a-levels that will get me a good degree

even though i don't know what i want to do yet, i would like to do biology, literature and drama for a level and i wonder what degrees i could have at university

Reply 1

Chloe_8206

You can definitely do dual awards and get a bachelors in 2 subjects - I'd say lit & drama the most likely combination. In terms of biology, you can do an intercalation year after year 2, where you take on your own research project in a wide variety of subjects (i.e genomics). Although all three subjects sound great, you should consider how it will work in terms of timetabling, as sometimes it doesn't work with such an unorthodox combination...

And don't forget that there is a lot of (quite complex) maths in biology and accounts for 25% of your overall grade: standard deviation, spearman's rank correlation, hypothesis testing - the list goes on! The teachers at my college said that if you get an 8/9 in maths GCSE than you will probably be ok without A level maths, but just something to consider :smile:

Having taken both bio and maths A level, I can safely say that it has helped me out lots, and the way they explained the maths in biology was much less comprehensive than in maths classes.

You could also consider doing AS level maths for the first year, or core maths alongside the 3 that you have chosen (an AS level taken in the first year, and a bit easier than A level maths).

So maybe consider a combination that's a bit more complementary of eachother? Just so you don't make life too difficult for yourself?

Overall I think it's great that you have clearly chosen subjects which you enjoy, as this will be essential when it comes to your independent study! 😊x

Reply 2

McGinger

Try looking down this list of degree subject, pick out anything that looks interesting and check what the 'entry requirements' are - Undergraduate Courses, Degrees : Study : University of Sussex

Reply 3

eriksks

Original post by maroguntade

even though i don't know what i want to do yet, i would like to do biology, literature and drama for a level and i wonder what degrees i could have at university

Sciences and maths at A-Level definitely objectively open up the most doors, from the more business-y degrees to the STEM-based degrees, but I am going off the assumption you'd be more inclined to do more of the languages and creative arts out of enjoyment.
Also, with sciences you would tend to have to do at least 1-2 STEM A-Levels leaving only one for enjoyment, so that's something to consider.
You can do virtually anything if you meet some criteria, this isn't helpful in answering your question but courses are so broad and their requirements vary a lot.
I'd suggest taking time to explore what ideas you have for the future. :smile:

Reply 4

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by maroguntade

even though i don't know what i want to do yet, i would like to do biology, literature and drama for a level and i wonder what degrees i could have at university

Hi!

This is quite a difficult question to answer, since degree subject requirements vary between universities.
But the range is quite wide, even if yours is an unusual combination 😊

You could study Law, Language or Literature degrees, a creative degree such as Film, Design, etc., more scientific degrees such as Psychology, Geography, Biology, Sports Science, etc. (here it is a bit more complex, as at many universities medical or biological science related degrees also require Chemistry), or degrees such as Criminology, Sociology, Management, International Relations, Business, Teaching...

Hey, you could even do a Computer Science degree at Lancaster, just like me 🙃 (might sound surprising, right? But it doesn't have specific subject requirements!)

Look at the undergraduate courses at a few different universities: you might find interesting degrees you haven't come across or considered before, and it would allow you to explore the subject requirements for degrees that appeal to you.
Entry requirements is a good place to refer to.

Last note: some subjects open up a much larger range of opportunities. Maths is the best example of that, followed by sciences and English language/literature. However, do not pick a subject at A-level solely because it "opens up a lot of routes". Your performance in a subject and your enjoyment are also important.

Best of luck,

Polina,
Lancaster University SCC Ambassador.