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Do you have to do 3 A2s in one year?

Hello
At the moment i've just finished my AS levels and was wondering if doing 1 or 2 A2 levels this year and then another 2 the year after would affect my chances of gettin into university.
Basically I've just done four AS levels but have decided that i may want to do physics at uni which i haven't taken.
If i carry on maths to A2 and possibly one other and take up further maths AS and physics AS this year and then do physics and further maths A2 levels the year after will i still be able to apply because i won't have done 3 A2's in one sitting?

Hope that was clear enough, thanks

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Reply 1

OllyThePhilosopher

It shouldn't make a difference. You could try doing AS and A2 Physics in one year; I think it's possible.

Reply 2

inksplodge

i think they prefer you to do in one sitting...

Reply 3

royale_sufi

I advise you to forget further maths and do AS and A2 physics in 1 year which will be extremely difficult but at least you wont have effectively repeated a year.

Most universities dont mind 3 years but the top ones may be picky about this such as Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick etc

Reply 4

yellowjacket

OllyThePhilosopher

It shouldn't make a difference. You could try doing AS and A2 Physics in one year; I think it's possible.

Oh cool if it doesn't make a difference.
I wanna do further maths aswell though. Honestly i haven't decided whether to do maths or physics at uni and this would give me time to think aswell.

Reply 5

yellowjacket

royale_sufi

Most universities dont mind 3 years but the top ones may be picky about this such as Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick etc

Yeah , but said universities are probably also the ones who would most like me to do further maths aswell.

Reply 6

Oldspeak

Our school had the same problem because me and some other students are taking quite a few A Levels early and some were going to end up taking only 2 a levels in upper sixth. Basically, they contacted a lot of universities, including all the big ones- oxbridge, LSE, UCL and they all said that it wouldn't make a difference. HOWEVER, our school is still making these students take 3 in one year to be on the safe side because in the past one student was looked upon unfavourably for only having done 2 in one year.

Reply 7

royale_sufi

What universities do you wish to apply to?... that would give us a clearer idea as to whether it will make a difference to your application.

Reply 8

yellowjacket

royale_sufi

What universities do you wish to apply to?... that would give us a clearer idea as to whether it will make a difference to your application.

Well before this i was thinking of like Warwick, Bristol, Nottingham to do maths. Not sure how good they are for Physics but those places is what i was thinking of.

Reply 9

royale_sufi

yellowjacket

Well before this i was thinking of like Warwick, Bristol, Nottingham to do maths. Not sure how good they are for Physics but those places is what i was thinking of.

Yup, those universities will be perfectly fine with you doing another year at A level. I once went to the nottingham open day and someone asked if they are ok with 3rd year A level students applying, they replied that it will not hinder their application. What other A level subjects did you choose?

Also these universities you wish to apply to rarely ask for further maths. It is only warwick i believe that may ask for it. In any case, they may only require you to do the AS in further maths. So if i were you, i would attempt the whole Physics A level and also, if you are motivated, do the AS in further math in the same year. That would be difficult, but id prefer that over doing another year.

Reply 10

yellowjacket

royale_sufi

Well i sort of messed up my AS level coices. Did a load of unrelated thing. Psychology, Classical Civilisation, French and Maths and only chose maths by mistake :s-smilie:

but now it is definitely my favourite my subject.
My other option, which is probably more likely to happen, is to take AS and A2 further maths next year and apply for just maths.

Reply 11

royale_sufi

yellowjacket

My other option, which is probably more likely to happen, is to take AS and A2 further maths next year and apply for just maths.

You really have to think this over though. Are you sure you would be happy getting a maths degree over a physics degree? Do you even like physics (you havent done the A level in it yet!)? What other 2 A levels will you choose if you chose to go for the whole A level in 1 year?

I was kind of in the same situation as you. I mean i love physics and i am in love with maths (i sound like a geek lol). What really made me choose maths at the end is the coursework - i hate coursework hence i am doing a maths degree in an attempt not to ever have to do coursework again.

Doing what i spoke about before (physics A level and further math AS) frankly leaves your options more open. Id only do this because im quite undecisive, but maybe your not?

Reply 12

yellowjacket

Basically the main reason i want to do physics is pretty shallow. I want to do a degree which involves maths but with more about applications and relating to real things.
Also due to the structure of things at my college even if i just carried on A2 maths and didn't do further it would clash wish my other subjects with Psychology( :frown:

) being the only one available to carry on to A2. So i'd have to do further maths to make my 3rd A level.

Reply 13

royale_sufi

yellowjacket

Basically the main reason i want to do physics is pretty shallow. I want to do a degree which involves maths but with more about applications and relating to real things.

If this is truely how you feel, avoid doing physics at all costs. The reason i say this is that it is extremely difficult, much more difficult than any of your other A levels - if you do not enjoy it, you will simply not do well (unless you have a brilliant teacher which you shouldnt rely upon). So REALLY find out what the A level is about before making any decisions.

yellowjacket

Also due to the structure of things at my college even if i just carried on A2 maths and didn't do further it would clash wish my other subjects, with Psychology( :frown:

) being the only one available to carry on to A2. So i'd have to do further maths to make my 3rd A level.

So would you be doing psychology, maths A2, further maths AS? would that mean you would have to self teach further math A2 if you were to do this? This looks more reasonable in your situation rather than doing physics. That is like jumping off a bridge blindfolded - you dont really know what to expect.

Most important thing though, is to make sure you will do well in them because there is no point in doing them if you wont do well, you will just have to repeat more years and will look unattractive to universities.

Reply 14

yellowjacket

I will be doing A2 maths, psychology and further maths all taught in college because I'm self teaching AS further this summer.
I don't mean i don't like physics. I read up about it quite a bit and find a lot of it interesting.
It is true that i found it boring and badly taught at GCSE but then i also felt that way about maths and now i love it.

Reply 15

royale_sufi

yellowjacket

If this is the same case at A level where it is badly taught, i think you will also find it boring. First you need to make sure that it will be well taught before you make your decision. I say this because in my 2nd year whilst i was doing the Cosmology (astronomy) unit, i had this VERY boring teacher (oxford graduate though but nonetheless boring). She was very determined to get us good grades but just bored me half to death (her lessons felt like they were 5 hours long, when they were only 100 minutes). But i had this other teacher that taught me the rest of physics, he wasnt boring at all and was extremely funny in lessons - i wouldnt want his lessons to finish because they were fun!

I began to HATE cosmology but then decided i should teach it to myself and found it interesting.

Whoops, sorry for talking on and on... Whatever decision you make, are we in agreement that you shouldnt be doing another year? How i see doing another year is losing 1 years worth of pay in your last year of employment, so say when i was 60. Assuming i was an investment banker, this would be in the millions. So i just see an extra year as giving away a lot of money!

Reply 16

yellowjacket

Yeah, i don't really want to stay on for another year. Not really because I'm worried about losing money, more that most people i know will have left the city for uni and although the maths department is good i don't particularly like my college.

Reply 17

tucker672

The best thing to do is to contact the top universities - or the universities your interested in - and just email them asking if they would if you did an extra year. You will get a straight answer and from the people that ACTUALLY matter. :biggrin:

Reply 18

royale_sufi

yellowjacket

Yup thats also a good reason, but i like my money :rolleyes:

I have a few friends doing a 3rd year now because they had to repeat their AS due to completely failing it. They are not looking forward to their friends not being around with them.

As for your A levels, you shuldnt feel that a complete A level in further maths is neccessary to go into maths. It is ok to only have the AS in further maths and in some cases not even have it at all!

Reply 19

yellowjacket

I know it ain't necessary but i have the option and if i wanna do maths at uni then i might as well do as much maths as i can.
Yeah i will probably just give up on the whole physics idea anyway.