A levels help!!

I was looking at radiography as a year 11 applying for sixthform. I was thinking of A levels psychology and biology but I am unsure on a third one. I’m not fully 1000% convinced on radiography however it is one of the more courses I am leaning towards, I have also thought about Paediatric nursing and teaching. I was wondering what A level would be easy but also useful to accompany Pyschology and Biology therefore I can have as many options open as possible when I’m looking for uni courses to enroll in? I’ve been told A LOT to do business alongside these 2 but I just don’t think that will help me as I’m not looking for anything business related. I have also been told to look into English lit a lot, I was thinking of this as I’ve been told it could help if I do decide on teaching but I just feel like it contrasts with biology a lot as one is more healthcare and the other is very teaching and more on the calmer side in comparison to radiography and such. Does anyone know what I should do?! (All suggestions of a levels which help broaden options are appreciated) !

Reply 1

username6480599

0

4

An a level that is good for radiography and nursing is A level chemistry and would fit in with your other a levels plus most universities like it if your looking for a degree in healthcare, however if your REALLY into radiography by the time year 12 starts i would recommend physics, besides you can always change your subject in the first month of year 12 anyway

Reply 2

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

22

Original post by naima.19

I was looking at radiography as a year 11 applying for sixthform. I was thinking of A levels psychology and biology but I am unsure on a third one. I’m not fully 1000% convinced on radiography however it is one of the more courses I am leaning towards, I have also thought about Paediatric nursing and teaching. I was wondering what A level would be easy but also useful to accompany Pyschology and Biology therefore I can have as many options open as possible when I’m looking for uni courses to enroll in? I’ve been told A LOT to do business alongside these 2 but I just don’t think that will help me as I’m not looking for anything business related. I have also been told to look into English lit a lot, I was thinking of this as I’ve been told it could help if I do decide on teaching but I just feel like it contrasts with biology a lot as one is more healthcare and the other is very teaching and more on the calmer side in comparison to radiography and such. Does anyone know what I should do?! (All suggestions of a levels which help broaden options are appreciated) !

How broad do you want to keep your options?

Radiography (therapeutic or diagnostic by the way?) only requires one science A Level e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths
Paediatric nursing doesn't require specific A Level subjects, and you can do a conversion course at postgrad level.
Teaching (bachelor's with QTS) doesn't require specific A Level subjects, and you can do a PGCE with an undergrad in any subject.

Personally, if I want to be strategic, I would try to pick a subject that isn't too content heavy unless you need it. Biology will require a lot of memorisation and covers a lot of content, so it will require a lot of time.
I would also pick a subject that's a required subject for a number of degrees - this will depend on what fields you want to go into. Required subjects include: Mathematics, Further Mathematics, English Literature, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, History, Languages (Classical and Modern) (see: https://www.mathscareers.org.uk/degree-courses-a-level-mathematics/)
Should I decide to change course and do something completely different, I would then also pick a subject that allows me not have to fork over an arm and a leg should I need to do further A Levels privately e.g. all the sciences come with practical assessments which can cost £1000-1500 outside of college; Art, Geography, and English Lit all have NEAs which is a complete pain to find an exam centre to cater for.

If I want to be extra strategic, I would then look at the job requirements for the specific careers that I would be interested in, and see if they indeed require a degree for the role; if they do require a degree, does the degree need to be recognised by specific professional bodies, etc.
Job profiles can be found from the following:
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/sectors
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/sectors

If you want really general idea, I would pick chemistry or physics as my third, based on the above. If for any reason you decide to take on further A Levels, you can usually do Maths and FM without fussing over NEAs. For degrees in English lit, some degrees in geography, and some in history, you can get away without doing the subjects at A Level - helpful since they have NEAs. This leaves degrees involving languages - whilst I would always opt to do official language certificates and travel to a different country to learn languages skipping over the language degrees (not required for jobs other than possibly teaching in schools), if you are absolutely compelled to do a degree involving languages or classics then you would have no other option but to pick the appropriate subject.

Biology + Chemistry combo is often asked for in degrees involving life sciences, healthcare, and some science related degrees (e.g. environmental sciences).

If not, sociology is a good pick since it goes well with psychology. For alternative subjects, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Advanced_Level_subjects

Business, whilst is a good foundation if you want to start your own business one day, isn't strictly required or mandatory for any course or purpose outside of college. Even if you studied the subject, it won't give you an edge in applying for business related roles (if you tell managers what the business theory is and how they should do their job, you would have a very short tenure). If you ever want to do a business related degree, the A Level would provide you with a good enough substitute for what you would have learned, so you would only do the degree if you want to go into academia or business related research.

Reply 3

X.243llie

18

Sociology. I actually did psychology, sociology and biology A levels. I applied for radiography and got in. 3 weeks found out I couldn't do it for health reasons and now doing a education degree. So with those subjects you can do both easily.

Reply 4

normaw

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

19

Original post by naima.19

I was looking at radiography as a year 11 applying for sixthform. I was thinking of A levels psychology and biology but I am unsure on a third one. I’m not fully 1000% convinced on radiography however it is one of the more courses I am leaning towards, I have also thought about Paediatric nursing and teaching. I was wondering what A level would be easy but also useful to accompany Pyschology and Biology therefore I can have as many options open as possible when I’m looking for uni courses to enroll in? I’ve been told A LOT to do business alongside these 2 but I just don’t think that will help me as I’m not looking for anything business related. I have also been told to look into English lit a lot, I was thinking of this as I’ve been told it could help if I do decide on teaching but I just feel like it contrasts with biology a lot as one is more healthcare and the other is very teaching and more on the calmer side in comparison to radiography and such. Does anyone know what I should do?! (All suggestions of a levels which help broaden options are appreciated) !

Taking biology and psych will easily satisfy the entry requirements for most AHP and nursing courses. Your third choice can be anything. What do you enjoy and think you would do well in? Don't just take a subject that you don't like to 'keep your options open' as this can often result in a lower grade.

A levels help!!

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you