No idea what subject to pick for A level

Hi. Tomorrow is GCSE results day, and I'm gonna have to star enrolling into sixth forms and colleges. The only problem is that I keep on changing my mind on what subjects that I wanted to study.

Originally, when I applied to places, my intent was to study Maths, Further maths, Physics and a fourth subject to drop (usually history). The only problem is I have recently realized the extreme difficulty of all the subjects which I picked and the fact that I never really wanted to do further maths in the first place but was just under pressure to do it. Also, my chances of getting an A* in Maths tomorrow for GCSE are looking pretty slim which makes my chances of studying further pretty low anyway.

The only subject that I know I want to study for certain is Maths, I'm most likely going to study physics, and I have had my mind on it for a long time, but recently some skepticism has arrived because people who have studied it have been telling me it's very difficult and not enjoyable at all.

But even if I do study maths and physics, I still have no idea what to do for a third A2 since I decided against further maths. Generally, I enjoyed maths and physics at GCSE, but I was also really good at the writing subjects. History and English in particular I really enjoyed and was a very high level student in those subjects.

The point is, I feel like a mess, I have no idea what I want to study at Uni or do for a career. I've generally thought about computer science/ engineering and subjects in that area, hence why I picked maths and physics, but I still have no idea what specifically I want to study. I don't know what subjects to pick, and I would really appreciate some advice from A level students regarding useful subjects and subjects that you personally enjoyed. Also, since I don't know what to do in the future, how do I keep my options open?
Thanks!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

NamelessPersona

I studied Maths, Further Maths and Physics, as well as AS Computer Science in year 13. I think you are overstating the difficulty of the subjects and you shouldn't be too worried. With regards to what you want to do I would recommend going on some university websites and reading about courses in your general area of interest, and then narrow it down from there.

Reply 2

T0ucan

Hey! Firstly, good luck for tomorrow! From reading your post I understand you want to take 3 a levels. Maths and physics are both really good subjects to take as they compliment each other well and whatever you decide you want to do after sixth form they will be seen as difficult subjects which will prepare you for any degree/further study. I would go with history as a third a level as it is a facilitating subject (unis will love it regardless of course!) and it also shows you are a well rounded student. Being a competent essay writer is a really important skill to have and is one you will definitely develop in history. Hope this helps :smile: