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Should I do 3 or 4 A-levels?

So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:
(edited 5 years ago)

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Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I just thought, it's art....it's not that hard right? Thanks in advance (:


@CoolCavy


Art is extremely time consuming and actually very 'hard'. It's not just doing a few daubs in your spare time.
Original post by Reality Check
@CoolCavy


Art is extremely time consuming and actually very 'hard'. It's not just doing a few daubs in your spare time.

Oh do you take art? If so, could you give me an insight on what it's like?
Original post by Reality Check
@CoolCavy


Art is extremely time consuming and actually very 'hard'. It's not just doing a few daubs in your spare time.


PRSOM x100

OP dont do art as a flippant 4th option, it takes up so much time and you really need to dedicate all of your time to it, A-level art is very hard, the markscheme is something like 78/80 to get an A*
Reply 4
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:


What do you hope to study at University? An Art A-level can be a really rounding subject and help you to develop and demonstrate excellent observational skills, good visualisation, flexibility and creative problem-solving all of which are recognised as potential skill shortages in the graduate workforce for the coming years...

Art is extraordinarily time-consuming but also potentially hugely therapeutic/ rewarding/ satisfying. if there is a reason why it would make all the difference to your application to uni then you could start with 4 subjects and jettison Art if you realise that it is too much or you are not enjoying it..?
Original post by Dr Gin
What do you hope to study at University? An Art A-level can be a really rounding subject and help you to develop and demonstrate excellent observational skills, good visualisation, flexibility and creative problem-solving all of which are recognised as potential skill shortages in the graduate workforce for the coming years...

Art is extraordinarily time-consuming but also potentially hugely therapeutic/ rewarding/ satisfying. if there is a reason why it would make all the difference to your application to uni then you could start with 4 subjects and jettison Art if you realise that it is too much or you are not enjoying it..?

I'd like to study medicine. The thing is though, i'm kinda being forced into the science which i dont mind because i enjoy it. Im more of a creative person you see so art is what, i hope, is going to keep my going in life
Reply 6
Original post by 8Yeobo
I'd like to study medicine. The thing is though, i'm kinda being forced into the science which i dont mind because i enjoy it. Im more of a creative person you see so art is what, i hope, is going to keep my going in life


Art is well-recognised as having an important place in Medicine especially given the improved observational skills of medical students who are trained in Art and the strong links therapeutically within Medicine and Psychology.
Obviously Biology is useful for Medicine: not doing it certainly rules-out several Medical schools from your UCAS options and the human science of Med School is bound to be a bit tougher (I went to Med School without Bio and it was tough catching-up on Human Biology knowledge).
Not studying Chemistry rules out around 3/4 of the Med Schools although there has been an interesting up-swing over the last year or two in Medical Schools who will consider applicants without Chem so this could improve further in time for you. Still a heavily recommended subject though to keep your options open.
RE/Phil/Eth sounds really solid for Medicine but is obviously non-essential.
Which of your two flexible options are you most likely to get an A in? Are you talented enough at Art to pull it off? Which one will you enjoy the most? It is really common for students to develop mental health problems during their A level years; my daughter (now a 4th year medical student) studied Art as a fourth A level whilst re-sitting Chemistry and found it hugely therapeutic.
I support several students each year who missed their grades on results day and are having to re-sit to try to gain a place at Med School. I would say that roughly 2/3 of them missed the A grade in Chem and 1/3 in Bio. Having some free periods during the week to consolidate those subjects can make a massive difference to your chances of nailing the grades first time. Nearly all the A level students I talk to tell me that A levels are a huge unexpected step-up from their GCSE studies.
Fundamentally, it is slightly crazy to extend yourself over 4 subjects when Medical Schools universally want 3 top grades (rather than 4 average ones) so you need to be very confident that you can pull off 4 subjects without compromising your top 3 grades and still enjoy the experience...
I am personally not too against a 4th subject. I think for people with uncertainty in their career path is can keep options open, and I think that it gives you a chance to 'fail' one subject and still meet that AAA medicine offer.

However, Art is well known to be hugely time consuming, so I would have significant reservations here. Couldn't you just do some art in your spare time and/or do an art-related EPQ?
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:

I'm currently doing 4 (geography, biology, art and business) and I will say that art gets pretty time consuming. But if you're willing to dedicate free periods to studying and finish work at home then you should be fine :smile:
Original post by 8Yeobo
I'd like to study medicine. The thing is though, i'm kinda being forced into the science which i dont mind because i enjoy it. Im more of a creative person you see so art is what, i hope, is going to keep my going in life


β€œI want to study medicine but I’m being forced into science”

What do you mean?
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:

A lot of people at my college barely cope with three A levels. I'd stick to 3 as universities can't discriminate against people doing less as some colleges don't have the funding to offer 4, and it's much better to do 3 A levels really well than get mediocre grades in 4.
Original post by CoolCavy
PRSOM x100

OP dont do art as a flippant 4th option, it takes up so much time and you really need to dedicate all of your time to it, A-level art is very hard, the markscheme is something like 78/80 to get an A*


Aha, GCSE art made me cry. But less then FM. I kinda miss it. Everyone who took it as an easy option failed. :rofl:
Most colleges now have 3 AS levels as the default number when you join, as they tend to do the exams at the end of the two years rather than after AS (so it's not as conveninent to "drop" one at the end of your first year). So you'd never be at a disadvantage for only taking three. But with regards to whether you would cope with 4 A Levels - I'm sure you would. Before it changed, lots of people chose to keep their 4, and with one being a practical subject (I know it's hard work - but it's not the same as cramming info for exams etc) it might balance it out nicely and give you something different to work on when you need a break. It is indeed time consuming, but if it's something you enjoy you would probably do well at it. That being said, unless there's an actual reason you need to have 4 A Levels, could you not just keep art as a hobby? Maybe join a club or something? That way you can do what you enjoy without having that huge amount of extra pressure that you could probably do without.
Reply 13
you should take maths
Why not?
Reply 15
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:


Unless you're dead set on oxbridge, the only reason for you to do 4 would be if you planned on dropping one in second year based on mock results. Another reason would be to get a "lower" offer on two eg. AAA or AABB. That kind of thing. Otherwise, I'd say do 3.

EDIT: There are many oxbridge applicants with 3 A Levels. It is just an advantage to do well in 4 at that level of competition.
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:

Universities require 3 usually, as you said so choose 3 if you think you will struggle with time management. You can do 4, then drop one at the end of year 12. It's upto you.
I've watched some of my friends really struggle with their art work load and that's just with 3 A-levels to deal with. Universities aren't that concerned about having a 4th A-level. If you did want the extra UCAS points though you could always do an EPQ which is the equivalent of an AS. By exploring medicine, that will show interest in the subject as well as giving you UCAS points.
You seem to really like Art, maybe do it instead of Religion, Philospohy and Ethics?

I'd definitely not advocate doing 4 subjects.

It's possible though. My friend is: head boy, works 5+ hours a week, extracurriculars, 4 subjects + EPQ, head of a school club etc.

But he's literally always stressed.
Reply 19
Original post by 8Yeobo
So I'm going into sixth form in the uk. I know I only need 3 to get into uni but i want to do 4. Definitely I want to do biology, chemistry and religion philosophy and ethics. But for the fourth, it would have been art. But im worried about the workload etc. I'm not good with stress but I am excellent at balancing my time. I know art is time consuming, i understand that btw. Thanks in advance (:

im currently doing 6 as i know 3 languages fluently to do it on and their piss easy

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