Help - A level choices !

I need advice on A-level subject choices as I’m unsure about my future career. My main goal is Oxbridge for English or Psychology (if possible) or Medicine at any good university. My school doesn’t offer Psychology A-level. I love English, Biology, and Physics but dislike Maths and Chemistry.
I know Physics without Maths is difficult, and Biology without Chemistry may limit my options for Medicine. I’ve chosen Biology, Chemistry, and English but worry about the workload and getting top grades, which are crucial for a strong university application. I’m also quite disorganised and tend to leave studying until the last minute.
Would you recommend this subject combination, or should I reconsider? Any personal experiences, regrets, or advice on subject choices and future prospects?

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 1

Logic1

12

Original post by Bubolina08

I need advice on A-level subject choices as I’m unsure about my future career. I love English, Biology, and Physics but dislike Maths and Chemistry. I know Physics without Maths can be difficult, and Biology without Chemistry may limit my options for Medicine (which was my initial goal). I've currently chosen Biology, Chemistry, and English, but I’m worried about the workload and achieving top grades. I'm also quite disorganised and tend to leave studying until the last minute. Would you recommend this combination? Do you have any personal experiences, regrets, or advice?

Do pick bio and chem for med and one other science related. I do 5 a levels which are bio chem maths physics and physco. I am telling you do not pick physics . Pick maths instead of it at a level. Bio and chem are not so related as u think but deffo recommend u pick it at a level. Physics might seem easy but the grade Booundaires are not that high meaning it’s hard to get a good grade in it. You must be an expert at maths so that is why pick maths over physics.

So my advice bio chem maths or bio chem physco if u like English for physco

Reply 2

Bubolina08

OP

4

Original post by Logic1

Do pick bio and chem for med and one other science related. I do 5 a levels which are bio chem maths physics and physco. I am telling you do not pick physics . Pick maths instead of it at a level. Bio and chem are not so related as u think but deffo recommend u pick it at a level. Physics might seem easy but the grade Booundaires are not that high meaning it’s hard to get a good grade in it. You must be an expert at maths so that is why pick maths over physics.
So my advice bio chem maths or bio chem physco if u like English for physco

Thank you for your advice! Unfortunately, my school doesn’t offer Psychology, though I do find it interesting as a university degree. Out of all my subjects, English is my favorite, and I also want to keep my options open to study it at a top university in case I struggle with the sciences. I know it’s an unusual and somewhat illogical combination, but I’m really torn between both paths. Do you think this mix would put me at a disadvantage, or do you have any advice on balancing science and humanities?

Reply 3

Logic1

12

Original post by Bubolina08

Thank you for your advice! Unfortunately, my school doesn’t offer Psychology, though I do find it interesting as a university degree. Out of all my subjects, English is my favorite, and I also want to keep my options open to study it at a top university in case I struggle with the sciences. I know it’s an unusual and somewhat illogical combination, but I’m really torn between both paths. Do you think this mix would put me at a disadvantage, or do you have any advice on balancing science and humanities?

I think the options u have bio chem and English lit are totally accepted if u want to do medicine. For unis like Edinburgh they discourage this but you can still apply for an English or physco degree. But I do recommend if there is no physco stick with bio chem and English lit

Reply 4

hmn123

9

Hi! Look at university websites and see what their entry requirements are for the areas you wish to do in Uni. That can help you narrow down which A levels you want to do.
If you are considering medicine, you should definitely do Biology and Chemistry. Having English as your third A-Level should not limit you at all I think. In terms of workload, personally, I think all A-Levels are just as hard as each other so it's something you can't really avoid. Try starting to get organised now so when it comes to college it is easier for you to be more organised!

Reply 5

JiyaForensicSci

Official Rep

6

Original post by Bubolina08

I need advice on A-level subject choices as I’m unsure about my future career. My main goal is Oxbridge for English or Psychology (if possible) or Medicine at any good university. My school doesn’t offer Psychology A-level. I love English, Biology, and Physics but dislike Maths and Chemistry.
I know Physics without Maths is difficult, and Biology without Chemistry may limit my options for Medicine. I’ve chosen Biology, Chemistry, and English but worry about the workload and getting top grades, which are crucial for a strong university application. I’m also quite disorganised and tend to leave studying until the last minute.
Would you recommend this subject combination, or should I reconsider? Any personal experiences, regrets, or advice on subject choices and future prospects?

Hi Bubolina08,

If you want to study English as a degree, I would do the following for A-level,

•

English Language

•

English Literature

•

Art or Drama (if you want to get creative)

For psychology, that all depends on preference & will be quite difficult considering your school doesn't offer A-level psychology. For A-levels, I would do:

•

Biology

•

Sociology

•

Philosophy

For medicine, you would need to study the following:

•

Biology

•

Chemistry

•

Maths OR Physics

Let me know if this helps.

Kind regards,
Jiya Mahmood
Forensic Medical Science Year 2
University of Bradford Student Room Rep

Reply 6

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

11

Original post by Bubolina08

I need advice on A-level subject choices as I’m unsure about my future career. My main goal is Oxbridge for English or Psychology (if possible) or Medicine at any good university. My school doesn’t offer Psychology A-level. I love English, Biology, and Physics but dislike Maths and Chemistry.
I know Physics without Maths is difficult, and Biology without Chemistry may limit my options for Medicine. I’ve chosen Biology, Chemistry, and English but worry about the workload and getting top grades, which are crucial for a strong university application. I’m also quite disorganised and tend to leave studying until the last minute.
Would you recommend this subject combination, or should I reconsider? Any personal experiences, regrets, or advice on subject choices and future prospects?

Hi @Bubolina08,

English, Biology and Chemistry is a good mix of subjects; Biology and Chemistry as a combination should meet the subject requirements for most medicine courses, and yet they both still complement English if you decide to pursue Psychology instead.

I studied both English Literature and Chemistry at A-Level and liked both subjects. From my experience, Chemistry will need structured and fairly frequent revision, but I found English Lit was quite calm in that respect and didn't need too much. I always found it nice to have at least one essay-writing subject alongside STEM subjects - it offers you much more of a balance mentally, and means you're not getting too weighed down either way. 🙂

Best of luck with your A-Levels in the future!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Help - A level choices !

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