Can I get high grades in 4 A levels as well as working and volunteering?

B.K.S

Is it possible to get high A level grades (A's and A*'s) in 4 (rather than the standard 3) A levels as well as having a part time job and collecting as much work experience as possible for a medicine degree?

I will be starting college (year 12) in September to study Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature. I want to continue all four subjects to A level so as to be able to apply to a range of universities as some, such as UCL, want an arts subject rather than just science, whilst universities like Cambridge and Oxford want at least three science subjects.

Obviously for medicine I will need to get a lot of experience in hospitals, GP offices and care homes. Also, so that I can fund myself through college I now have a part time job.

All of this is going to keep me very busy, and want to know from people who have gone through it, is it really possible to get the highest grades in 4 A levels when I will be doing so much... Thank you!

Reply 1

rowena97x

7

People have done it but it will be tough. You might change your ming when it comes to carrying them onto A level anyway, so don't stress about it just yet.

Reply 2

nexttime

22

Original post by B.K.S

I want to continue all four subjects to A level so as to be able to apply to a range of universities as some, such as UCL, want an arts subject rather than just science, whilst universities like Cambridge and Oxford want at least three science subjects.

There's no 'such as' about it - only UCL state a preference for a contrasting subject, only Cambridge (not Oxford) state a preference for 3 sciences.

If you're worried there is no need to do 4 A2s. Another option is to start off doing 4 then dropping one if its too much.

Many people manage juggling multiple commitments, but only you will know if you can. Remember: getting AAA has to come first.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

CD223

10

Original post by B.K.S

Is it possible to get high A level grades (A's and A*'s) in 4 (rather than the standard 3) A levels as well as having a part time job and collecting as much work experience as possible for a medicine degree?

I will be starting college (year 12) in September to study Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature. I want to continue all four subjects to A level so as to be able to apply to a range of universities as some, such as UCL, want an arts subject rather than just science, whilst universities like Cambridge and Oxford want at least three science subjects.

Obviously for medicine I will need to get a lot of experience in hospitals, GP offices and care homes. Also, so that I can fund myself through college I now have a part time job.

All of this is going to keep me very busy, and want to know from people who have gone through it, is it really possible to get the highest grades in 4 A levels when I will be doing so much... Thank you!

You'll definitely manage at AS. This is what I did. I had a part time job and did volunteering weekly. I want to do computer science but the time balance was the same. I got my results on Thursday and I got AAAA with above 90% UMS in each subject.

I obviously can't speak for your subjects, but I did Maths, Physics, Computing and History, so I guess I did 3 science and 1 art/humanity subject?

I also have no idea about A2, but I intend on keeping my 4 subjects and seeing how it goes. Worst comes to worst I can just drop history if I find it a struggle :smile:

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Reply 4

B.K.S

OP

1

Original post by CD223

You'll definitely manage at AS. This is what I did. I had a part time job and did volunteering weekly. I want to do computer science but the time balance was the same. I got my results on Thursday and I got AAAA with above 90% UMS in each subject.
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Thank you, also congratulations on the fantastic results!

Reply 5

CD223

10

Original post by B.K.S

Thank you, also congratulations on the fantastic results!

No worries! And thank you! Hard work always wins :smile:

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Reply 6

Missgeehughes

6

Yes. I work 12 hours a week, volunteer in a demanding role and did prefect duties/ peer mentoring. I got AAAA this year. If you work hard, anything is possible!! :smile:

xx

Reply 7

CD223

10

Original post by Missgeehughes

Yes. I work 12 hours a week, volunteer in a demanding role and did prefect duties/ peer mentoring. I got AAAA this year. If you work hard, anything is possible!! :smile:

xx

Congrats! Which subjects? :smile:

are you continuing them to A2?

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Reply 8

Zohaib_ali

I haven't been through this but all I can say is it is achievable but you have to have a very strict timetable that you must stick to in order to do everything and keep distractions to a minimum.

Reply 9

Missgeehughes

6

Original post by CD223

Congrats! Which subjects? :smile:

are you continuing them to A2?

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Thank you! I do English Literature, Government and Politics, Psychology and History. I will definitely be carrying on G&P and History as I got 96% on them. I don't want to carry 4 on as I know I want A*A*A next year, so I need to make the big decision!

Reply 10

CD223

10

Original post by Missgeehughes

Thank you! I do English Literature, Government and Politics, Psychology and History. I will definitely be carrying on G&P and History as I got 96% on them. I don't want to carry 4 on as I know I want A*A*A next year, so I need to make the big decision!

Ah nice! Well done!

Originally Posted by ali_blue

I'm currently taking maths psychology economics and biology.

at AS I got 4 A's-

285/300 UMS in biology, 284/300 UMS in maths, 181/200 UMS in psychology and 180/200 UMS in economics.

at uni I want to study biology. I'm unsure whether to drop economics or carry on doing all 4.

id only really take economics because it would look good to do 4 subjects. Economics isn't relevant to biology though, so I don't know if there's a point in it, on the other hand should I throw away a subject I got 90% in?

im not that interested in economics and my friends dropped it so I'd be pretty miserable in the lesson. Is there any point in doing it and will it help me get Into a top russell group uni? I know that I could get an A/A* in it, I just dunno if it's with the effort.

I'm in the same boat with:

Maths (297/300)

Physics (273/300)

Computing (198/200)

History (196/200)

I wanna do Computer Science at uni, so is it worth me dropping history even though I got 98% at AS?

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Reply 11

Missgeehughes

6

Original post by CD223

Ah nice! Well done!

I'm in the same boat with:

Maths (297/300)

Physics (273/300)

Computing (198/200)

History (196/200)

I wanna do Computer Science at uni, so is it worth me dropping history even though I got 98% at AS?

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I guess if you don't like History as much then drop it. Does your course require the other subjects? Keeping history may also make you look more "well-rounded".

Reply 12

Beta_C

Original post by B.K.S

Is it possible to get high A level grades (A's and A*'s) in 4 (rather than the standard 3) A levels as well as having a part time job and collecting as much work experience as possible for a medicine degree?

I will be starting college (year 12) in September to study Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature. I want to continue all four subjects to A level so as to be able to apply to a range of universities as some, such as UCL, want an arts subject rather than just science, whilst universities like Cambridge and Oxford want at least three science subjects.

Obviously for medicine I will need to get a lot of experience in hospitals, GP offices and care homes. Also, so that I can fund myself through college I now have a part time job.

All of this is going to keep me very busy, and want to know from people who have gone through it, is it really possible to get the highest grades in 4 A levels when I will be doing so much... Thank you!

I've just got my A level results A*A*AA and i'm off to uni in September studying architecture. During the year I also worked part time waitressing (although the hours were very flexible), volunteering twice a week and doing as much as 8 hours of dancing in between (although i ended up having to drop 2 classes before exams). I also worked at an architects firm in the holidays on top of this.
I think i was quite lucky it all worked out so well for me because I didn't want to drop anything but I was always busy and I didn't get to see my friends out of school too much. Definitely at the end of the year I was panicking over having taken 4 a levels.
I don't think there's any harm in starting off doing everything but bear in mind you might have to make a few sacrifices along the way. Good luck :smile:

Reply 13

CD223

10

Original post by Missgeehughes

I guess if you don't like History as much then drop it. Does your course require the other subjects? Keeping history may also make you look more "well-rounded".