The Student Room Group

a-level choices!!!

i am currently finding it very hard to pick my alevels for next year - i’m meant to be finalising my choice by friday.

i was set on doing physics, maths, chemistry and french. i’m still set on maths, chem and physics but i’m unsure of whether to do biology instead of french.
this is because im considering medicine in the future and e.g. at cambridge 97% of successful applicants had biology, even though i know most unis only require two sciences which i would have from physics and chem.

i dont mind biology on the whole and the alevel looks interesting, although there were times in gcse where i despised it and didnt try to understand it because i was so fed up. i absolutely adore french though and while i know its not ‘helpful’ to me as i want to go into stem, i would be very sad to drop it.

medicine also isnt the only career im considering, as i also am interested in physics/engineering so i dont want to replace physics with biology.

please help me out and give advice if you have any!!!!
Original post by beaaa171
i am currently finding it very hard to pick my alevels for next year - i’m meant to be finalising my choice by friday.
i was set on doing physics, maths, chemistry and french. i’m still set on maths, chem and physics but i’m unsure of whether to do biology instead of french.
this is because im considering medicine in the future and e.g. at cambridge 97% of successful applicants had biology, even though i know most unis only require two sciences which i would have from physics and chem.
i dont mind biology on the whole and the alevel looks interesting, although there were times in gcse where i despised it and didnt try to understand it because i was so fed up. i absolutely adore french though and while i know its not ‘helpful’ to me as i want to go into stem, i would be very sad to drop it.
medicine also isnt the only career im considering, as i also am interested in physics/engineering so i dont want to replace physics with biology.
please help me out and give advice if you have any!!!!

Hi @beaaa171

Your options sound pretty good! And I understand the struggle of choosing your subjects.

I can't speak from a medicine point of view, so I'm unsure of how necessary it is to have biology on your application.
It might be worth looking at prospective unis you're interested in to see if biology is a specified subject on the entry requirements. And if you gte chnace before Friday's deadline, is there anyone you can talk to at school/college about your career options if you were to choose or not choose it? They might be able to give you some more advice, or a different outlook.

However, I studied four A Levels myself, and from a student perspective, you want to be motivated by your subjects. I always advise students to choose the subjects they enjoy, as you've got to spend two years studying it.
If French is something you love to study, then it would be a great option to keep you enjoying your subjects and to also get some relief from your science based subjects.

And although not directly linked to medicine, having a foreign language on your CV is a great attribute for many careers too.

I hope this helps, and any more questions - just ask! 🙂
All the best!
Emily
Student Rep at BCU
Original post by beaaa171
i am currently finding it very hard to pick my alevels for next year - i’m meant to be finalising my choice by friday.
i was set on doing physics, maths, chemistry and french. i’m still set on maths, chem and physics but i’m unsure of whether to do biology instead of french.
this is because im considering medicine in the future and e.g. at cambridge 97% of successful applicants had biology, even though i know most unis only require two sciences which i would have from physics and chem.
i dont mind biology on the whole and the alevel looks interesting, although there were times in gcse where i despised it and didnt try to understand it because i was so fed up. i absolutely adore french though and while i know its not ‘helpful’ to me as i want to go into stem, i would be very sad to drop it.
medicine also isnt the only career im considering, as i also am interested in physics/engineering so i dont want to replace physics with biology.
please help me out and give advice if you have any!!!!

for medicine, you will want to have 4 uni options that you can apply to, and that may be narrowed down due to your ucat score, as ucat is the main decider as to whether you will be selected for interview, it's all about applying strategically. many med schools will want biology - you can look here https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/how-to-apply-to-medical-school-in-the-uk/entry-requirements to see subject requirements. therefore, taking biology will keep your options open.
(edited 4 months ago)
Reply 3
Original post by beaaa171
i am currently finding it very hard to pick my alevels for next year - i’m meant to be finalising my choice by friday.
i was set on doing physics, maths, chemistry and french. i’m still set on maths, chem and physics but i’m unsure of whether to do biology instead of french.
this is because im considering medicine in the future and e.g. at cambridge 97% of successful applicants had biology, even though i know most unis only require two sciences which i would have from physics and chem.
i dont mind biology on the whole and the alevel looks interesting, although there were times in gcse where i despised it and didnt try to understand it because i was so fed up. i absolutely adore french though and while i know its not ‘helpful’ to me as i want to go into stem, i would be very sad to drop it.
medicine also isnt the only career im considering, as i also am interested in physics/engineering so i dont want to replace physics with biology.
please help me out and give advice if you have any!!!!

Hi Bea!!! I had a problem like this, too. I wanted to do maths, physics, music, and psychology, but since I wanted to do maths, I ended up doing maths, further maths, physics, and economics. If you're going to Cambridge, I would definitely recommend doing Biology + the other three subjects, as it'll make your life way easier. You could continue to learn French outside of 6th form which I think would be a great idea for you - you can keep it up through Duolingo / reading books / watching shows in french and that way you won't lose the skill! I hope this helps and good luck with choosing 🙂

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