No idea where to ask this but which subject should I drop based on these uni courses?
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J.SMART
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#1
Hello, I'm approaching the end of my first year of Sixth Form and I have been pondering which subject to drop at the end. I am currently studying:
History
Politics
Psychology
Sociology
(All at AS level, though I'm also doing an EPQ about history and political/economic theory which apparently counts as 'half an A-Level')
The courses that I have looked at are:
- PPE (anywhere that I don't need maths - Oxford does not demand it but asks for a background in either maths or history).
- Politics (Most likely at LSE if I could get in)
- Possibly social policy (again at LSE) or some combination of social policy and politics, if such a course is ever offered.
Anyway, which of the subject should I drop at AS (I'm definitely carrying on with History and Politics). My mum suggests that I drop sociology because universities tend to think highly of psychology and sociology is seen as a 'soft subject' (I disagree, I find psychology to be the easiest of my subjects) though I feel that based on the courses I want to do an the universities that I plan to apply for, dropping psychology would be a better choice as it is the least relevant to what I want to do.
What do people think I should drop/continue?
History
Politics
Psychology
Sociology
(All at AS level, though I'm also doing an EPQ about history and political/economic theory which apparently counts as 'half an A-Level')
The courses that I have looked at are:
- PPE (anywhere that I don't need maths - Oxford does not demand it but asks for a background in either maths or history).
- Politics (Most likely at LSE if I could get in)
- Possibly social policy (again at LSE) or some combination of social policy and politics, if such a course is ever offered.
Anyway, which of the subject should I drop at AS (I'm definitely carrying on with History and Politics). My mum suggests that I drop sociology because universities tend to think highly of psychology and sociology is seen as a 'soft subject' (I disagree, I find psychology to be the easiest of my subjects) though I feel that based on the courses I want to do an the universities that I plan to apply for, dropping psychology would be a better choice as it is the least relevant to what I want to do.
What do people think I should drop/continue?
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r-t
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#2
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#2
I think you should drop psychology. Psychology is easier than sociology as I did both of them at AS but sociology is more related to politics and social policy. There's a lot of essay writing in sociology but I assume you are good at this doing history. As long as you get the grades needed then I don't think it would matter whether you keep psychology or sociology due to them both being social sciences but I'd say stick with sociology overall. However if you enjoy psychology more and feel that you could excel in this then keep psychology.
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claireestelle
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#3
T.I.P
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KingStannis
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Psycology is more respected than sociology, but sociology is more relevant. Tough call.
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thecatwithnohat
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cambio wechsel
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#7
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#7
(Original post by KingStannis)
Psycology is more respected than sociology...
Psycology is more respected than sociology...
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J.SMART
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#8
(Original post by KingStannis)
Psycology is more respected than sociology, but sociology is more relevant. Tough call.
Psycology is more respected than sociology, but sociology is more relevant. Tough call.
It is thought of more highly, which is why I was reluctant to do sociology (I wanted to do economics originally, but option blocks wouldn't let me), but I find myself leaning more to the opposite side as time goes on. Sociology is easy in comparison to history and politics as far as essays go, but psychology just feels like a poor man's biology to me.
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The Empire Odyssey
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#9
Depends on your degree. Now, is your degree BA or BSc? If it's a BSc then I suggest you drop sociology as I know some unis accept Psychology as a science, rather than a Humanities. If it's a BA, I think it wouldn't matter too greatly, but perhaps you should stick with Sociology as that is more related to your course than psychology.
However, you should go with the one you dislike the most!
However, you should go with the one you dislike the most!
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J.SMART
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#10
(Original post by The Empire Odyssey)
Depends on your degree. Now, is your degree BA or BSc? If it's a BSc then I suggest you drop sociology as I know some unis accept Psychology as a science, rather than a Humanities. If it's a BA, I think it wouldn't matter too greatly, but perhaps you should stick with Sociology as that is more related to your course than psychology.
However, you should go with the one you dislike the most!
Depends on your degree. Now, is your degree BA or BSc? If it's a BSc then I suggest you drop sociology as I know some unis accept Psychology as a science, rather than a Humanities. If it's a BA, I think it wouldn't matter too greatly, but perhaps you should stick with Sociology as that is more related to your course than psychology.
However, you should go with the one you dislike the most!

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r-t
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#11
(Original post by cambio wechsel)
I think this is (justly or otherwise) true at degree level, where psychology is to some extent lab-based and can be very statty. But I wonder whether and why psychology A level would be better regarded to an extent that would make any difference.
I think this is (justly or otherwise) true at degree level, where psychology is to some extent lab-based and can be very statty. But I wonder whether and why psychology A level would be better regarded to an extent that would make any difference.
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Origami Bullets
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J.SMART
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#13
(Original post by r-t)
I think sociology is also much more newer than psychology which is probably why psychology has more respect in that sense. I had no idea it even existed before I got to year 11 and we had the option to pick it at GCSE which I didn't.
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I think sociology is also much more newer than psychology which is probably why psychology has more respect in that sense. I had no idea it even existed before I got to year 11 and we had the option to pick it at GCSE which I didn't.
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r-t
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#14
(Original post by J.SMART)
It's a relatively new a level, but the academic discipline has been around for at least as long as psychology has.
It's a relatively new a level, but the academic discipline has been around for at least as long as psychology has.
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#16
(Original post by r-t)
Not really the best strategy. The one that you get the lowest grade in could be the one that you enjoy the most and want to study at degree level but things just didn't work out in the exam or stuff happened throughout the year. I dropped an AS which I achieved an A in for favour of a C subject.
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Not really the best strategy. The one that you get the lowest grade in could be the one that you enjoy the most and want to study at degree level but things just didn't work out in the exam or stuff happened throughout the year. I dropped an AS which I achieved an A in for favour of a C subject.
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Given those two things, in this particular case, the best chance of getting into uni will come with the better grades, with no apparent detriment in other regards.
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reallydontknow
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Both psychology and sociology are soft subjects. Drop the one you find harder.
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Exon
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J.SMART
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#19
(Original post by reallydontknow)
Both psychology and sociology are soft subjects. Drop the one you find harder.
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Both psychology and sociology are soft subjects. Drop the one you find harder.
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Problem is I don't find either of them particularly hard. My psychology teacher says that I am (annoyingly) good at it, and sociology is just an easier version of the other subjects I'm doing. I have had trouble with time in exams and sociology is more essay based, but if I'm doing A2 History I can't see that mattering too much. The grade I get will always depend entirely on the exam.
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Caius Filimon G
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Look at it this way: drop whichever you think will help you least in your life or at least career.
Sociology is based more on 'herd thinking', namely it generalizes people and attempts to predict their actions and how they will influence society as a whole. Keep this if you want to be a political/historical analyst, journalist, or the sort.
Psychology is more useful for yourself as it allows you to interpret people's actions and words better, helping you personally in pretty much everything in life that involves human interaction. Besides, if you manage to grasp body language well enough and apply psychology, you'll be a human life detector with most people. So you might want this if you're gonna become a politician
Well, this is how I interpreted it from reading a few random school books on these two subjects. Considering that I haven't studied either of the subjects academically and the difference in exam boards, take my words with a good deal of salt (in other words, *disclaimer* xD).
Sociology is based more on 'herd thinking', namely it generalizes people and attempts to predict their actions and how they will influence society as a whole. Keep this if you want to be a political/historical analyst, journalist, or the sort.
Psychology is more useful for yourself as it allows you to interpret people's actions and words better, helping you personally in pretty much everything in life that involves human interaction. Besides, if you manage to grasp body language well enough and apply psychology, you'll be a human life detector with most people. So you might want this if you're gonna become a politician
Well, this is how I interpreted it from reading a few random school books on these two subjects. Considering that I haven't studied either of the subjects academically and the difference in exam boards, take my words with a good deal of salt (in other words, *disclaimer* xD).
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