Do i need psychology a level to do psychology degree?

Hello,

I'm in the process of applying for A-levels. I want to study psychology at university and as a profession.

I'm currently considering for my A level subjects:
Psychology, Biology, History, Politics, Spanish

I WILL ONLY DO 3!!! But I am not sure which ones to do. Its a mix of what I feel I need tHey @o do vs the subjects I enjoy like Politics and Spanish.

Can psychology students please advise me on what to choose in terms of pros and cons of the subject and difficulty level?

Also I read on UCAS that Psychology A level is preferable but not necessary, in order to make room for another subject should I not do psychology??!! Idk help please

Hey @notinvolved19,

When I did my A Levels I focused on my interests after all you have to study them for 2 years of your life, so I did Biology, Psychology, Sociology and History at AS Level - before dropping it to just do the first 3. I didn't do a degree in Psychology but am now doing a MSc Conversion course in Psychology because I want to work in the field but do not have the exact background I need. I found Biology incredibly tough, but loved the module on Politics I did in Sociology. I dropped History because I was bored of studying the Tudors all the time and just learning facts and writing essays each week. I cannot comment on Spanish as I took German GCSE and then stopped languages, however Psychology is really interesting and sets the basis for what you would learn later at degree level.

Hope that helps somewhat :-) All the best.

Abigail
Arden University Student Ambassador

Thank you this is helpful!

I’m doing BTEC health and social care level 2 first award in year 11 right now. I like it and do well in it at L2D but I never considered it for sixth form!Could I please ask if doing the foundation module was because you hadn’t done A-levels? Or did everyone on the course including those who did A-levels also do a foundation module?

Thank you

Hello,

I'm in the process of applying for A-levels. I want to study psychology at university and as a profession.

I'm currently considering for my A level subjects:
Psychology, Biology, History, Politics, Spanish

I WILL ONLY DO 3!!! But I am not sure which ones to do. Its a mix of what I feel I need to do vs the subjects I enjoy like Politics and Spanish.

Can psychology students please advise me on what to choose in terms of pros and cons of the subject and difficulty level?

Also I read on UCAS that Psychology A level is preferable but not necessary, in order to make room for another subject should I not do psychology??!! Idk help please

You don't need Psychology by any means but Biology would be a good option

If you don't choose A Level Maths then bear in mind you'll need at least a B at GCSE

Check out university websites to see what kind of a-levels they generally want for a psychology degree. I'd 100% recommend doing at least one of biology or psychology, but individual degrees may have different requirements. Chemistry could be helpful, but seeing as that's not what you're considering (which, fair enough!), I think spanish or history would be a good third choice. Politics would certainly work as well, but I think it's generally considered a less "hard" subject (as in hard vs soft, not difficulty), so you might find it easier to apply to uni down the line with one of the other subjects.

Everyone did the foundations module, I think it was more to get everyone ready for university level work/ how some stat software works, presenting skills etc. Rather than because we didn’t have enough prior knowledge, if that makes sense x

- and to add, I never felt disadvantaged, or out of my depth when compared to someone who took A levels. You get into the swing of things kinda quick xx

Hello,

I'm in the process of applying for A-levels. I want to study psychology at university and as a profession.

I'm currently considering for my A level subjects:
Psychology, Biology, History, Politics, Spanish

I WILL ONLY DO 3!!! But I am not sure which ones to do. Its a mix of what I feel I need to do vs the subjects I enjoy like Politics and Spanish.

Can psychology students please advise me on what to choose in terms of pros and cons of the subject and difficulty level?

Also I read on UCAS that Psychology A level is preferable but not necessary, in order to make room for another subject should I not do psychology??!! Idk help please

@notinvolved19
Hello! I didn't do any of those A Levels and I am currently doing an MSc in Psychology. Out of the ones you have listed, I would suggest either doing a good sciency subject so you will be familiar with the way in which science has had a big influence on psychology over the last 20 - 30 years (behavioral neuroscience), or I would pick something social sciency such as Sociology (which is what I chose), Psychology, or Criminology, as that will help you get into the 'mode' of social sciences and research methods. I did Sociology at A level and then got a 1st in it in my degree and it was really helpful to go on to do Psychology at Masters level

Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador