What should I do with my A-levels?

I'm sure this is a very commonly asked question so I apologize.

I am currently in Year 12, and I'm studying Business, English Language and Spanish. I chose these subjects with the intention of pursuing marketing or something similar at university. However I've been put off by many unis preferring maths for these courses. Before marketing I had also considered pursuing something that would involve writing skills, such as advertising/copywriting, journalism etc.

I have also recently discovered a passion for linguistics and am considering doing a degree in it if marketing doesn't work out.

For work experience, I have the option of visiting my primary school and spending it there (I have already reached out and they've said they would be happy to have me). I'm only hesitating because if I do decide to take up marketing, I'm afraid it won't be relevant enough to mention in my personal statement.

Does anyone have any advice? Would linguistics be a better route for me at this point?

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by hiyukanari

I'm sure this is a very commonly asked question so I apologize.

I am currently in Year 12, and I'm studying Business, English Language and Spanish. I chose these subjects with the intention of pursuing marketing or something similar at university. However I've been put off by many unis preferring maths for these courses. Before marketing I had also considered pursuing something that would involve writing skills, such as advertising/copywriting, journalism etc.

I have also recently discovered a passion for linguistics and am considering doing a degree in it if marketing doesn't work out.

For work experience, I have the option of visiting my primary school and spending it there (I have already reached out and they've said they would be happy to have me). I'm only hesitating because if I do decide to take up marketing, I'm afraid it won't be relevant enough to mention in my personal statement.

Does anyone have any advice? Would linguistics be a better route for me at this point?

I haven't come across a marketing degree that specifically require Maths A Level. Mind if you give me links to them?
Marketing degrees to my knowledge generally accept people with A Levels in any subject.

Marketing roles generally don't require you to have a degree of any sort, let alone one in Marketing. They usually appreciate if people have a CIM qualification though (it's internationally recognised as well), although relevant marketing experience trumps everything.
Likewise, job roles in advertising, copywriting, journalism, etc. generally do not require specific qualifications. Having said that degrees accredited by the NCTJ tend to be held in slightly higher regard for journalism. Experience is still more relevant for these roles than your qualifications though.

If you want to check the above, you can go to the following sites:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles
careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/sectors

If you have a passion for linguisitic (as opposed to studying individual languages in general), then it's a degree worth doing. You can still go into marketing, copywriting, advertising, journalism, etc. with the degree afterwards.
Having said that, if you did an undergrad in any subject other linguistics, you can still do a master's degree in it, so you are fine there. It's a similar story with marketing and journalism; your undergrad can be in any subject so long you get high enough grades.

I am not entirely sure why you are doing work experience in primary schools if you want to go into linguistics, marketing, or journalism. It's nice to have work experience in schools, but it's not directly relevant.

Also, if you want to see if marketing/journalism is for you, getting work experience or doing internships in these sectors can help you make your decision. Linguistics as far as I know is just something found in universities, so you're better off contacting the language department of your local uni.

So yeah, it's kind of one of those "the world is your oyster" moments. I would just make sure you get the right sort of work experience for the sort of role that you want.

(edited 3 months ago)

Reply 2

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

19

Original post by hiyukanari

For work experience, I have the option of visiting my primary school and spending it there (I have already reached out and they've said they would be happy to have me). I'm only hesitating because if I do decide to take up marketing, I'm afraid it won't be relevant enough to mention in my personal statement.

Does anyone have any advice? Would linguistics be a better route for me at this point?

Work experience will have no bearing on your admission to uni for an academic subject. You need to focus on reading around your subject and showing an interest in your subject beyond the school curriculum.

What should I do with my A-levels?

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