Taking 5 A-levels

How much benefit is there to me in taking chemistry as an A-level while having 4 others ?

The subjects I'm taking are: maths, chemistry, physics, computer science, further maths (I initially planned taking 5 subjects until A2 level)

I did some research myself on university requirements of universities i will try to get into if i can (NUS, waterloo, cambridge, oxford etc.) in computer engineering (I want to specialize in machine learning/ AI)
and none of them have chemistry or computer science, or further maths as a mandatory requirement

The subjects I have a really good passion for is math/fm the most and physics as well as computer somewhat, and I've Been told computer science really helps with university and to some extent shows well on your profile even if it is not required. Same for further math in UK universities.

However, for chemistry I'm not finding that same hit in interest and though some of the universities I want to get into likr waterloo does recommend it in general (most students applying take chemistry), it is not really mentioned as a requirement.

I've also heard taking 5 A levels is something a physcopath would do straight up with the insane workload, but so far math and physics, and computer have been coming really easy to me and it's been a month so far. Math I already finished the syllabus for AS and 30% of A2. However for chemistry, I've been scoring decent (84%) but my teacher is taking it at an EXTREMELY slow pace as compared to the other classes, they are wayy ahead, and I'm not finding myself to trust the pace the class is going at. And in the end I'm self studying a **** ton and it's like I'm learning the same concepts from igcse all over again with this teacher. So tge workload is not the problem it's whether going through the hell of it is worth it.

With chemistry gone my career options will get more limited and I heard computer science as a career (mostly software engineering but im going into machine learning) or in general the entire tech career section is extremely saturated, and demand today is pretty less for it without having a bachelor.

However, I would get more time to fit in extra curriculars and build my profile even more for university. Like I had plans starting tutoring and most students would be available during chemistry period in my section for math. I really don't know whether building my profile more (adding more hours) is more worth it than taking chemistry and having less time for it

Damn, If you made it here you have alot of free time this was long. Thanks for reading till the end I appreciate it!

-- A suffering A level weeb

Reply 1

Ibithegoat

The question is what should I do? Take chemistry until AS? A2? Drop it on the spot? Or drop something else

Reply 2

mqb2766

Original post

by Ibithegoat

The question is what should I do? Take chemistry until AS? A2? Drop it on the spot? Or drop something else

Having a 5th a level will not help and may drop grades in the others. Use the time for supercurriculum stuff / preparing for mat/tmua. Id drop chem now.

Also, tutoring students isnt really a supercurriculum. For cs/ce at oxbridge, m/fm and one or two of [p/cs/c] would be usual and you could drop p or cs instead of c.

Reply 3

Scotney

You are a month in so not surprised Chemistry is slow at this point.You do not need 5 but why not wait until at least the end of term before dropping Chemistry.Stop teaching yourself and just do work set.You can give it up at AS no herm done.You seems to be coasting maths so why not keep your options open for now.

Reply 4

fonovix

Original post

by mqb2766

Having a 5th a level will not help and may drop grades in the others. Use the time for supercurriculum stuff / preparing for mat/tmua. Id drop chem now.

Agreed, more = better doesn’t work in this case

Reply 5

Ibithegoat

Original post

by mqb2766

Having a 5th a level will not help and may drop grades in the others. Use the time for supercurriculum stuff / preparing for mat/tmua. Id drop chem now.
Also, tutoring students isnt really a supercurriculum. For cs/ce at oxbridge, m/fm and one or two of [p/cs/c] would be usual and you could drop p or cs instead of c.

So what is a good supercurriculum I can do that counts toward community service hours at the same time? Kind of confused on profile building. For my own extracurricular I'm taking extra programs related to the career I'm going for (comp. E)

Reply 6

mqb2766

Original post

by Ibithegoat

For cam CS, not done a CE search theres
https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/super-curricular-activities
and theres a similar pdf
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
Theres usually similar ones at oxford, ... Just google. They want to see some forms of interest/passion for the subject and what youve done outside the normal curriculum.

Reply 7

Ibithegoat

Original post

by mqb2766

Thanks, in ur opinion u think that entire pdf is sufficient ro compromise for all extra/super curriculars? ofc ill prob go looking for more but i just want to know how much of an amount of super curriculars demonstrates a passion for a subject to a uni

Reply 8

Ibithegoat

Original post

by mqb2766

Is this entire pdf sufficient enough to cover for my own (excluding community service) extra curriculars, just want an opinion. Of course i will probably go looking for more on whats suitable for machine learning specifically but I just want to know what a good amount of extra/super curriculars would be

Reply 9

harikrishsomu

Original post

by Ibithegoat

How much benefit is there to me in taking chemistry as an A-level while having 4 others ?
The subjects I'm taking are: maths, chemistry, physics, computer science, further maths (I initially planned taking 5 subjects until A2 level)
I did some research myself on university requirements of universities i will try to get into if i can (NUS, waterloo, cambridge, oxford etc.) in computer engineering (I want to specialize in machine learning/ AI)
and none of them have chemistry or computer science, or further maths as a mandatory requirement
The subjects I have a really good passion for is math/fm the most and physics as well as computer somewhat, and I've Been told computer science really helps with university and to some extent shows well on your profile even if it is not required. Same for further math in UK universities.
However, for chemistry I'm not finding that same hit in interest and though some of the universities I want to get into likr waterloo does recommend it in general (most students applying take chemistry), it is not really mentioned as a requirement.
I've also heard taking 5 A levels is something a physcopath would do straight up with the insane workload, but so far math and physics, and computer have been coming really easy to me and it's been a month so far. Math I already finished the syllabus for AS and 30% of A2. However for chemistry, I've been scoring decent (84%) but my teacher is taking it at an EXTREMELY slow pace as compared to the other classes, they are wayy ahead, and I'm not finding myself to trust the pace the class is going at. And in the end I'm self studying a **** ton and it's like I'm learning the same concepts from igcse all over again with this teacher. So tge workload is not the problem it's whether going through the hell of it is worth it.
With chemistry gone my career options will get more limited and I heard computer science as a career (mostly software engineering but im going into machine learning) or in general the entire tech career section is extremely saturated, and demand today is pretty less for it without having a bachelor.
However, I would get more time to fit in extra curriculars and build my profile even more for university. Like I had plans starting tutoring and most students would be available during chemistry period in my section for math. I really don't know whether building my profile more (adding more hours) is more worth it than taking chemistry and having less time for it
Damn, If you made it here you have alot of free time this was long. Thanks for reading till the end I appreciate it!
-- A suffering A level weeb

Typically, 4 A-Levels is considered great, 5 is pushing it, but does show your commitment. For a computer-oriented course, especially to a college like Cambridge or Oxford, Further Mathematics is really beneficial. Moreover, physics too is often mandatory and helpful. My friends who are aiming for Ivy leagues and Russell group universities all take chemistry as it opens up a whole new avenue for you to explore. But it isn't a must. Unless you can manage the time while doing some good super curricular, I wouldn't bother taking it.

Reply 10

mqb2766

Original post

by Ibithegoat

Theyre a list of suggestions, arranged by topics. Theyre not expecting you to tick them off, but theyre a reasonable starting point of things to think about. Theyre more interested in what you learnt.

So if you were to concentrate on machine learning, you might explain why its of interest to you, what concepts outside the curriculum youve learnt about and where theyre from, what projects youve done, how youve kept informed by recent developments (at a high level etc). So make it personal about what youve learnt and try and explain them in a generic way.

For oxbridge, theyre not expecting "perfection", rather they want you to demonstrate an interest/passion. Theres always something else you could do, but if you think this week Ill do xxx, then next month yyy. What experiments / tests to you do to understand whats going on ... Then sometime next year sketch out a ps and think about gaps etc.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 11

Ghost1619

Unis don’t even care about 4 alevels let alone 5, no point, it might even drop your grades in the others

Reply 12

lalexm

Original post

by Ibithegoat

How much benefit is there to me in taking chemistry as an A-level while having 4 others ?
The subjects I'm taking are: maths, chemistry, physics, computer science, further maths (I initially planned taking 5 subjects until A2 level)
I did some research myself on university requirements of universities i will try to get into if i can (NUS, waterloo, cambridge, oxford etc.) in computer engineering (I want to specialize in machine learning/ AI)
and none of them have chemistry or computer science, or further maths as a mandatory requirement
The subjects I have a really good passion for is math/fm the most and physics as well as computer somewhat, and I've Been told computer science really helps with university and to some extent shows well on your profile even if it is not required. Same for further math in UK universities.
However, for chemistry I'm not finding that same hit in interest and though some of the universities I want to get into likr waterloo does recommend it in general (most students applying take chemistry), it is not really mentioned as a requirement.
I've also heard taking 5 A levels is something a physcopath would do straight up with the insane workload, but so far math and physics, and computer have been coming really easy to me and it's been a month so far. Math I already finished the syllabus for AS and 30% of A2. However for chemistry, I've been scoring decent (84%) but my teacher is taking it at an EXTREMELY slow pace as compared to the other classes, they are wayy ahead, and I'm not finding myself to trust the pace the class is going at. And in the end I'm self studying a **** ton and it's like I'm learning the same concepts from igcse all over again with this teacher. So tge workload is not the problem it's whether going through the hell of it is worth it.
With chemistry gone my career options will get more limited and I heard computer science as a career (mostly software engineering but im going into machine learning) or in general the entire tech career section is extremely saturated, and demand today is pretty less for it without having a bachelor.
However, I would get more time to fit in extra curriculars and build my profile even more for university. Like I had plans starting tutoring and most students would be available during chemistry period in my section for math. I really don't know whether building my profile more (adding more hours) is more worth it than taking chemistry and having less time for it
Damn, If you made it here you have alot of free time this was long. Thanks for reading till the end I appreciate it!
-- A suffering A level weeb

Pointless doing 5, as it offers no benefits, but risks your other grades, and stops you having the time to do the required super curriculars to get into the elites. Even 4 is not a good idea, unless you are doing FM.

Reply 13

Terena27

Original post

by Ibithegoat

How much benefit is there to me in taking chemistry as an A-level while having 4 others ?
The subjects I'm taking are: maths, chemistry, physics, computer science, further maths (I initially planned taking 5 subjects until A2 level)
I did some research myself on university requirements of universities i will try to get into if i can (NUS, waterloo, cambridge, oxford etc.) in computer engineering (I want to specialize in machine learning/ AI)
and none of them have chemistry or computer science, or further maths as a mandatory requirement
The subjects I have a really good passion for is math/fm the most and physics as well as computer somewhat, and I've Been told computer science really helps with university and to some extent shows well on your profile even if it is not required. Same for further math in UK universities.
However, for chemistry I'm not finding that same hit in interest and though some of the universities I want to get into likr waterloo does recommend it in general (most students applying take chemistry), it is not really mentioned as a requirement.
I've also heard taking 5 A levels is something a physcopath would do straight up with the insane workload, but so far math and physics, and computer have been coming really easy to me and it's been a month so far. Math I already finished the syllabus for AS and 30% of A2. However for chemistry, I've been scoring decent (84%) but my teacher is taking it at an EXTREMELY slow pace as compared to the other classes, they are wayy ahead, and I'm not finding myself to trust the pace the class is going at. And in the end I'm self studying a **** ton and it's like I'm learning the same concepts from igcse all over again with this teacher. So tge workload is not the problem it's whether going through the hell of it is worth it.
With chemistry gone my career options will get more limited and I heard computer science as a career (mostly software engineering but im going into machine learning) or in general the entire tech career section is extremely saturated, and demand today is pretty less for it without having a bachelor.
However, I would get more time to fit in extra curriculars and build my profile even more for university. Like I had plans starting tutoring and most students would be available during chemistry period in my section for math. I really don't know whether building my profile more (adding more hours) is more worth it than taking chemistry and having less time for it
Damn, If you made it here you have alot of free time this was long. Thanks for reading till the end I appreciate it!
-- A suffering A level weeb

Do what you think you need to do, if ppl are saying don't do 5 and you're upset clearly it means you want to do 5 and your motivated to do 5. Initially i wanted to do 6, the workload was too much and now I'm doing 5 and I'm getting 90%+ in my assessments and like everyone is saying were only a month in but believe in yourself and its better to start with 5 than to start with 3, i hope this helps and i should probably take my own advice too. ha - btw i take Math, FM, Econ, Pol and EPQ, Good luck! wish you all the best :smile: