4 a levels – when/should i drop to 3?

i’m in my third term of year 12 (early into it) and am currently doing english literature, english language, french and philosophy. my sixth form makes us start with four, with most dropping to 3 before sending in ucas applications. if i were to drop, it would be philosophy, but i worry that would show a lack of variety across subjects, as all the others are focused on language in some aspects.
in my most recent report, i got a+ in every subject except philosophy, where i got an a. my philosophy teachers say i can get a* in y13, and i really enjoy the subject but if i continued into y13 with 4 i’d have 5 free periods over a fortnight (fewer than i do currently) which i find vital for homework.
what should i do? my heart wants to do all 4, but logistically i know i’d need more time than i have.

When you don't need more than three A levels for your application at a university of your choice, let drop the fourth obe you are uncomfortable with.

I get where you are coming from and alevel philosophy is difficult and content heavy. Year 13 is supposed to be more harder than Year 12 and if you feel like doing 4 alevel is just too much for you and taking your free time then id suggest you drop 1 subject. It is VITAL to look after your mental and physical wellbeing. And you are doing 4 essay based subjects (2 of which are facilitating subjects) and achieving a* which already shows how literate you are. It also depends on what you want to study in the future, is alevel philosophy a subject thats related to what you want to study at uni?

yeah i think you’re right