A Level Options

Hii
I want to go into medicine, and I'm aiming for Oxford, King's, Queens (unis), and I definitely want to take maths, biology, and chemistry for a level, but I really want to take a fourth - I just don't know which subject

For my fourth subject, I'm debating between psychology (which I know would fit the best with my other subjects) , sociology, and politics

My only worry is that if I take sociology or politics, the unis I want to go to for medicine may take my application less seriously

I'm kind of worried about psychology being too difficult because one of my friends in the year above is always complaining about it being horrible 😭

For medicine, I'm especially interested in units like neurology, and I've briefly gone over the spec for psych, and there's something called biopsychology, which seems really interesting, and from gcse sociology, I really enjoyed research methods, which I know also appears in psych a level.

Sociology is currently my favourite subject at gcse because i find it really interesting and my teacher is super nice😭, and I feel like I'll really regret it if I don't do it at A Level

Politics has always been a passion of mine, especially international relations, and before looking into medicine, I used to want to be a political journalist, and I feel like I'd really enjoy it at a level

Will choosing Maths, Biology, Chemistry, and (Psychology, Sociology or Politics) damage my medicine uni application? I know psychology definitely won't, but I fear unis will think I'm less serious of a candidate if I do a slightly 'unrelated' a level

sorry if this is kinda waffle-y 😭 but I'd appreciate any help

Reply 1

consecutive-goal

No, as long as you take maths, bio, chem, they won't care about your fourth subject. Sociology is probably the easiest of the three if you're worried about workload. Politics and psychology have a lot more content that could be difficult to balance alongside 3 other A-Levels. At the end of the day, pick what interests you most, it won't affect your application.

Reply 2

amber456s

Original post

by unlitredecitrons

Hii
I want to go into medicine, and I'm aiming for Oxford, King's, Queens (unis), and I definitely want to take maths, biology, and chemistry for a level, but I really want to take a fourth - I just don't know which subject
For my fourth subject, I'm debating between psychology (which I know would fit the best with my other subjects) , sociology, and politics
My only worry is that if I take sociology or politics, the unis I want to go to for medicine may take my application less seriously
I'm kind of worried about psychology being too difficult because one of my friends in the year above is always complaining about it being horrible 😭
For medicine, I'm especially interested in units like neurology, and I've briefly gone over the spec for psych, and there's something called biopsychology, which seems really interesting, and from gcse sociology, I really enjoyed research methods, which I know also appears in psych a level.
Sociology is currently my favourite subject at gcse because i find it really interesting and my teacher is super nice😭, and I feel like I'll really regret it if I don't do it at A Level
Politics has always been a passion of mine, especially international relations, and before looking into medicine, I used to want to be a political journalist, and I feel like I'd really enjoy it at a level
Will choosing Maths, Biology, Chemistry, and (Psychology, Sociology or Politics) damage my medicine uni application? I know psychology definitely won't, but I fear unis will think I'm less serious of a candidate if I do a slightly 'unrelated' a level
sorry if this is kinda waffle-y 😭 but I'd appreciate any help

I took bio, chem, physics and French and managed to get in. Just pick which subject you like most!

Reply 3

AF2Dr

You've already got Bio/Chem/Maths, so I can't see it making much of a difference either way.

Reply 4

McGinger

2025 Entry requirements fir each UK Med School - Entry requirements | Medical Schools Council
If there is no 'preferred' 3rd subject (check the Uni's own website) then it can literally be any subject.

Useful Mooc - Applying for Medical School - Online Course - FutureLearn

Reply 5

E3Psych

Unis typicay focus primarily on your three best subjects/three subjects that are most relevant to the course you’re taking, so I personally would advise against taking four as it’s a LOT of added stress with very little benefit.

However, as someone who also studies psychology alongside bio and chem, I’d say that psychology is a nice fit for the subjects you’re wanting to study. I find that there’s some overlap between parts of biopsychology and the biology content, and psychology will also improve your essay writing abilities (which is useful for biology paper 3!!)

Best of luck, happy to answer any questions :smile:

Reply 6

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by unlitredecitrons

Hii
I want to go into medicine, and I'm aiming for Oxford, King's, Queens (unis), and I definitely want to take maths, biology, and chemistry for a level, but I really want to take a fourth - I just don't know which subject
For my fourth subject, I'm debating between psychology (which I know would fit the best with my other subjects) , sociology, and politics
My only worry is that if I take sociology or politics, the unis I want to go to for medicine may take my application less seriously
I'm kind of worried about psychology being too difficult because one of my friends in the year above is always complaining about it being horrible 😭
For medicine, I'm especially interested in units like neurology, and I've briefly gone over the spec for psych, and there's something called biopsychology, which seems really interesting, and from gcse sociology, I really enjoyed research methods, which I know also appears in psych a level.
Sociology is currently my favourite subject at gcse because i find it really interesting and my teacher is super nice😭, and I feel like I'll really regret it if I don't do it at A Level
Politics has always been a passion of mine, especially international relations, and before looking into medicine, I used to want to be a political journalist, and I feel like I'd really enjoy it at a level
Will choosing Maths, Biology, Chemistry, and (Psychology, Sociology or Politics) damage my medicine uni application? I know psychology definitely won't, but I fear unis will think I'm less serious of a candidate if I do a slightly 'unrelated' a level
sorry if this is kinda waffle-y 😭 but I'd appreciate any help

HI @unlitredecitrons,

First of all, your subject combo of Maths, Biology, and Chemistry already ticks all the essential boxes for medicine, so you’ve got a strong foundation there. The great news is that your fourth A-level won’t damage your medicine application at all, especially since most unis only require Chemistry and usually Biology, and a lot of applicants apply with just three.

For your fourth, unis like Oxford, King’s, and Queen’s will honestly just want to see that you’ve done well in your core science subjects. Subjects like Psychology, Sociology, and Politics are all perfectly acceptable as a fourth option, they won’t make you look less serious in the slightest. Loads of med applicants do a non-science A-level to balance out their workload or because it’s something they genuinely enjoy, and that’s completely fine (and even a good thing, it shows you’re well-rounded).

Now, about choosing between them:

•

Psychology is definitely the most "related" to medicine in terms of content (especially with things like biopsychology and mental health), and it might give you useful context, especially since you're interested in neurology. That said, A-level Psychology is content-heavy and sometimes more challenging than people expect – but if the topics interest you, it might not feel like a chore.

•

Sociology sounds like something you genuinely enjoy, and that matters. If you love it now, there’s a good chance you’ll stay motivated through A-levels, and you can always make links to medicine through topics like health inequalities, public health, etc. It’s not a "soft" subject – and no, I don't think it will make your application weaker.

My advice is probably just go with the subject you genuinely enjoy the most. You'll be spending a lot of time on it, and if you choose something you find interesting, you'll naturally be more motivated to revise and do well. Whether it’s psych, soc, or politics, your application is only going to be judged on your performance in your key subjects, predicted grades, UCAT/BMAT, and your interview performance, not whether your fourth A-level was “sciencey” enough.

All the best!
Danish
BCU Student Rep

Reply 7

unlitredecitrons

Original post

by BCU Student Rep

HI @unlitredecitrons,
First of all, your subject combo of Maths, Biology, and Chemistry already ticks all the essential boxes for medicine, so you’ve got a strong foundation there. The great news is that your fourth A-level won’t damage your medicine application at all, especially since most unis only require Chemistry and usually Biology, and a lot of applicants apply with just three.
For your fourth, unis like Oxford, King’s, and Queen’s will honestly just want to see that you’ve done well in your core science subjects. Subjects like Psychology, Sociology, and Politics are all perfectly acceptable as a fourth option, they won’t make you look less serious in the slightest. Loads of med applicants do a non-science A-level to balance out their workload or because it’s something they genuinely enjoy, and that’s completely fine (and even a good thing, it shows you’re well-rounded).
Now, about choosing between them:

•