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(edited 8 months ago)

The unis do prefer bio, and it will certainly help you with studying when you actually get there. However, there's no point regretting it now- because no telling how much you would've enjoyed bio, or whether you'd still have managed to achieve the amazing grades you have now.

Additionally, i think they care more about the grades than the subjects they're in - especially for psychology. Maths and psychology are plenty, and will give you are good grounding. On the cambridge website it says 82% of successful applicants take EITHER maths or biology, and 78% psychology, so you're in a pretty good position, and will not be significantly disadvantaged for not taking bio. In a similar position, I tried carrying on with biology as a fourth a level into year thirteen, but the A2 subject matter in just my three subjects was so intense anyway that I decided to drop it in the end. So I recommend focusing on achieving the best possible grades in your other subjects!

Reply 2

samir965

Original post by bamsa

The AS would be in biology. I want to apply for psych at a top uni, and bio and maths are recommended/expected (I have maths and psych which qualify for the 2 ‘sciences’ though). I really regret not atleast giving bio a go at the start of the year, and now I’m worried that it will be harder to get into my uni choices now. I have spoken to teachers, and they have said I’m able to pick up bio in year 13 (join a year 12 class) and complete an AS in it. The issue is, I’m not sure if it is worth it, in a sense that it will cause additional stress, create a higher workload etc especially if unis don’t value them, in which case it would be pointless. I know that learning it regardless will set me up well for the degree, but I’d rather just focus on my 3 a levels and learn the important and relevant bio content over year 13 summer.

In an ideal world, there would be a way for me to take the full bio a level (as despite the extra stress, I will get a full a level out of it) for example by learning year 12 in the summer and carrying onto year 13 as normal. I also regret my third a level a lot, so I could drop it and just focus on bio. There are risks with this aswell, as even though I really dislike one of my subjects (geo) it’s generically ‘easier’ than most, and I naturally do well in it. I will be predicted A*A*A*, so if I do end up trying with bio, I could potentially compromise all my grades. I don’t know what to do, as I’m full of regret right now, but also think about how if I go for it (bio), I might end up regretting it even more if it doesn’t work out.

I’m at the very end of year 12 btw. So my questions are: is it worth trying bio at AS level? Would it be impossible to complete the full bio a level in basically a year? Should I just persist with my current subjects, as ultimately I do meet the requirements? How do I move past this feeling of regret?!

nope

Reply 3

samir965

Original post by bamsa

Appreciated lol!

I ain't gonna lie I didn't read what you wrote, I just answered the question. Good luck in life.

Reply 4

C_H_B

Original post by bamsa

Okay, thank you! I don’t know why I’m feeling so regretful, it’s just a cycle of ‘what ifs’ really. I will likely just persist and just aim for top grades going forward. Would you say bio (for the first year you did) was manageable? If I ever did a gap year, I might consider trying to complete the a level during then instead (or this might be a phase honestly). Thank you for your response :smile:

yeah i would say AS bio was manageable! a lot of content, and the mark-schemes are VERY specific, but good revision can get around this. good luck self studying :smile: