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Should I take 5 subjects in A levels

I took 8 subjects in O levels and got straight As. However, many people tell me that A levels is 10 times more difficult than O levels. I am planning to go in the field of Environmental Engineering so my subjects are Maths, Physics, Chemistry, IT and English. My college counselor advised me to opt 4 subjects only for ease. I do not have interest in chemistry but it is requirement of many good universities. My counselor is asking me to drop English Language but I have interest in it so I am not willing to take this step. What should I do?

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Many people struggle with 3, let alone 5 so I think something will have to go :smile:

Which universities are you looking at that need chemistry? I haven’t found any from a quick google
Reply 2
Avatar for user342
user342
12
What about IT, I don't think that's a requirement anywhere.
Don't do 5. Universities only require 3 and by spreading your focus over more subjects, you'll almost definitely end up with multiple low grades and at the end of the day, for example, 3 As will look more impressive and be more beneficial than 5 Bs. A levels are stressful enough without 2 extra subjects
Original post by disco._.psycho21
I took 8 subjects in O levels and got straight As. However, many people tell me that A levels is 10 times more difficult than O levels. I am planning to go in the field of Environmental Engineering so my subjects are Maths, Physics, Chemistry, IT and English. My college counselor advised me to opt 4 subjects only for ease. I do not have interest in chemistry but it is requirement of many good universities. My counselor is asking me to drop English Language but I have interest in it so I am not willing to take this step. What should I do?


Yes A Levels is a lot harder than O Levels. It'd be better to get 3 A*s than 5 C's, hope this helps :smile:
Reply 5
Avatar for Kerzen
Kerzen
17
Original post by disco._.psycho21
I took 8 subjects in O levels and got straight As. However, many people tell me that A levels is 10 times more difficult than O levels. I am planning to go in the field of Environmental Engineering so my subjects are Maths, Physics, Chemistry, IT and English. My college counselor advised me to opt 4 subjects only for ease. I do not have interest in chemistry but it is requirement of many good universities. My counselor is asking me to drop English Language but I have interest in it so I am not willing to take this step. What should I do?


This looks like a suitable course for you.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Environmental-Engineering-MEng

You need AAA including Maths and one of Chemistry/Physics.

I think that 5 A Levels is just too much and you would risk not getting the grades you need.
Original post by laurawatt
Many people struggle with 3, let alone 5 so I think something will have to go :smile:

Which universities are you looking at that need chemistry? I haven’t found any from a quick google

I live in Pakistan and the best universities here for this field are NUST and UET. Both of them are demanding Chemistry for Environmental Engineering. I have emailed MIT too which is in USA but haven't gotten response yet.
no
Original post by user342
What about IT, I don't think that's a requirement anywhere.

Isn't computer/IT necessary for this field? It has scope too
Original post by SB1234567890
Don't do 5. Universities only require 3 and by spreading your focus over more subjects, you'll almost definitely end up with multiple low grades and at the end of the day, for example, 3 As will look more impressive and be more beneficial than 5 Bs. A levels are stressful enough without 2 extra subjects

You're totally right!:frown:
Original post by fleury21
Yes A Levels is a lot harder than O Levels. It'd be better to get 3 A*s than 5 C's, hope this helps

Yeah! 5 subjects are too much!
Original post by Kerzen
This looks like a suitable course for you.

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Environmental-Engineering-MEng

You need AAA including Maths and one of Chemistry/Physics.

I think that 5 A Levels is just too much and you would risk not getting the grades you need.

So you're suggesting me to drop out Chemistry? I think I can handle 4 subjects..
I can't think of any circumstances where I would recommend a student take 5 AL's. Many even end up dropping their fourth once they have their offers. The only benefit is keeping your options open and you should be narrowing things down by this point.

You would be better served taking 3/4 and using any 'spare' time to do wider reading/x-curriculars around your desired course.
Original post by Admit-One
I can't think of any circumstances where I would recommend a student take 5 AL's. Many even end up dropping their fourth once they have their offers. The only benefit is keeping your options open and you should be narrowing things down by this point.

You would be better served taking 3/4 and using any 'spare' time to do wider reading/x-curriculars around your desired course.

You are right! What do you think are suitable subjects for this field?
Reply 14
Avatar for Sinnoh
Sinnoh
22
Original post by disco._.psycho21
Isn't computer/IT necessary for this field? It has scope too


Universities won't expect you to have programming experience. They'll teach you the relevant stuff once you start.
Original post by disco._.psycho21
You are right! What do you think are suitable subjects for this field?

Maths, Physics + the one or two subjects you think you can get the highest grade in. (And to be honest, even Physics might not be a requirement or many courses.)

If you've checked and Chemistry is essential then that would nudge you in that direction for one of them.
IT is probably the least worthwhile A-level you list. It is mainly about business applications of computers and isn't so heavy on theory/programming. English is probably the least relevant to what you want to do. I would do at most 4 but ymmv.
Original post by Admit-One
Maths, Physics + the one or two subjects you think you can get the highest grade in. (And to be honest, even Physics might not be a requirement or many courses.)

If you've checked and Chemistry is essential then that would nudge you in that direction for one of them.


I'll search more about this field! :smile:
Original post by _gcx
IT is probably the least worthwhile A-level you list. It is mainly about business applications of computers and isn't so heavy on theory/programming. English is probably the least relevant to what you want to do. I would do at most 4 but ymmv.

Thank you for guiding!!:smile:
I’d recommend going for 4 and see how you get on with the workload; I got 11 As and A*s (8s & 9s) at GCSEs and honestly 4 a levels can be tough (plus y2 maths & further maths are notoriously difficult).

English Language has benefits in that essay subjects can help with personal statement writings and I’ll imagine you’ll still have to do dissertations so doing it and nailing technique (especially if you like the subject) can actually be quite useful. If an a-level is needed for your favourite universities, then do it, but make sure you have at least one subject you really enjoy and feel confident you could do well in.

Also try going onto ucas and exploring a range of options, you may find other courses you prefer that don’t have chemistry.

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