what should i pick for my alevels?

hi !! im in year 11 and ive started applying to sixth forms, and ive started to pick the alevels i want.
ideally, i wanted to pick 3 creative subjects and an epq, since its always been my goal to go down a creative route (specifically in either graphic design or post production in films). i also really excel in these subjects, as i currently do media and art, and consistently get the top grades and im predicted 9s.
ive applied to 3 sixth forms so far - two of which ive applied to do media, art and english literature.
i really do not want to do english, even though i’m good at it, but my parents don’t seem on board with me “putting all my eggs in the same basket” as they say ^^”
in the last sixth form option i have, ive chosen to do art, media and graphic communications plus an epq. im really passionate and excited about choosing graphics, since it isnt offered anywhere else near me. obviously, my parents want me to do english instead.
i was wondering if its fine that i want to do all these creative subjects? my plan for after alevels is to either do a year 14 course at a film college, or an art foundation, and then i plan to go to an art university in london, probably to study graphic design or something similar, or perhaps a film school if i end up preferring that route.
i don’t see the use in doing english if i’m only considering it a “backup” of sorts, especially if i’m missing out on another course i would really like to take.
however, i’m open to suggestions in case i’m making a super horrible decision haha !!
thank u sm, would really appreciate some advice :’)

Reply 1

jasmineva3128

14

I think you should do what you want and pick Graphic Communication, especially because it's a potential career path.

Reply 2

username7522787

0

5

You have great plans. As long as the Alevels you do would allow you to meet the entry requirements for the art unis and film schools you are interested in (whether you do a foundation year or not). It is possible that some of these might prefer English to the graphic communication as English is a more traditional/standard subject - however this is unlikely.
If you are predicted all 9s, you may end up wanting to apply to some top unis - so take a look at the very highest reach, just to see (including which Alevel subjects are preferred by the unis as a whole, not just for the course).
Alevels are of course hard with much content and it does really help if you choose subjects you are personally most passionate about...Good luck!

Reply 3

meowmeowkat

4

Original post by 79Arabella

You have great plans. As long as the Alevels you do would allow you to meet the entry requirements for the art unis and film schools you are interested in (whether you do a foundation year or not). It is possible that some of these might prefer English to the graphic communication as English is a more traditional/standard subject - however this is unlikely.
If you are predicted all 9s, you may end up wanting to apply to some top unis - so take a look at the very highest reach, just to see (including which Alevel subjects are preferred by the unis as a whole, not just for the course).
Alevels are of course hard with much content and it does really help if you choose subjects you are personally most passionate about...Good luck!

thank you so much! this is really helpful :smile:

Reply 4

Muttley79

20

Original post by ciarawrs

hi !! im in year 11 and ive started applying to sixth forms, and ive started to pick the alevels i want.
ideally, i wanted to pick 3 creative subjects and an epq, since its always been my goal to go down a creative route (specifically in either graphic design or post production in films). i also really excel in these subjects, as i currently do media and art, and consistently get the top grades and im predicted 9s.
ive applied to 3 sixth forms so far - two of which ive applied to do media, art and english literature.
i really do not want to do english, even though i’m good at it, but my parents don’t seem on board with me “putting all my eggs in the same basket” as they say ^^”
in the last sixth form option i have, ive chosen to do art, media and graphic communications plus an epq. im really passionate and excited about choosing graphics, since it isnt offered anywhere else near me. obviously, my parents want me to do english instead.
i was wondering if its fine that i want to do all these creative subjects? my plan for after alevels is to either do a year 14 course at a film college, or an art foundation, and then i plan to go to an art university in london, probably to study graphic design or something similar, or perhaps a film school if i end up preferring that route.
i don’t see the use in doing english if i’m only considering it a “backup” of sorts, especially if i’m missing out on another course i would really like to take.
however, i’m open to suggestions in case i’m making a super horrible decision haha !!
thank u sm, would really appreciate some advice :’)

Looks a great plan to me [mum and teacher]

Reply 5

jayks

6

Original post by ciarawrs

hi !! im in year 11 and ive started applying to sixth forms, and ive started to pick the alevels i want.
ideally, i wanted to pick 3 creative subjects and an epq, since its always been my goal to go down a creative route (specifically in either graphic design or post production in films). i also really excel in these subjects, as i currently do media and art, and consistently get the top grades and im predicted 9s.
ive applied to 3 sixth forms so far - two of which ive applied to do media, art and english literature.
i really do not want to do english, even though i’m good at it, but my parents don’t seem on board with me “putting all my eggs in the same basket” as they say ^^”
in the last sixth form option i have, ive chosen to do art, media and graphic communications plus an epq. im really passionate and excited about choosing graphics, since it isnt offered anywhere else near me. obviously, my parents want me to do english instead.
i was wondering if its fine that i want to do all these creative subjects? my plan for after alevels is to either do a year 14 course at a film college, or an art foundation, and then i plan to go to an art university in london, probably to study graphic design or something similar, or perhaps a film school if i end up preferring that route.
i don’t see the use in doing english if i’m only considering it a “backup” of sorts, especially if i’m missing out on another course i would really like to take.
however, i’m open to suggestions in case i’m making a super horrible decision haha !!
thank u sm, would really appreciate some advice :’)

i did film, english, and economics at alevel and am now studying filmmaking with a focus on postproduction at university and i think it would be extremely detrimental if you were to only pick creative subjects. first of all, the course load is far larger than gcse, and you would be completely overloaded and would burn out very quickly. secondly, you need a backup. its really good you have these plans for after alevels, but you need a backup course in case you are not able to achieve them, or you need to pivot very quickly. my high school teachers told me to pick a course i like (film), a course i'm good at (english), and a useful course (economics). if you leave alevels with an extremely small and defined skill set centered only around creative subjects, you will be extremely set back if something bad happened that causes a change of plans. i do sincerely believe it would be a good idea if you were to do english.

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 6

aspalax

Universities Forum Helper

12

I did Graphics, Art, English Lit - a fairly common combo, as it goes. I did have the option for taking a creative course as that final option but coursework demand is heavy for both art and graphics - having a subject you can coast a bit with, especially around deadlines (i.e. are good at generally) will really help you meet the demands of the coursework heavy creative subjects. I got A* (art) A (graphics) B (English) A (EPQ) in the end- and I think my B in English is what propped up my grades everywhere else as I really needed the time to dedicate to my creative subjects (that were my main passion).

I would also consider how much unique learning you will get from the three subjects - personally I found both art and graphics to be practice first, teaching second - and there wasn't much unique learning I got from doing one vs the other - although obviously people will have very different experiences of that. I think while I didn't directly use my english lit A level for anything (I went on to study a creative subject at university that was also very coursework heavy) It has helped me overall, for writing as part of my degree and now writing documentation as part of my day job. Obviously I didn't need to do English A level for that, but it was a different skill that has later been useful to me, as opposed to just creating more work, which is what I imagine doing another similar coursework subject would've been like.

I would say, though, I was pretty neutral about the idea of doing English for my last A level choice, I had no real strong feelings about it. I actually originally applied for computer science(!) but my teacher basically told me he didn't think I could do the A level (a story for another day), so I switched to English last minute. I think if you really don't want to do it, there's no point forcing your way through it.

(edited 1 month ago)

what should i pick for my alevels?

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