Top Universities Shouldn't Accept You Unless You Do 4 A2s

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It's all subjective. Depends on what subjects you're doing. 4 A2s could be 4 subjects with low workloads, or subjects deemed as not particularly challenging. And then this puts people at a disadvantage who don't have the opportunity to take 4 A2s, or who may be having problems (health, or otherwise) during their A2 year and can't cope with a 4th A Level. It's all completely subjective!

Reply 41

TenthBelt1993

Original post by lovegoodjpg

Health is different and that could have extenuating circumstances.

But if you can't cope with 4 A2s (the hardest A Levels) then you can't cope with Imperial/Oxbridge.

Reply 42

lovegoodjpg

Original post by Sabster

Health is different and that could have extenuating circumstances.

But if you can't cope with 4 A2s (the hardest A Levels) then you can't cope with Imperial/Oxbridge.

You can't say that though. Some people may take four easier A2s that have no coursework and a low workload, whereas another person may be taking four of the hardest or most time consuming A2s, like Art or Tech or a language. Also, choosing to do only 3 A2s leaves time open to fill with extra curricular things, such as volunteering or entering essay competitions. Doing extra curricular activities in addition to 3 A2s is surely enough to demonstrate a person's ability to cope as well as their academic strength and effort.

Reply 43

Audrey18

Original post by HealthyBeanSnack

this in my opinion is ridiculous: i take 3 A2s and have recieved an offer from oxford. i do art, bio and english and my workload is phenomenal. not saying im struggling - but i am always working, it is taking up my entire life. i know that if i took a 4th a2 i would not be predicted As, and what good is that 4th A2 i you're not doing 4 subjects at degree? i see where you are coming from, but there is a lot of other stress relating to education regardless of a2, personal statement (i have 15 drafts) building an art portfolio, EPQ, sports (one guy i know is a top physics student, doing three a levels and going to cambridge, trains in a sport five days a week and goes abroad to take part in competitions, hoping to be in olympics in addition to physics or whatever, some others do charity work, d of e, etc) what im saying is there is more to life than endless a2 subjects as proof of intellegence. if you sat around doing nothing apart from study, regardless of unlimited a2s then unis would not accept you because your personal statement would be lacking in personal development, also that would just be really boring all the time. sorry for weirdly written post my keyboard is acting up

if and when you do get to Oxford, please start using paragraphs.

Reply 44

returnmigrant

So..... those at state schools where it isn't actually possible to do 4 subjects?

Can we assume you'd like to use this as an essential filter to keep those without the right accent, or without an address in Surrey, out of top Universities?

Reply 45

dragonkeeper999

This really depends a lot on the subjects imo - for sciences doing 4 A2s is quite a reasonable thing to do, particularly if two of them are maths and further maths since otherwise you wouldn't have many degree subjects options (maths, f maths + physics only really opens up maths, physics and engineering, but adding in Chemistry too lets you take almost any science degree). However, 4 science A2s is not too high a workload since they all overlap here and there - 4 humanities/ arts A2s could require a lot more work with all the essays, reading, portfolios, etc. Also, for arts degrees there tend to be less fixed A2 subject requirements - so there's less of a necessity to take 4 subjects to keep your options open :smile:

Reply 46

Serine Soul

In my case, it'd be cruel to make me do 4 A Levels by carrying on the AS I dropped last year - Lit. I genuinely saw that AS as trying out a subject, even though I don't want to do anything related to it at uni. Obviously, on AS results day, my Lit grade was significantly lower than my Bio, Chem and Maths grades (I literally just scraped a B in it, while getting high As the others) and so I dropped it. I didn't do well in at AS (compared to my other subjects) and I don't even need it for my uni course.

I don't think it's fair to force someone to carry on a subject they've realised they're not great at, and at the same time, penalise them for not doing well on a subject that's not even related to the course.

With hindsight, I would've just chosen physics or further maths and carried one of those on. But eh, made no difference in the end in terms of getting uni offers for the course I want to do :smile:

Reply 47

username1399980

Original post by Sabster

Basically, I don't believe top universities (Oxbridge/Imperial etc) should accept you unless you to do 4 A2s. For the reason that you are

EITHER: Talented but would rather doss around than put more work into academia.

OR: Not able to cope with 4A2s which means you most definitely would no be able to cope with the workload at a top university.

Obviously there should have exceptions for where School's don't allow people to do 4 A2s.

Well I think that top universities probably have a better idea of the best way of selecting candidates than some random person on TSR. They have many years of experience and statistics which show how candidates have performed and can be used to see the corrilation between the results they had when they arrived and how they did once they got there.

It may come as a shock to you but huge numbers of people have coped just fine with the workload at "top universities" despite not doing 4 A2s! Success at university isn't just about how you did at A level its about independant thinking and 4 A levels even with 4 A* doesn't necessarily guarantee that

Reply 48

TenthBelt1993

Original post by lovegoodjpg

No if you can't do the HARDEST A2s and do as many extra curricular activities as you like then you simply are not good enough for Oxbridge.

Reply 49

RomanKing

Original post by Sabster

Option 1. There'll be a lot of empty spaces in the university= university losing much money :smile:

Money is everything in business.

Option 2. There'll be average students on the degree course who completed 4 A2s rather than above average students who completed 3 A2s. = quality of students/ course decreases overall.

Silly idea. :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 50

Zacken

Original post by Sabster

No if you can't do the HARDEST A2s and do as many extra curricular activities as you like then you simply are not good enough for Oxbridge.

Ooh, thanks for that. I'm going to go and withdraw my Cambridge offer right now because I'm not up to taking four A-Levels. STEP notwithstanding. You've been very helpful. :h:

Reply 51

username738914

Original post by Zacken

Ooh, thanks for that. I'm going to go and withdraw my Cambridge offer right now because I'm not up to taking four A-Levels. STEP notwithstanding. You've been very helpful. :h:

Sass 😂😂😂

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 52

16Characters....

Woah there guys. Screw Oxford and Cambridge's experienced admissions tutors, some random guy on the internet knows what is required of their students even better...

Reply 53

TeeEm

depends on the A levels

Reply 54

Student403

Original post by Sabster

No if you can't do the HARDEST A2s and do as many extra curricular activities as you like then you simply are not good enough for Oxbridge.

Right yeah just ignore this post, why don't you?

Original post by Bulbasaur

Not to blow my own horn, but I barely scraped A*AA..Got a 1st in my second year of Cambridge.I am sure top universities know what they're doing.

Reply 55

username1399980

Original post by Sabster

No if you can't do the HARDEST A2s and do as many extra curricular activities as you like then you simply are not good enough for Oxbridge.

And your evidence for this is ?

Reply 56

Trapz99

Original post by Zacken

Ooh, thanks for that. I'm going to go and withdraw my Cambridge offer right now because I'm not up to taking four A-Levels. STEP notwithstanding. You've been very helpful. :h:

Well, to be honest, a lot of people do four a levels and STEP and a lot of extra curriculars as well. But well done on your offer.

Reply 57

Zacken

Original post by Trapz99

Well, to be honest, a lot of people do four a levels and STEP and a lot of extra curriculars as well. But well done on your offer.

I'm sure they do - but what's the point? A-Levels are dumbed down versions of anything that you could learn by yourself. Why take four? :dontknow:

Reply 58

Trapz99

Original post by Zacken

I'm sure they do - but what's the point? A-Levels are dumbed down versions of anything that you could learn by yourself. Why take four? :dontknow:

A levels are dumbed down? They're pretty hard for most people, even most of the Cambridge offer holders in my sixth form are saying that a levels are hard. Four a levels show that you can work very hard and important if you are applying for certain subjects (for example, economics at some universities requires four a levels because the universities strongly recommend further maths and economics but also want another subject).