Are these A-Levels good for a career in journalism?

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

Reply 1

Ready4uni

seems good! although try to avoid 'soft' options like sociology.

Reply 2

User990473

Probably history would be better than sociology but otherwise it looks like a solid choice. I think I prefer English Lit to Lang or the combined programme but that may be personal bias.

EDIT: Having Government and Politics is lieu of Geography would also be a good shout.

Ie, English Lit, Spanish, History and Government and politics seems like the best combo to me.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

helenjdkrbhg

you might be better off taking separate literature and language a levels... also did you think about studying media studies? that's very relevant to journalism. I know most people consider this a 'soft subject' so you could drop it after AS if you wanted...

Reply 4

Anna.Karenina

20

Have a look at my profile. I take English Lit and Lang separately as well as History. Avoid Media Studies!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 5

Cle1997

Hello,
A journalist (and professor of Journalism) I spoke to recently recommended English Lit, History, Government and Politics and a language.
Since you're sure about journalism, it'd probably be better to take English Lit alone, and maybe swap either Geog or Sociology for History/G&P :smile:

good luck with your choices

Reply 6

Fruitcake_OX

1

Yeah theyre fine, people will say swap it for something else because they consider it soft, when actually, its better to get a good mark in something that you enjoy, than take something you hate - like history or politics and fail in.

Ultimately sociology will be excellent as you are going to be reporting on a population - so obviously its good to learn the basics about that and theories to go with it. My favourite part was the section on things like social class - working, middle and upper and what the like, I found this very helpful when I was writing about the london riots and knife crime etc... General things that occur in London and other major cities that have large populations.

Geography is another fantastic option because of the changing environment, if you have coursework in the course that you can pick the topic of, then angle it towards renewable energies or political restrictions.

Reply 7

Tier

1

Do not drop English Language, its very useful. I'd consider doing it at AS, as you learn about things like Language & Power, Language & Technology, writing for specific purposes, and you'll solidify your grasp of the conventions of English. A2 won't be that relevant, as its mainly language change and language acquisition, but you'd be silly not to do it at AS.

Reply 8

Ready4uni

Should avoid government and politics, it is not accepted by many universities as a proper subject.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

User990473

Original post by Ready4uni

Should avoid government and politics, it is not accepted by many universities as a proper subject.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm not sure I agree.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=810355
Looking at these stats, it is a perfectly acceptable third A Level. If the OP has English Lit, Spanish and History and Government and Politics they will be fine.

Politics is seen to be a fine 3rd A Level. It is not seen as a teir 1 subject, granted but it is also not blacklisted like other subjects such as accounting which should only be taken as a fourth A Level.

Reply 10

lou_100

15

Original post by louise9

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

From what I've heard, whichever combination of subjects you decide on is unlikely to work against you when it comes to applying for journalism courses. That said, perhaps not having English language or literature might be a bad idea and/or a language could give your application an edge etc. However, overall, there don't seem to be compulsory subjects for most journalism degrees. That means, like I said, any combination won't significantly affect any chances, but naturally it's common sense to assume certain subjects demonstrate you can bring different qualities and experience to the course.

Therefore, I wouldn't take a great deal of notice to any advice telling you to strongly reconsider certain subjects e.g. avoiding Sociology because it's apparently "soft" or swapping Geography for G & P. In actual fact, I'd imagine there is a longer list than just 4 suitable subjects for journalism. Given, all the subjects you've listed plus single Literature/Language, other languages, G & P, Psychology, History, Philosophy etc probably demonstrate all kinds of useful skills and would be good for journalism, but it's just a matter of picking the four most suitable subjects for you out of such a list.

Certain subjects like Sociology or English Language have been labelled as "soft" (whatever that truly means) when applying for certain more scientific courses, for example. However, I believe labelling these subjects in the same way for a course such as journalism is wrong. Alas, such subjects actually seem more suitable for journalism than other subjects deemed "hard", like Maths, if you see what I mean.

So, to answer your question, I think those subjects are perfectly suitable. Each brings something in terms of skills for journalism. You've ticked the essay-writing box (with all but Spanish), the culturally diverse box (Spanish) and the knowledge about society box (Geography and Spanish). Others have suggested other options for you to think about. It might be a good idea to consider these for the sole purpose to see if your current choices really are the right ones for you. It's important to address all options.

One option I'd advise you to spend a bit of time considering is maybe the potential swap of mixed Lit/Lang with single of either. I've heard odd things about the combination course, where students feel that fitting both in feels like two separate subjects and it becomes a lot for them. But I've never taken it myself so not 100% sure? While Literature is traditionally considered "better" (/harder), like I said, in the case of journalism and some other subjects, I don't believe in these hard/soft labels. I'd imagine English Language, in that case, would be far more beneficial for your career if it came down to a choice between the two. But I'm sure the combination course is also fine.

Please remember to choose the subjects you will enjoy the most, as these are the ones you are most likely to succeed in. Sorry for the long post but I hope I've been of some help. :smile:

Reply 11

MattSmith94

Personally I would say Language over Lit, as for part of your AS and A2 Language Coursework (in AQA English Language B) you have to produce an article fit for a broadsheet newspaper, and it also expands your vocabulary base and you learn the ins-and-outs of language. History was also recommended to me when I mentioned Journalism because of the analytical side of it, but I wouldn't say it was crucial :smile:

oh and of course a foreign language would certainly give you the edge over a lot of people.
Hope this helps!

I do Language, History and Spanish so I'm a tad biased but although I don't intend to do Journalism now, I did pick these options when I did consider it as a career choice! :smile:

Reply 12

SheldonWannabe

8

Original post by louise9

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

I'm afraid you haven't got general studies and critical thinking, and as everyone already knows, these AS levels are must haves...

Reply 13

chapmouse

11

Original post by louise9

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

I personally think the combined course is the best one available to you. Some people will argue to you that doing the combined course will limit your opportunity to read English at uni, but that isn't true. A close friend of mine is currently studying English at Cambridge, having only done the combined course.

Anyway, your first three choices are very sound. A MFL is great to have, for just so many reasons. If you enjoy languages, consider picking up an ASSET language to boost your university application.

I have an issue with the statement 'I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS'.
Don't plan to drop a certain subject. The potential is there that Sociology is the subject you excel in, and you end up HAVING to drop Spanish because you got a poor grade in it. Then you end up having a 'soft' subject to A2 when you didn't really want it. If, however, you don't mind the potential of having sociology to A2, then by all means do it.

I would consider replacing Sociology with a strong, traditional subject. History, Law, and Government & Politics all work very nicely if you're looking to go into an arts-based career. So check those out.

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope this helps somewhat!

Reply 14

Ollie113

8

Original post by louise9

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

It really depends what you want to do in journalism.

Avoid soft subjects like media studies and sociology, the serious universities don't like them as they're not a good judge of character of the student.

If I were you I would do English Literature and Language as separate A levels, and then perhaps drop one at the start of A2 if it is not your cup of tea.

It's also a good idea to do politics, a lot of media is heavily involved in politics so it would be a good idea if you knew how the media influences the political landscape. Or if politics is not your cup of team do a language A level; bilingualism will be very useful for when you apply to university for English/humanities subjects.

Depending on how well your GCSE's are going you may want to do a history A level. The universities like history A levels, and classical history is by far their favourite A level, it is also ideal for you as it will tie in with your English Literature A level (you will be analysing a lot of classical Greek literature) and will involve constructing arguments over esteemed topics (something a journalist should love). However, classics is one of the hardest A levels so if you attempt it prepare to work harder than you've ever worked before (I know Cambridge type applicant who only get a B in classics, it's that hard).

When it comes to applying to university (which you will need to do if you want to be a journalist) DO NOT fall into the trap of doing a journalism degree. Thise with journalism degrees rarely become journalists. Instead do a degree on the subject that you wish to report on in journalism e.g. History or Politics, or failing that do an English degree.

Reply 15

Alex-Torres

15

If you do a strong degree then you can go into journalism. E.g. A lot of journalists have a degree in PPE from Oxford.

Reply 16

Kousar

12

Original post by louise9

I'm currently in year 11 about to finish my GCSE's and I'm deciding what A-Levels to do. I would like to study journalism at university (I'm very sure about that) and I wanted to know if these A-Levels are good options for my chosen career;

1) Combined English lit and lang
2) Geography
3) Spanish
4) Sociology

I think sociology would be the subject I drop after AS.

That should be good. Languages is a brilliant A Level to do, it's highly regarded by many. I just wanted to ask, what make's you so sure you want to do journalism. I'm really interested to know, because journalism is one of the careers I've thought about but I am not sure. I am studying my A2 Levels at the moment, my subjects are: History, Literature and Philosophy and RS. And I've applied for Lit at uni (just to give you an insight).

I'd be interested in a response :smile:

PS- Cherish your year 11 moments! When you start studying your A Levels you'll know exactly what I mean!

Reply 17

Kousar

12

Original post by Ollie113

It really depends what you want to do in journalism.

Avoid soft subjects like media studies and sociology, the serious universities don't like them as they're not a good judge of character of the student.

If I were you I would do English Literature and Language as separate A levels, and then perhaps drop one at the start of A2 if it is not your cup of tea.

It's also a good idea to do politics, a lot of media is heavily involved in politics so it would be a good idea if you knew how the media influences the political landscape. Or if politics is not your cup of team do a language A level; bilingualism will be very useful for when you apply to university for English/humanities subjects.

Depending on how well your GCSE's are going you may want to do a history A level. The universities like history A levels, and classical history is by far their favourite A level, it is also ideal for you as it will tie in with your English Literature A level (you will be analysing a lot of classical Greek literature) and will involve constructing arguments over esteemed topics (something a journalist should love). However, classics is one of the hardest A levels so if you attempt it prepare to work harder than you've ever worked before (I know Cambridge type applicant who only get a B in classics, it's that hard).

When it comes to applying to university (which you will need to do if you want to be a journalist) DO NOT fall into the trap of doing a journalism degree. Thise with journalism degrees rarely become journalists. Instead do a degree on the subject that you wish to report on in journalism e.g. History or Politics, or failing that do an English degree.

I've heard that to be often the case aswell, do you know why that is? You'd expect otherwise as you'd assume that a Journalism degree equips you with what you need as a journalist.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 18

Kousar

12

Original post by MattSmith94

Personally I would say Language over Lit, as for part of your AS and A2 Language Coursework (in AQA English Language B) you have to produce an article fit for a broadsheet newspaper, and it also expands your vocabulary base and you learn the ins-and-outs of language. History was also recommended to me when I mentioned Journalism because of the analytical side of it, but I wouldn't say it was crucial :smile:

oh and of course a foreign language would certainly give you the edge over a lot of people.
Hope this helps!

I do Language, History and Spanish so I'm a tad biased but although I don't intend to do Journalism now, I did pick these options when I did consider it as a career choice! :smile:

I did English Language and English Literature and I disagree with you. English literature is a much more academically challenging subject than English Language. They were both brilliant don't get me wrong, but Literature was more so in terms of critical thinking and analysis. :smile:

So I would suggest otherwise!