Latin or Further Maths for A-level?
Hi guys, this is one of my first posts on here so please let me know if I've missed out anything important!
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
Reply 1
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sHi guys, this is one of my first posts on here so please let me know if I've missed out anything important!
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
Further maths is a great A level, but super difficult and quite time-consuming. You want the least time-consuming A level since you will need to invest loads of time into UCAT prep, uni applications, etc. On the other hand, taking further maths makes you really good at maths, and massively increases your chances of getting an A* or an A. Medicine has pretty high entry requirements, so you can see why this would be an advantage.
I do further maths but have never studied Latin before, so I can’t advise you on that. It sounds incredibly cool though, and if I had the option, I would take Latin.
Have you considered what subject you might be more excited to see on your timetable when you start A levels? Opening a timetable and seeing quadruple maths on a Thursday is the idea of pure hell for some people (yes, quadruple maths! 4 hours of maths back-to-back).
Best of luck for GCSEs!
Reply 2
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sHi guys, this is one of my first posts on here so please let me know if I've missed out anything important!
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
Why do you wanna do 4?
Neither Latin nor FM will specifically be of any benefit when applying to medicine so just choose which you have the best chance of getting an A or A* in. Also as above there's no benefit in doing 4 as you don't score "extra points" (I think there's maybe one medical school that still does - QUB maybe? I forget) for doing extra A-levels beyond 3.
Also learning Latin grammar and syntax isn't going to help you learn Latinate nomenclature in anatomy or similar. That's just memorisation. Knowing how to form I don't know, the Latin future active participle for a hundred verbs or so is of no relevance or use to medicine...although I'm very firmly in favour of people studying ancient languages I think you really do need to do it only if you have a genuine interest in the language itself (and texts written in it).
Also learning Latin grammar and syntax isn't going to help you learn Latinate nomenclature in anatomy or similar. That's just memorisation. Knowing how to form I don't know, the Latin future active participle for a hundred verbs or so is of no relevance or use to medicine...although I'm very firmly in favour of people studying ancient languages I think you really do need to do it only if you have a genuine interest in the language itself (and texts written in it).
Reply 4
Original post
by DerDracologeWhy do you wanna do 4?
Some people genuinely just like a lot of subjects. I loved too many subjects at GCSE and it was already terrible having to narrow it down to 4 + EPQ, let alone 3. The workload is intense though.
Reply 5
Original post
by nwarSome people genuinely just like a lot of subjects. I loved too many subjects at GCSE and it was already terrible having to narrow it down to 4 + EPQ, let alone 3. The workload is intense though.
Im aware that some people feel like this but im not sure if that’s the case for the OP, they seem to want to do 4 for the sake of doing 4 which isnt a good idea
Reply 6
No, I want to do 4 because I really like pretty much all of the subjects I'm taking. I appreciate the workload is going to be a lot, but I'm prepared for it and I think I can manage them.
Thanks for all the feedback, I especially liked the point about considering what I'd want to see on my time table, which actually hadn't crossed my mind!
I wouldn't be doing either A-level just to boost my uni application, I'd be doing them out of love for the subjects involved. I love languages but I also love maths, so I'm just trying to find the right balance. Of all the languages I take, Latin is probably my favourite which is why I'm considering it, I also dislike the French and Spanish courses and the method in which they're assessed.
Thanks for all the feedback, I especially liked the point about considering what I'd want to see on my time table, which actually hadn't crossed my mind!
I wouldn't be doing either A-level just to boost my uni application, I'd be doing them out of love for the subjects involved. I love languages but I also love maths, so I'm just trying to find the right balance. Of all the languages I take, Latin is probably my favourite which is why I'm considering it, I also dislike the French and Spanish courses and the method in which they're assessed.
Reply 7
Original post
by artful_loungerNeither Latin nor FM will specifically be of any benefit when applying to medicine so just choose which you have the best chance of getting an A or A* in. Also as above there's no benefit in doing 4 as you don't score "extra points" (I think there's maybe one medical school that still does - QUB maybe? I forget) for doing extra A-levels beyond 3.
Also learning Latin grammar and syntax isn't going to help you learn Latinate nomenclature in anatomy or similar. That's just memorisation. Knowing how to form I don't know, the Latin future active participle for a hundred verbs or so is of no relevance or use to medicine...although I'm very firmly in favour of people studying ancient languages I think you really do need to do it only if you have a genuine interest in the language itself (and texts written in it).
Also learning Latin grammar and syntax isn't going to help you learn Latinate nomenclature in anatomy or similar. That's just memorisation. Knowing how to form I don't know, the Latin future active participle for a hundred verbs or so is of no relevance or use to medicine...although I'm very firmly in favour of people studying ancient languages I think you really do need to do it only if you have a genuine interest in the language itself (and texts written in it).
I'm aware that learning actual Latin isn't going to help with the parts of the body, as much as I wish it would! Taking Latin would be much more of a labour of love than a serious attempt to take something that will really impact my career.
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sI'm aware that learning actual Latin isn't going to help with the parts of the body, as much as I wish it would! Taking Latin would be much more of a labour of love than a serious attempt to take something that will really impact my career.
Well if you like Latin for itself, by all means take it.
Reply 9
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sNo, I want to do 4 because I really like pretty much all of the subjects I'm taking. I appreciate the workload is going to be a lot, but I'm prepared for it and I think I can manage them.
Thanks for all the feedback, I especially liked the point about considering what I'd want to see on my time table, which actually hadn't crossed my mind!
I wouldn't be doing either A-level just to boost my uni application, I'd be doing them out of love for the subjects involved. I love languages but I also love maths, so I'm just trying to find the right balance. Of all the languages I take, Latin is probably my favourite which is why I'm considering it, I also dislike the French and Spanish courses and the method in which they're assessed.
Thanks for all the feedback, I especially liked the point about considering what I'd want to see on my time table, which actually hadn't crossed my mind!
I wouldn't be doing either A-level just to boost my uni application, I'd be doing them out of love for the subjects involved. I love languages but I also love maths, so I'm just trying to find the right balance. Of all the languages I take, Latin is probably my favourite which is why I'm considering it, I also dislike the French and Spanish courses and the method in which they're assessed.
Also if you enjoy essay-writing and languages, there’s a strong argument to be made about taking Latin so you can keep that thing you love. I took 3 STEM + 1 arts subject as someone who loved essays and regret it because I miss reading texts, analysing them, writing essays, etc.
Reply 10
Ok, thanks guys (I'm using that as a gender neutral term btw please don't cancel me)
I really value the advice, I think I'm going to take Latin to keep going with a language subject I love.
I really value the advice, I think I'm going to take Latin to keep going with a language subject I love.
Reply 11
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sOk, thanks guys (I'm using that as a gender neutral term btw please don't cancel me)
I really value the advice, I think I'm going to take Latin to keep going with a language subject I love.
I really value the advice, I think I'm going to take Latin to keep going with a language subject I love.
Why not consider an EPQ - far more useful than a 4th A level.
Many schools won't allow 4 A levels unless the 4th is F Maths.
Original post
by Bundle0fN3rv3sHi guys, this is one of my first posts on here so please let me know if I've missed out anything important!
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
I'm in Y11 and a UK student going to a state school. I want to be a doctor and read medicine, so I have to do Chemistry. Which is fine. I like Chemistry. I would love to do Biology, which is good because I imagine it's pretty important for being a doctor and the same with Maths, which apparently will also help with Chemistry(?).
My dilemma is that I really want to take a fourth A-level, but I can't decide whether it should be Further Maths or Latin. For context, my predicted grades are:
English lit - 9
English lang - 9
Maths - 9 (I'm also doing the FSMQ offered by OCR but they don't give us predicteds for that)
Biology - 9
Chemistry - 9
Physics - 9
French - 9
Spanish - 9
Latin - 9
History - 9
Drama - 8
So my question is which would be better for me to take? I know I'd love doing both, I have friends doing both and I have teachers I like teaching both, so it's really a question of which one is going to get me further. Some arguments I've heard:
Further Maths is incredibly difficult so by doing it I prove that I'm capable academically
Latin is a language and something a bit different so by doing it I prove that I'm well-rounded
Latin is an essay based subject so by doing it I prove that I can still write essays
Loads of body parts have Latin names so it will definitely help with them (this reasoning feels a bit questionable)
Could someone either please give me a really good reason to do one of them or do a really bad job of pitching either one? Both would help me make a decision!
Thanks and sorry for the really long post. (I don't know if I'm meant to do a TLDR or what, this is a bit new to me)
Hi, I am a first year engineering student who did Further Maths A level and can't recommend it highly enough, it is a really fun subject that provides a lot of difficult challenges to overcome over the 1/2 years of the subject. It also helps develop a sense of critical thinking and problem solving that is critical at university and will help with application to university in a competitive subject like medicine. If you are worried about it not being an essay subject may I recommend looking into doing an EPQ (extended project qualification) as this allows you to an AS equivalent subject where you research, write, reference and present an essay based on a university module on a subject area of your choice. However I am sure you will pick the correct courses for you and you do not need to rush this descion.
Hope this helps
Dan - Student Ambassador
Reply 13
I study further maths and French (not the same but still, a language) and I love both subjects. Both further maths and modern or ancient languages are well respected, difficult subjects but neither facilitate medicine in particular, so I'd say choose the one you enjoy more. As for 3 or 4 A levels, even though you don't need to, I think everyone should start with 4 A-levels because you can always drop one if there's one you don't like or if the workload is too much
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Which a levels
- How much is the step up between GCSE and each A-level subject?
- Geography or latin A-level?
- Is self-studying AS Latin in 2 years feasible/worth it?
- Help me pick my GCSE subjects: Medicine, Economics, PPE, CompSci
- GCSE revision
- French A-Level or Further Maths A-Level?
- Dia’s Year 11 2024-2025 💎
- Reapply for maths degree
- A levels for Chemical engineering
- Exeter College, Oxford - Student with higher IQ than Stephen Hawking gets 23 A-levels
- Cambridge offers for 4 Alevels
- 9 9s + 3 8s at GCSE, Predicted 3A*s - Ask me anything!
- Eton College Orwell Award
- physics for medicine (esp oxbridge)
- Cambridge World of Words 2025
- Official Year 10 Chat Thread 2025-26
- A-level choices help?
- { GYG y11 🫠🫠}
- A-Level choices confliction?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 months ago
UCAT in 6 weeks..but my father wants me to learn ALL year 13 content!?!?!?Last reply 3 months ago
A Level+ Results Day 2025 Countdown thread - UCAS Hub is open #BeResultsProudLast reply 4 months ago
Further Maths Edexcel Grade Boundaries 2025 - CP1 CP2 FM1 FS1Last reply 4 months ago
LNAT Warning – Don’t Waste Your Time (or Money) on Arbitio!!!Last reply 4 months ago
Will I be predicted A*??? BIOLOGY plsss replyLast reply 4 months ago
How do I convince my teacher to let me take A-levelsArticles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
