Sixth form subject

hi,
im having a hard time deciding whether i should do 4 alevels or not?Anyone got any advice for me? Just for context ive just started yr 12 in a new school and currently do chemistry, biology and physics. Was thinking to either change physics to math or to do math as a whole extra a level. But im struggling to make my decision on whether to keep or change my subjects because im not sure what i want to do at uni and have heard that doing 3 sciences is a bit weird.

Reply 1

Bradley1111

3

Original post by expanded-lung

hi,
im having a hard time deciding whether i should do 4 alevels or not?Anyone got any advice for me? Just for context ive just started yr 12 in a new school and currently do chemistry, biology and physics. Was thinking to either change physics to math or to do math as a whole extra a level. But im struggling to make my decision on whether to keep or change my subjects because im not sure what i want to do at uni and have heard that doing 3 sciences is a bit weird.

Hi there, I just finished my A levels and am going into uni very soon. It depends on what your aspirations are which I know can be heard to think about in year 12 as I only figured out what I wanted to study halfway through year 12. I studied Maths, Physics, Psychology, and took on EPQ in year 12.

Assuming you want to take one of those sciences further into university then you will definitely want to be confident in your maths skills (specifically for physics). Something you could do is take core maths in year 12 which is a subject that lasts one year which from my friends who didn't take a level maths and took core maths told me was quite easy. It will reduce the entry requirements for some universities while also giving you some useful maths skills that can be used in Physics and Chemistry.
As for taking 4 subjects, Maths Physics Chemistry and Biology will be really really difficult especially in year 13, Maths in my opinion being that hardest.
So if you decide to take all 4 then I highly recommend keeping on top of all your subjects as they can get really hard really quickly.

But this all depends on what you want to do going further, if you look on UCAS and search for uni courses you want to do that will tell you what subjects they want you to study.

I hope this helps, let me know if you want me to clarify anything.

Reply 2

username4892364

7

Original post by expanded-lung

hi,
im having a hard time deciding whether i should do 4 alevels or not?Anyone got any advice for me? Just for context ive just started yr 12 in a new school and currently do chemistry, biology and physics. Was thinking to either change physics to math or to do math as a whole extra a level. But im struggling to make my decision on whether to keep or change my subjects because im not sure what i want to do at uni and have heard that doing 3 sciences is a bit weird.

It depends on who you ask this question. Teachers in the UK always say 3 ALs is enough, but educators in Asia may say 4 ALs make you more competitive. FYI, Singapore A Level is very similar to IB and consists of 6 subjects including language and community projects. In Malaysia where I am now, it is very common to have 4 A levels. I know of two private schools here that even allow students to take up to 6 A Levels. UK universities require 3 ALs, top Singaporean institutions require 4 top ALs and Hong Kong universities demand 5A* for their scholarships. In Asia, the competition for academic success is much more intense than in the UK.

I know someone who is studying AL in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. He had only recently decided to study a degree in Quantitative Finance, but his sixth form school did not allow him to take AS Further Mathematics, despite his recent AS results of 4As.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 3

expanded-lung

OP

1

So you mean like try an AS level?Would that be relatively helpful for uni?What did you decide to do at uni and what was your process on finding out what you want to do?

Reply 4

expanded-lung

OP

1

Original post by Bradley1111

Hi there, I just finished my A levels and am going into uni very soon. It depends on what your aspirations are which I know can be heard to think about in year 12 as I only figured out what I wanted to study halfway through year 12. I studied Maths, Physics, Psychology, and took on EPQ in year 12.

Assuming you want to take one of those sciences further into university then you will definitely want to be confident in your maths skills (specifically for physics). Something you could do is take core maths in year 12 which is a subject that lasts one year which from my friends who didn't take a level maths and took core maths told me was quite easy. It will reduce the entry requirements for some universities while also giving you some useful maths skills that can be used in Physics and Chemistry.
As for taking 4 subjects, Maths Physics Chemistry and Biology will be really really difficult especially in year 13, Maths in my opinion being that hardest.
So if you decide to take all 4 then I highly recommend keeping on top of all your subjects as they can get really hard really quickly.

But this all depends on what you want to do going further, if you look on UCAS and search for uni courses you want to do that will tell you what subjects they want you to study.

I hope this helps, let me know if you want me to clarify anything.

So you mean like try an AS level in math?Would that be useful when applying to university as it is only a one year course?

What did you end up deciding to do in uni and what was your process in finding out what you want to do?

Reply 5

expanded-lung

OP

1

Original post by username4892364

It depends on who you ask this question. Teachers in the UK always say 3 ALs is enough, but educators in Asia may say 4 ALs make you more competitive. FYI, Singapore A Level is very similar to IB and consists of 6 subjects including language and community projects. In Malaysia where I am now, it is very common to have 4 A levels. I know of two private schools here that even allow students to take up to 6 A Levels. UK universities require 3 ALs, top Singaporean institutions require 4 top ALs and Hong Kong universities demand 5A* for their scholarships. In Asia, the competition for academic success is much more intense than in the UK.

I know someone who is studying AL in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. He had only recently decided to study a degree in Quantitative Finance, but his sixth form school did not allow him to take AS Further Mathematics, despite his recent AS results of 4As.

Wow!6 A levels sounds like a lot, would you mind telling me what you are currently doing?
Also how did your friend cope doing 4 A Levels? Is there any insight you can give me on their studying routine?

Reply 6

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

19

Original post by expanded-lung

hi,
im having a hard time deciding whether i should do 4 alevels or not?Anyone got any advice for me? Just for context ive just started yr 12 in a new school and currently do chemistry, biology and physics. Was thinking to either change physics to math or to do math as a whole extra a level. But im struggling to make my decision on whether to keep or change my subjects because im not sure what i want to do at uni and have heard that doing 3 sciences is a bit weird.

You could always start with 4 and see how you go. Then you could always drop one after the first few weeks if its a bit much. Or speak to the 6th form and see if doing one of them just as an AS level is an option.

Reply 7

Bradley1111

3

Original post by expanded-lung

So you mean like try an AS level in math?Would that be useful when applying to university as it is only a one year course?

What did you end up deciding to do in uni and what was your process in finding out what you want to do?

Core maths is a level 3 qualification that is studied in 1 year (can be in year 12 or 13 but I recommend year 12 as year 13 is really difficult), so not the same as an AS in maths.
I'm actually unsure how they would consider an AS as I didn't take an AS in any subjects but my friend who took core maths got grade reductions on his offer from the university (i.e. a university that normally offers BBB could give you an offer of BCC with an A in core maths).
It's important to mention that top universities won't consider this as much but most universities will.

As for what I decided to do I decided to study Psychology (funnily enough happened to be my worst subject) but how I decided was a gradual process throughout year 12. It was the one subject that I always enjoyed to learn about regardless of the subject material unlike maths or physics. There will be lots of different course types so take your time going over them and pick the ones that look the most fun to study and the most fun to be apart of the university.

But honestly I recommend taking your time and enjoying it, your beginning year 12 so you have a year to figure out where you want to be and if you mess up you can always retake the year no shame in that.

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