What is the workload at university like compared to A levels?
A Levels. At an 'academic' course from Imperial/Oxbridge/Other good universities. Yes its more but I want a comparison.
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You can't even begin to compare an Oxbridge workload to A Levels 
Far more independent work, so takes longer + harder.
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
You can't even begin to compare an Oxbridge workload to A Levels
tbf that might be because they have shorter term times(?)? Do oxbridge students actually study more content than say lse or imperial students? Anyway how many a levels (equivalent in terms of time spent studying) would you say you do at those universities?
Original post by starburst01 tbf that might be because they have shorter term times(?)? Do oxbridge students actually study more content than say lse or imperial students?
Anyway how many a levels (equivalent in terms of time spent studying) would you say you do at those universities?
tbf that might be because they have shorter term times(?)? Do oxbridge students actually study more content than say lse or imperial students? Anyway how many a levels (equivalent in terms of time spent studying) would you say you do at those universities?
I wouldn't know about LSE or Imperial, since my subject is not offered at either and I can't comment on other courses. Obviously they're world-class unis too
It depends on what A Levels you do and what subject you'd do at Oxford. Music at Oxford, I'd say would total up to something like 10 A Levels maybe? Though A Levels aren't what they used to be and are quite easy these days. So I dunno. 10 probably isn't the right guesstimate...
The workload at university is around five times that of A Levels. I did a degree that involved lots of reading around my subject, so my experience won't necessarily be an accurate reflection of all degrees. To clarify my opinion of 'five times' further - I spent around 3-5 hours per week studying A Levels.
Content-wise, you definitely learn more at university in one module than you do in a whole A-Level, but nonetheless I haven't found university to be much more challenging or required me to put more hours in. If anything, I spent more time studying at A-Levels and doing past papers to ensure I got as close to 100% as I could. At university, if you're somewhere been 60% and 70%, everyone's happy.
Original post by .ACS.
Content-wise, you definitely learn more at university in one module than you do in a whole A-Level
I remember the entirety of unit 1 of A-level economics whizzing past in under an hour
Original post by .ACS.
Original post by .ACS.
Content-wise, you definitely learn more at university in one module than you do in a whole A-Level, but nonetheless I haven't found university to be much more challenging or required me to put more hours in. If anything, I spent more time studying at A-Levels and doing past papers to ensure I got as close to 100% as I could. At university, if you're somewhere been 60% and 70%, everyone's happy.
This is very true. I certainly studied longer and much in advance at A level compared to uni, I started studying for my hardest module only a week in advance and got a comfortable first, you get much more efficient when you're at uni. I think it's as you said, in A level you're looking to hit 90%+ even though the content is much easier, it's a case of having little/no mistakes. I remember just sitting in a lecture hall, having no idea what was going on (as was generally the case with 80% lectures
), and realising that each week we were covering wholly new topics in so much depth that I was sure I'd be failing my exams. I certainly agree with what you put above.(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Sam Place
Is the work load significantly less for a subject like history or politics, as opposed to a more contact based science subject?
It depends on how you look at it. Historians at Oxford have much less work that most other subjects (arts or sciences) but they are expected to do lots of wider reading.
Science subjects are obviously more structured in terms of hours and the amount of work you have to do. Once they leave the lab though, they're pretty much free aside from problem sheets. Humanities students have to do a lot more independent work and research in a less structured environment
Can't speak about the workload for top unis, but it's what you make of it to be honest. You could spend the entire year doing nothing except the bare minimum and usually get a rubbish grade. Or you can spend all your free time researching, reading round the topics etc and you might get a top grade.
For me personally we had plenty of lectures, and they gave us plenty of reading, tutorial questions, etc so that if you tried to do all that, you would have pretty much no social life, so it's important to balance what you think is necessary and what isn't as much.
For me personally we had plenty of lectures, and they gave us plenty of reading, tutorial questions, etc so that if you tried to do all that, you would have pretty much no social life, so it's important to balance what you think is necessary and what isn't as much.
i think the workload at uni is less. I do a more practical course so its more practicing cutting nails at home. lol
I only had 2 exams in summer at uni whereas A levels I had 11 exams summer before. I think the workload takes place during the whole semester with phase tests and coursework due week 12 but workload for exams is definitely less as you can learn what you want.
I only had 2 exams in summer at uni whereas A levels I had 11 exams summer before. I think the workload takes place during the whole semester with phase tests and coursework due week 12 but workload for exams is definitely less as you can learn what you want.
I did Physics at Oxford. Apart from the evenings (when I was out), a couple of hours in the day playing pool and stuff and sleeping and eating, I spent most of term-time weekdays on problem sheets and a fair bit of the weekend. They take a long time because tutorials are always ahead of lectures and so everything you need to be able to do a problem sheet you have to work out yourself. So obviously your first sheet on quantum mechanics takes ages as you have to pick up a textbook and somehow get your head around it all from scratch.
All of Easter holiday I spent revising in second and third year, and apart from the first week of Trinity (Summer) term, I spent every waking hour of every day either in a lecture or revising in the library. I ended up with a high first and I think that most people would have to do as much work to get that. I know other people who did a lot less but obviously got lesser grades.
I should note that I tend to work at a fairly low density. If you want to go away for the weekend you can usually get all the work out the way before then if you make a massive effort. And in third year we got into the habit of not doing much work during the week and then pulling a collective all-nighter the night before a hand-in.
All of Easter holiday I spent revising in second and third year, and apart from the first week of Trinity (Summer) term, I spent every waking hour of every day either in a lecture or revising in the library. I ended up with a high first and I think that most people would have to do as much work to get that. I know other people who did a lot less but obviously got lesser grades.
I should note that I tend to work at a fairly low density. If you want to go away for the weekend you can usually get all the work out the way before then if you make a massive effort. And in third year we got into the habit of not doing much work during the week and then pulling a collective all-nighter the night before a hand-in.
(edited 12 years ago)
I personally think it's less. Although I'm not at Oxford, just a Russell Group uni.
At A-Levels I was working 9-4 plus a few hours of homework every night. So that is, what? 50 hours a week? No way I put that amount of effort into my course and I've got a 1st this year. There's also far less stress than at A-Levels anyway with the whole "My life is over if I don't get into this uni" feeling.
The course content is obviously much more in depth and there is much more independent study, no spoon feeding. But in terms of hours put in there is way way less. I do a social science though, not Engineering or something like that.
At A-Levels I was working 9-4 plus a few hours of homework every night. So that is, what? 50 hours a week? No way I put that amount of effort into my course and I've got a 1st this year. There's also far less stress than at A-Levels anyway with the whole "My life is over if I don't get into this uni" feeling.
The course content is obviously much more in depth and there is much more independent study, no spoon feeding. But in terms of hours put in there is way way less. I do a social science though, not Engineering or something like that.
I have found the Cambridge workload to be considerably harder than A Levels. There's really no comparison whatsoever between A Levels and my university course.
In our first supervision, a supervisor said we'd get through about 8 A Levels' worth of material each year; I don't know how accurate that is.
In our first supervision, a supervisor said we'd get through about 8 A Levels' worth of material each year; I don't know how accurate that is.
(edited 12 years ago)
Far more work that you have to do yourself. There is also a lot more deeper and more complex theory which needs a lot of out of lecture reading and research.
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
I wouldn't know about LSE or Imperial, since my subject is not offered at either and I can't comment on other courses. Obviously they're world-class unis too
It depends on what A Levels you do and what subject you'd do at Oxford. Music at Oxford, I'd say would total up to something like 10 A Levels maybe? Though A Levels aren't what they used to be and are quite easy these days. So I dunno. 10 probably isn't the right guesstimate...
It depends on what A Levels you do and what subject you'd do at Oxford. Music at Oxford, I'd say would total up to something like 10 A Levels maybe? Though A Levels aren't what they used to be and are quite easy these days. So I dunno. 10 probably isn't the right guesstimate...
It's funny seeing the attitudes on the forum change. So many A level kids bricking it and negging even the most useful of information because it does inspire an enormous amount of confidence in them that A levels are the hardest thing they'll do in their life and university is the happily ever after they were promised as toddlers.
hahaha
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