please alevel choices

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I would say pick History, English lit, Biology and Chemistry. They are all great, rounded subjects and will give you a good foundation for applying for university.

Reply 21

gr8wizard10

Original post by cookiecrumblexx

I am having to choose my a levels soon and as I am an extremely indecisive person I require help. It would be appreciated if anyone who is taking their a levels or has finished their a levels tell me of their experience, their subjects and its pros and cons as well as its enjoy-ability level? I must point out that maths and physics are not being considered and I have narrowed my possibilities to ... theatre studies, history, English literature, biology and maybe chemistry although I don't find it particularly interesting but I love human biology and was told it is in my best interest to keep it on encase I decide to apply for a science related degree when I go to university. Thank you for reading and any replies are much appreciated

Bio, Chem, History &/or Eng Lit are your best bet taking a University stand point, as they are respectable subjects.

Reply 22

chazwomaq

Original post by ChloeBelle

Choose what you will like the most
Bad advice

And never pick an A Level purely because of the teacher; how do you know that they won't leave?

Good advice

It really depends on what you want to study at uni (if you want to go). Chemistry will keep a lot of science degrees open to you. Biology is useful too.

Don't choose theatre studies or media studies. These are soft subjects which will limit your choices down the line and won't be as respected by universities.

Reply 23

cookiecrumblexx

thank you all ....aww but I love drama :frown:

Reply 24

ThePhoenixLament

I do:

Biology: I actually really enjoy it. I love human biology anyway, and I've found that I can relate the things I am learning to what is happening in the news (and I can answer some of the questions on University Challenge too!). Biochemistry topics are a bit horrible, but gradually you get used to it.

Chemistry: I can understand almost everything (mainly due to teaching styles). I've found so far it's all manageable and again relates to the world around me... occasionally. Plus the unis love it. It's quite maths-based in places though and I found it difficult to get to grips with some concepts.

English Literature: Love it. Absolutely love it. But the essays are not so great. However, we get to watch films as ways of "viewing different interpretations of the novel/play". I found it a big relief from all my quite linear subjects.

(And Maths, but you said it's a definite no).
If you really like Drama, then do Drama. It is a lot of work (most of my friends do it) but they enjoy it. There are constant write-ups, lines and speeches to learn and plays to read and analyse, but there are some very fun elements too.

Reply 25

cookiecrumblexx

Original post by ThePhoenixLament

thank you

still iffy on chemistry do you enjoy it ?? i love human biology but this is gcse ?? how big is the step up to alevel

Reply 26

ThePhoenixLament

Original post by cookiecrumblexx

thank you

still iffy on chemistry do you enjoy it ?? i love human biology but this is gcse ?? how big is the step up to alevel

On the whole I do enjoy Chemistry. We have regular practicals as well which is awesome. Most of the stuff we've covered is GCSE but built on slightly more so it generally isn't too difficult (although judging by what other people have said it will get worse). Also, further reading is very easy to do as Science Britannica covered part of one of our modules (discovery of the electron).
The jump to A-Level is pretty big. I'm not going to lie. It's like that with all subjects, but Biology has been a slow build-up of knowledge and each lesson on learning in more detail about the topic we've just covered.
So for instance, we look at what cardiovascular disease is. Then risk factors for cardiovascular disease, then what impact fat can have on arteries, then the chemical structure of fats. I like this structure as it explains everything fully and you can link everything together unlike GCSE. You will struggle with lots of information and key words being thrown at you, but if you just make sure you spend about half an hour each week looking over what you've done ensuring you understand it, you will be fine!

Reply 27

cookiecrumblexx

thank you

what degree do you want to pursuit?? :smile:

Reply 28

ThePhoenixLament

Original post by cookiecrumblexx

thank you

what degree do you want to pursuit?? :smile:

No sure who you were talking to, but I wanted to do medicine when I picked my initial options. Now (having done a fair few dissections and helping in a hospice) I have completely changed my mind and Computer Science I feel is the way forward for me!

Got any ideas at all for you? It seemed from your opening post you were considering everything at the moment.

Reply 29

ChloeBelle

Original post by cookiecrumblexx

thanks you ...... I honestly don't know what I want to do lol you are definitely right about not picking the subject because of the teacher but she just makes me hate the subject even though when a friend goes over it and explains its okay

What are your favourite subjects? Which do you enjoy the most, and which are your strongest?

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Reply 30

cookiecrumblexx

Original post by ThePhoenixLament

yea I haven't a clue what I want to do ... just not maths or physics

Reply 31

cookiecrumblexx

Original post by ChloeBelle

What are your favourite subjects? Which do you enjoy the most, and which are your strongest?

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the thing is I get a to a* is all my subjects so far so I don't know what I am naturally good at due to my working hard and confidence levels ...I don't think I would be good enough for chemistry alevel but in my first year of gcse got an a* but I was lucky id say

Reply 32

Kelytha

Coming from a mature student who is doing an Access to HE qualification (Like A-Levels for mature students) - i'm going to give you a few home truths!

When choosing your A-Levels, choose ones you KNOW you will enjoy. If you are choosing a subject your not passionate about or your peers are pushing you into choosing, you won't do as well in the coursework/exams. <---- I didn't choose what I liked, and therefore I didn't do well and I dropped out.

A-Levels are much, much harder than GCSE's. The way you are taught, and the way you do exams/essays is so much different to GCSE's.

My advice is to go to the subject teachers of the subjects your thinking about, and ask them to give you details of what the modules will contain, and then make a decision based on what you think you will enjoy!