A-Levels Dilemma

Original post by jensaw

Hi all,

I'm really struggling to decide on A-levels that I would enjoy to study, as well as ones that would get me into the courses I'd like to get on. I really want to go to a Russell Group, ideally Oxbridge, and my options I'm considering so far are:
- German
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Economics (?)
- English Literature & Language
- English Literature

I think I would enjoy the first three the most, and believe they would be helpful to get into courses I've taken a liking to (PPS, HSPS, Experimental Psychology, PBS, Human Sciences, and Law (with German Law) maybe. Which of these A-levels would be the best? And would the top three satisfy most courses if I achieved the right grade?

Thank you.

Hi! im in year 13 and im doing sociology. english language and english literature. i think sociology would be a good choice because its interesting and im gnna be honest its an easy A like theres a loooot of content which can be annoying but at the same time it isnt hard and i think you would find it interesting. you learn about education and how it works in society, and then families and households is like the biggest topic, crime and devience so like why people commit crime and things like that and then research methods and the media. but every college picks different topics but these are the most popular ones. I also really enjoy lang and lit (i did them separately not combined) but language grade boundaries are reeeallly high so most students get a B because its veryy hard to get A or A*. i would recommend sociology defintley and maybe literature if you like reading and find it interesting. just follow your heart and you'll make the right decisions! good luck x

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 2

username5088030

16

Original post by jensaw

Hi all,

I'm really struggling to decide on A-levels that I would enjoy to study, as well as ones that would get me into the courses I'd like to get on. I really want to go to a Russell Group, ideally Oxbridge, and my options I'm considering so far are:
- German
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Economics (?)
- English Literature & Language
- English Literature

I think I would enjoy the first three the most, and believe they would be helpful to get into courses I've taken a liking to (PPS, HSPS, Experimental Psychology, PBS, Human Sciences, and Law (with German Law) maybe. Which of these A-levels would be the best? And would the top three satisfy most courses if I achieved the right grade?

Thank you.

This is my opinion and I have very different interests, so take with a grain of salt. Out of those choices, I wouldnt recommend english lit/lang or German as they are the most regretted degrees out of all and do not have the best graduate prospects, especially money wise. If you are trying for oxbridge, if you are interested in economics, if you study it there and get 2:1/first you will have amazing graduate prospects and potential to earn a lot of money. I think if youre trying for the best uni's you might aswell take advantage of their prestige and do the best degree you can. Psychology is a bit in the middle , and sociology again is not a very sought after degree. Ofcourse if your passionate and do not care about money, then do what makes you happy though/

Reply 3

Paralove

21

If you're considering Oxbridge psychology courses I would strongly recommend maths or biology as one of your choices!

Reply 4

Original post by SuttonOG

This is my opinion and I have very different interests, so take with a grain of salt. Out of those choices, I wouldnt recommend english lit/lang or German as they are the most regretted degrees out of all and do not have the best graduate prospects, especially money wise. If you are trying for oxbridge, if you are interested in economics, if you study it there and get 2:1/first you will have amazing graduate prospects and potential to earn a lot of money. I think if youre trying for the best uni's you might aswell take advantage of their prestige and do the best degree you can. Psychology is a bit in the middle , and sociology again is not a very sought after degree. Ofcourse if your passionate and do not care about money, then do what makes you happy though/

@jensaw is asking about a level subjects not degree. doing lit/lang and german and sociology at a level isnt a bad choice infact theyre good choices

Reply 5

jensaw

OP

9

Original post by Ninjaaa x

Hi! im in year 13 and im doing sociology. english language and english literature. i think sociology would be a good choice because its interesting and im gnna be honest its an easy A like theres a loooot of content which can be annoying but at the same time it isnt hard and i think you would find it interesting. you learn about education and how it works in society, and then families and households is like the biggest topic, crime and devience so like why people commit crime and things like that and then research methods and the media. but every college picks different topics but these are the most popular ones. I also really enjoy lang and lit (i did them separately not combined) but language grade boundaries are reeeallly high so most students get a B because its veryy hard to get A or A*. i would recommend sociology defintley and maybe literature if you like reading and find it interesting. just follow your heart and you'll make the right decisions! good luck x

Thank you! How hard is it to get an A in literature?

Reply 6

jensaw

OP

9

Original post by Paralove

If you're considering Oxbridge psychology courses I would strongly recommend maths or biology as one of your choices!

Would a seven in both subjects ever lead to a possible A at A-level then? I have looked into the specification and it seems so boring - also I took combined science instead of biology.
Is it possible to comfortably apply without either of these?

Reply 7

Original post by Ninjaaa x

Hi! im in year 13 and im doing sociology. english language and english literature. i think sociology would be a good choice because its interesting and im gnna be honest its an easy A like theres a loooot of content which can be annoying but at the same time it isnt hard and i think you would find it interesting. you learn about education and how it works in society, and then families and households is like the biggest topic, crime and devience so like why people commit crime and things like that and then research methods and the media. but every college picks different topics but these are the most popular ones. I also really enjoy lang and lit (i did them separately not combined) but language grade boundaries are reeeallly high so most students get a B because its veryy hard to get A or A*. i would recommend sociology defintley and maybe literature if you like reading and find it interesting. just follow your heart and you'll make the right decisions! good luck x

Hey i also do sociology in year 13, I was wondering if your exam board is AQA?

Reply 8

Original post by lolamigo

Hey i also do sociology in year 13, I was wondering if your exam board is AQA?

yep it is

Reply 9

Original post by jensaw

Thank you! How hard is it to get an A in literature?

obviously you need to put effort in and if you do then its not too hard at all. it's a lot easier to get A in literature than in language and its more interesting as well in my opinion. its all about practice. do you enjoy literature at gcse?

Reply 10

Paralove

21

Original post by jensaw

Would a seven in both subjects ever lead to a possible A at A-level then? I have looked into the specification and it seems so boring - also I took combined science instead of biology.
Is it possible to comfortably apply without either of these?

Depends, it's possible with work and people do get As having got 7s at GCSE, maybe discuss it with teachers. Bear in mind that some Cambridge colleges actually require either Maths or Biology at A-Level for PBS, and others state it is advantageous/desirable ie you'll be a stronger candidate if you have it. Oxford's experimental psychology course says 'It is highly recommended for candidates to have studied one or more science subjects (which can include Psychology) or Mathematics to A-level' and also strongly recommend a 7 in GCSE maths so you have that.

Essentially it's because of the course content - they wouldn't recommend them as subjects if they didn't think they were useful! That said, there are people who get in without either, obviously, but maybe do some research into what sorts of things are asked in an interview (might be needing to look at graphs, stats, designing a study etc). Also maybe think about doing maths or biology just to AS/as a fourth subject if your school allows it.

My sister did Psychology and Criminology at Southampton with psychology, sociology, geography and AS English lit - there were stats stuff all the way through the degree which was doable with GCSE but was definitely easier for those who had done AS or A Level maths. Just something to be aware of cos psychology is quite popular but I wouldn't say that many people are aware of what such a course might entail as it can tread the line between social science and science depending on the options you follow. So, defs check the course content at different unis including what's optional and what's obligatory modules.

But, without biology or maths in the mix, a strong combination would be either English option, plus psychology (relevant) and either German or sociology - they would link a little better than Economics. I always recommend a language having done languages myself, as you get to a decent level with A-Level and that's always a bonus skill to have! :smile:

Reply 11

Original post by Ninjaaa x

yep it is

how you finding this year?

Reply 12

Original post by lolamigo

how you finding this year?

last year was a breeze like i was doing absolutely nothing nd getting As but this year is not like that at all! i have to put alot of effort in to get a good grade and theres alot more content now but i still enjoy it. i really enjoyed world englishes. im soooo happy with my coursework so i reeally hope it gets taken into account for predicted grades or im gnna be reeally disappointed. i hate gender and occupation tho 😤 i'm kinda glad we dnt have to do proper a level exams but at the same time im worried i might not get predicted an A which is what i need. my teacher said they dont give out lots of As and A*s its mostly bs :frown:

wbu?

Reply 13

Original post by Ninjaaa x

last year was a breeze like i was doing absolutely nothing nd getting As but this year is not like that at all! i have to put alot of effort in to get a good grade and theres alot more content now but i still enjoy it. i really enjoyed world englishes. im soooo happy with my coursework so i reeally hope it gets taken into account for predicted grades or im gnna be reeally disappointed. i hate gender and occupation tho 😤 i'm kinda glad we dnt have to do proper a level exams but at the same time im worried i might not get predicted an A which is what i need. my teacher said they dont give out lots of As and A*s its mostly bs :frown:

wbu?

yhh tbh I'm on the same boat as you, last year was really easy compared to this year. There is a lot more content like you mentioned and we've just gotta keep on getting A's so that we are in a good place when the teachers come to assess our grades. I was wondering whats your insta? maybe we could share our A-grade essays and learn from each other cause at this rate the more practice and knowledge we can take in the better

Reply 14

Original post by lolamigo

yhh tbh I'm on the same boat as you, last year was really easy compared to this year. There is a lot more content like you mentioned and we've just gotta keep on getting A's so that we are in a good place when the teachers come to assess our grades. I was wondering whats your insta? maybe we could share our A-grade essays and learn from each other cause at this rate the more practice and knowledge we can take in the better

okay thats cool :smile:

x_s.ninjaaa.a_x
what urs so ik its u?

Reply 15

Original post by Ninjaaa x

okay thats cool :smile:

x_s.ninjaaa.a_x
what urs so ik its u?

okay i'll send you a message on it

Reply 16

Original post by Ninjaaa x

last year was a breeze like i was doing absolutely nothing nd getting As but this year is not like that at all! i have to put alot of effort in to get a good grade and theres alot more content now but i still enjoy it. i really enjoyed world englishes. im soooo happy with my coursework so i reeally hope it gets taken into account for predicted grades or im gnna be reeally disappointed. i hate gender and occupation tho 😤 i'm kinda glad we dnt have to do proper a level exams but at the same time im worried i might not get predicted an A which is what i need. my teacher said they dont give out lots of As and A*s its mostly bs :frown:

wbu?

@lolamigo omggg i just realised u were asking about socio nd not english language nd theres me ranting about english language 😂 u were probably wondering what im going on about world englishes and coursework!
ill answer ur question about socio then lol
with socio im getting As and sometimes bs but its just tooo much content and i find it soo boring sometimes. theres soo many theorists to learn and i absolutley hate the families topic! i'm not worried about grades tbh its just all the content to learn and now that its online im doing other stuff most of the time nd not concentrating because i cba lol which topics r u doing in sociology?

Reply 17

Original post by Ninjaaa x

@lolamigo omggg i just realised u were asking about socio nd not english language nd theres me ranting about english language 😂 u were probably wondering what im going on about world englishes and coursework!
ill answer ur question about socio then lol
with socio im getting As and sometimes bs but its just tooo much content and i find it soo boring sometimes. theres soo many theorists to learn and i absolutley hate the families topic! i'm not worried about grades tbh its just all the content to learn and now that its online im doing other stuff most of the time nd not concentrating because i cba lol which topics r u doing in sociology?

ahaha i did get confused for a seconds but yhhh i totally agree, I start to zone of in online lessons cause they sometimes feel repetitive but its a new sociologist saying it ygm. I do education, family and crime and deviance. I've also added you btw

Reply 18