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Is this a good combination of A levels

English Lit
History
Classics
Economics

Would this be good for Law or Politics? Or are they too closely linked or Idk, I need advice. (I may drop one after AS level)
Thank you in advance :smile:
Looks pretty respectable. Lot of work so probably do drop one in the second year, but otherwise very good.

Not sure about politics so you may want to check but obviously law at university doesn’t have subject requirements, so you’re definitely good for at least one course.
Original post by NR:)
English Lit
History
Classics
Economics

Would this be good for Law or Politics? Or are they too closely linked or Idk, I need advice. (I may drop one after AS level)
Thank you in advance :smile:


do maths, most jobs in the future will require it
Original post by alexr19i8
do maths, most jobs in the future will require it

Hardly. You certainly wouldn't need to know maths for a degree in Law or Politics. You don't even need to know maths for a career as a data scientist. :lol:

More than anything, an aptitude for logic would prepare someone well for the future job market.

Original post by NR:)
English Lit
History
Classics
Economics

Would this be good for Law or Politics? Or are they too closely linked or Idk, I need advice. (I may drop one after AS level)
Thank you in advance :smile:

For the degrees you're considering, your subjects are 100% perfect. Technically speaking, you only need 3 of those for absolutely any university, including Oxbridge, LSE and the like. Doing 4 will not give you an advantage whatsoever and none of the subjects are considered more impressive either (Oxbridge have confirmed both of these statements). See which one you don't enjoy too much or the one that you think will pose difficult to get a good grade, and then just drop to 3 A levels.

Again, any and all combinations of the 4 A levels you've chosen are 100% fine. None of them are too similar (even Classics and History); choose to continue with the 3 that you'll enjoy the most since that'll motivate you to do well.

As an aside, for any essay based degree (especially in the Humanities subject area), I'd personally recommend continuing with A level History since it arguably prepares you the most for university level essay writing, research and analysis. However, if you prefer the other 3, that's completely fine as well! :hat2:
Reply 4
Original post by Quick-use
Hardly. You certainly wouldn't need to know maths for a degree in Law or Politics. You don't even need to know maths for a career as a data scientist. :lol:

More than anything, an aptitude for logic would prepare someone well for the future job market.


For the degrees you're considering, your subjects are 100% perfect. Technically speaking, you only need 3 of those for absolutely any university, including Oxbridge, LSE and the like. Doing 4 will not give you an advantage whatsoever and none of the subjects are considered more impressive either (Oxbridge have confirmed both of these statements). See which one you don't enjoy too much or the one that you think will pose difficult to get a good grade, and then just drop to 3 A levels.

Again, any and all combinations of the 4 A levels you've chosen are 100% fine. None of them are too similar (even Classics and History); choose to continue with the 3 that you'll enjoy the most since that'll motivate you to do well.

As an aside, for any essay based degree (especially in the Humanities subject area), I'd personally recommend continuing with A level History since it arguably prepares you the most for university level essay writing, research and analysis. However, if you prefer the other 3, that's completely fine as well! :hat2:

Ah really!? This makes me more confident, I understand that 4 would be quite a strain on myself especially as all four are so content heavy and essay based so I'll keep that in mind (I will defo drop one). The advice for the history was very insightful, I see history is in a lot of peoples combinations and it also opens a range of pathways. I was worried as for Law, I would like to go into international law and human rights or something along those lines so wouldn't politics be more helpful in a way? i'd like to hear your opinions.
Apart from that that was very helpful thank youuuu :smile:
Original post by NR:)
Ah really!? This makes me more confident, I understand that 4 would be quite a strain on myself especially as all four are so content heavy and essay based so I'll keep that in mind (I will defo drop one). The advice for the history was very insightful, I see history is in a lot of peoples combinations and it also opens a range of pathways. I was worried as for Law, I would like to go into international law and human rights or something along those lines so wouldn't politics be more helpful in a way? i'd like to hear your opinions.
Apart from that that was very helpful thank youuuu :smile:

I'd only do A level Politics if the course content interested you (same with all of the other subjects you've listed). Otherwise, it won't really help for university since they teach degrees like Law and Politics completely from scratch. You can also always read up on whatever interests you in your spare time if you're not sure about doing an A level in it. :rambo:

So, out of the following, choose any 3 subjects that you'd genuinely enjoy / will get a good grade in: Politics, Economics, English Lit, History, Classics.
Reply 6
If you already have a career path in mind, this combination is fine. However, you may find a science complements your essay based subjects whilst keeping your options open if you change your mind about law. No I don’t count economics as a science as at A level it’s more of a hybrid subject.
Reply 7
Original post by Quick-use
I'd only do A level Politics if the course content interested you (same with all of the other subjects you've listed). Otherwise, it won't really help for university since they teach degrees like Law and Politics completely from scratch. You can also always read up on whatever interests you in your spare time if you're not sure about doing an A level in it. :rambo:

So, out of the following, choose any 3 subjects that you'd genuinely enjoy / will get a good grade in: Politics, Economics, English Lit, History, Classics.

Oh okayyy. I think I’ll stick to what I have for now as these four are the ones that interest me rn. Politics a level had been an option for me solely because I live for debates but I definitely prefer the others based on the actual content. My sixth form allows exchanges of subject so if it comes to it I might, but that’s in the future. THANK YOUU this really helped me out :smile::smile:)
Reply 8
Original post by giella
If you already have a career path in mind, this combination is fine. However, you may find a science complements your essay based subjects whilst keeping your options open if you change your mind about law. No I don’t count economics as a science as at A level it’s more of a hybrid subject.

I see, my previous options included chem and bio but I realised that it definitely would be too much for me. Bio would’ve been an option as it’s my most favourable science but I’ve heard bio is questionable w/o chemistry(for most uni courses) and chemistry is such a hard science. I’m not the biggest fan of physics as much as I wish I was. Do you have any advice?? Because I do wish to take history English and classic, I could probably switch economics, any thoughts??? Thank you for the response tho :smile:
Original post by NR:)
I see, my previous options included chem and bio but I realised that it definitely would be too much for me. Bio would’ve been an option as it’s my most favourable science but I’ve heard bio is questionable w/o chemistry(for most uni courses) and chemistry is such a hard science. I’m not the biggest fan of physics as much as I wish I was. Do you have any advice?? Because I do wish to take history English and classic, I could probably switch economics, any thoughts??? Thank you for the response tho :smile:

I would just take History, English and Classics unless you really enjoy Bio and want to take it as well. You can do Bio without Chem even if you don't want to do a science-y degree at university.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about careers or anything now; I would focus on the simple things - what do you enjoy? what will you get a good grade in? Once you've decided on that, you can look at potential degrees and the like.

P.S. Sorry - just realised this wasn't even directed at me... My bad. :tongue:
Reply 10
Original post by NR:)
I see, my previous options included chem and bio but I realised that it definitely would be too much for me. Bio would’ve been an option as it’s my most favourable science but I’ve heard bio is questionable w/o chemistry(for most uni courses) and chemistry is such a hard science. I’m not the biggest fan of physics as much as I wish I was. Do you have any advice?? Because I do wish to take history English and classic, I could probably switch economics, any thoughts??? Thank you for the response tho :smile:

If you’re set on a path for law, one essay subject is as good as another, although your source analysis skills give history the edge in law. You deepen rather than broaden your skill set by doing more than one.
Are you doing Classical Civilisation or classical languages? The language may be of practical value in law.
In terms of offering a science, you may well be giving yourself a break by doing it because science gives you a more concrete subject than something like English. Now I love English but I know that teaching of English does vary a lot and you can find yourself on exam day at the mercy of the fates so to speak. With something like history, you’ve got something concrete that you can memorise as you do with any of the sciences. You know when you’ve covered everything. In English you’ve literally never covered everything and for some people that can be overwhelming. In a science you’re also learning to think logically and scientifically and apply your knowledge of rules and principles to situations to get the answer in a way that can actually be really valuable for law. So biology on its own could be really useful for you. Or chemistry. You’re not at a disadvantage for doing one or the other. You also never know when knowledge of science might help you. I have a friend who converted to law after doing anatomy and physiology and she went into medical malpractice law. She’s very good at scrutinising medical reports and medical notes in a way that no amount of essay writing skills would ever compensate for. Not saying biology A level would give you that level of knowledge but I’m saying that having a foot in the door of science can give you a basis to build more knowledge later on in terms of your continuing professional development. Remember that lawyers don’t just defend or prosecute criminals. Patent law, medical malpractice, environmental law etc are all areas where employers favour legal practitioners who have a working understanding of their subject matter ie science. Plenty of people convert to law from those degrees or play up their A level knowledge in applications. Just something to think about.
I would not suggest four A levels, and not do Classics of the four you suggest. Though perhaps it depends on the history you would be studying.
Reply 12
I managed the equivalent of 4 A levels in my time and I did it for the enjoyment of the subjects. I’m about as disorganised as they come as well! It’s absolutely doable. You just have to monitor yourself as you go. Knowing that one may be disposable actually focuses your thinking I found.
Reply 13
Original post by Quick-use
I would just take History, English and Classics unless you really enjoy Bio and want to take it as well. You can do Bio without Chem even if you don't want to do a science-y degree at university.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about careers or anything now; I would focus on the simple things - what do you enjoy? what will you get a good grade in? Once you've decided on that, you can look at potential degrees and the like.

P.S. Sorry - just realised this wasn't even directed at me... My bad. :tongue:

No its alright thank you for your answer. I'll consider biology instead of economics. I'm planning to drop one of the four anyway
Original post by Quick-use
Hardly. You certainly wouldn't need to know maths for a degree in Law or Politics. You don't even need to know maths for a career as a data scientist. :lol:

More than anything, an aptitude for logic would prepare someone well for the future job market.

What?

Is maths and statistics not extremely important if you want to become a data scientist?
Reply 15
Original post by giella
If you’re set on a path for law, one essay subject is as good as another, although your source analysis skills give history the edge in law. You deepen rather than broaden your skill set by doing more than one.
Are you doing Classical Civilisation or classical languages? The language may be of practical value in law.
In terms of offering a science, you may well be giving yourself a break by doing it because science gives you a more concrete subject than something like English. Now I love English but I know that teaching of English does vary a lot and you can find yourself on exam day at the mercy of the fates so to speak. With something like history, you’ve got something concrete that you can memorise as you do with any of the sciences. You know when you’ve covered everything. In English you’ve literally never covered everything and for some people that can be overwhelming. In a science you’re also learning to think logically and scientifically and apply your knowledge of rules and principles to situations to get the answer in a way that can actually be really valuable for law. So biology on its own could be really useful for you. Or chemistry. You’re not at a disadvantage for doing one or the other. You also never know when knowledge of science might help you. I have a friend who converted to law after doing anatomy and physiology and she went into medical malpractice law. She’s very good at scrutinising medical reports and medical notes in a way that no amount of essay writing skills would ever compensate for. Not saying biology A level would give you that level of knowledge but I’m saying that having a foot in the door of science can give you a basis to build more knowledge later on in terms of your continuing professional development. Remember that lawyers don’t just defend or prosecute criminals. Patent law, medical malpractice, environmental law etc are all areas where employers favour legal practitioners who have a working understanding of their subject matter ie science. Plenty of people convert to law from those degrees or play up their A level knowledge in applications. Just something to think about.

Its Classic Civilisation :smile: I do understand what you're saying but I'm guessing she did both bio and chem and her first career choice was medical. I'm not sure but I totally understand what you're getting at. I'll definitely consider it and work things out from it.
I think medical law could suit you. I'm pretty sure it would be well respected too
Reply 17
Original post by NR:)
Its Classic Civilisation :smile: I do understand what you're saying but I'm guessing she did both bio and chem and her first career choice was medical. I'm not sure but I totally understand what you're getting at. I'll definitely consider it and work things out from it.

No she actually only had biology at A level and also psychology and history and her first degree was A&P. She did a year in industry as part of her degree and then converted to law not long after finishing her degree after deciding not to work in industry and doing a vacation scheme in law. She got three offers of training contracts based on her knowledge and year in industry.

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