The Student Room Group

Extra AS? Yes or No?

I've missed out on getting 4AS's but I'm thinking about doing an AS in Sociology as an extra so I can leave Sixth Form with 3A2s and an AS.
But, I'm not sure If I should pick up the whole subject as a class OR just sit the exams and teach myself as I've been told It's quite straight forward and could link with my AS in Psychology.

Should I just sit the exams or actually enrol?
Reply 1
No need. Most universities dont require an AS. Taking 4 is purely for the purpose of having the opportunity almost to make mistakes. E.g. Some people in my year were adamant on dropping xxx but actually dropped yyy as they actually hated xxx when they finished.

Stick with your 3 A2's and focus on it as universities want these good 3 core grades. Not 3 mediocre grades but a good AS.
Reply 2
Original post by Jkizer
No need. Most universities dont require an AS. Taking 4 is purely for the purpose of having the opportunity almost to make mistakes. E.g. Some people in my year were adamant on dropping xxx but actually dropped yyy as they actually hated xxx when they finished.

Stick with your 3 A2's and focus on it as universities want these good 3 core grades. Not 3 mediocre grades but a good AS.


The only reason I'm thinking about the extra AS is because of the extra UCAS points that I could get from it, so do you reckon it's pointless?
Reply 3
Original post by Hamdaa_
The only reason I'm thinking about the extra AS is because of the extra UCAS points that I could get from it, so do you reckon it's pointless?


Well it depends. Some universities state '280 points from 3 A2 grades" others do not mention at all.

But if your really fearing on low on points i guess so. If you dont reach around the 300 mark, i guess you could but i would rather much focus on getting better 3 A2's because the time taken to focus on the AS may cause more damage to your A2's.

Also be aware some grad schemes may exclude AS's as well.
I agree i dont think it is worth doing another AS-its much better to concentrate on three A2's.If you really want to get more points ask your 6th form if you can do an EPQ(aqa extended project qualification) which gives you points.good luck! :smile:
Reply 5
If they all want a 4th AS, why is it not a part of the entry requirements?
The only unis which demand a 4th AS tends to be the the few elite which ask various grades ranging from a-e and the competitive elite courses

You can get an offer from a very good university with 3 AS grades no problem...


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Reply 6
Perhaps it's your course or the tier of universities ?

But Bristol do not specify a 4th AS for the majority of their courses, are they not good by your definition then?

It's the fact that you are just wrong which is the face palming bit


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(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 7
I was in a similar situation a while ago where I was debating with myself whether to take an extra AS or not. In the end I ended up not doing so and I got really good grades and am going to a RG uni. So I wouldn't say an extra AS is necessary. Although, that may depend on the universities you're applying to - look up their requirements. If you think the extra workload may interfere with your 3 A2 subjects, then I wouldn't recommend it.
Reply 8
Original post by Hamdaa_
I've missed out on getting 4AS's but I'm thinking about doing an AS in Sociology as an extra so I can leave Sixth Form with 3A2s and an AS.
But, I'm not sure If I should pick up the whole subject as a class OR just sit the exams and teach myself as I've been told It's quite straight forward and could link with my AS in Psychology.

Should I just sit the exams or actually enrol?


You don't need to apply for the exams until March time anyway so why not between now and then just go ahead and learn Sociology AS and when it comes to March you can say yes this has been an okay workload or no Ive struggled to balance everything? :smile:

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Reply 9
Original post by Dingo749
You don't need to apply for the exams until March time anyway so why not between now and then just go ahead and learn Sociology AS and when it comes to March you can say yes this has been an okay workload or no Ive struggled to balance everything? :smile:

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I might just do that, just in case you know.
Most Universities that I'm thinking of applying to want 300 UCAS points, at the moment from my AS' I have 140 UCAS Points...

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