Are these a levels too soft?

Jameshodges2003

Hi

I’m worried that my a-level choices are considered to be too soft and won’t be respected by the top unis. I’m taking:

English literature
Politics
Economics
EPQ

Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Mayataylor

Original post by Jameshodges2003

Hi

I’m worried that my a-level choices are considered to be too soft and won’t be respected by the top unis. I’m taking:

English literature
Politics
Economics
EPQ

Thanks :smile:

what do you want to do at uni? English lit is a traditionally academic subject, politics and economics are fine but it depends on the subj obviously.

Reply 2

Wesxmm

Original post by Jameshodges2003

Hi

I’m worried that my a-level choices are considered to be too soft and won’t be respected by the top unis. I’m taking:

English literature
Politics
Economics
EPQ

Thanks :smile:

They look alright BUT stuff that require maths like Economics may not accept you.

Reply 3

nutz99

Original post by Jameshodges2003

Hi

I’m worried that my a-level choices are considered to be too soft and won’t be respected by the top unis. I’m taking:

English literature
Politics
Economics
EPQ

Thanks :smile:

None of them are soft subjects. It all comes down to what degree you intend to apply for and if you have the right mix for that subject. Top universities are very fussy in that respect.

Reply 4

Jameshodges2003

I want to do something involving politics or philosophy, I’ve looked into economics and I know I need maths so I’ll have to sit that one out :frown:

Reply 5

Jameshodges2003

Original post by nutz99

None of them are soft subjects. It all comes down to what degree you intend to apply for and if you have the right mix for that subject. Top universities are very fussy in that respect.

Would unis like LSE or oxbridge mind if I was doing a politics/philosophy degree or similar, or would they be more accepting of someone with more traditionally “hard” subjects like maths or a natural science?

Reply 6

username1514999

These look good. I studied Classical Civilisation, English Lit and Politics and got in everywhere I applied to with good grades. Honestly your best bet is to take the subjects you think you can do well in as A*s and As in 'softer' subjects are better than Bs in more traditional ones.

Reply 7

kxch

Original post by Jameshodges2003

I want to do something involving politics or philosophy, I’ve looked into economics and I know I need maths so I’ll have to sit that one out :frown:

i take history, politics, and economics. i’m going to do politics and IR at uni and i can assure you they’re not considered soft! even if i liked economics aha, you should have maths if you want to study it past alevel. but it’s a fascinating subject and do not need maths to do well at this level. politics is also a great choice and a lot of essay writing based on facts etc. can’t say much about english but my friends that take it really enjoy it

no uni will disrespect you for your alevel choices if you show you’re passionate, word hard, and show/say that they help you in where you want to go. in the end, education is just about learning about areas you enjoy so i wouldn’t worry too much about the uni’s opinion!

Reply 8

Inister

It'll depend on the admissions tutor - some might have stronger preconceptions about 'hard' and 'soft' A-Levels, but this probably only applies to Oxbridge.
As long as you meet the subject requirements of the course you want to do, you'll probably be fine with these three. It's unlikely to make or break an application: if the rest of your application goes well, you're likely to still be admitted. That said, if your tests/interview don't go that well, then your A-levels won't exactly be there to 'save' you.
You could also consider dropping the EPQ and switching one of Economics & Politics to something more traditional, the rationale being that you'd have more time to study the 'harder' subject if you didn't have an EPQ. That said, It's certainly better to get great grades in these three subjects than it is to get worse grades in 'harder' subjects that you aren't really interested in, and have no motivation to study for.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 9

nutz99

Original post by Jameshodges2003

For Philosophy they like you to have an essay based subject so you are sorted for that. For Politics they like you to have a Maths based subject so you are sorted for that too with Economics. You don't need any other subjects, you just need good grades.

To be honest the EPQ will be a waste of time unless it is directly related to the degree subject. If it isn't then it won't enhance your chances of getting into good unis. In fact it is likely to take away time that you should be giving to your A levels.

Reply 10

nhsia

i really don't think it matters what A-level subjects you study, as long as you choose A-levels that will allow you get into your chosen degree, and get the grades. I don't see why top universities would decline you just because you don't do typical subjects like Maths or any of the Sciences when it's not what you wanna get into.

Reply 11

Quick-use

Original post by nutz99

For Politics they like you to have a Maths based subject

???

Reply 12

nutz99

Original post by Quick-use

???

I saw it on one of the uni websites today but where I don't know (it was a preference not a requirement). Politics and Economics are a good match though - quite a few unis have these as a joint degree, although without Maths its not worth applying to anything involving Economics. I've always found it strange that you can't do an Economics degree (at the top unis) with an Economics A level but can with Maths A level.

Reply 13

username1514999

Original post by nutz99

I think this would be the case for PPE... Politics at uni has 0 maths content unless you opt for a quantitative research dissertation- and that's more interpreting statistical data and coding it into visuals rather than maths.

Reply 14

Emma:-)

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Original post by Jameshodges2003

Hi

I’m worried that my a-level choices are considered to be too soft and won’t be respected by the top unis. I’m taking:

English literature
Politics
Economics
EPQ

Thanks :smile:

Those sound fine to me