should I take Maths or a language?

Not really. If you can get a A/A* at GCSE, you'll be fine if you work hard.

Hi guys, I am thinking of doing A-levels to boost my application (I am from outside the UK). I am definetely doing Chemistry and Bio, and I am considering doing Maths as a third subject. I've never liked Maths tho, so if I chose some other subject like Spanish, would it lower my chances of getting into med school? I've heard some preference is given for students who take contrasting subjects at UCL, in this case isn't it better to take Spanish instead of Maths? UCL is my dream but I would hate to lower my chances at getting into med school because of not taking Maths. Also, are three A2 levels and one at As enough or should I take more, like four to A2 and one to As?

Not necessarily true. Grade A is a minimum to have any chance of even attaining a grade C in my experience. You get the odd student who gets a B at GCSE and then an A at A-level, but that is rare. The difference in the number of concepts is huge, not only test the amount of content but more tricky content. Of course, there are also many students who find Maths A-level extremely easy, a trait I envy even if I am working hard. Balances out. Qualification is definitely worth it though as far as I know.

Hey i was in a similar position to yoy last year but i want to do dentistry
I didnt like maths but i got an a* at gcse and thought it would be good to take it, i wouldnt reccommend it if u dont like it because it takes alot of practise and effort to do well especially as i dont think im a natural at it
I also do french and i love it, so if u like spanish do take it because its good to have a contrasting subject
I also do my home language arabic as a fifth AS and i find it pretty easy so i would say its deffo worth doing polish to have something to fall back on, unis dont mind what your fourth one is as long as u meet the other criteria
However i think cambridge want applicants that do maths/physics at a2 along with bio and chem (correct me if im wrong)

I got a mid A at GCSE and got 260/300 last year at AS without working too hard, and ****ing up one exam. Especially at AS, it's *relatively* easy to get at least 70/80% UMS per unit if you just do all the past papers.

I got a mid A at GCSE too but I've been fluctuating from an E to C all year. Obviously you have been working hard to do all the past papers. I've done most of them, getting Cs and Bs lately and will hopefully do better in C2 after C1 went a bit pants.

74 people in our Sixth Form started doing Maths AS here and now only 49 remain. This is just AS for crying out loud. Bearing in mind that over here you required a minimum grade A to get in - with maybe a very small minority getting in with possibly a few marks off an A. A few of them were in my class, they got nothing but U grades when the teacher read them out and come March they dropped it. 50% at GCSE higher is a B, but at AS and probably A2 as well, that's an E/D. An E most of the time. An E is awful compared to a B. An E is awful anyway. That and there's more stuff and harder stuff. Of course, many people on TSR will say that Chemistry and Physics are much harder. I dropped Physics because I could not budge at all from 50% revising each mock we did.

You seemed to have eased the jump very comfortably, I'm just saying that even if Maths A-level splashes out many A grades at the end of A2 the transition is not smooth for everyone. Ask the teacher as soon as you don't understand the concepts they throw at you.

I would spoon my eyes out if I were to do Further Maths..

I got a mid A at GCSE too but I've been fluctuating from an E to C all year. Obviously you have been working hard to do all the past papers. I've done most of them, getting Cs and Bs lately and will hopefully do better in C2 after C1 went a bit pants.

74 people in our Sixth Form started doing Maths AS here and now only 49 remain. This is just AS for crying out loud. Bearing in mind that over here you required a minimum grade A to get in - with maybe a very small minority getting in with possibly a few marks off an A. A few of them were in my class, they got nothing but U grades when the teacher read them out and come March they dropped it. 50% at GCSE higher is a B, but at AS and probably A2 as well, that's an E/D. An E most of the time. An E is awful compared to a B. An E is awful anyway. That and there's more stuff and harder stuff. Of course, many people on TSR will say that Chemistry and Physics are much harder. I dropped Physics because I could not budge at all from 50% revising each mock we did.

You seemed to have eased the jump very comfortably, I'm just saying that even if Maths A-level splashes out many A grades at the end of A2 the transition is not smooth for everyone. Ask the teacher as soon as you don't understand the concepts they throw at you.

I would spoon my eyes out if I were to do Further Maths..

Unis may prefer you to take a different language but they will not hold it against you, its almost like (but not quite) saying taking English at A level does not count because you speak it. You and I both know that is utterly ludicrous.

Are c1-c4 compulsory?

so you reccommend doing Spanish instead of Maths then? Tbh I don't speak Spanish but I am good at Languages and I've always wanted to learn Spanish lol. And yeah about the contrasting subject- in this case if UCL prefers people with contrasting subjects it's better not to take Maths and replace it with some other subject?

Woah woah hollup there.
Are you saying you haven't done Spanish GCSE? If you haven't then how do you expect to do an A Level in it? Do a Spanish language course outside of A Levels if you really want and pick Maths in that case.

An English A level isn't really worth the paper its written on compared to maths

I haven't done any GCSEs because I don't live in England . I've been thinking of doing an intensive course in Spanish over the summer and then doing A-levels.

so you reccommend doing Spanish instead of Maths then? Tbh I don't speak Spanish but I am good at Languages and I've always wanted to learn Spanish lol. And yeah about the contrasting subject- in this case if UCL prefers people with contrasting subjects it's better not to take Maths and replace it with some other subject?

Yeah if you dont like maths its hell doing it trust me
and yep, you could even do geography (which i regret not doing) or history?

Thanks! I really don't wanna do Maths because I used to struggle. I really hope it won't put me in a disadvantage when applying to Med Schools.

If you struggle with Maths then... don't do it. Do whatever subject is most likely to result in you getting the highest A Level grade, simple as that.

The idea that Maths is required for Medicine is purest bull****, perpetrated by people who think that because Maths is needed for some sciences and Medicine has science in it, that means something. It does not!

Just do a well-respected A Level and aim for good grades. Taking a subject where you're going to struggle to get a good grade is frankly shooting yourself in the foot on poor advice.

Hi guys, I am thinking of doing A-levels to boost my application (I am from outside the UK). I am definetely doing Chemistry and Bio, and I am considering doing Maths as a third subject. I've never liked Maths tho, so if I chose some other subject like Spanish, would it lower my chances of getting into med school? I've heard some preference is given for students who take contrasting subjects at UCL, in this case isn't it better to take Spanish instead of Maths? UCL is my dream but I would hate to lower my chances at getting into med school because of not taking Maths. Also, are three A2 levels and one at As enough or should I take more, like four to A2 and one to As?