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choosing a level subjects

Hi, I'm currently in year 11 trying to decide on my alevels for sixth form. I've decided on my first two, but unsure on my thirds. My two confirmed ones are chemistry and history, however for my third I don't know whether to do maths or psychology. I don't know what I want to do in the future, so which one would be better?
Original post by arianagrikyte
Hi, I'm currently in year 11 trying to decide on my alevels for sixth form. I've decided on my first two, but unsure on my thirds. My two confirmed ones are chemistry and history, however for my third I don't know whether to do maths or psychology. I don't know what I want to do in the future, so which one would be better?

Both would give you more options in the future, but maths will probably give you slightly more in the STEM field - particularly at top universities. This is because for some STEM subjects and/or at certain universities, they require two STEM subjects, which psychology isn’t always classed as. It’s quite course dependent but ultimately, maths would leave you with more options.

However, maths isn’t a subject that you should just take for the sake of it. It gets quite complicated at A level and many people will find the transition difficult, particularly when you get to Year 13 content. I personally don’t do maths, so this isn’t me speaking from personal experience (rather observation and conversation with others), but I am studying psychology. The content isn’t that difficult to grasp but there is a lot of it. I know that history is also quite content heavy and with chemistry it depends on the exam board. I wouldn’t typically advise doing more than two content heavy subjects, as you may find the workload quite overwhelming, however, if you have an interest in psychology and you like the look of the content for your specification, I would go with that if you aren’t so certain on your mathematical abilities. You still have until enrolment (most schools even let you change subjects after you start) to make up your mind, but for now, I would look at a) the specifications for chemistry and psychology that your sixth form offers and b) some degrees and universities (assuming you want to go to university) to help you navigate your choices better, in the event that a course you’re interested in requires certain subjects. Best of luck to you :smile:
Original post by bibachu
Both would give you more options in the future, but maths will probably give you slightly more in the STEM field - particularly at top universities. This is because for some STEM subjects and/or at certain universities, they require two STEM subjects, which psychology isn’t always classed as. It’s quite course dependent but ultimately, maths would leave you with more options.
However, maths isn’t a subject that you should just take for the sake of it. It gets quite complicated at A level and many people will find the transition difficult, particularly when you get to Year 13 content. I personally don’t do maths, so this isn’t me speaking from personal experience (rather observation and conversation with others), but I am studying psychology. The content isn’t that difficult to grasp but there is a lot of it. I know that history is also quite content heavy and with chemistry it depends on the exam board. I wouldn’t typically advise doing more than two content heavy subjects, as you may find the workload quite overwhelming, however, if you have an interest in psychology and you like the look of the content for your specification, I would go with that if you aren’t so certain on your mathematical abilities. You still have until enrolment (most schools even let you change subjects after you start) to make up your mind, but for now, I would look at a) the specifications for chemistry and psychology that your sixth form offers and b) some degrees and universities (assuming you want to go to university) to help you navigate your choices better, in the event that a course you’re interested in requires certain subjects. Best of luck to you :smile:

Thank you so much! I would probably find psychology more interesting and it's something that I want to learn.
Maths, I've heard is hard but i've been getting 8's and some 9's ever so often so I think I could get the hang of it plus i've started doing further maths. Im genuinely just so stuck, If I could, i'd do both but that's way too much. My sixth form lets you change in like the first 3 weeks from starting so I could pick all 4 of the options and drop either maths or psychology.
Original post by arianagrikyte
Thank you so much! I would probably find psychology more interesting and it's something that I want to learn.
Maths, I've heard is hard but i've been getting 8's and some 9's ever so often so I think I could get the hang of it plus i've started doing further maths. Im genuinely just so stuck, If I could, i'd do both but that's way too much. My sixth form lets you change in like the first 3 weeks from starting so I could pick all 4 of the options and drop either maths or psychology.

Starting off with 4 then dropping one sounds like a good plan. Again, you’ve got ages to decide so don’t put too much pressure on yourself for now :smile:

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