Taking A-level biology but applying for history at university?

I did biology, chemistry and history A Levels and am now in my first year of university studying BA History. I picked two science A Levels because I was interested in science and wondered if I would do a biomedical science degree. I picked history A Levels because I loved it. I ended up picking a history degree because I realised I hate practicals.
So far, I haven’t had any issue with my modules. While I haven’t done a module specifically focused on political history yet, most of my Britain module this semester was and I haven’t found it difficult. Everyone has done different subjects at A Level, some may not have done history. There will also be international students who know very little about UK politics. While you may have to search up what a word or two means, that isn’t very much and you will also be doing modules where you have no/very little underlying knowledge for that week. On my modules this semester was on global history, where at least half of it was Islamic history and exploration in Africa and Asia. I knew nothing about that, but the readings and general research were very effective. No one has made fun of me for my subject choices. In fact, we barely talk about what someone studied at A Levels or what grades people got.
In terms of your concerns about Biology A Level generally, I did OCR A and got a grade A in the exam. I’ve found that lots of practice questions (In the two years, I did every AS paper probably more than once and did most of the A Level papers). Just a useful note, make sure you leave some papers you haven’t touched for just before the actual A Levels. Also, make sure you are very strict with the mark scheme, don’t think that I almost got and so I will give myself the mark as you won’t get it in the real thing. Also, your teachers should be there to help, if they are not, try asking someone else in the department.
Hope this helps
Feel free to ask me more questions

I'm feeling really unsure about a decision I've made and would love some advice.
I’m planning to study history at university, but I really enjoyed science at GCSE and wanted to take one science subject at A-level. So, I decided to take A-level Biology alongside History and English Literature.
Now, I’m worried I’ve made a bad choice and should have picked something more directly relevant to my degree. I almost swapped to Politics because I find it interesting in both in history and outside of school. However, I didn’t really enjoy the Politics A-level itself, so I stuck with Biology.
Even though I did well in my first mock (A/A*) I’m anxious that I’ll regret taking Biology because of how specific the mark schemes are, and that peers, my teachers and universities might judge me or make fun of my subject choice. I'm also worried that I'll struggle without the in depth knowledge of politics you'd get from the A-level at university level, and that I'll find it hard to do political history modules in comparison to my peers who did.
What do you think?

Thank you. Do you ever regret taking biology? That’s my main concern rn. I’m worried if I stuck to politics I would’ve liked it more, and then I’ll regret taking biology….

I’m just very scared and I’m not sure why. I’m deeply scared of regret and making decisions feels impossible and no matter what I feel like I regret them…

In life, there will always be decisions you regret. But you are doing A Levels that you enjoy by the sounds of it and know what you want to do at university (though of course you can change it).
I had some people during A Levels ask why I was doing my combination, but when I said I enjoyed sciences, they were fine. A lot of universities like to have one science with humanities or a humanities with two sciences as it gives you varying skills. Accept and enjoy the decision you have made.

In life, there will always be decisions you regret. But you are doing A Levels that you enjoy by the sounds of it and know what you want to do at university (though of course you can change it).
I had some people during A Levels ask why I was doing my combination, but when I said I enjoyed sciences, they were fine. A lot of universities like to have one science with humanities or a humanities with two sciences as it gives you varying skills. Accept and enjoy the decision you have made.

I’ve never regretted taking biology. Have I wondered whether I enjoy politics yes, have I gotten annoyed at the appalling teacher I had in year 13 yes, but I have never regretted it.
I really enjoyed biology, I found it gave me other skills. I sometimes think that at A Level, I would get a bit bored having solely humanities, essay, reading based subjects. My science based subjects gave me a different place. I was taught analytical skills, learnt new statistics techniques (not that I’ll ever use them again) and generally enjoyed it.
A Levels are a stepping stone to university and a career, but they should also be fun. If you want to do a history degree, you are already doing the possible prerequisite of history. The others don’t really matter as long as you get a good grade. The one thing to be aware of is more Russel Group universities want a pass in practical endorsement.
You’ll do better in your subjects if you accept and enjoy them, than trying to do politics when you clearly don’t like it at A Level. I wasn’t interested in doing politics at A Level, now I am interested in political history and want to enter the Civil Service after university. So your feelings may change when it is not so structured.
Hope this helps

Thank you, that’s made me feel a bit better. But, I still can’t figure out why I’m so hung up on politics, I mean I didn’t even like it, but it feels like I should have?
People told me: if you love history, you’ll love politics. You’ll literally be studying history happening rn, and get in depth knowledge about political systems and ideologies. But, it practice, I found it boring…which I feel bad saying because I usual like learning no matter what it is, but I did nothing for me. idk why but for me It just lost the mystery and intrigue of what makes English lit and history my favourite subjects. With History, I wasn’t living in the 1800s, so to speculate about politics then is fascinating for me because there is mystery to it. But, with politics, I can just turn on the tv and find out, there’s not as much mystery because I’m living through it. But, even though biology is nothing like the humanities, for me it still has that intrigue and mystery. I learn one thing, and then I start to wonder ‘how does this work?’ And then when I learn that, I want to know more and more. The mystery is just endless with science!
The annoying thing is though is that I’m still
Interested in politics, just not the way it was being taught. I think maybe I liked my idea of politics more than the reality of it. I expected it to be just like studying history. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very similar content and exam wise, but, for me, speculating about politics like in history wasn’t nearly as rewarding. I’d much rather speculate politics during the Cold War than discuss Kamala Harris and Abortion Rights. Something about politics being in the past is just much more interesting to me, but politics now just make me depressed lol.

Plus, I really like the research elements of all my subjects. For history and English I’ll have coursework, which I’m really really excited for because I loved doing it for Drama GCSE. And, biology has the practical which I also really love doing. Every-time I do them I think about what it was like for those scientists throughout history when they made their discoveries, and that when they made them they didn’t know the impact their discoveries would have. And when I use a microscope, I always think of the man who made the microscope. But, politics is just exams, which in my opinion is no fun, all essay subject should have coursework.
Once again, maybe I’m just a weirdo. But, I remember someone telling me to look for elements of history you like in other subjects. And, I’ve always loved science and its impact on literature and history, I just think it’s fascinating. At GCSE I did ‘medicine through time’ as one of my options, and it was very interesting.

I’ve never regretted taking biology. Have I wondered whether I enjoy politics yes, have I gotten annoyed at the appalling teacher I had in year 13 yes, but I have never regretted it.
I really enjoyed biology, I found it gave me other skills. I sometimes think that at A Level, I would get a bit bored having solely humanities, essay, reading based subjects. My science based subjects gave me a different place. I was taught analytical skills, learnt new statistics techniques (not that I’ll ever use them again) and generally enjoyed it.
A Levels are a stepping stone to university and a career, but they should also be fun. If you want to do a history degree, you are already doing the possible prerequisite of history. The others don’t really matter as long as you get a good grade. The one thing to be aware of is more Russel Group universities want a pass in practical endorsement.
You’ll do better in your subjects if you accept and enjoy them, than trying to do politics when you clearly don’t like it at A Level. I wasn’t interested in doing politics at A Level, now I am interested in political history and want to enter the Civil Service after university. So your feelings may change when it is not so structured.
Hope this helps

I’m just very scared and I’m not sure why. I’m deeply scared of regret and making decisions feels impossible and no matter what I feel like I regret them…

hi this was super helpful! I am in a similar situation as i've been trying to decide whether to drop bio or politics. my other subjects are english lit and rs. I like bio more but i wasnt doing great at the start of the year so idk (i have done a lot better in my most recent exam tho), lmk if u have any advice on how to pick 🙂

I didn't have to pick 4 and drop 1 at my sixth form. Though I did do maths for about 4 weeks as a 4th before dropping it.
There is a balance between picking a subject you enjoy and picking one you will get a good grade on. So if you enjoyed biology and were averaging an E, but enjoyed politics less and were averaging an A, there it is a more straightforward answer. Though if it was silly mistakes that you know you don't do at any other time, then it is more variable.
However, you said you enjoy biology and are doing better now. Biology takes a while to learn the questions and the mark schemes. I'd say make sure you understand where you have been going wrong. Are you struggling to understand the content or are you struggling to answer the questions in the way the mark scheme wants. Answering to the mark scheme will come with time and practice.
Think about what you want to do after A Levels. If you want to go into a politics degree, politics A Level may be helpful. Other than that, I think you are fine. You have two heavily written subjects so can write essays and then may have a science subject for other skills.
Overall, it should be based on what you enjoy more, but with caveats based on grades or future plans.