Any advice on what I should pick?

3

I am currently awaiting my GCSE results and i’m definitely going to be choosing Chemistry and Biology at A Level. However, I am unsure as to which other subject i should choose, the options are:
-Physics
-Geography
-Film Studies
-Sociology
Any insight to any of these subjects would be greatly appreciated!

Reply 1

Wired_1800

20

Original post by matthew.reynolds

I am currently awaiting my GCSE results and i’m definitely going to be choosing Chemistry and Biology at A Level. However, I am unsure as to which other subject i should choose, the options are:
-Physics
-Geography
-Film Studies
-Sociology
Any insight to any of these subjects would be greatly appreciated!

It depends on your career aspirations.

Best to go for Geography, if you dont mind.

Reply 2

bibachu

Universities Forum Helper

14

Original post by matthew.reynolds

I am currently awaiting my GCSE results and i’m definitely going to be choosing Chemistry and Biology at A Level. However, I am unsure as to which other subject i should choose, the options are:
-Physics
-Geography
-Film Studies
-Sociology
Any insight to any of these subjects would be greatly appreciated!

I don’t study any of these subjects but know people who have or are studying some of them. Physics seems alright in terms of content - I haven’t heard any particularly interesting things people have taken from it, but if you enjoy the subject then definitely go for it. If you were to take physics and maths it would make life easier, but it’s not necessary to take maths in order to do well in physics. I’ve heard good things about geography, but there is fieldwork and coursework involved. From what I can tell it is quite content heavy but there is some overlap with biology so it might pair well with your current options. All I know about film is that it’s relatively easy to get a good grade in and the things you study can be quite interesting. I will say that if you are doing biology and chemistry at A level, it’s good to have your third subject be something that you have an interest in, as you’re more likely to do well in it. If you intend on applying to competitive courses like medicine or dentistry, having an “easier” third subject allows you to dedicate more time to revising biology and chemistry. I have a friend who does biology, chemistry and photography and she enjoys photography because she finds it easy to achieve A*s, has an interest in the subject and it allows her to focus more on chemistry (which she struggles with). In that sense, film studies could also pair quite well with your A levels. Sociology is very content heavy but interesting. If you’re not keen on writing long essays then it might be best to avoid it, as (depending on your exam board) you’ll have 40 mark essays to write in your papers. I would only recommend picking it if you are confident that you can manage the heavy workload.

Ultimately, you should pick your third subject based on your personal preference. To help you decide, you should look at the exam board specifications for each subject and if there are optional components, check which ones your school offers. I study psychology and in paper 3 there are different options for units you can take. I chose my college because I knew I wanted to study schizophrenia and forensic psychology over the other options AQA had (e.g. eating disorders, relationships etc.) as well as wanting to study philosophy on its own (as only AQA offers the standalone philosophy A level course). Let me know if you have any other questions :smile:

Reply 3

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

What are you interested in doing when you leave sixth form?- if you have any ideas this can help inform your choice as you can look at uni course requirements or pick a relevant subject
What subjects are you good at?- if you did these at GCSE did you consistently find it achievable to do well and revise for
What subjects do you enjoy?- if you’re not passionate about a subject then you wont get as much from it
Which subjects suits your way of learning or plays to your strengths in exams?- consider which have essays, which are more application of knowledge, which are very content heavy, which have coursework etc
Happy to help further if you answer some of these questions or have any questions of your own, hope this helps! Have a great day :smile:

Reply 4

UtterlyUseless69

12

Original post by matthew.reynolds

I am currently awaiting my GCSE results and i’m definitely going to be choosing Chemistry and Biology at A Level. However, I am unsure as to which other subject i should choose, the options are:
-Physics
-Geography
-Film Studies
-Sociology
Any insight to any of these subjects would be greatly appreciated!

As above, it really depends on what you want to do post-A level.

The three sciences is a pretty classic combination and should be able to get you into a med school or onto some science courses, for example.

I personally did chemistry, physics, maths and FM (and geography for a matter of just two weeks in year 12). My honest opinion is that if you really aren’t invested in physics or geography, neither are worth doing at A level.

I would also make the point that you should be fine to do any of the sciences without doing A level maths as the material only requires an understanding of maths at what is roughly a GCSE level 6 standard (plus you are taught any new maths you will need for the respective courses), but when it comes to applying for certain uni courses, the lack of A level maths will shut off quite a number of options (excuse the pun).

Any advice on what I should pick?

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