a level choices

i'm a week away from picking my a level choices and know that i will be taking chem and maths but i can't decide on my third. my choices are bio, physics and geography. i like geography as a subject and i'm indifferent about physics but not a fan of biology. I'm planning on taking either architecture or pharmacy /chemical engineering at uni. i don't want to take a subject that's completely irrelevant to my course and do not want to be at a disadvantage when applying to unis because i have taken an irrelevant subject, I also do not want to take biology and struggle with the bio chem maths combo (as i heard a level biology is particularly hard?). Also, if i do not take a level art will i be at a disadvantage for architecture? ( i take gcse textiles but i'm not taking a level art)
THANKS XX

I once heard “the best architects are artists”. My sister wants to go into architecture so I have been helping her do some research for alevels, and many universities require art alevel to do an architecture degree. Although not compulsory, think about how it would help if you were interested in and capable of working with the experience from an art alevel from a creative perspective/experience that the alevel course gives you. As for the other options, chemical engineering often asks for one or two of maths, chemistry and physics so keep that in mind if you want to go into an engineering field. As for pharmacy, biology will be a huge part of the course and think how if you aren’t keen on biology now, a degree where it has a high emphasis on biological aspects may be a struggle to find interest/ motivation etc. alevel biology as you rightly said is a huge commitment and if you aren’t passionate about it then it’s highly likely you will find yourself unmotivated and swamped in work that you hate. My advice is to find a couple of target universities that you like the look of, and see which alevels they require to do what. Unis will hardly ever have three alevel requirements - it will usually be eg. Maths and once of the following : physics, DT, chemistry, economics etc etc (engineering example). So in my eyes no alevels are pointless or “irrelevant” as you can (most of the time) have a third choice that you know you can get a high grade in because you enjoy it. A**A**C/D including biology may not be chosen over A**A**A** with a different subject. From what you’ve posted, geography seems like the best bet, and a couple of people I know do that combination of maths chem and geography. I want to go into mechanical engineering and because I did my research back in year 11 I knew that the univesities I would love to go to require maths (compulsory) and one of chem or physics or other random subjects, and nothing else is required to do the course. This way I knew I could pick a third subject based off of what I really enjoyed and knew I could get a high grade in - maths physics and business studies! I wish you all the best for your options but go with your interests because that’s going to get you further than if you don’t and just burn out because of lack of enjoyment and motivation. Good luck!

Bio chem maths is the most popular A-level combo. Physics A-level is much much harder than GCSE in my opinion, and I'd avoid taking it, however, with Maths alongside Physics, it's not a bad option. For chemical engineering or pharmacy, Biology is better. For architecture, geography or physics is better, but honestly, I don't think it makes a huge difference for most universities, as long as you have Maths and Chem for chemical engineering and Maths for Architecture i believe. I'm more thinking about how you can link your subjects to your course when you write your personal statement. A level bio is very specific about how you word things for mark schemes, but should be fine with good revision and memorisation. From my experience, Physics has a lot more applied questions, rather than recalling facts. It also has much more maths questions which is helpful since you're taking maths. Also, remember with Geography that you'll have to write an NEA, which is a long coursework project, so if you don't like coursework that's also something to consider. I wouldn't say you're at a disadvantage if you don't take Art, but I'd look at course requirements at different unis to find out. I have a friend applying to Architecture with Product Design, Maths and Physics. She has 4/5 offers (Cambridge rejection). At the end of the day, take everything what I say with a grain of salt. I may be wrong and I think this is very opinionated. Maybe look at the specs of the subjects you wanna study to find out more about if you'd enjoy the modules or not. I also may not be very accurate with what I'm saying, but I hope my opinions were somewhat useful

i'm a week away from picking my a level choices and know that i will be taking chem and maths but i can't decide on my third. my choices are bio, physics and geography. i like geography as a subject and i'm indifferent about physics but not a fan of biology. I'm planning on taking either architecture or pharmacy /chemical engineering at uni. i don't want to take a subject that's completely irrelevant to my course and do not want to be at a disadvantage when applying to unis because i have taken an irrelevant subject, I also do not want to take biology and struggle with the bio chem maths combo (as i heard a level biology is particularly hard?). Also, if i do not take a level art will i be at a disadvantage for architecture? ( i take gcse textiles but i'm not taking a level art)
THANKS XX

Bio chem maths is the most popular A-level combo. Physics A-level is much much harder than GCSE in my opinion, and I'd avoid taking it, however, with Maths alongside Physics, it's not a bad option. For chemical engineering or pharmacy, Biology is better. For architecture, geography or physics is better, but honestly, I don't think it makes a huge difference for most universities, as long as you have Maths and Chem for chemical engineering and Maths for Architecture i believe. I'm more thinking about how you can link your subjects to your course when you write your personal statement. A level bio is very specific about how you word things for mark schemes, but should be fine with good revision and memorisation. From my experience, Physics has a lot more applied questions, rather than recalling facts. It also has much more maths questions which is helpful since you're taking maths. Also, remember with Geography that you'll have to write an NEA, which is a long coursework project, so if you don't like coursework that's also something to consider. I wouldn't say you're at a disadvantage if you don't take Art, but I'd look at course requirements at different unis to find out. I have a friend applying to Architecture with Product Design, Maths and Physics. She has 4/5 offers (Cambridge rejection). At the end of the day, take everything what I say with a grain of salt. I may be wrong and I think this is very opinionated. Maybe look at the specs of the subjects you wanna study to find out more about if you'd enjoy the modules or not. I also may not be very accurate with what I'm saying, but I hope my opinions were somewhat useful

i'm a week away from picking my a level choices and know that i will be taking chem and maths but i can't decide on my third. my choices are bio, physics and geography. i like geography as a subject and i'm indifferent about physics but not a fan of biology. I'm planning on taking either architecture or pharmacy /chemical engineering at uni. i don't want to take a subject that's completely irrelevant to my course and do not want to be at a disadvantage when applying to unis because i have taken an irrelevant subject, I also do not want to take biology and struggle with the bio chem maths combo (as i heard a level biology is particularly hard?). Also, if i do not take a level art will i be at a disadvantage for architecture? ( i take gcse textiles but i'm not taking a level art)
THANKS XX

If you're not a fan of bio, I don't recommend taking it. It's much more difficult than what people think and you need an interest in it to get through A levels (in my opinion, as a biology student)

i'm a week away from picking my a level choices and know that i will be taking chem and maths but i can't decide on my third. my choices are bio, physics and geography. i like geography as a subject and i'm indifferent about physics but not a fan of biology. I'm planning on taking either architecture or pharmacy /chemical engineering at uni. i don't want to take a subject that's completely irrelevant to my course and do not want to be at a disadvantage when applying to unis because i have taken an irrelevant subject, I also do not want to take biology and struggle with the bio chem maths combo (as i heard a level biology is particularly hard?). Also, if i do not take a level art will i be at a disadvantage for architecture? ( i take gcse textiles but i'm not taking a level art)
THANKS XX

Tricky decision. Looking at it, the dilemma is that bio slightly more for the chem eng/pharm and physics architecture. You can only really keep options open by picking 4. However - Bio has a lot of content. In year 13 there will be masses to learn. This is fine - if you enjoy it, and are focussing on 3 Alevels.
Physics and maths go well together and so if you like maths and are good at it - and architecture really interests you, then go for this. Physics works for most engineering courses.

The only thing is that many people change what they want to do at uni in year 12. You might want to go for something completely different. If you aren't passionate about any of these uni courses yet - then consider the subject you are strongest in, like the most, enjoy reading about and if relevant - has the best teachers at your school

i'm a week away from picking my a level choices and know that i will be taking chem and maths but i can't decide on my third. my choices are bio, physics and geography. i like geography as a subject and i'm indifferent about physics but not a fan of biology. I'm planning on taking either architecture or pharmacy /chemical engineering at uni. i don't want to take a subject that's completely irrelevant to my course and do not want to be at a disadvantage when applying to unis because i have taken an irrelevant subject, I also do not want to take biology and struggle with the bio chem maths combo (as i heard a level biology is particularly hard?). Also, if i do not take a level art will i be at a disadvantage for architecture? ( i take gcse textiles but i'm not taking a level art)
THANKS XX

Tricky decision. Looking at it, the dilemma is that bio slightly more for the chem eng/pharm and physics architecture. You can only really keep options open by picking 4. However - Bio has a lot of content. In year 13 there will be masses to learn. This is fine - if you enjoy it, and are focussing on 3 Alevels.
Physics and maths go well together and so if you like maths and are good at it - and architecture really interests you, then go for this. Physics works for most engineering courses.
The only thing is that many people change what they want to do at uni in year 12. You might want to go for something completely different. If you aren't passionate about any of these uni courses yet - then consider the subject you are strongest in, like the most, enjoy reading about and if relevant - has the best teachers at your school

what exam board do you do? Is bio a mix of plant and human biology? because i don't mind human biology