Good A-Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology/English Lit & Lang?

Hey guys,

I'm going to be going on to do my A-Levels next year. I'm in Year 11 at the moment, and have just been out and about to go and check out some Sixth Forms!

I'm really, really, really confused. Seriously.

I've started to fill in Application Forms and I've been leaving the 'A-Level' bits blank.
I'm planning on picking Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Psychology/English Lit & Lang.

Are these hard A-Levels? I'm scared to take Chemistry as I've heard it's very difficult, but it is valued at Uni too.

I don't really like Maths, but I've been told it'd be a good one to take as it opens up loads of doors for you. I want to go on to study Dentistry in Uni, and so I thought the first three would be a pretty good combo of A-Levels to pick.

I want to study something 'soft' for my fourth subject, as I will already have three hard subjects to work with.

So, could you guys tell me a little bit about Psychology and English Lit & Lang? Which is better? Which is easier? And, also what you think about the first three A-Levels?

All of your help is very much appreciated! :smile:

Thanks guys!
- Shivanee x

OP

Anyone?

do biology , chemistry , maths and english lit

ths will be a very strong A-level combination for dentistry!!!

first three are good solid subjects

psychology is not easy but is classes as a weaker option (as English Lit is a top traditional subject)

english lit is a very strong option but only choose it if you are confident and enjoy the G.C.S.E work

good luck with your choices, i wanna do dentistry too!

hope this helps

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 3

Lollyage

14

I would recommend doing either English Language or English Literature rather than the combined A Level (if you want to do an English subject).

Although it's true that Psychology isn't as highly regarded as English Lit I'd still say it's a good one to do if you would enjoy it as you already have 3 traditional subjects..However don't take it if you think it's going to be a 'doss.' There is a LOT to learn for the exam, more than there is for maths tbh.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

IqraAli

3

i am in exactly the same position. i want to do dentistry and contemplating over the same subjects how ironic ! MANY havee discouraged me from taking these subjects but its for the best and ive chosen bio chem maths english lit psychology is good but not as recongnised as english

Reply 5

the greatest

14

Chemistry, Maths and Biology are perfect combinations for wanting a career in the medical industry specifically Dentistry! If you are worried about the difficulty, I would aid by saying y not stick with three subjects?? chemistry from my experience was a little bit over the top in terms of difficulty and Maths if learnt is fine!

Reply 6

Captain Hindsight

11

it doesn't really matter as Psy/Eng LitLang would be your 4th AS and you would drop it

they would only give you an offer based on your 3A2's which in your case is bio, chem and maths

Reply 7

Onos24

i am also in somewhat the same position.. though, i was thinking of taking physics as well along with chem,bio,math & psycho in my AS-levels.. what do u guys think? will it be hard to get good grades in all these subjects? also, is physics really required?

about eng lit or psycho... i have no personal experience with either, but from what i've heard, eng lit can be really tough to score in as compared to psycho ... almost all the people in last years batch in my school scored 'A's in psycho..
after all, i guess just take the subject that appeals to you most as your performance in that subject will greatly depend on your interest..

good luck :smile:

Reply 8

bruce_t89

8

Original post by Onos24

i am also in somewhat the same position.. though, i was thinking of taking physics as well along with chem,bio,math & psycho in my AS-levels.. what do u guys think? will it be hard to get good grades in all these subjects? also, is physics really required?

about eng lit or psycho... i have no personal experience with either, but from what i've heard, eng lit can be really tough to score in as compared to psycho ... almost all the people in last years batch in my school scored 'A's in psycho..
after all, i guess just take the subject that appeals to you most as your performance in that subject will greatly depend on your interest..

good luck :smile:

Psychology requires a good memory and occasionally applying knowledge to real life situations. Your Bio knowledge will help you with the bio side of psych. With English you will need to have a natural knack in the subject. I studied English Lang and Lit (not Eng Lit) and realised that if you include linguistic terms in your essays you'll be fine. I'm guessing that Lit will be a bit different and slightly harder, especially with the books you have to read. I enjoyed both subjects.

Anyway, do whatever you think you'll enjoy more. By the way, 5 subjects may be too much in terms of workload. You may want to consider narrowing it down to 4 subjects?

Reply 9

areyousure?

13

Original post by Shivanee

Sorry, but please do not choose your subjects just depending on if people find them hard or not. Look at the syllabus to see if those are subjects that you will enjoy. You are going to be studying for them for a long time and so you must make sure you actually enjoy it and can get good grades if you want to get into Dentistry.

Good Luck.

Reply 10

elitepower

13

Your first three a-level choices are good as you will need biology and chemistry are required to do dentistry and maths is highly valued. I would do english lit rather than psychology or english lang and lit as an essay based subject would give you a more rounded experience, it is valued highly if you change what you want to do and if you take it, you would have two science subjects as well as two other highly valued subjects.

Reply 11

Angharad1606

1

Original post by Shivanee

Hey guys,

I'm going to be going on to do my A-Levels next year. I'm in Year 11 at the moment, and have just been out and about to go and check out some Sixth Forms!

I'm really, really, really confused. Seriously.

I've started to fill in Application Forms and I've been leaving the 'A-Level' bits blank.
I'm planning on picking Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Psychology/English Lit & Lang.

Are these hard A-Levels? I'm scared to take Chemistry as I've heard it's very difficult, but it is valued at Uni too.

I don't really like Maths, but I've been told it'd be a good one to take as it opens up loads of doors for you. I want to go on to study Dentistry in Uni, and so I thought the first three would be a pretty good combo of A-Levels to pick.

I want to study something 'soft' for my fourth subject, as I will already have three hard subjects to work with.

So, could you guys tell me a little bit about Psychology and English Lit & Lang? Which is better? Which is easier? And, also what you think about the first three A-Levels?

All of your help is very much appreciated! :smile:

Thanks guys!
- Shivanee x

I'm doing biology chemistry maths & psychology. They are a good combination to get into medicine, so far they aren't that much harder than GCSE and they are all interesting but I'd say whatever syllabus looks the best for you then go for it xx

Reply 12

ameenatariq

16

I'm doing biology chemistry maths & psychology. They are a good combination to get into medicine, so far they aren't that much harder than GCSE and they are all interesting but I'd say whatever syllabus looks the best for you then go for it xx

How are you finding the subjects? i am considering doing those 4 a levels.

Reply 13

Angharad1606

1

Original post by ameenatariq

I'm doing biology chemistry maths & psychology. They are a good combination to get into medicine, so far they aren't that much harder than GCSE and they are all interesting but I'd say whatever syllabus looks the best for you then go for it xx

How are you finding the subjects? i am considering doing those 4 a levels.

I'm finding them quite good at the minute! My favourite is biology, there is so much course content but it is really interesting so that keeps me motivated to do all the work! I'd say it is challenging (confusing concepts and lots of material!) but if you enjoy the subject or need it then you'll be absolutely fine!

Chemistry I would say is probably the hardest just because there is so much maths calculations involved and you do need to remember most of the formulas. Knowing when to use the formulas is also quite tricky but by no means impossible! It goes really well with biology because some of the content does overlap and it helps me to understand it better. Maths goes well with it, being able to use formulas and interpret results etc.

Psychology is one of my favourites as it is sooo interesting, I would say it is the easiest one out of the four (not that it is a walk in the park though!). It is more literary than the other choices which is quite a nice break from the science and the maths work. You don't write many essays and most of the concepts are science based which is good :smile:

I find it quite easy to get my head around the concepts and you don't have to remember the case studies and research in great detail (with dates etc.) its just exam technique which I find is the hardest part.

Maths is alright, I mean I don't find it that interesting but the concepts are quite easy to grasp, obviously harder than GCSE but not impossible. I was worried I was going to struggle with the maths work but its good at the minute! Some of the topics build on GCSE work so it links in well :smile:

Reply 14

raniamageed

I'm also in year 11 and thinking of medicine, and have the same subjects in mind, but the system has changed and so I can't drop a subject next year, but I really hate maths and I think it will be to hard to take 4 all the way through, but I don't know whether to do English lit or maths?

Reply 15

Laniyan104

Hii, I'm in the exact same position as you. Currently in year 11 and contemplating what A levels to take on. I have no idea what I want to do but I think I would like to get into the medicine side too so taking biology, chemistry, maths. In terms of choosing either maths or English i would say highly depends on you because both subject are very valued by universities.But if you are thinking of getting into Medicine i guess it would make sense to choose maths. But you mentioned how you don't like maths and find it difficult that is exactly the same as me but dont let that scare you. Eventhough I find maths difficult I'm still considering choosing it because it is hard and let's face it kinda boring. But if you put all the work in for example revision and going over topics you may find difficult you can do really well. You know how they say practice makes perfect. So don't be frightened by maths being seen as hard. Just remember maths is that subjects that needs extra time and practice so you fully understand it. And if your willing to put in the time and effort the you can succeed.
Hope this helped xx

Reply 16

bytheseasons

14

Genuine advice: do what you are ACTUALLY interested in- can't stress this enough. I didn't take this on board when i chose mine and i've ended up suffering and probably will until a year's time. So if you don't like maths i suggest you don't do it. If it isn't a required a level for the dentistry course, that is.

Reply 17

Kristine2000

Hey! I'm currently planning to take these 4 subjects for my A levels next year. How much is the workload? And also is it really difficult to balance the two? Lastly, are the exams really difficult? I'm certain on picking Chem and Bio but I'm not sure about Psychology and Maths. I'm not very good at writing essays which is stopping me from picking Psychology. With maths, I find it alright but apparently there's a lot to remember. Do you enjoy these subjects?

Reply 18

dgkjhl

2

I'd definitely reccomend taking a softer fourth subject. It actually looks good to unis to show that you're well rounded, so an arts subject like English would be a good idea. I did English lang/lit at AS - my only advice would be only pick it if you know you will be motivated to study and read loads of poetry and texts you might not necessarily be interested in. :smile:

Reply 19

dgkjhl

2

Maths is very demanding, so only pick it if you know you'd definitely be motivated to put loads of work in for it. :smile:

Good A-Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology/English Lit & Lang?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you