Should i do 4 A levels?

4

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

Reply 1

ibzxfr

3

i say do it, worst case scenario you can just drop the 4th later on

Reply 2

consecutive-goal

9

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

I personally don’t think it’s worth the extra workload. If you want to do it for another month or two before you decide to narrow it down, that’s fine, but I wouldn’t recommend doing 4 A-Levels since it’s very unnecessary. It could even put you at a disadvantage as you will be having to juggle another A-Level while competing against people who are only taking 3. If you’re really passionate about it and feel like you can handle it, go for it, but I say you should drop one.

Reply 3

LancashireRep3

Official Rep

9

Hey there!

I think I’ve responded to a similar thread before but from my experience, I would try and make sure you have the core ones (like you do) and then you can always drop the physics after the first year if you are finding it too much!
A lot of places don’t mind whether you do 3 or 4 A-Levels so if you feel like it would be a lot of work to get those top grades, I would suggest doing 3 and focusing on them!

It is definitely worth trying to get some work experience in medicine as well as this might help you decide what you want to do long term!

-Rebecca, University of Central Lancashire ambassador

Reply 4

Afeef Khan

12

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

Hey man,
Amazing choices, and I'd say go for it! I do 4 A levels (Bio, Chem, Maths and Further Maths) and an EPQ, and it was definitely hard for me in the beginning, especially the homework, but I got used to it and adjusted my timetable accordingly. However, since you really love Physics, maybe consider replacing the Biology with Further Maths which really helps you as quite a few topics overlap between Further Maths and Physics. I know a lot of people doing Phys, Chem, Maths and Further Maths so its not an uncommon choice.

Reply 5

Phelena

13

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

If you enjoy the subject and are good at it (you are), you should study it.

If you aren't getting A*s after a few months, then you can drop Physics or only do the AS, but until then there's no reason to worry.

Reply 6

solitary-dispute

17

I'm also thinking to do 4 a levels as I'm doing double maths. Do you think I should do 4 a levels or just do double maths and another subject?

Reply 7

nwar

Study Forum Helper

14

Original post

by solitary-dispute

I'm also thinking to do 4 a levels as I'm doing double maths. Do you think I should do 4 a levels or just do double maths and another subject?

If you’re doing further maths, definitely start with 4 to keep your options open. Lots of people drop FM because it’s a lot of maths and if you start with 3, you have no way to drop it.

Reply 8

solitary-dispute

17

Original post

by nwar

If you’re doing further maths, definitely start with 4 to keep your options open. Lots of people drop FM because it’s a lot of maths and if you start with 3, you have no way to drop it.

Thanks for the advice

Reply 9

conorbones

9

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

I get you bro, the hunger to understand natural science comprehensively and feeling drawn into different careers. I recommend just taking them all, and you’ll know what you want in y12 and can drop at the end of the year.

your mock grades are promising, and doing all sciences simultaneously helps (when developing problem solving, and eg bio questions on chemistry)

do note if you want to pursue physics or engineering at the highest level, you should take further maths. i didnt have add maths igcse, still taking it now and doing well. also, if you got a 9 at igcse physics, AT LEAST AS physics will be a breeze. goodluck!

Reply 10

bananabread08

10

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

Dont do 4 A levels your teachers are right. It will be a complete waste of time as you don't need a 4th subject, and you could be doing other things such as supercurriculars to boost your uni application. If you're really unsure then I'd advise you to start with 4 and drop one a couple weeks in

Reply 11

mideallday

7

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

I can't talk for this combo exactly, but my friend is doing basically the exact same combo, just with computer science instead of physics. The workload is definitely a lot more intense, and one thing neither of us really considered is that 4 a levels could mean that you get basically no frees. I still thinks that most of the advice mentioned above is worth listening too, but I would still consider how you'd feel about that before you start your a levels.

Reply 12

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

19

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

How about starting with 4 to see how you go.
You can then drop one within the first few weeks (whichever is your weakest).
You could carry on with all 4 if you get on alright and think you can.

Reply 13

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

Hi there!

I would focus on picking subjects suitable for Medicine or Physics. Picking 4 A-Levels and then dropping one might be more ideal so you get a taste of all A-levels and therefore what your future career may look like. You can also combine physics with something healthcare related - biotech, biophysics or bioengineering are great examples of this. I would also say that you need to focus on a quality not quantity approach. 4 A-levels are not necessary for most uni's. It is better to have AAB than ABBB.

Any more questions, let me know!

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

Reply 14

peripheral-grade

5

My friend did this combination and be wants to go into medicine asw. Whilst it's good if you want to go into stem, please don't underestimate physics. It really can't be taken as an 'extra' subject, and if you're planning to drop it anyways I don't really see the reason for taking it in the first place, especially since a lot of physics courses would also like to see FM. Taking 4 a levels is not really a big problem, but the subjects youre taking makes a bigger difference imo.

Reply 15

hhahahaahah

10

Original post

by Barbievampire_

I'm really torn on which A levels options to pick. I know i want to pursue something STEM related in the future but currently I'm really unsure what to do. I am considering taking the medicine pathway or a more Physics related pathway which is why I chose Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for my A level. If i do all 4 then every option hat i would possibly consider would be open to me. Realistically speaking, if I were to drop 1 subject i'd probably drop Physics as i could imagine myself pursuing something health related more but i really do not want to do that. I genuinely want to study Physics at A levels since i find it really interesting; especially quantum physics and astronomy. I also don't want to regret not having piked Physics at A level. So right now i'm just thinking of picking all 4 options and then dropping one once I've at least experienced it so that ill have zero regrets or just continue doing all 4 of them if i can manage. Every single teacher of mine tells me its too much and that i shouldn't do it which is really making me doubt myself. I just love science and i want to learn all aspects of it. I told myself if i can manage to get all 9's in all of my a level options then i'd pick them. So long story short, i'm unsure if i should listen to those around me and just stick to 3 A levels or if i should just take a leap and pick 4? If someone has done some of these A level options please do give me your advice it would be really appreciated. My current grades from my most recent mock exams are as followed:
Biology: 9
Chemistry: 9
Physics: 9
Maths: 8.

oml i was lit in the same boat as u a year ago. i got all 9s for gcses so i thought why not take the challenge of doing 4 alevels. for ref, i wanna go into med and i did really well for physics so i thought why not cuz it was the easiest science in gcse.
im doing maths, bio, chem, physics for my alevels and i deeepppply regret taking physics alevel. its the worst thing ever. Soooo much more difficult than gcses (this applies for all alevels tbf) and i have my AS exam for phsyics u1 tmrw but all the past papers ive done, ive never gotten an A for physcs. I'll probably drop physics for y13 cuz i have epq anyways which is a shame cuz all the good topics are in A2 (quantum and astro).
Not to be like discouraging cuz tbf maybe i got too cocky and didn't put in as much effort as i did (i value my sleep and social life) but this combo is definitely hard and u have to be ready from day one of y12.
good luck!!

Reply 16

StephenUjunwa

13

Unless it's further maths no and AAAA is worse than A*AA

Reply 17

Barbievampire_

OP

4

Original post

by hhahahaahah

oml i was lit in the same boat as u a year ago. i got all 9s for gcses so i thought why not take the challenge of doing 4 alevels. for ref, i wanna go into med and i did really well for physics so i thought why not cuz it was the easiest science in gcse.
im doing maths, bio, chem, physics for my alevels and i deeepppply regret taking physics alevel. its the worst thing ever. Soooo much more difficult than gcses (this applies for all alevels tbf) and i have my AS exam for phsyics u1 tmrw but all the past papers ive done, ive never gotten an A for physcs. I'll probably drop physics for y13 cuz i have epq anyways which is a shame cuz all the good topics are in A2 (quantum and astro).
Not to be like discouraging cuz tbf maybe i got too cocky and didn't put in as much effort as i did (i value my sleep and social life) but this combo is definitely hard and u have to be ready from day one of y12.
good luck!!

Omg thank you so much for your reply. I’ve been wanting to hear a response from someone who’s experienced it so that I can get a true insight of what I should do. I think I’ll probably not pick physics and just study it maybe on the side. The fact that quantum and Astro are the two topics in most interested in and are also both in year 13 as well😭😭

Reply 18

carmine23

10

Hey! you sound like me a year ago haha, I’m currently in year12 studying bio, chem, physics and maths, having achieved 9999 at gcse, i was in the same situation, wanting to pursue medicine but having a passion for physics. i’m currently predicted A*A*A*A (A in physics) and i would encourage you to go for it! a level physics is very interesting and it makes maths so much easier (and vice versa), however, it is a LOT of work to do well in these subjects, and personally, as someone who found chem harder than physics at gcses, i find physics to be much harder than all of my other subjects, it requires a lot of dedication to succeed in, especially with other intensive subjects as well. Honestly though, it is definitely doable if you’re willing to put in a lot of time and effort.
feel free to ask me anything :smile:

Reply 19

hhahahaahah

10

Original post

by Barbievampire_

Omg thank you so much for your reply. I’ve been wanting to hear a response from someone who’s experienced it so that I can get a true insight of what I should do. I think I’ll probably not pick physics and just study it maybe on the side. The fact that quantum and Astro are the two topics in most interested in and are also both in year 13 as well😭😭

ofccc!! obviously like be realistic w ur choices, if u think u can put in the effort for a good predicted, go for it! (fern7 above seemed to managed the same subjects better than i can 😭 so it's defo achievable)

Should i do 4 A levels?

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