoy on the side so they don’t go insane lmao. unsure of the triple science question tbh
Original post by ghaloasjmnasj
you don’t need to do maths for medical school in cambridge, just chemistry and another science subject including bio physics and maths is fine. 4 a levels is a looooot of work a levels is a massive jump from gcse’s please don’t underestimate the amount of work load. i do english literature and it’s a lot of memorisation, a lot of essays and there’s coursework that you have to do as well, so maybe think about that? with physics as well it’s quite difficult to do without maths from what i’ve heard. i’d say do the ones you’re strongest at, you only really need 2 science subjects like i mentioned. most people doing medicine in my school pick bio chem and a subject they enjoy on the side so they don’t go insane lmao. unsure of the triple science question tbh
thanks for reply. my aim isnt to just meet entry requirements but go above and beyond. impress the admissions, and show them why i deserve a spot in every way possible. including volunteerung and worj experience but also academically.

with this light of view in mind, what would you is the best a level combo to balance enjoyability with impressiveness and also utility (i want subjects that will teach me useful things and develop good skills)
(edited 1 month ago)
bio, chem, maths, English or bio, chem, maths, further maths??
Original post by ismaelishere
I know I want to take 4 A level, as i really enjoy learning, and i dont want to do an epq as it is boring. I want to pursue a career in medicine. Here are the subjects i am considering ranked by personal passion and interest:

1.

English Lit (love reading analysing and stuff but bad careers)

2.

Biology (also rlly enjoy)3

3.

.Maths

4.

physics or further maths

5.

Chemistry


what 4 should i take? i want them to be useful but also stuff i enjoy. can i get into cambridge without traditional triple sciences and maths.
Further maths is useless for medicine and often isn’t regarded as an additional A level by many universities. It’s also by far the hardest A level. Chemistry is often required by med schools. Maths and biology are probably more useful than physics. I’d suggest chem bio maths as your main 3 then pick between eng lit or physics for your fourth. Further maths is only useful if you’re going into computing or engineering etc otherwise it’s too much hassle for what it’s worth and physics and eng lit are equally unrelated to medicine but could be fun to do as a fourth subject. I do chem bio maths and eng lang as my fourth it’s a nice break from the STEM subjects
Original post by Cheekymeerkat
Further maths is useless for medicine and often isn’t regarded as an additional A level by many universities. It’s also by far the hardest A level. Chemistry is often required by med schools. Maths and biology are probably more useful than physics. I’d suggest chem bio maths as your main 3 then pick between eng lit or physics for your fourth. Further maths is only useful if you’re going into computing or engineering etc otherwise it’s too much hassle for what it’s worth and physics and eng lit are equally unrelated to medicine but could be fun to do as a fourth subject. I do chem bio maths and eng lang as my fourth it’s a nice break from the STEM subjects


thx for ur help. how is it going so far? in terms of workload and stuff. also is english lang good? i never rlly considered it that much.
Original post by ismaelishere
thx for ur help. how is it going so far? in terms of workload and stuff. also is english lang good? i never rlly considered it that much.
The workload is fine if it’s your only responsibility academically. I was getting all A*s in year 12 but currently my grades have slipped slightly in maths and chemistry because of the process of applying to medicine. I did two entrance exams (UCAT and BMAT) and the studying for those ranged over 3-4 months and I had 4 interviews. So now I’m catching up on A2 content because not only was I only dedicating my time to entrance exams but I also missed a bit of school for them. My grades will probably go back up now though but perhaps the stress isn’t worth it. I’m currently waiting for the med schools decisions and If I don’t get an offer I can’t really fathom what a waste of time this all was, for my grades to slip for no reason.

Four subjects will be a breeze in year 12 but along with what’s required for medicine it could start to weigh down on you in year 13. That’s why people recommend doing 3 A levels. You shouldn’t rule out EPQ straight away as It’s an easy AS level which can lower your entrance requirement for certain med unis. All you do is write an essay about a topic. Some of my med friends have done EPQs about medicine related topics and then then they spoke about them in interviews or on their personal statements. English language is pretty good - you’re either good at it or you’re not. English language is pretty much a (natural) skill subject as there’s not much memorisation or practice needed so it’s perfect as a fourth A level. I think it’s also a good choice because it’s still respected as a subject - not seen as a soft subject. Soft subjects aren’t regarded much by universities and especially med unis. English language for me is a ‘free A level’.

Eng lit is a memorisation subject making it similar to biology and physics is a practice subject the same as maths and chem are. My English and biology remained fine because eng lang is natural skill/ability and I didn’t forget any biology content even when not actively revising when I was doing med exams. However, Chem and maths are practice subjects meaning they require your time. You have to keep doing past papers for them and this is similar for physics too. That’s why I would recommend chem, bio, maths and epq as your top choice, followed by chem, bio, maths, eng lit and then chem, bio, maths, physics.

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