Do I need to study A level Maths in order to do Physics at Uni Level?
Why are chemistry and biology irreplaceable? Are you trying to keep medicine open? Why do you have to do art as an A level to keep you sane, why can't you just do art in your spare time as a fun hobby?
Why are chemistry and biology irreplaceable? Are you trying to keep medicine open? Why do you have to do art as an A level to keep you sane, why can't you just do art in your spare time as a fun hobby?
Well I've always wanted to do something in regards to biology as a kid, I love learning about genetics and wanted a career in biology therefore chemistry would go hand in hand. I don't know why but I've never been interested in medicine, I wouldn't find it worth to spend the rest of my life in a hospital, behind a desk, in a lab or teaching. I dont know what kind of career I can find with biology so i was thinking about physics, it answers a lot of my questions about the world and I want to understand it . I'm scared to sacrifice art however, I think its the easiest subject, I got a 9 in GSCE and i think I can easily get an A in a-level. But art has always been a unrealistic dream of becoming a painter, and I know that if I don't pick it as an A-level i probably wont find the time or motivation to do it at all. Art keeps me sane and happy as it distracts me from my work load and gives me a break from studying.so the choice I have is :
.biology, chemistry, art
or
.biology, chemistry, maths, physics
.biology, chemistry, art
or
.biology, chemistry, maths, physics
Tough choice to be honest. It's hard to know what subjects to take when you don't know where you want to end up. There's quite a bit to unpack here though.
1.
The workload for A level art is significantly greater than it was at GCSE, and I see many Art students drop out because of the unexpected time consumption that they couldn't afford. It's not a stroll in the park.
2.
That said, doing maths and physics A levels instead of Art will almost definitely be a lot harder, which is worth noting.
3.
Physics degrees open up a lot of job opportunities because it gives you a lot of mathematical, problem solving, and technical skills. These can include careers that aren't even in science like finance, IT, engineering, clean energy. The list goes on: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/physics
4.
However, a lot of the job opportunities in that list might be ones that involve being "behind a desk", as you put it. I don't know what kind of job you'd be looking for that isn't behind a desk, but it might be worth trying to figure that out and working backwards to decide what degree, and then what A levels you need to do, because nowadays there aren't really that many conventional graduate jobs that aren't "behind a desk". Or you can burst this bubble and go for a career that doesn't sound perfect to you, but could be doing something meaningful in a different way.
5.
If you are going to go for a physics degree, then this means that you won't be going for a biology degree, so in this case wouldn't you be able to not do chemistry and/or biology?
6.
It might be worth spending some time researching the different careers in biology and seeing if there's some things that interest you, because you clearly like it and you might find something you would like to do that you don't know about yet. Maybe even something like biomedical engineering, which would probably need physics as well but maybe not chemistry.
1.
The workload for A level art is significantly greater than it was at GCSE, and I see many Art students drop out because of the unexpected time consumption that they couldn't afford. It's not a stroll in the park.
2.
That said, doing maths and physics A levels instead of Art will almost definitely be a lot harder, which is worth noting.
3.
Physics degrees open up a lot of job opportunities because it gives you a lot of mathematical, problem solving, and technical skills. These can include careers that aren't even in science like finance, IT, engineering, clean energy. The list goes on: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/physics
4.
However, a lot of the job opportunities in that list might be ones that involve being "behind a desk", as you put it. I don't know what kind of job you'd be looking for that isn't behind a desk, but it might be worth trying to figure that out and working backwards to decide what degree, and then what A levels you need to do, because nowadays there aren't really that many conventional graduate jobs that aren't "behind a desk". Or you can burst this bubble and go for a career that doesn't sound perfect to you, but could be doing something meaningful in a different way.
5.
If you are going to go for a physics degree, then this means that you won't be going for a biology degree, so in this case wouldn't you be able to not do chemistry and/or biology?
6.
It might be worth spending some time researching the different careers in biology and seeing if there's some things that interest you, because you clearly like it and you might find something you would like to do that you don't know about yet. Maybe even something like biomedical engineering, which would probably need physics as well but maybe not chemistry.
Thanks for the reply, I'll have a trail run of physics and maths for a couple of weeks in college and I think I'll decide then, I think I'll just go for whatever interests me the most! I've had a look at the natural sciences branches at uni and will try to narrow it down from there
.biology, chemistry, art
or
.biology, chemistry, maths, physics
It sounds like Physics is your last choice after Biology and Art.
I wouldn't worry about the employability of Biology compared to Physics; you may not end up in a job that requires any specific degree (just a degree) and Biology is a well-respected degree.
I also wouldn't underestimate the workload of Art A-Level. It is much larger than at GCSE and whilst I didn't do it, I have quite a few friends that did and it took up a lot of their time. If you don't think that you would put the effort in without the obligation, this may be something to consider.
Regarding your original query, Maths is very important to Physics. Even if you find somewhere that doesn't need it, you will have severely limited your options and you may struggle when you start your degree.
Yes that's a great shout actually, have a look at those natural sciences courses that could allow you to do biology and physics options.
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