Chemistry or English literature A-Level?

Hi so my current options for A-levels are biology, psychology and English literature but I'm interesting in pursuing a future career in research science and I know that if I decide I'd like to go to med school, chemistry is mandatory. Although this isn't a forefront ideal of mine currently, I'd like to keep my options open but have heard that chemistry can be incredibly difficult. Can some people who take either English literature or chemistry alevel talk about how they find their course and what they have to do please? I'd like to decide what's worth it. Thanks! ☺️

Reply 1

drksideofthmoon

3

Hey! So I do Spanish maths and English lit and I’m hoping to do maths at uni next year..
I would say English is definitely a lot harder than it was at GCSE but also a lot more enjoyable as you can actually explore what you think rather than practically copying and pasting what your teachers tell you to say. We have to study the Gothic as a genre, and then compare two specific texts for P2, which is super cool. Then P1 is a Shakespeare play and pre1900s literature or plays. I would say my fav thing is that although some of these texts have been written hundred(s) of years ago they are still so relevant and can help you understand the world today. There is some coursework that was on war poetry and another comparison about culture for us, but I don’t know for other exam boards or other options chosen. :smile:

Reply 2

chemgoat83

1

hi! i take chem and i love it so much, currently in year 13. it is a detailed course, requires a lot of analytical skills and i believe a great reflection of research science as well as med. it is difficult, and takes time to understand but as long as you have the drive to keep up, you will succeed! i do edexcel chemistry, so there is a clear split between organic, physical and inorganic chemistry. organic chemistry is a beauty, you learn about identifying and synthesising compounds. inorganic teaches about the periodic table and repeated trends across periods. physical chemistry is focused on chemical bonds, routes of finding enthalpy changes, and redox reactions. because it doesnt have coursework, you will have to ensure you keep on track and focus hard on exams at the end. whatever decision you make, i know you'll shine bright and succeed! good luck :smile:

)

Reply 3

a3lynxx

OP

3

Original post by chemgoat83

hi! i take chem and i love it so much, currently in year 13. it is a detailed course, requires a lot of analytical skills and i believe a great reflection of research science as well as med. it is difficult, and takes time to understand but as long as you have the drive to keep up, you will succeed! i do edexcel chemistry, so there is a clear split between organic, physical and inorganic chemistry. organic chemistry is a beauty, you learn about identifying and synthesising compounds. inorganic teaches about the periodic table and repeated trends across periods. physical chemistry is focused on chemical bonds, routes of finding enthalpy changes, and redox reactions. because it doesnt have coursework, you will have to ensure you keep on track and focus hard on exams at the end. whatever decision you make, i know you'll shine bright and succeed! good luck :smile:

)

this is really helpful thank you!

Reply 4

a3lynxx

OP

3

Original post by drksideofthmoon

Hey! So I do Spanish maths and English lit and I’m hoping to do maths at uni next year..
I would say English is definitely a lot harder than it was at GCSE but also a lot more enjoyable as you can actually explore what you think rather than practically copying and pasting what your teachers tell you to say. We have to study the Gothic as a genre, and then compare two specific texts for P2, which is super cool. Then P1 is a Shakespeare play and pre1900s literature or plays. I would say my fav thing is that although some of these texts have been written hundred(s) of years ago they are still so relevant and can help you understand the world today. There is some coursework that was on war poetry and another comparison about culture for us, but I don’t know for other exam boards or other options chosen. :smile:

thank youu!

Reply 5

rn222

1

Original post by drksideofthmoon

Hey! So I do Spanish maths and English lit and I’m hoping to do maths at uni next year..
I would say English is definitely a lot harder than it was at GCSE but also a lot more enjoyable as you can actually explore what you think rather than practically copying and pasting what your teachers tell you to say. We have to study the Gothic as a genre, and then compare two specific texts for P2, which is super cool. Then P1 is a Shakespeare play and pre1900s literature or plays. I would say my fav thing is that although some of these texts have been written hundred(s) of years ago they are still so relevant and can help you understand the world today. There is some coursework that was on war poetry and another comparison about culture for us, but I don’t know for other exam boards or other options chosen. :smile:

Hiii my sister does English lit A-Level (ocr i think and it sounds kinda like this) and she says it’s pretty hard and lots of revision have you experienced the same?

Reply 6

drksideofthmoon

3

Original post by rn222

Hiii my sister does English lit A-Level (ocr i think and it sounds kinda like this) and she says it’s pretty hard and lots of revision have you experienced the same?

It’s difficult for sure.. but as are all A levels! It’s a very different style of revision compared to sciency subjects but not tonnes. If she’s ocr she will have had an exam today- hope it went well!

Reply 7

SashTemple

5

Original post by a3lynxx

Hi so my current options for A-levels are biology, psychology and English literature but I'm interesting in pursuing a future career in research science and I know that if I decide I'd like to go to med school, chemistry is mandatory. Although this isn't a forefront ideal of mine currently, I'd like to keep my options open but have heard that chemistry can be incredibly difficult. Can some people who take either English literature or chemistry alevel talk about how they find their course and what they have to do please? I'd like to decide what's worth it. Thanks! ☺️

As someone who was deciding between maths and english literature, and made the rash decision of choosing english literature on results day ! I totally understand the consideration of certain university courses as I though studying maths would provide me with a wider array of university options, however I didn't enjoy maths and inevitably chose english literature as I was more confident with the subject and felt that I would get a better grade in it. I would suggest that you review specifications of each subject and perhaps read some of the english lit books to see if you enjoy them. Also, if you change your mind and decide to subvert from your original route you can always take a year out and cover chemistry before applying to universities.

apologies for how long this message is but I hope this is helpful :smile:

Reply 8

infinitejester

10

As someone in the small minority who did both English Lit and Chemistry, I loved both so I think it really depends on personal preference. Chemistry is a hard A-level but generally due to having to apply your knowledge in unfamiliar contexts and the difficulty of the concepts you have to learn. It does require more frequent revision than English Lit in my experience, but it's easier to revise because you can just do past questions. If you enjoy problem solving then Chemistry will probably be a good fit for you.

English Lit is also hard but generally due to the sheer volume of content that you have to do and the memorising that goes into it, even if your exams are open book. Comparatively, there isn't that much memorising in Chemistry. I also think that doing a humanity complements STEM subjects really well as it gave me a proper break from my other two subjects (Chem and Maths) and I feel more well-rounded as a person. The enjoyability of English Lit does depend on the texts you're studying, though, so it might be worth seeing if you can find these out beforehand to assist your decision.

That being said, there is lots of overlap in the skills needed. You do still have to apply your skills in unfamiliar contexts in English Lit via unseen poetry and you do have to memorise certain things in Chemistry (like mechanisms). Controversial opinion, I think if you're suited to one, you're suited to them both as they're both analytical subjects at heart.

Chemistry or English literature A-Level?

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