What subjects should I take to pursue international relations or law?

I am an A-levels first year student. I have taken psychology, sociology and English language as my subjects. I am now questioning whether I made the right decision because everyone I talk to seems to have a different opinion, also I'm worried about universities discrediting English as a proper subject. are my subjects alright and if I should take another subject what should it be.

Reply 1

FloralHybrid

21

Original post by Safina_i

I am an A-levels first year student. I have taken psychology, sociology and English language as my subjects. I am now questioning whether I made the right decision because everyone I talk to seems to have a different opinion, also I'm worried about universities discrediting English as a proper subject. are my subjects alright and if I should take another subject what should it be.

Hello!

So, taking Russel group subjects open a variety of doors for you. These are Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Lit, History, Geography, Languages.

So, you’ve chosen English Language. Which isn’t as respected as English Literature.

However, for Law, it’s grades that are more important. It also depends on which Uni you’d like to attend.

If you’re certain you’d like to attend a “top” university for Law, if you can it would be better to swap out a subject for Eng Lit/History/Maths/Geog etc. (Whichever you’d prefer) generally, essay based subjects are considered the best kind of prep so I’d strongly recommend taking History or English Literature.

However, if you’re certain of your 3 subjects, work hard to get AAA / Whatever grades you need. Just be aware some courses won’t be open to you with those A-Levels, due to the competition having the A-Levels and grades mentioned above.

Reply 2

Safina_i

OP

2

Ii

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 3

Safina_i

OP

2

Original post by FloralHybrid

Hello!

So, taking Russel group subjects open a variety of doors for you. These are Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Lit, History, Geography, Languages.

So, you’ve chosen English Language. Which isn’t as respected as English Literature.

However, for Law, it’s grades that are more important. It also depends on which Uni you’d like to attend.

If you’re certain you’d like to attend a “top” university for Law, if you can it would be better to swap out a subject for Eng Lit/History/Maths/Geog etc. (Whichever you’d prefer) generally, essay based subjects are considered the best kind of prep so I’d strongly recommend taking History or English Literature.

However, if you’re certain of your 3 subjects, work hard to get AAA / Whatever grades you need. Just be aware some courses won’t be open to you with those A-Levels, due to the competition having the A-Levels and grades mentioned above.

I have been looking into university of Tokyo, to study IR or law, but I was unable to find a particular requirement for admission. I've already done bio, Chem, phys, maths, English and a foreign language in my o levels .i got 2A* 1A and 3Bs.i will give my SATS and am expecting 1300-1400,I also plan on doing some internships. Am I on the right track. University of Tokyo is one of the best, would I be able to make the cut?

Reply 4

Michiyo

21

Original post by Safina_i

I am an A-levels first year student. I have taken psychology, sociology and English language as my subjects. I am now questioning whether I made the right decision because everyone I talk to seems to have a different opinion, also I'm worried about universities discrediting English as a proper subject. are my subjects alright and if I should take another subject what should it be.

Moved to Applications, Clearing and UCAS. :h:

I am a first year International Relations student :five:

My subjects were Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, and English Literature; almost the same as yours! :grin:

My subjects were fine. I even got an offer from Exeter! :gah:

(I did get AAAB in my AS exams, but still.) Law is very competitive, but like a person said above, getting the grades required matters much more. This goes for any course in general unless the course specifically asks for a subject (e.g. Biology and/or Chemistry for Biomedical Science).

Your subjects might not sound ideal, but if you can get the grades, a place at a top university is probably waiting for you. :wink2:

If you want to take another subject, just pick whatever interests you. Other good A-levels for Law and International Relations are English Literature, Economics, History, Geography, foreign languages, and even Mathematics.

Original post by Safina_i

I have been looking into university of Tokyo, to study IR or law, but I was unable to find a particular requirement for admission. I've already done bio, Chem, phys, maths, English and a foreign language in my o levels .i got 2A* 1A and 3Bs.i will give my SATS and am expecting 1300-1400,I also plan on doing some internships. Am I on the right track. University of Tokyo is one of the best, would I be able to make the cut?

Nice to see a fellow Japanophile here! :biggrin:

I think it is better to ask about that separately in the International Study forum since the people there know more about studying in other countries. :yep:

Tagging @wolfmoon88, our wonderful International Study CA, in case he can help with this :hugs:

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 5

wolfmoon88

21

Original post by Safina_i

I have been looking into university of Tokyo, to study IR or law, but I was unable to find a particular requirement for admission. I've already done bio, Chem, phys, maths, English and a foreign language in my o levels .i got 2A* 1A and 3Bs.i will give my SATS and am expecting 1300-1400,I also plan on doing some internships. Am I on the right track. University of Tokyo is one of the best, would I be able to make the cut?

Original post by Michiyo

Moved to Applications, Clearing and UCAS. :h:

I am a first year International Relations student :five:

My subjects were Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, and English Literature; almost the same as yours! :grin:

My subjects were fine. I even got an offer from Exeter! :gah:

(I did get AAAB in my AS exams, but still.) Law is very competitive, but like a person said above, getting the grades required matters much more. This goes for any course in general unless the course specifically asks for a subject (e.g. Biology and/or Chemistry for Biomedical Science).

Your subjects might not sound ideal, but if you can get the grades, a place at a top university is waiting for you. :wink2:

Nice to see a fellow Japanophile here! :biggrin:

I think it is better to ask about that separately in the International Study forum since the people there know more about studying in other countries. :yep:

Tagging @wolfmoon88, our wonderful International Study CA, in case he can help with this :hugs:

Thank you for the tag! :smile:

There are only two English language courses in Todai (UTokyo) as a part of their PEAK Programme. One is Environmental Science and the other is Japan in East Asia Studies.

There are no courses for IR/Law offered in Todai in English so you would have to have a required level in the Japanese language before being able to qualify for the course. You would also be applying post A levels because they require one to graduate to qualify. - You would be classified as Type 1, a foreigner who doesn't have permanent residence in Japan.

Entry requirements:

School Certificates: which includes your GCSE certificate, O levels, and A Levels certificate or any other academic certificates you have in your arsenal after 12 years of schooling.

English language certification: An IELTS/TOEFL certificate that is within 2 years of the application date.

Todai's Entrance Examination- Special Screening; Type 1: This examination can be taken in Japanese or English. Prescribed subjects are Japanese, General Subjects, and Maths (Course 1)

Motivation Letter: A Motivation Letter covering why you want to study in Todai etc... This should be written in Japanese.

Recommendation Letter/Reference: A reference from your head of school dictating your achievements as a student and academic potential.

*Format for the two letters are available on the Todai website.

Standardised test scores (not required): SAT, ACT, CSAT etc... scores can be submitted but it is unnecessary.

If you pass the first application round: for the second part of the application round, you'll be invited to an interview and take an essay test with the university which seems to be primarily to test your Japanese. The essay test consists of two questions that you need to answer in Japanese. Seems to be subject based as well so you need to be prepared to speak about your chosen subject in Japanese.

Note: Most of the information is in Japanese and my Japanese language level is limited. For some parts, I needed to ask a near native Japanese speaker to translate for me so the information should be correct.

There are a couple of questions and points I would like you to think about though:

1. Do you want to practice law in Japan in the future? because if you study Law in Todai you'll be studying Japanese Law.

2. From people I know who are studying there, most would not recommend studying in Japan for undergraduate studies as it seems like the students stop caring as much when they get into university. Would you want to be in a potentially less fruitful academic environment? With that being said, it is Todai we are talking about so I believe it may be better there.

3. If you are considering Todai as an option, you might as well consider other Japanese universities as well, like Kyoto, Waseda etc... Waseda has a programme taught in English for IR, although it has to be said that the reviews of that programme from my peers have all been negative.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions just ask! Good luck :smile:

Links:

Information in general about special screening applications for foreigners which includes links to pdfs which detail a. Motivation Letter Template b. Reference Template c. More detailed information on the application process

http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/stu03/e01_02_04_j.html

Information specific to Type 1 Applicants:

http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/stu03/e01_02_04_01j.html

The first page also have a contact below where you can send inquiries to the university through email in English or in Japanese.

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