A Level Choices
I'm in year 10 but i'm really invested in my future and what I want to do. I know I want to do Politics and Psychology and an EPQ, but I have to pick one more A Level and I don't know what to do. I want it to be more sciencey bc the others aren't, but I don't know whether to do Chemistry, because I love the subject, or economics bc it will be useful even if it's not that fun. Or maths but I don't rl want to do maths.
dont do smt if u dont wanna! do chemistry if you love it but maybe look into economics to see if it might actually interest you. what ive learnt is you wont want to study a subject you dont like which means youll flop unless ur super determined but itll still be harder to motivate yourself.
genuinely look into what you want and do what you want, dont j do chemistry bc its sciencey when pysch is also sciency and dont j do maths bc you think you need maths when chemistry will also use it to some degree babe
genuinely look into what you want and do what you want, dont j do chemistry bc its sciencey when pysch is also sciency and dont j do maths bc you think you need maths when chemistry will also use it to some degree babe
Hey!
It's great to see that you're already planning ahead (at Year 10 at that lol, you're better than me).
Do you have a particular career path in mind right now? It's okay if you don't, as it's quite early, but it should steer you into certain subjects (as universities will usually require certain subjects for certain courses and can be quite strict with them).
Politics and Psychology are a solid pair of subjects to go with each other if that's what you're passionate about! Chemistry alongside these subjects are a bit unconventional, as they're more STEM oriented compared to the other 2, but I've seen a few manage to make it work (and you enjoy it, which is what's also important - liking the subject usually means you will do better and may allow you to do a chemistry related subject at university if that's what you so wish).
Economics would be a good 3rd subject, but if you don't particularly like it it will very much be a drag at A Level (but if you've never been taught the subject before or done much research into it, you may find you actually enjoy it! So maybe be a bit more open-minded.)
As for Maths, I don't recommend if you do it purely because you think it fits better. If you're not the best at maths and have a good foundation of skills for it, you will most likely have trouble at A Level. A levels will be much more time-consuming, demanding and challenging compared to GCSE, so any subjects you currently struggle in, the problems will exacerbate at A level. If you think you can improve until then, then definitely consider. This goes for all subjects!
I would REALLY like to stress that as you're currently in Year 10, don't put too much pressure on yourself to figure out what you want to do!! You're still in an early stage of discovering yourself, much less decide on university and beyond. Be sure to keep an open mind and explore other subjects, careers, interests, etc. Believe it or not, things can change a lot and you might choose something you might initially never have considered! It's best to explore everything now and not pigeon hole yourself into one area, as if you change your mind, you'll be in a frenzy and not know what to do.
For now, focus on enjoying Year 10 and as much of Year 11 as you can (GCSEs can be tough but it won't be too bad, promise)!! Please feel free to ask any more questions and I'll do my best to help
It's great to see that you're already planning ahead (at Year 10 at that lol, you're better than me).
Do you have a particular career path in mind right now? It's okay if you don't, as it's quite early, but it should steer you into certain subjects (as universities will usually require certain subjects for certain courses and can be quite strict with them).
Politics and Psychology are a solid pair of subjects to go with each other if that's what you're passionate about! Chemistry alongside these subjects are a bit unconventional, as they're more STEM oriented compared to the other 2, but I've seen a few manage to make it work (and you enjoy it, which is what's also important - liking the subject usually means you will do better and may allow you to do a chemistry related subject at university if that's what you so wish).
Economics would be a good 3rd subject, but if you don't particularly like it it will very much be a drag at A Level (but if you've never been taught the subject before or done much research into it, you may find you actually enjoy it! So maybe be a bit more open-minded.)
As for Maths, I don't recommend if you do it purely because you think it fits better. If you're not the best at maths and have a good foundation of skills for it, you will most likely have trouble at A Level. A levels will be much more time-consuming, demanding and challenging compared to GCSE, so any subjects you currently struggle in, the problems will exacerbate at A level. If you think you can improve until then, then definitely consider. This goes for all subjects!
I would REALLY like to stress that as you're currently in Year 10, don't put too much pressure on yourself to figure out what you want to do!! You're still in an early stage of discovering yourself, much less decide on university and beyond. Be sure to keep an open mind and explore other subjects, careers, interests, etc. Believe it or not, things can change a lot and you might choose something you might initially never have considered! It's best to explore everything now and not pigeon hole yourself into one area, as if you change your mind, you'll be in a frenzy and not know what to do.
For now, focus on enjoying Year 10 and as much of Year 11 as you can (GCSEs can be tough but it won't be too bad, promise)!! Please feel free to ask any more questions and I'll do my best to help
Original post by Nomawoj
Hey!
It's great to see that you're already planning ahead (at Year 10 at that lol, you're better than me).
Do you have a particular career path in mind right now? It's okay if you don't, as it's quite early, but it should steer you into certain subjects (as universities will usually require certain subjects for certain courses and can be quite strict with them).
Politics and Psychology are a solid pair of subjects to go with each other if that's what you're passionate about! Chemistry alongside these subjects are a bit unconventional, as they're more STEM oriented compared to the other 2, but I've seen a few manage to make it work (and you enjoy it, which is what's also important - liking the subject usually means you will do better and may allow you to do a chemistry related subject at university if that's what you so wish).
Economics would be a good 3rd subject, but if you don't particularly like it it will very much be a drag at A Level (but if you've never been taught the subject before or done much research into it, you may find you actually enjoy it! So maybe be a bit more open-minded.)
As for Maths, I don't recommend if you do it purely because you think it fits better. If you're not the best at maths and have a good foundation of skills for it, you will most likely have trouble at A Level. A levels will be much more time-consuming, demanding and challenging compared to GCSE, so any subjects you currently struggle in, the problems will exacerbate at A level. If you think you can improve until then, then definitely consider. This goes for all subjects!
I would REALLY like to stress that as you're currently in Year 10, don't put too much pressure on yourself to figure out what you want to do!! You're still in an early stage of discovering yourself, much less decide on university and beyond. Be sure to keep an open mind and explore other subjects, careers, interests, etc. Believe it or not, things can change a lot and you might choose something you might initially never have considered! It's best to explore everything now and not pigeon hole yourself into one area, as if you change your mind, you'll be in a frenzy and not know what to do.
For now, focus on enjoying Year 10 and as much of Year 11 as you can (GCSEs can be tough but it won't be too bad, promise)!! Please feel free to ask any more questions and I'll do my best to help
It's great to see that you're already planning ahead (at Year 10 at that lol, you're better than me).
Do you have a particular career path in mind right now? It's okay if you don't, as it's quite early, but it should steer you into certain subjects (as universities will usually require certain subjects for certain courses and can be quite strict with them).
Politics and Psychology are a solid pair of subjects to go with each other if that's what you're passionate about! Chemistry alongside these subjects are a bit unconventional, as they're more STEM oriented compared to the other 2, but I've seen a few manage to make it work (and you enjoy it, which is what's also important - liking the subject usually means you will do better and may allow you to do a chemistry related subject at university if that's what you so wish).
Economics would be a good 3rd subject, but if you don't particularly like it it will very much be a drag at A Level (but if you've never been taught the subject before or done much research into it, you may find you actually enjoy it! So maybe be a bit more open-minded.)
As for Maths, I don't recommend if you do it purely because you think it fits better. If you're not the best at maths and have a good foundation of skills for it, you will most likely have trouble at A Level. A levels will be much more time-consuming, demanding and challenging compared to GCSE, so any subjects you currently struggle in, the problems will exacerbate at A level. If you think you can improve until then, then definitely consider. This goes for all subjects!
I would REALLY like to stress that as you're currently in Year 10, don't put too much pressure on yourself to figure out what you want to do!! You're still in an early stage of discovering yourself, much less decide on university and beyond. Be sure to keep an open mind and explore other subjects, careers, interests, etc. Believe it or not, things can change a lot and you might choose something you might initially never have considered! It's best to explore everything now and not pigeon hole yourself into one area, as if you change your mind, you'll be in a frenzy and not know what to do.
For now, focus on enjoying Year 10 and as much of Year 11 as you can (GCSEs can be tough but it won't be too bad, promise)!! Please feel free to ask any more questions and I'll do my best to help
Thank you so much! This has really helped. I would like to study something like either Human, Social, and Political Sciences at Cambridge, or Criminology and sociology BSc. I am also interested in internships at huge companies, and I know all of these things may be hard to achieve so I have been a bit worried about how to get there! Narrowing my options down is not something I'm great at, and I feel I could do so many things at A Level, so advice here is very helpful. This was a detailed and nice reply, thanks 🙂
Original post by livlou62
Thank you so much! This has really helped. I would like to study something like either Human, Social, and Political Sciences at Cambridge, or Criminology and sociology BSc. I am also interested in internships at huge companies, and I know all of these things may be hard to achieve so I have been a bit worried about how to get there! Narrowing my options down is not something I'm great at, and I feel I could do so many things at A Level, so advice here is very helpful. This was a detailed and nice reply, thanks 🙂
Just wanna say first of all its amazing that you are even envisioning your future at year 10. For me, I wasn't even thinking of my future till my a levels started. At the moment I'm doing economics, philosophy and business. I'd advise taking politics as I realised I made a mistake not choosing it over business or philosophy. One of my friends does psychology and he says its relatively easy, and to me it seems interesting too. For your 3rd, I'd advise economics or history as they would pair well with your other options. For now though, just enjoy yr 10 and 11. You got 2 good years of school left, so just enjoy them while you can!
Original post by livlou62
Thank you so much! This has really helped. I would like to study something like either Human, Social, and Political Sciences at Cambridge, or Criminology and sociology BSc. I am also interested in internships at huge companies, and I know all of these things may be hard to achieve so I have been a bit worried about how to get there! Narrowing my options down is not something I'm great at, and I feel I could do so many things at A Level, so advice here is very helpful. This was a detailed and nice reply, thanks 🙂
HSPS 🔥 !! The things that you've mentioned may be a bit hard to achieve, but I have no doubt you'll do well
)At Year 10, my advice for now would be to do some further reading around subjects - books, articles, anything that piques your interest! Get involved in essay writing competitions and the like (remember that while winning would be great, the most valuable thing at this stage is gaining experience and getting to write about things that interest you). I've always had an interest in sociology myself - I would recommend a book called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. I found it to be a very interesting read, so I hope you would enjoy it too
)I know a few people who received offers from Cambridge for HSPS and their main advice would be further reading, getting good at critically analysing texts and strong essay writing skills (under timed conditions can help with some aspects of this, as it would require you to have a structured and concise argument + flow). Also lots of passion
)Something that I would also strongly recommend that I did would be to apply to university outreach programmes, if you qualify. At Year 10 this would be more limited (too ahead of the rest lmao), but I'm sure there should be some available on a smaller scale, like online sessions. MOOCs and virtual experience places are great too! Try places like Springpod and Speakers For Schools - these are the first steps into getting something close to internships, which you can apply for when you're a tad older.
When you're in Year 11, there should be more university programmes available, and in Year 12 there will be a whole lot. In Year 12, there will be residentials available, where you stay at the university for up to a week on a programme for free and immerse yourself in the subject (Cambridge and Oxford are great for these, though do bear in mind that acceptance depends on GCSE grades, widening participation criteria and mini personal statements/ questions). There's also a great UCL summer programme for sociology that they ran for Year 12s last year, where you got to do stuff at the Centre of Longitudinal Studies and visit Parliament (+ free mug and goodies
). But those will have to wait haha, sorry for making you feel like you have to wait - you have a lot in store for you for these kinds of things! And even if you don't get to attend, there's still plenty of things to get involved in, so don't be too concerned.I also forgot to give the A level run down for each of the subjects you mentioned (this is all anecdotal stuff from friends who do the subject). Psychology is very interesting but can be quite content heavy at times (their notes are STACKED) but the friends I've seen who are passionate about it are really thriving, so hopefully there won't be any issues there. Politics is much the same (you may find that some classmates are especially controversial though lmao). Chemistry is another beast altogether at A level, I must warn you. It's definitely an enjoyable subject if you're interested, but is notoriously challenging for students (I hope this won't deter you, but just a warning beforehand so the transition won't be too surprising)
That's all I can think of right now, but as usual, any questions fire away!! I want to help you as much as I can and give you the guidance I wish I had back then haha
Original post by Nomawoj
HSPS 🔥 !! The things that you've mentioned may be a bit hard to achieve, but I have no doubt you'll do well )
At Year 10, my advice for now would be to do some further reading around subjects - books, articles, anything that piques your interest! Get involved in essay writing competitions and the like (remember that while winning would be great, the most valuable thing at this stage is gaining experience and getting to write about things that interest you). I've always had an interest in sociology myself - I would recommend a book called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. I found it to be a very interesting read, so I hope you would enjoy it too)
I know a few people who received offers from Cambridge for HSPS and their main advice would be further reading, getting good at critically analysing texts and strong essay writing skills (under timed conditions can help with some aspects of this, as it would require you to have a structured and concise argument + flow). Also lots of passion)
Something that I would also strongly recommend that I did would be to apply to university outreach programmes, if you qualify. At Year 10 this would be more limited (too ahead of the rest lmao), but I'm sure there should be some available on a smaller scale, like online sessions. MOOCs and virtual experience places are great too! Try places like Springpod and Speakers For Schools - these are the first steps into getting something close to internships, which you can apply for when you're a tad older.
When you're in Year 11, there should be more university programmes available, and in Year 12 there will be a whole lot. In Year 12, there will be residentials available, where you stay at the university for up to a week on a programme for free and immerse yourself in the subject (Cambridge and Oxford are great for these, though do bear in mind that acceptance depends on GCSE grades, widening participation criteria and mini personal statements/ questions). There's also a great UCL summer programme for sociology that they ran for Year 12s last year, where you got to do stuff at the Centre of Longitudinal Studies and visit Parliament (+ free mug and goodies). But those will have to wait haha, sorry for making you feel like you have to wait - you have a lot in store for you for these kinds of things! And even if you don't get to attend, there's still plenty of things to get involved in, so don't be too concerned.
I also forgot to give the A level run down for each of the subjects you mentioned (this is all anecdotal stuff from friends who do the subject). Psychology is very interesting but can be quite content heavy at times (their notes are STACKED) but the friends I've seen who are passionate about it are really thriving, so hopefully there won't be any issues there. Politics is much the same (you may find that some classmates are especially controversial though lmao). Chemistry is another beast altogether at A level, I must warn you. It's definitely an enjoyable subject if you're interested, but is notoriously challenging for students (I hope this won't deter you, but just a warning beforehand so the transition won't be too surprising)
That's all I can think of right now, but as usual, any questions fire away!! I want to help you as much as I can and give you the guidance I wish I had back then haha
)At Year 10, my advice for now would be to do some further reading around subjects - books, articles, anything that piques your interest! Get involved in essay writing competitions and the like (remember that while winning would be great, the most valuable thing at this stage is gaining experience and getting to write about things that interest you). I've always had an interest in sociology myself - I would recommend a book called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam. I found it to be a very interesting read, so I hope you would enjoy it too
)I know a few people who received offers from Cambridge for HSPS and their main advice would be further reading, getting good at critically analysing texts and strong essay writing skills (under timed conditions can help with some aspects of this, as it would require you to have a structured and concise argument + flow). Also lots of passion
)Something that I would also strongly recommend that I did would be to apply to university outreach programmes, if you qualify. At Year 10 this would be more limited (too ahead of the rest lmao), but I'm sure there should be some available on a smaller scale, like online sessions. MOOCs and virtual experience places are great too! Try places like Springpod and Speakers For Schools - these are the first steps into getting something close to internships, which you can apply for when you're a tad older.
When you're in Year 11, there should be more university programmes available, and in Year 12 there will be a whole lot. In Year 12, there will be residentials available, where you stay at the university for up to a week on a programme for free and immerse yourself in the subject (Cambridge and Oxford are great for these, though do bear in mind that acceptance depends on GCSE grades, widening participation criteria and mini personal statements/ questions). There's also a great UCL summer programme for sociology that they ran for Year 12s last year, where you got to do stuff at the Centre of Longitudinal Studies and visit Parliament (+ free mug and goodies
). But those will have to wait haha, sorry for making you feel like you have to wait - you have a lot in store for you for these kinds of things! And even if you don't get to attend, there's still plenty of things to get involved in, so don't be too concerned.I also forgot to give the A level run down for each of the subjects you mentioned (this is all anecdotal stuff from friends who do the subject). Psychology is very interesting but can be quite content heavy at times (their notes are STACKED) but the friends I've seen who are passionate about it are really thriving, so hopefully there won't be any issues there. Politics is much the same (you may find that some classmates are especially controversial though lmao). Chemistry is another beast altogether at A level, I must warn you. It's definitely an enjoyable subject if you're interested, but is notoriously challenging for students (I hope this won't deter you, but just a warning beforehand so the transition won't be too surprising)
That's all I can think of right now, but as usual, any questions fire away!! I want to help you as much as I can and give you the guidance I wish I had back then haha
OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I finished my work in history early today, found this, made an account and here I am lmao. This all sounds amazing, and I'm defo gonna read that book. Currently I am doing the Scholars Programme, this guy is teaching us about tomatoes or smth, but its pretty cool. For internship-type things, there are little workshops and things you can do I think, but I'm not really sure what they are. I know its pretty early (sorry about that lmao) but headstarts are great. Thanks for the tip on wider reading btw, thats really helpful.
For A-levels, I'm worried chem isn't related to the others enough, but I want to have a range of types. Would this affect my future a lot? Also thanks so so much its actually so much help 😀
With the essay writing competitions, are there any specific ones I should do or can I just pick and choose- creative writings cool but no relation to many things. Also, for reference, my gcses are:
chem, physics and bio
english lit and lang
maths and (maybe idk if i want to yet) additional maths
drama
history
film studies
re
Sorry if I'm bothering you btw
No need to apologise, I'm glad to help!
In terms of subject choices, it will depend on what you do at university. You've mentioned HSPS, Sociology and Criminology right? In which case, essay based subjects (like politics and psychology) will put you at an advantage, but as far as I know, there aren't any specific subjects they require (they're quite flexible!). So in which case, Chemistry wouldn't be very relevant, but you would enjoy it and open up an extra door for something Chemistry related (but bear in mind that Chemistry at degree level may also require subjects like Maths, so doing chemistry would largely be for your own fulfilment and exploration).
I know one other person who's doing a similar-ish combination (Politics, Psychology, Biology) and they've chosen to do Psychology at university without much trouble, but most of the people I know that have gotten a place on HSPS generally all do essay based (eg English Lit, History, Politics, etc). Don't let this deter you though and also make sure to ask your school and other people. Cambridge (as well as other universities like UCL) does online Q&A sessions for applicants, so you may be able to join one and ask to make sure. In my personal opinion, Politics would most likely be your strongest subject out of the one's you're interested in for HSPS, but as long as you have the skills I mentioned earlier it should hopefully be okay (but again, take all my advice with a grain of salt - I'm much more knowledgable about Architecture if you want to consider that haha).
As for essay competitions, you'll find that there's a great variety out there - they don't all have to be creative writing. For example, Immerse Education does an annual essay comeptition where you can answer one of the many questions they have (there'll be ones on sociology and politics for sure). If you win, you get a 100% scholarship to a programme of your choosing, such as a personalised support programme for research/ EPQ or a summer school at a university of your choosing (like Cambridge, Oxford, etc): https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/. You may also get a partial scholarship, like I did, but bear in mind that the full price for these programmes can cost hundreds/ thousands of pounds. There are many, many more, so make sure to scour the internet!
As usual, any more questions feel free to fire away
In terms of subject choices, it will depend on what you do at university. You've mentioned HSPS, Sociology and Criminology right? In which case, essay based subjects (like politics and psychology) will put you at an advantage, but as far as I know, there aren't any specific subjects they require (they're quite flexible!). So in which case, Chemistry wouldn't be very relevant, but you would enjoy it and open up an extra door for something Chemistry related (but bear in mind that Chemistry at degree level may also require subjects like Maths, so doing chemistry would largely be for your own fulfilment and exploration).
I know one other person who's doing a similar-ish combination (Politics, Psychology, Biology) and they've chosen to do Psychology at university without much trouble, but most of the people I know that have gotten a place on HSPS generally all do essay based (eg English Lit, History, Politics, etc). Don't let this deter you though and also make sure to ask your school and other people. Cambridge (as well as other universities like UCL) does online Q&A sessions for applicants, so you may be able to join one and ask to make sure. In my personal opinion, Politics would most likely be your strongest subject out of the one's you're interested in for HSPS, but as long as you have the skills I mentioned earlier it should hopefully be okay (but again, take all my advice with a grain of salt - I'm much more knowledgable about Architecture if you want to consider that haha).
As for essay competitions, you'll find that there's a great variety out there - they don't all have to be creative writing. For example, Immerse Education does an annual essay comeptition where you can answer one of the many questions they have (there'll be ones on sociology and politics for sure). If you win, you get a 100% scholarship to a programme of your choosing, such as a personalised support programme for research/ EPQ or a summer school at a university of your choosing (like Cambridge, Oxford, etc): https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/. You may also get a partial scholarship, like I did, but bear in mind that the full price for these programmes can cost hundreds/ thousands of pounds. There are many, many more, so make sure to scour the internet!
As usual, any more questions feel free to fire away
Original post by Nomawoj
No need to apologise, I'm glad to help!
In terms of subject choices, it will depend on what you do at university. You've mentioned HSPS, Sociology and Criminology right? In which case, essay based subjects (like politics and psychology) will put you at an advantage, but as far as I know, there aren't any specific subjects they require (they're quite flexible!). So in which case, Chemistry wouldn't be very relevant, but you would enjoy it and open up an extra door for something Chemistry related (but bear in mind that Chemistry at degree level may also require subjects like Maths, so doing chemistry would largely be for your own fulfilment and exploration).
I know one other person who's doing a similar-ish combination (Politics, Psychology, Biology) and they've chosen to do Psychology at university without much trouble, but most of the people I know that have gotten a place on HSPS generally all do essay based (eg English Lit, History, Politics, etc). Don't let this deter you though and also make sure to ask your school and other people. Cambridge (as well as other universities like UCL) does online Q&A sessions for applicants, so you may be able to join one and ask to make sure. In my personal opinion, Politics would most likely be your strongest subject out of the one's you're interested in for HSPS, but as long as you have the skills I mentioned earlier it should hopefully be okay (but again, take all my advice with a grain of salt - I'm much more knowledgable about Architecture if you want to consider that haha).
As for essay competitions, you'll find that there's a great variety out there - they don't all have to be creative writing. For example, Immerse Education does an annual essay comeptition where you can answer one of the many questions they have (there'll be ones on sociology and politics for sure). If you win, you get a 100% scholarship to a programme of your choosing, such as a personalised support programme for research/ EPQ or a summer school at a university of your choosing (like Cambridge, Oxford, etc): https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/. You may also get a partial scholarship, like I did, but bear in mind that the full price for these programmes can cost hundreds/ thousands of pounds. There are many, many more, so make sure to scour the internet!
As usual, any more questions feel free to fire away
In terms of subject choices, it will depend on what you do at university. You've mentioned HSPS, Sociology and Criminology right? In which case, essay based subjects (like politics and psychology) will put you at an advantage, but as far as I know, there aren't any specific subjects they require (they're quite flexible!). So in which case, Chemistry wouldn't be very relevant, but you would enjoy it and open up an extra door for something Chemistry related (but bear in mind that Chemistry at degree level may also require subjects like Maths, so doing chemistry would largely be for your own fulfilment and exploration).
I know one other person who's doing a similar-ish combination (Politics, Psychology, Biology) and they've chosen to do Psychology at university without much trouble, but most of the people I know that have gotten a place on HSPS generally all do essay based (eg English Lit, History, Politics, etc). Don't let this deter you though and also make sure to ask your school and other people. Cambridge (as well as other universities like UCL) does online Q&A sessions for applicants, so you may be able to join one and ask to make sure. In my personal opinion, Politics would most likely be your strongest subject out of the one's you're interested in for HSPS, but as long as you have the skills I mentioned earlier it should hopefully be okay (but again, take all my advice with a grain of salt - I'm much more knowledgable about Architecture if you want to consider that haha).
As for essay competitions, you'll find that there's a great variety out there - they don't all have to be creative writing. For example, Immerse Education does an annual essay comeptition where you can answer one of the many questions they have (there'll be ones on sociology and politics for sure). If you win, you get a 100% scholarship to a programme of your choosing, such as a personalised support programme for research/ EPQ or a summer school at a university of your choosing (like Cambridge, Oxford, etc): https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/. You may also get a partial scholarship, like I did, but bear in mind that the full price for these programmes can cost hundreds/ thousands of pounds. There are many, many more, so make sure to scour the internet!
As usual, any more questions feel free to fire away
Thanks again for this! My mum mentioned the option of taking 4 a levels today. I know the workload would be a lot, but would this help with my issue? Also, I'm going to enter the essay competition, thanks! I ordered that book on vinted too, and it's very good 🙂
Architecture sounds cool, what do you do?
Heyy
4 A levels are a lotttt more work (first hand experience) - for your route, I don't think it would be necessary. There is a general misconception that 4 A levels provide an advantage over candidates that haven't. This is generally false - universities (including Cambridge) believe that a 4th A level is kinda unnecessary workload, that not every sixth form offers it and it it better to have good grades for 3 A levels over 4 (eg. A*AA vs A*ABB). The exception to this is Further Maths, which is normally taken as a 4th for all the STEM peeps. If, however, you're very passionate and believe you can handle the level of work that entails, then by all means go for it (and obvs neither is it a disadvantage if you do take 4 and do well)!! Just don't get peer-pressured into it haha. If it brings you any comfort, for the friends that I know that got offers for HSPS, the majority only did 3
This depends on what sixth form/ school you go to, but they may offer you to do 4 and you can do an AS exam at the end of the year. Then in Yr 13, you can decide whether to keep the 4th or not (who's gonna force you y'know??). While it is cool to have an AS level, not all places offer this (it's not as common anymore and universities acknowledge this, meaning it's not particularly advantageous), which can be a mini blessing in some ways if the exams don't turn your way - you don't have to disclose them to the university if you never sat it! So you can sort of test out what subjects you want to do before committing if you do 4 (AS exam or not) 🙂
I'm glad to see that you find my book rec good! Architecture is great if you want a subject that blends art, science and humanities (the sociological aspect was what drew me the most actually :v, alongside combatting climate change). So if you've got a bit of a creative/ design streak or interest in the built environment, definitely go check it out!
4 A levels are a lotttt more work (first hand experience) - for your route, I don't think it would be necessary. There is a general misconception that 4 A levels provide an advantage over candidates that haven't. This is generally false - universities (including Cambridge) believe that a 4th A level is kinda unnecessary workload, that not every sixth form offers it and it it better to have good grades for 3 A levels over 4 (eg. A*AA vs A*ABB). The exception to this is Further Maths, which is normally taken as a 4th for all the STEM peeps. If, however, you're very passionate and believe you can handle the level of work that entails, then by all means go for it (and obvs neither is it a disadvantage if you do take 4 and do well)!! Just don't get peer-pressured into it haha. If it brings you any comfort, for the friends that I know that got offers for HSPS, the majority only did 3
This depends on what sixth form/ school you go to, but they may offer you to do 4 and you can do an AS exam at the end of the year. Then in Yr 13, you can decide whether to keep the 4th or not (who's gonna force you y'know??). While it is cool to have an AS level, not all places offer this (it's not as common anymore and universities acknowledge this, meaning it's not particularly advantageous), which can be a mini blessing in some ways if the exams don't turn your way - you don't have to disclose them to the university if you never sat it! So you can sort of test out what subjects you want to do before committing if you do 4 (AS exam or not) 🙂
I'm glad to see that you find my book rec good! Architecture is great if you want a subject that blends art, science and humanities (the sociological aspect was what drew me the most actually :v, alongside combatting climate change). So if you've got a bit of a creative/ design streak or interest in the built environment, definitely go check it out!
Original post by Nomawoj
Heyy
4 A levels are a lotttt more work (first hand experience) - for your route, I don't think it would be necessary. There is a general misconception that 4 A levels provide an advantage over candidates that haven't. This is generally false - universities (including Cambridge) believe that a 4th A level is kinda unnecessary workload, that not every sixth form offers it and it it better to have good grades for 3 A levels over 4 (eg. A*AA vs A*ABB). The exception to this is Further Maths, which is normally taken as a 4th for all the STEM peeps. If, however, you're very passionate and believe you can handle the level of work that entails, then by all means go for it (and obvs neither is it a disadvantage if you do take 4 and do well)!! Just don't get peer-pressured into it haha. If it brings you any comfort, for the friends that I know that got offers for HSPS, the majority only did 3
This depends on what sixth form/ school you go to, but they may offer you to do 4 and you can do an AS exam at the end of the year. Then in Yr 13, you can decide whether to keep the 4th or not (who's gonna force you y'know??). While it is cool to have an AS level, not all places offer this (it's not as common anymore and universities acknowledge this, meaning it's not particularly advantageous), which can be a mini blessing in some ways if the exams don't turn your way - you don't have to disclose them to the university if you never sat it! So you can sort of test out what subjects you want to do before committing if you do 4 (AS exam or not) 🙂
I'm glad to see that you find my book rec good! Architecture is great if you want a subject that blends art, science and humanities (the sociological aspect was what drew me the most actually :v, alongside combatting climate change). So if you've got a bit of a creative/ design streak or interest in the built environment, definitely go check it out!
4 A levels are a lotttt more work (first hand experience) - for your route, I don't think it would be necessary. There is a general misconception that 4 A levels provide an advantage over candidates that haven't. This is generally false - universities (including Cambridge) believe that a 4th A level is kinda unnecessary workload, that not every sixth form offers it and it it better to have good grades for 3 A levels over 4 (eg. A*AA vs A*ABB). The exception to this is Further Maths, which is normally taken as a 4th for all the STEM peeps. If, however, you're very passionate and believe you can handle the level of work that entails, then by all means go for it (and obvs neither is it a disadvantage if you do take 4 and do well)!! Just don't get peer-pressured into it haha. If it brings you any comfort, for the friends that I know that got offers for HSPS, the majority only did 3
This depends on what sixth form/ school you go to, but they may offer you to do 4 and you can do an AS exam at the end of the year. Then in Yr 13, you can decide whether to keep the 4th or not (who's gonna force you y'know??). While it is cool to have an AS level, not all places offer this (it's not as common anymore and universities acknowledge this, meaning it's not particularly advantageous), which can be a mini blessing in some ways if the exams don't turn your way - you don't have to disclose them to the university if you never sat it! So you can sort of test out what subjects you want to do before committing if you do 4 (AS exam or not) 🙂
I'm glad to see that you find my book rec good! Architecture is great if you want a subject that blends art, science and humanities (the sociological aspect was what drew me the most actually :v, alongside combatting climate change). So if you've got a bit of a creative/ design streak or interest in the built environment, definitely go check it out!
Ahahhahaha- taking an AS Level and not disclosing it if I do bad sounds fun. The comfort in the fact that the majority who got offered places did 3 is nice- I thought it would be a lot more of an advantage to be honest.
Original post by livlou62
Ahahhahaha- taking an AS Level and not disclosing it if I do bad sounds fun. The comfort in the fact that the majority who got offered places did 3 is nice- I thought it would be a lot more of an advantage to be honest.
My bad, I think I should've clarified better!
If you sit an AS level exam and you decide to drop the subject, you will still have to declare it on your UCAS form I believe. So in the event someone did poorly, the university would still see that grade. I meant that you wouldn't have to declare it if you didn't sit the exam, as not all sixth forms offer it
Original post by Nomawoj
My bad, I think I should've clarified better!
If you sit an AS level exam and you decide to drop the subject, you will still have to declare it on your UCAS form I believe. So in the event someone did poorly, the university would still see that grade. I meant that you wouldn't have to declare it if you didn't sit the exam, as not all sixth forms offer it
If you sit an AS level exam and you decide to drop the subject, you will still have to declare it on your UCAS form I believe. So in the event someone did poorly, the university would still see that grade. I meant that you wouldn't have to declare it if you didn't sit the exam, as not all sixth forms offer it
Ok, cool. Thanks!
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