A-level choices!

5

I have picked A-levels in chem,bio and psych, because i enjoy them however i also really enjoy english literature but don’t know if 4 A-levels will be too big a workload. For some context I have 9s in chem and bio at gcse and a 7 in english literature simply cause i missed a lot of school at the time we initially studied the texts, i am really passionate about literature, it is probably my favourite subject, however it doesn’t contribute to my goals in the medical field as much as chem and bio do so idk if i should take lit or not :frown:

Reply 1

Starclimber888

2

Original post

by miamoo200

I have picked A-levels in chem,bio and psych, because i enjoy them however i also really enjoy english literature but don’t know if 4 A-levels will be too big a workload. For some context I have 9s in chem and bio at gcse and a 7 in english literature simply cause i missed a lot of school at the time we initially studied the texts, i am really passionate about literature, it is probably my favourite subject, however it doesn’t contribute to my goals in the medical field as much as chem and bio do so idk if i should take lit or not :frown:

If you want to study Medicine than definitely go for Bio and Chem as many Universities want those as subjects. For your third subject, id always go for the subject you would enjoy the most. There is no need to do 4, its honestly overkill, and chances are you can drop performance in the other 3 subjects. 3 top grades are better than 4 mediocre grades.

A levels are hard as they are. You have to be strategic. Honestly apart from medicine, most universities for many degrees do not care about the subjects, more the grades. And if all doesn't go to plan, there are always places in clearing.

You need to weigh your options, would you rather study the subjects you enjoy or the ones you need, career wise. I enjoyed English Lit at GCSE but hated it at A level, i do wish if i could go back in time, that i had picked another subject. If you really love English Lit, regardless of what your GCSE grade is, and are willing to put in the effort to be a high achiever, then go for it. However, if you believe that Physics will be the better subject to excel in and you can get the grades for your desired Uni then pick that. You know yourself better than anyone and only you can put in the effort to excel regardless of the subject.

Bio, chem and physics are very hard subjects to take together, so your going to have to study A LOT if you really want to make it in medical. I would also suggest to gain some experience while you can, build your CV, do some volunteering so you can stand out from the crowd. The job market is getting more and more ridiculous, so make sure you have a good head start for when you've graduated and are looking for some work.

This is coming from a Law postgraduate who now works for the Government. Success takes time and things don't always go the way we hope but just keep going, you'll find your way and will end up exactly where you need to be. But don't lose your spark in the process. One solid advice is, do not do 4 A levels. 3 will keep you busy, trust me. Enjoy your bank holiday weekend! 🙂

Reply 2

miamoo200

OP

5

Original post

by sweetsunshinee

If you want to study Medicine than definitely go for Bio and Chem as many Universities want those as subjects. For your third subject, id always go for the subject you would enjoy the most. There is no need to do 4, its honestly overkill, and chances are you can drop performance in the other 3 subjects. 3 top grades are better than 4 mediocre grades.
A levels are hard as they are. You have to be strategic. Honestly apart from medicine, most universities for many degrees do not care about the subjects, more the grades. And if all doesn't go to plan, there are always places in clearing.
You need to weigh your options, would you rather study the subjects you enjoy or the ones you need, career wise. I enjoyed English Lit at GCSE but hated it at A level, i do wish if i could go back in time, that i had picked another subject. If you really love English Lit, regardless of what your GCSE grade is, and are willing to put in the effort to be a high achiever, then go for it. However, if you believe that Physics will be the better subject to excel in and you can get the grades for your desired Uni then pick that. You know yourself better than anyone and only you can put in the effort to excel regardless of the subject.
Bio, chem and physics are very hard subjects to take together, so your going to have to study A LOT if you really want to make it in medical. I would also suggest to gain some experience while you can, build your CV, do some volunteering so you can stand out from the crowd. The job market is getting more and more ridiculous, so make sure you have a good head start for when you've graduated and are looking for some work.
This is coming from a Law postgraduate who now works for the Government. Success takes time and things don't always go the way we hope but just keep going, you'll find your way and will end up exactly where you need to be. But don't lose your spark in the process. One solid advice is, do not do 4 A levels. 3 will keep you busy, trust me. Enjoy your bank holiday weekend! 🙂

thank you!

Reply 3

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

19

Original post

by miamoo200

I have picked A-levels in chem,bio and psych, because i enjoy them however i also really enjoy english literature but don’t know if 4 A-levels will be too big a workload. For some context I have 9s in chem and bio at gcse and a 7 in english literature simply cause i missed a lot of school at the time we initially studied the texts, i am really passionate about literature, it is probably my favourite subject, however it doesn’t contribute to my goals in the medical field as much as chem and bio do so idk if i should take lit or not :frown:

Could you just stick with the 3 subjects- then do an literature related topic in an EPQ.

Reply 4

miamoo200

OP

5

Original post

by Emma:-)

Could you just stick with the 3 subjects- then do an literature related topic in an EPQ.

sadly my sixth-form doesn’t offer EPQs💞

Reply 5

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

Original post

by miamoo200

I have picked A-levels in chem,bio and psych, because i enjoy them however i also really enjoy english literature but don’t know if 4 A-levels will be too big a workload. For some context I have 9s in chem and bio at gcse and a 7 in english literature simply cause i missed a lot of school at the time we initially studied the texts, i am really passionate about literature, it is probably my favourite subject, however it doesn’t contribute to my goals in the medical field as much as chem and bio do so idk if i should take lit or not :frown:

Biology and chem are all thats needed for medicine so taking literature as a third should be fine for most unis, unless they require a third stem subject but the only example i know of that is Cambridge and they dont accept psych as science subject anyhow for med.

Reply 6

LancashireRep5

Official Rep

9

Original post

by miamoo200

I have picked A-levels in chem,bio and psych, because i enjoy them however i also really enjoy english literature but don’t know if 4 A-levels will be too big a workload. For some context I have 9s in chem and bio at gcse and a 7 in english literature simply cause i missed a lot of school at the time we initially studied the texts, i am really passionate about literature, it is probably my favourite subject, however it doesn’t contribute to my goals in the medical field as much as chem and bio do so idk if i should take lit or not :frown:

Hey there,

My name is Siobhan and I am a third year student at the Univercity of Central Lancashire. It's great to see that you're reaching out and I completely understand your situation. I took 4 A-levels and an EPQ at sixth form and also tried to apply for medicine so here's some honest things that I would consider/recommend:

•

Doing 4 A-levels can be a lot, as it will mean that you will have a much busier time table compared to others in your year and will have to do more work at home. I remember only having 2 free periods a week compared to my friends who had around 4-5. You will get more workload during the week too which can take some adjusting to do but is manageable if you can organise yourself.

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If you are applying to do medicine, you will need to do an earlier application on UCAS and dedictate a good amount of time to revise for the UCAT, which might fall around the time of your mocks, so organisation is key. You will need to do an interview for any medical profession and so this is another to consider if you are planning to do 4 A-levels, as you will need to be able to prioritise your time accordingly.

•

If you are doing A-level Chemistry and Biology, then you might not need to do psychology and can do English Literature. I would check on UCAS, as for medicine you typically need Chemistry and another science, which may be psychology or biology. So this might mean that English Literature will be accepted. Each uni is different though and so it would be good to read the specifications.

•

If you do 4 A-levels and struggle to balance this, then you can always drop one and still have enough to get into Uni. I ended up dropping Chemistry, which meant I couldn't do medicine. But, because I had done 4, I still had enough after dropping one to get me into a uni and do physiotherapy. If you drop one a subject that is not Chemistry and meet the requirements to get in then you can still go into the medical field.

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I would have a dicussion with your school career advisor if you have one to explore this in more depth as they can give you an honest overview of what the expectation of workload is and what their advise in based on your GCSE grades (well done on these btw)

Hope this helps, and please let me know if I can help you further in any way 🙂

Siobhan (Student Ambassador for the Univeristy of Central Lancashire)

A-level choices!

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