The Student Room Group

A Levels for Law

I'm aware that nothing is required to study law at uni but I'm thinking about
History
Economics
Psychology
I don't know what to do for a 4th subject so any suggestions?
You dont need a 4th A level. No Uni requires it or will be impressed by it.
AAA will always look better than BBBB. Especially if it means you miss your offer in August.

If your School is insisting you start a 4th subject and then drop one, try Religious Studies - it includes ethics/philosophy which are useful, and is considered relatively 'easy' by many.
Original post by returnmigrant
You dont need a 4th A level. No Uni requires it or will be impressed by it.
AAA will always look better than BBBB. Especially if it means you miss your offer in August.

If your School is insisting you start a 4th subject and then drop one, try Religious Studies - it includes ethics/philosophy which are useful, and is considered relatively 'easy' by many.


Yeah I'll end up doing 3 then. Because I'm doing History should English be needed as well?
Reply 3
If you really feel the need to do a 4th then Maths or a modern language would be good to show a range of skills.
Original post by Compost
If you really feel the need to do a 4th then Maths or a modern language would be good to show a range of skills.

It wont make any difference - Law is about grades, not 'skills'.
Original post by returnmigrant
It wont make any difference - Law is about grades, not 'skills'.


Thanks a lot mate
Original post by JackRothery12
Yeah I'll end up doing 3 then. Because I'm doing History should English be needed as well?

English might be useful (essay writing practice etc) but your focus should be on subjects where you feel most confident of a high grade - usually because you enjoy the subject.
Original post by JackRothery12
Yeah I'll end up doing 3 then. Because I'm doing History should English be needed as well?

Nothing is 'needed'. For Law, universities like it if you have an essay subject or two just to show that you'll be able to write essays at university. But, you already have History, Economics and Psychology which are 3 essay subjects. Even if you just did History and 2 science subjects, you'd be completely fine. They won't give you extra points if you study certain subjects.

As @returnmigrant mentioned, you could consider A level RS as one of your three A levels. It's extremely easy and interesting.
Original post by Compost
If you really feel the need to do a 4th then Maths or a modern language would be good to show a range of skills.

Don't need to show a range of skills for Law. And, I really wouldn't recommend a 4th subject in 2 extremely difficult disciplines... A recipe for disaster, in my opinion. :tongue:
Reply 9
Original post by Quick-use
Don't need to show a range of skills for Law. And, I really wouldn't recommend a 4th subject in 2 extremely difficult disciplines... A recipe for disaster, in my opinion. :tongue:

It depends what you find easy. If you're good at Maths then you can be confident of getting a top grade without any worry about the marking variability that sometimes happens with essay subjects (and twice as high a % of people achieved an A*/A in Maths this year as RS or History - 42% compared to 21 or 20%). In my experience, universities often do drop their offers a bit for students perceived to be studying difficult subjects - say AAA arther than A*AA.
Original post by Compost
In my experience, universities often do drop their offers a bit for students perceived to be studying difficult subjects


Got any real evidence for that claim?
Original post by JackRothery12
I'm aware that nothing is required to study law at uni but I'm thinking about
History
Economics
Psychology
I don't know what to do for a 4th subject so any suggestions?


I’m doing English chemistry and economics

looking to do law with finance :smile:
Original post by returnmigrant
Got any real evidence for that claim?

2 people I've known who have got lower than the standard offer from Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol (and a couple of others I can't remember) for no other apparent reason. (A levels: Maths, Chemistry, German and Maths, Further Maths, Physics and French)
Original post by Compost
2 people I've known who have got lower than the standard offer from Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol (and a couple of others I can't remember) for no other apparent reason. (A levels: Maths, Chemistry, German and Maths, Further Maths, Physics and French)

That's not really evidence since you don't know why they got lower offers. It might be because they qualified for a contextual offer, for example.
Original post by harrysbar
That's not really evidence since you don't know why they got lower offers. It might be because they qualified for a contextual offer, for example.

Pretty certain they didn't - both were grammar school students who were not on free school meals and didn't live in a deprived area and had had parents who went to university. Head of 6th and I discussed it and agreed that the only reason we could see was that, statistically, their A levels were harder than the likes of English Lit, Psychology or RS.
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 15
I don’t tend to study law, more often break it.








I once had a salmon in suspicions circumstances. I could have gotten a good sentence for that. Whoa nelly!
Original post by Compost
Head of 6th and I discussed it and agreed that the only reason we could see was that, statistically, their A levels were harder than the likes of English Lit, Psychology or RS.

Just because you and the Head of sixth form discussed it does not mean that you know why they got lower offers - no one knows but the Admissions tutors who reviewed their whole UCAS form so it is pure speculation on your part that it was due to them doing "hard" A levels.

You are entitled to your beliefs but it is opinion and not fact. The Russell Group unis have ditched their list of facilitating subjects, while even a highly competitive uni like LSE includes the subjects you just listed on their list of "preferred subjects" (click on subject combinations)

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/russell-group-ditches-facilitating-subjects-a-level-list/

http://www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Undergraduate/Prospective-Students/How-to-Apply/Admissions-Information
Original post by Compost
2 people I've known who have got lower than the standard offer from Nottingham, Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol (and a couple of others I can't remember) for no other apparent reason. (A levels: Maths, Chemistry, German and Maths, Further Maths, Physics and French)


Contextual offers based on postcodes or circumstances you are not aware of. Or they were accepted with either achieved grades for a low demand course. Bristol does not make random 'lower offers'.

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