The Student Room Group

picking a levels??

I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for

1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.

2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.

Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??

My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci
Reply 1
Original post by n_saeee111
I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for
1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.
2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.
Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??
My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci

You really should be choosing them based off what you want to study in university. Certain degrees require specific A-Level courses that you must take, others don't mind, but it would help your university studies if you took the course at A-Level.

Normally, they require one mandatory A-Level if it's a course that requires a specific course (eg. Mathematics and Engineering courses requires you to take Maths at A-Level) so take that one subject you need, and the other 2 should be ones you enjoy/are good at so that you ensure you can meet the grades required since they still look at all 3 of your A-Levels results to make a judgement.

If you don't want to go the university route and do an apprenticeship, look online for them and see if they have any subject specific requirements.

It may seem a bit early to think about uni courses but it isn't. You don't get to switch and change subject in Year 13 and the end of Year 12 you are already applying for Universities. Give it a good think over and don't feel pressured by anybody who doesn't have your best interests at heart.

Good luck :smile:
(edited 6 months ago)
Reply 2
Original post by n_saeee111
I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for
1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.
2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.
Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??
My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci

I felt the same about biology a level as with you and geography, but ultimately i realised that I did not need biology for any potential degree choice. You are also not guaranteed to have the same teacher for geography next year, so you might not even get that teacher (unless in your school things are different). Also, for which subject are your grades higher? I would suggest doing biology purely on the information above, because I'm fairly sure that if you decide to do geography in the future you don't even need geography a level, while doing anything biology related you require biology. What do you want to do in the future though? Depending on that one subject might be clearly more useful than another.
Reply 3
Hi there! I just completed my A levels in Chemistry, Biology and Spanish. I enjoyed Biology, it is not an easy A level but I think that its well thought of by unis I think.
I am also offering Tuition in Biology, if you are interested dm me!
Reply 4
Original post by n_saeee111
I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for
1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.
2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.
Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??
My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci

In my opinion, as someone who does Biology at A-Level: don't pick it unless you either 1) enjoy it or 2) need it for university.

I've always been naturally good at science and I needed Biology to apply for Medicine but I would never say I enjoy Biology A-Level. At the start, it seems so easy because it's just cells, but then suddenly you enter Year 13 and it's terrible...

This is coming from someone who is predicted A* for Biology as well.

As for Geography, I can't really speak for that as I never really liked it, but if it's what you enjoy, and you don't know what to do at university, then it wouldn't hurt to go for iot.
Reply 5
I know this contradicts a lot of advice on here, but, as a teacher actually told me, don't pick your a levels according to the uni course/apprenticeship you want to do, but rather pick your uni course/apprenticeship based on the a levels you want to do. If a course you want to do requires an a level you don't like, maybe that course isn't for you - there is a reason they require you to have studied that a level after all. I understand you're having trouble telling whether you really enjoy the subject itself or not, and I'd recommend chatting to your teachers about it. Maybe have a look over the A level course syllabi and see if they interest you? Please don't get me wrong - it is important your choices work well together in that you have options after a levels, but don't choose them simply to meet the requirements for what you think you want to do.
Sorry for the long post 😀
Reply 6
Original post by n_saeee111
I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for
1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.
2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.
Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??
My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci

Hi hopping on here

I think you have been given advice from two different angles. From do what you like to do to choosing subjects that fit the degree you would like to study at university.

If you have in your mind that you want to study medicine, veterinary, dentistry or anything science related then I strongly recommend you choose biology. If you wish to do accounting then I recommend you choose mathematics and a humanities (like geography). It’s important to go with your head not your heart. I chose the latter - 2 languages and that was a big mistake. In hindsight I wish I had dropped languages and chosen maths and a humanities subject as I was applying for accounting and suddenly realised I wasn’t eligible for top universities. I would give it a really good think over the summer.

So what I would do if I were you is look at your grades first and which subjects you scored the best in. Then think about kind of the type of profession you may wish to pursue.

Then go to the good university guide and look at the list of universities and for the top 5 universities look at the typical grade offers and the requirements. This will shape your choice for the start of a levels :smile:
(edited 6 months ago)
Reply 7
Original post by n_saeee111
I have a rough idea of what I want to do so this is more of a general question. How do u distinguish between whether you actually like a subject or whether u just like your teacher and the way it’s taught?? I’m having a really hard time deciding between geography and biology as for
1) I really enjoy the human side of geography but am not really a fan of the physical side (but I can put up with it). I’m also unsure whether it’s just the teacher here that makes it interesting.
2) i’m not sure whether I actually enjoy biology or not as it may be the lessons and the fact that I seem to be quite naturally good at biology, which is funny because i’ve always said I don’t want to go into medicine. Although I don’t want to go into medicine, people have always said pick what u enjoy and what u are good at, so this is why I am considering it.
Can anyone who takes either subject tell me their honest opinion on them??
My current a level choices are
. maths
. comp sci

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies so far, it’s been great to hear advice from loads of different angles.
To provide a bit more context, until recently I was quite focused on going to uni to do smth computer sciencey/ technology related, and i’ve not given up on that route completely, but rethought it due to recent work experience (see my other post). Because of this, I was very much focused on picking maths and computer science and was more chilled about the whole biology vs geography thing, since they were not my main focus, but now, because i’m a little shaken on what I want to do, I thought that maybe both subjects would open my options a little for the future, maybe geography a little bit more since i’m quite uncertain at the moment?? My worry is that with maths and comp sci i’ve narrowed myself into a corner, and thats really not what I want to do. So this where my thoughts are currently at and thanks for the replies, if anyone has any advice :smile:)

To answer the questions about which subject i’m better at, it’s more biology has always come more natural to my brain, but I think it’s because i’m good at memorising exam technique, while geography is something that i’ve hard to work on a little more but now that i’ve gotten to grips with it, it comes easy. I would probably say i’m better at biology, but everytime I say that it humbles me. Geography is a little weaker but i’m very good at high marked questions and I still haven’t completely got to grips with exam technique yet.
Sorry for the long reply
(edited 6 months ago)

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