How big is the jump from A-Levels to a Degree

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Reply 20

Smack

Volunteer Team

.ACS.

When they arrive at university, however, no one wants more than 40pc in the first year

You're joking, right?

Reply 21

Welsh_insomniac

Smack

You're joking, right?

When I was in the first year I always heard the majority of people shrug assignments off and say "well, all we need is 40% so it's okay!". It really pissed me off :P Plus if people don't prepare for seminars/tutorials it can really be frustrating.'

Still they usually end up doing terrible in the following two years.

Reply 22

IrrationalNumber

In maths there is a rather large jump, but the jump from the first year to second year is larger.

Reply 23

Smack

Volunteer Team

Welsh_insomniac

Yeah, I'd imagine such types of people would generally doing terribly in the later years of their degree, the years that count. Certainly in my first year, my aim was to get as high as possible since there is a strong correlation between excellent grades in first year and achieving a high standard of degree, and also because there are scholarships available to those that perform well.

Reply 24

dlg3579

I find that the jump from A level Geography to degree level to be quite big as it jumps from somewhat made up case studies, learning a few facts to the geographies of mind/ body dualisms of femininity and masculinity. A levels are a joke in comparison, all you need is a few buzz words and you're sorted. But I did find that in my unrestricted modules in Philosophy to be easier than the A level Philosophy, in fact the content was easier and more slow paced.

Just dont get too complacent

Reply 25

=gabriel=

KatieCruel

My history teacher is always saying "A levels will be the hardest exams you'll ever do."

I wish that were true..

Reply 26

.ACS.

Smack

You're joking, right?

It depends on the university you're at. It's certainly like that here at Southampton (I'm the only person I know who's actually aiming for a First), whereas I've friends at Bristol, Oxbridge, and elsewhere, and all of them are aiming for at least a 2.1 in their first year.

Reply 27

aeterno

It's really quite subjective.

For me, the biggest jump was from AS to A2; despite doing one less subject, I had twice the amount of work to do and we had to move from topic to topic quite quickly towards the end (which is more thanks to the crappy organisation of my teachers though).

I think I was expecting more of a jump from A2 to degree level than there actually was, so it didn't seem so bad. Besides I absolutely hated school but love uni!

Considering there are less hours of actually sitting in a room listening to someone talking, you have more time to actually do your work (unless of course you doss around in your 1st year and do everything at the last minute...or not at all).

Also, I agree that most people are aiming for 40% and not really caring about how they do which is, quite frankly, pathetic. Just because it doesn't count doesn't mean they should not bother. 1st year is there for people to adjust to uni life - to get used to what is classed as a degree level essay; independent learning etc. - and if they don't take advantage of this, then they're going to suffer in their 2nd/3rd years. In fact, a few people on my course didn't even bother to submit the first few assignments just because they weren't worth much of the overall grade for the module. Here's hoping they decide uni's not for them and sod off next year :p:

Reply 28

asdalol

I'm told a degree is easier, because your only focused on one subject instead of a few different ones you do at a levels.

Reply 29

MrChem

Will1692

I was always told you if you can do a levels you can do a degree, a levels are really intense.
I guess requirements are high for courses because of competition, rather than difficulty. Obviously there are exceptions, but the general stress etc unless you do medicine etc isnt as bad!

chronic_fatigue

I've heard the jump from GCSE to A Level is larger than the jump from A Level to Degree.

KatieCruel

My history teacher is always saying "A levels will be the hardest exams you'll ever do."

moomin_love

I found no step up between GCSE and AS level... but I did notice a slight step up between AS level and A2 level. Although this only applies to Psychology.

I think the OP was looking for personal thoughts from people at uni, not anecdotes.

Reply 30

LENNIS

LSE is harder than A-levels

Reply 31

brokenangel

Content wise if find it easier as thing are actually explained not just dumped on you with little explaination plus you can go into the detail need to understand something not just be told you dont need to know like at alevel.

Work load wise its alot harder the amount of all nighters i have done this year is rediculous

Reply 32

Nashy19

I've watched the first few lectures of the MIT and Berkeley Chemistry courses, they are strangely easy to follow, can anyone tell me why that is?

Reply 33

Wardy23

Smack

It's good that you're honest.

Reply 34

username227498

KatieCruel

My history teacher is always saying "A levels will be the hardest exams you'll ever do."

My psychology teacher said the same thing.

brighthw

i think it depends very much on the subjects.
maths at a top uni is in a different world compared to further maths modules...

I agree with this. It does depend on the subject to a certain extent; you do Further Maths at A-level to prepare for content in a maths degree that's covered at the beginning (from what I've read). However, this may be only be the case for the first year. In the second and third years you'll probably be exposed to new concepts, or delve into concepts much further, perhaps touching the boundaries of knowledge that exist for them at the present.

Also, I agree that most people are aiming for 40% and not really caring about how they do which is, quite frankly, pathetic. Just because it doesn't count doesn't mean they should not bother. 1st year is there for people to adjust to uni life - to get used to what is classed as a degree level essay; independent learning etc. - and if they don't take advantage of this, then they're going to suffer in their 2nd/3rd years. In fact, a few people on my course didn't even bother to submit the first few assignments just because they weren't worth much of the overall grade for the module. Here's hoping they decide uni's not for them and sod off next year

You may be pleased to hear that degrees might be changing so that they have a timeframe of two years instead of three. I also assume that these people don't study at the University of Buckingham. :wink:

Reply 35

NaUmarly

Wardy23

It's good that you're honest.

Ahh, that was hilarious.

Reply 36

supreme

I think it is subject specific. There is very little support which I think adds to the jump.

Reply 37

moomin_love

MrChem

I think the OP was looking for personal thoughts from people at uni, not anecdotes.

It's called a discussion. We are probably all as equally as interested as the OP to find out the answer and to read what other people say, but we were just adding our own personal experiences of how we've experienced different step ups or what we've been told. Like Tesco say, every little helps!

Just let people say what they want to say! That's what democracy is all about. Never heard of glasnost?

Reply 38

mollymustard

I personally didn't find the jump too bad. I think the shock for me was the amount of reading of academic texts and writing of long essays within a large wordcount (something I'd never done before).
But A Levels are incredibly stressful so it wasnt hard to adapt. I wouldn't say it is something you really need to worry about!

Reply 39

Svenjamin

For biology, I'd say the biggest jump is from 1st year to 2nd year of uni. 1st year is pretty much the same as A level, lots of short answer and multiple choice questions, so you can get by with disjointed knowledge of facts without really understanding everything. 2nd year is when the essays come in so there's a huge jump to be able to explain things in continuous prose.