The Student Room Group

Which A level? Stuck!

So I'm going to sixth form this September therefore I'm torn on which A level to pick?? And my deadlines for subjects are soon, I don't know what I'm doing at uni at the moment!
So I'm definitely doing English literature and Law. I'm just deciding between philosophy and psychology A level, can anyone help me? ? And tell what the course is like??

Scroll to see replies

What is your predicted grade in Maths? As you need a Grade 6 in Maths to do A-Level Psychology at most places now.
Also, what do you want to do at uni? It may have some bearing on what you inevitably choose :smile:
Reply 3
In Maths I am predicted/targetted a grade 6 but I don't think I can get it! A 5 defo but 6 is a push....
Original post by mjhmichael18
What is your predicted grade in Maths? As you need a Grade 6 in Maths to do A-Level Psychology at most places now.
Reply 4
Do psychology it’s a good well respected a level which can go with literally any course you’re applying to for uni so when you decide what you want to do you won’t be limited at all English lit law and psychology is a good mix but they also link nicely together
Philosophy needs lower entrance grades, you only need a 4 in English and a 4 in Maths to get into Philosophy. I would say do Philosophy as you are more likely to get into it.
Are you sure about Law? It’s kind of seen as a joke and it’s not really academic.
Philosophy is stimulating and thought-provoking, and psychology teaches you a lot about how people think.
I would start with 4 (If you are allowed) and drop one if I hate it.
You could also look up AS test papers and imagine yourself in the exam: are you excited to learn how to answer these questions? Would you see yourself reading outside the subject?
Doing AS papers in the summer helped me choose my a-levels, and it helped me get a bit of a head start. Look up key words, and if you find yourself interested, then you should choose it. Best of luck x
Reply 7
Awhhh, thank you for all the advice, also to the point you made about Law most colleges say that A level Law is highly regarded by universities and employers and so is philosophy apparently so on the website and prospectus guides. And I definitely will look up AS past papers x
Original post by watershower
Are you sure about Law? It’s kind of seen as a joke and it’s not really academic.
Philosophy is stimulating and thought-provoking, and psychology teaches you a lot about how people think.
I would start with 4 (If you are allowed) and drop one if I hate it.
You could also look up AS test papers and imagine yourself in the exam: are you excited to learn how to answer these questions? Would you see yourself reading outside the subject?
Doing AS papers in the summer helped me choose my a-levels, and it helped me get a bit of a head start. Look up key words, and if you find yourself interested, then you should choose it. Best of luck x
Reply 8
Okay, that's true thouuu, thank you for the feedback! Also, I'm just worried about what my friends will make of it as they are doing subjects like biology, psychology, history and etc... And I just feel dumb doing philosophy.
Original post by mjhmichael18
Philosophy needs lower entrance grades, you only need a 4 in English and a 4 in Maths to get into Philosophy. I would say do Philosophy as you are more likely to get into it.
Reply 9
Original post by Manip01
Okay, that's true thouuu, thank you for the feedback! Also, I'm just worried about what my friends will make of it as they are doing subjects like biology, psychology, history and etc... And I just feel dumb doing philosophy.

If your friends judge you based on the subjects you take, they aren't good friends. Taking philosophy doesn't make you come across as dumb at all. But I think you should think about what you want to do after a levels and that may help you pick or if you don't know, just pick the one you find most interesting. If you know the exam board you will be doing then look at the specifications for each subject.
I did A-level Philosophy, and it's an interesting subject, but a nightmare to revise. People think it is all about debating and critical thinking, which is partially correct, but there is a substantial quantity of revision needed. Most of your time will be spent memorising content, and there's A LOT of it. It was quite different to what I expected. Of my A-levels, Philosophy was probably the easiest (content-wise) but, by far, hardest in terms of the amount of workload. I'd look at uni requirements for your course, as you don't want to limit yourself now and be surprised when you can't apply to a certain university because you don't meet requirements. Best of luck!
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 12
Original post by Manip01
So I'm going to sixth form this September therefore I'm torn on which A level to pick?? And my deadlines for subjects are soon, I don't know what I'm doing at uni at the moment!
So I'm definitely doing English literature and Law. I'm just deciding between philosophy and psychology A level, can anyone help me? ? And tell what the course is like??


I had to pick my options this year as well, also not knowing what I wanted to do in the future. I've taken psychology as I can be science minded. im on AQA. I think it depends on the teachers, course overview and your interests.
Reply 13
Thanks for the feedback! In your opinion whats better as an A level psychology or Philosophy
Original post by spingu101
I did A-level Philosophy, and it's an interesting subject, but a nightmare to revise. People think it is all about debating and critical thinking, which is partially correct, but there is a substantial quantity of revision needed. Most of your time will be spent memorising content, and there's A LOT of it. It was quite different to what I expected. Of my A-levels, Philosophy was probably the easiest (content-wise) but, by far, hardest in terms of the amount of workload. I'd look at uni requirements for your course, as you don't want to limit yourself now and be surprised when you can't apply to a certain university because you don't meet requirements. Best of luck!
Reply 14
OKay thank youuu! And I'm doing AQA philosophy/ OCR psychology
Original post by Routeri
If your friends judge you based on the subjects you take, they aren't good friends. Taking philosophy doesn't make you come across as dumb at all. But I think you should think about what you want to do after a levels and that may help you pick or if you don't know, just pick the one you find most interesting. If you know the exam board you will be doing then look at the specifications for each subject.
Reply 15
Something into Laww or crime hence studying the brain and how it processes stuff.
Original post by barror1
Also, what do you want to do at uni? It may have some bearing on what you inevitably choose :smile:
Reply 16
Okay thank you for the feedback, do you think it's manageable with my A levels and do you recommend A level Philosophy or Psychology??? +why
Original post by spingu101
I did A-level Philosophy, and it's an interesting subject, but a nightmare to revise. People think it is all about debating and critical thinking, which is partially correct, but there is a substantial quantity of revision needed. Most of your time will be spent memorising content, and there's A LOT of it. It was quite different to what I expected. Of my A-levels, Philosophy was probably the easiest (content-wise) but, by far, hardest in terms of the amount of workload. I'd look at uni requirements for your course, as you don't want to limit yourself now and be surprised when you can't apply to a certain university because you don't meet requirements. Best of luck!
Original post by Manip01
Something into Laww or crime hence studying the brain and how it processes stuff.

In that case, I would definitely pick psychology over philosophy. Not because of any preference, but only because the vast majority of psychology courses require the A-level as a prerequisite. Also, keep in mind that neither philosophy or psychology are facilitating subjects, so there is no particular weighting to look at when looking at one qualification over another (at least in that regard).
If you need any more help, feel free to PM me :hugs:
Reply 18
Original post by Manip01
So I'm going to sixth form this September therefore I'm torn on which A level to pick?? And my deadlines for subjects are soon, I don't know what I'm doing at uni at the moment!
So I'm definitely doing English literature and Law. I'm just deciding between philosophy and psychology A level, can anyone help me? ? And tell what the course is like??


Psychology all the way! Bias as I do the subject but I feel like it is so interesting and would be a good mix with your other A-Levels which will keep you motivated, psychology is very detailed and there is a fair bit of essay writing but based on your other Alevels I think it will be perfect for you. Content wise it varies quite drastically based on exam boards, I do Eduquas and we learn about 5 different approaches to psychology such as biological& behaviourist and then research methods which is quite a universal content in all psychology exams where as I know like AQA they don’t just purely go into detail on the 5 approaches, but I definitely recommended it if your going to work hard! (At my college they asked for a 5 in maths, I got a 7 but honestly if you got a 4 in maths you’d be fine there is not much at all)
I did A-level Philosophy as I said, can't speak for Psychology, but I think I'd be happy with either! Philosophy is very evaluative, but it's the hardest of my four A-levels. In case you choose one and don't like it after a week or so, does your college/sixth form have the facility to switch courses?

Quick Reply

Latest