Choosing the right A-Levels - HELP
Hi, I posted a few months ago regarding a level combinations and I chose biology, chemistry and government and politics but now due to circumstances I have to choose something other than gov & politics, options I'm considering now are biology and chemistry for definite, and I'm undecided between history, psychology and English. I want to do medicine in uni so i need bio and chem for sure, but I've always had an interest in psychology and always looked forward to do it as an alevel but if i choose psychology i feel like my options become very science based but i want to do what i enjoy?? Any help and advice is ideal, thanks guys!!
I'm in the same position as you , want to go study medicine aswell . TBH I made a choice of choosing the A levels I think I'll enjoy rather than how my A level combinations look like . To study medicine you just need Biology and Chemistry and depending on unis ( maths ) . Choose A levels you know you'll do well and enjoy
I would echo the sentiments noted above; english is likely to be very unrewarding unless you have a very deep and longstanding interest in critical literary analysis (which honestly few have; enjoying reading doesn't really carry you through at this point compared to GCSE).
History is well regarded and while an essay based subjects is more analytical and being able to write extended analytical prose would certainly be a help for aspiring medics (a friend of my sisters lamented how after doing IB then med, she had to teach all her friends how to actually write essays because they'd done all sciences at A-level.
A-level Psychology is more of an essay based subject like the others; it's not particularly scientific other than some token statistics bandied about in an effort to make the subject quantitative. It's not as analytical as history and more relevant than english, however some might view it as a soft option. Take this with a grain of salt however.
History is well regarded and while an essay based subjects is more analytical and being able to write extended analytical prose would certainly be a help for aspiring medics (a friend of my sisters lamented how after doing IB then med, she had to teach all her friends how to actually write essays because they'd done all sciences at A-level.
A-level Psychology is more of an essay based subject like the others; it's not particularly scientific other than some token statistics bandied about in an effort to make the subject quantitative. It's not as analytical as history and more relevant than english, however some might view it as a soft option. Take this with a grain of salt however.
Original post by artful_lounger
I would echo the sentiments noted above; english is likely to be very unrewarding unless you have a very deep and longstanding interest in critical literary analysis (which honestly few have; enjoying reading doesn't really carry you through at this point compared to GCSE).
History is well regarded and while an essay based subjects is more analytical and being able to write extended analytical prose would certainly be a help for aspiring medics (a friend of my sisters lamented how after doing IB then med, she had to teach all her friends how to actually write essays because they'd done all sciences at A-level.
A-level Psychology is more of an essay based subject like the others; it's not particularly scientific other than some token statistics bandied about in an effort to make the subject quantitative. It's not as analytical as history and more relevant than english, however some might view it as a soft option. Take this with a grain of salt however.
History is well regarded and while an essay based subjects is more analytical and being able to write extended analytical prose would certainly be a help for aspiring medics (a friend of my sisters lamented how after doing IB then med, she had to teach all her friends how to actually write essays because they'd done all sciences at A-level.
A-level Psychology is more of an essay based subject like the others; it's not particularly scientific other than some token statistics bandied about in an effort to make the subject quantitative. It's not as analytical as history and more relevant than english, however some might view it as a soft option. Take this with a grain of salt however.
I absolutely disagree I do history and psychology and it is definitely not a soft subject it requires a lot of knowledge it mixes together sience, maths and English and the second year of psychology is definitely challenging. I would say that history is way easier.
Hey there.
So, you want to do Medicine - their requirements are Bio and Chem which is what you have - now you have one option left. My personal opinion is simply choose a subject you will enjoy. Hopefully you enjoy bio and chem, and this 3rd one will also be enjoyable.
Don't go and choose a subject to make your A-Level combination look 'better' - as you'll end up not enjoying this other subject potentially
So, you want to do Medicine - their requirements are Bio and Chem which is what you have - now you have one option left. My personal opinion is simply choose a subject you will enjoy. Hopefully you enjoy bio and chem, and this 3rd one will also be enjoyable.
Don't go and choose a subject to make your A-Level combination look 'better' - as you'll end up not enjoying this other subject potentially
Original post by artful_lounger
some might view it as a soft option. Take this with a grain of salt however.
Reading comprehension levels remain high on TSR.
This was not a personal commentary but a reflection on statements made by university admission committees, which is supported by the admission statistics.
A single datum that says to the contrary doesn't mean much.
Original post by xscorpiox
Hi, I posted a few months ago regarding a level combinations and I chose biology, chemistry and government and politics but now due to circumstances I have to choose something other than gov & politics, options I'm considering now are biology and chemistry for definite, and I'm undecided between history, psychology and English. I want to do medicine in uni so i need bio and chem for sure, but I've always had an interest in psychology and always looked forward to do it as an alevel but if i choose psychology i feel like my options become very science based but i want to do what i enjoy?? Any help and advice is ideal, thanks guys!!
I know you may not want to do it, but I'd honestly recommend maths, the new specification for Biology and Chemistry contains a lot more maths than it used to and it would help you leaps and bounds with getting through it.
If you honestly don't wanna do maths, i'd recommend psychology
Original post by xscorpiox
Hi, I posted a few months ago regarding a level combinations and I chose biology, chemistry and government and politics but now due to circumstances I have to choose something other than gov & politics, options I'm considering now are biology and chemistry for definite, and I'm undecided between history, psychology and English. I want to do medicine in uni so i need bio and chem for sure, but I've always had an interest in psychology and always looked forward to do it as an alevel but if i choose psychology i feel like my options become very science based but i want to do what i enjoy?? Any help and advice is ideal, thanks guys!!
If you want to do medicine then why are afraid of your options being science based?
Original post by HopelessMedic
If you want to do medicine then why are afraid of your options being science based?
I feel like if I end up changing my mind later my options could perhaps become very narrowing if they are all around science?
Original post by xscorpiox
I feel like if I end up changing my mind later my options could perhaps become very narrowing if they are all around science?
Ah fair, in that case History/English would be a good shout however I've heard they are pretty tough, especially English.
I would just take whichever subject you enjoy the most tbh
Original post by xscorpiox
I feel like if I end up changing my mind later my options could perhaps become very narrowing if they are all around science?
This is a reasonable, albeit incorrect, conclusion to draw; very few subjects EXCEPT the sciences require specific A-levels to go into. Virtually every social science and most non-language based humanities subjects tend to be very non-specific about prior subject knowledge, as they're often quite broad subjects at the 6th form level and it's hard to predict what specific schools teach (e.g. what texts a given english teacher will use; particularly when you consider e.g. IB where it's even more open ended). It's usually more about general skills and motivation at this point; it may look odd if you apply to an essay based humanities subject with all sciences, but if you can convince them you're motivated for the course and demonstrate relevant skills through other endeavours (e.g. an EPQ or something) then you're at the same level anyway.
Science subjects on the other hand have very rigid curricula and so across all the exam boards (and very similar curricula in IB etc) a university can expect roughly the same knowledge from anyone in an entering cohort with a given subject.
I mean so in light of this I would, as always, recommend maths, as it opens more opportunities in the sciences, as well as the social sciences (e.g. a lot of economics courses require maths, and it's useful for many others) and it's also a well received and useful subject for medicine.
An essay subject isn't a bad choice however as you will do more writing in medicine than other science subjects at uni in general, but I'd argue it's less useful than maths.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by xscorpiox
Hi, I posted a few months ago regarding a level combinations and I chose biology, chemistry and government and politics but now due to circumstances I have to choose something other than gov & politics, options I'm considering now are biology and chemistry for definite, and I'm undecided between history, psychology and English. I want to do medicine in uni so i need bio and chem for sure, but I've always had an interest in psychology and always looked forward to do it as an alevel but if i choose psychology i feel like my options become very science based but i want to do what i enjoy?? Any help and advice is ideal, thanks guys!!
http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/subjects/medicine/subject-requirements.html
https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/
http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/a-level-subjects/
Look at this if you want some ideas
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