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"Respected" A Levels
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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Exams and Qualifications > A Levels > "Respected" A Levels
ExplanationConsiderable debate exists regarding the subject of "Mickey Mouse" A-levels; that is to say, A-levels that will generally be regarded in lower esteem. The official line is generally that all A-levels are equal: each is worth the same in terms of UCAS points, and universities will only rarely specify subjects when giving offers for university places. The exception to this rule is General Studies, which may in a large number of cases be excluded from consideration altogether, although many places will consider it as an AS level in its own right. A-level Critical Thinking is also often excluded in this way from the central A-levels prescribed in an offer. However, many universities do state that candidates who have narrowly missed their grades on results day, may be viewed more favourably if they have achieved a high grade in one of these subjects. As well as these exclusions, more prestigious institutions may also take the perceived rigour of an A-level course into account when deciding whether or not to award offers. A tiny minority collate A-levels that they deem offer less preparation for their courses into so-called "blacklists". The use of the word "blacklist" is probably harsher than the reality. Even on the strictest list available currently, one or two of these subjects are still acceptable as long as they're accompanied by others. Even then, in exceptional circumstances, extra-curricular achievements do seem to be able to override the most eclectic subject choices. The other way to view it is that the university has written this list for a reason. If you're planning to make an application to a university that publishes one, it makes sense to follow their advice on what are appropriate subjects. It's obviously less applicable if you're applying to other universities as all admissions tutors are different. Most lists of what subjects are and are not "respected" are very much disputed and down to personal opinion. Answers tend to vary from "What I do!" to "Lots of sciences" to "History and English" as well as a multitude of others. Many people use the terms "traditional", "respected" and "difficult" interchangably. The link between difficulty and how much you should "respect" a subject is even more fraught. It's hard to decide what's more difficult as obviously most people haven't had a go at all the subjects so they can compare and also, what people find harder varies with personal aptitudes. Traditional relies on the premise that older is better, something that obviously doesn't hold true, while, as explained above, the idea of "respect" is personal and subjective. There is a lot of discussion surrounding how important your subject choices are generally. There are several links at the foot of this article if you want to read some of these. Most discussion on this topic is generally based upon prejudice and assumption and, on the whole, should be taken with a pinch of salt. The only published sources of information are from LSE and Cambridge and these don't even agree with each other let alone the scores of other universities without published policies. Most people would agree that checking the prospectus of potential universities is always a good idea as many will have specific subject requirements for the course that you'll need to meet to gain admission. Unless you're applying to a university that gives specific subject advice for all its courses, the best policy is probably to base your choices around what advice you have been given as well as applying your common sense. Choosing to do 4 sciences might give you universally "respected" subjects but it's obviously a laughable choice if you hope to study English or History. Similarly, choosing subjects you're good at and will do well in is usually a better idea than choosing subjects you think will look good. It doesn't matter how "respected" your subject is if you fail it! Sample "Blacklists"CambridgeCambridge's "black list" on 13th March 2008 was: here
Note that Art and Design is allowed for Architecture, Business Studies for Economics (if Economics itself is not available), and Design and Technology for Engineering.
Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College, Cambridge, have their own ranking system, accessible from here. They divide subjects into 'generally suitable', 'limited suitability' and 'unsuitable'. The C list is generally similar to the overall Cambridge blacklist (e.g. Art and Design is allowed for Architecture and History of Art), though there are certain subjects that make it into the B list with restrictions. Again, if you're taking subjects in the B and C categories, it's not necessarily the end of the world. A subject from the B category is no problem as long as it's accompanied by some from A1 or A2 as well. There's no published advice on the suitability of subjects on the C list when accompanied by others although common sense would dictate that perhaps you would be best applying to a different college that doesn't have these requirements. LSE"Applicants normally offer three A levels (A2s) in our generally preferred subjects, or two generally preferred subjects and one from the following list:
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