Psychology, Sociology, Law and Business A Level pros and cons?

From what I understand, if you want to apply to a top University those subjects may not be good enough, depending on the course obviously, as these Universities tend to prefer traditional subjects.

I took Psychology and Sociology myself, which I deeply regret.

Sociology is a doddle, I and many friends find it ridiculously easy to get an A.

Psychology however, I find harder than History. There is so much to learn, the marking schemes are so precise, and I'd just advise any individual not to take the subject because I don't think it's worth it.

I've just finished doing sociology + business A Level.

Business is great at A Level! Really enjoyed it, exams aren't too bad and I actually learnt a lot of stuff that is useful for later life.

Sociology was the biggest stress of my life. I enjoyed the content of the course a lot, but the exams are stressful!
Also I wouldn't do both sociology and psychology. A friend took both and she regretted it as she kept mixing up the theorists and studies between both. A lot of people regretted taking psychology altogether tbh!

Okay, after going on this website, I feel the need to re-evaluate my life plan ha! So what subjects do you suggest? Did you take History as well? - How did you find it?

I love History. I think it's a subject that without a doubt, you put in the effort, you learn how to answer the question, and you get the top grades. And I find it extremely interesting, as do many that take it.

What subjects do you enjoy OP?


Also, I'll just throw it out there. With Sociology I find the content incredibly boring, and I think the theories are a load of crap.

I loved the learning side of History at GCSE but really struggled with answer the questions in exams. I got an A* on my coursework though, I just need to transfer my essay writing into exam questions and get my timings right. I really understand and enjoy business, even though it does get dull. Although, someone told me to take economics instead of business. I don't really know what I want to do, so I can't even narrow my options. I just want good A Levels, to get a good job and not to ruin any opportunities for uni/life. People have suggested English Lit because its traditional and open to most careers.

Here's my experience;

Law - complete memory game - in this sense, it is easier then other subjects as it's simply memory but do not underestimate how much there is to remember. Law A2 exams often took more priority than my others. If you have a good memory and have no problem with reciting over 50 cases to memory (at AS) and way over 100 (at A2) then it can actually be very enjoyable. Other benefits lie in that the textbook (for OCR anyway) is generally pretty straightforward and if your teacher is awful, you can still self-teach easily.

Psychology & Sociology - I haven't taken either of these, but what's interesting is my friend took the identical combination as you minus business studies. Don't worry about uni offers, she got offers from Manchester, Kings, Nottingham and Cardiff so clearly they thought her A Levels were acceptable. Psychology she enjoys but overall her grades have been unstable. Sociology for her seems a bore, and generally whenever I hear her speak about it she is generally disinterested - however, that said, she has said it is easier to get an A.

Do you know what course you'll be studying if you did A Level History?

That does sound interesting to be, but I'm biased, my idea of a perfect date would be to cuddle and watch a histor docuementary

Also, you have potential to do really well with with the coursework which will bring your grade up which is a luxury you probably won't get with Psychology and Sociology.

I've just left school and finished my exams; thank god.
However, I've just read loads of disheartening posts about how hard A levels are compared to GCSE. I'm thinking about taking psychology, sociology, business and law. I was just wondering who is taking or has took these and what they thought of it. Also, if anyone has any A Level suggestions, around what kind of subjects I'm going to take.

PS. is the first year of business studies just like GCSE? Something else I heard that brightened my day.

Any advice would be super helpful.

Yeah I just realised that, it does sound interesting too. It will probably be one of my options now! As of Psychology and Sociology - I don't know where I stand.

Definitely take History. If you nail the coursework, it isn't that hard to get an A*. I'm in such a great position now.

What other subjects do you enjoy?

I see a lot of people advising you against psychology...
I've never done Sociology, so I can't advise you on that.

But I loved every minute of psychology, and lots of people I know loved it too. It just depends on what you're interested in.
Lots of people take psychology thinking that they'll instantly be able to analyse people's minds and it's all about learning tricks, but that isn't it.
You'll learn to conduct a decent psychology experiment and evaluate other experiments. You'll learn how to understand the basics of psychology, such as the different aspects of psychology and how these aspects can explain human behaviour, and how psychology research can be useful to us. There is essay writing involved. It's difficult sometimes, but not impossible as long as you're interested enough.

I think when you take psychology, it has to be purely because it interests you. If you're taking psychology as a degree, it will be useful, of course. But psychology is over-subscribed, so I think if you should only consider that if you're willing to do a post-graduate in it and are willing to work hard.
As for using it for other subjects... I think it depends on the course and the university you're going to. Top universities don't respect it much, especially if it's also combined with sociology. So I would check with universities first, and make a decision if sociology or psychology interests you more.

You've definitely got the good History course. When I started History we had the other syllabus and it was awful. So if you like History I'd go for that, everyone I know who did Russia loved it. Very lucky! History and psychology are largely strong choices so if you picked those two and then had one like sociology/law/business that would more than likely be fine for the top unis although obviously english lit would be a stronger choice.