A levels Spanish vs history

3

I’m having a rlly hard time deciding between the two 😔 for Spanish i love my teacher so much and i know he would help me get a good grade, i also like the subject
For history i adore the subject but ive been hearing horror stories so im scared the workload would be too much alongside my other two: bio and chem
It doesn’t matter which one because either way im applying to med but - is it better to go for the one i would enjoy and find easier (Spanish) or go for the one that fascinates me but the workload would be tough for (history)?

Reply 1

McGinger

20

Go for the subject that you will enjoy the most and where you feel confident of that all important 3rd A grade.

Reply 2

HManFr123

6

Original post

by chickenc

I’m having a rlly hard time deciding between the two 😔 for Spanish i love my teacher so much and i know he would help me get a good grade, i also like the subject
For history i adore the subject but ive been hearing horror stories so im scared the workload would be too much alongside my other two: bio and chem
It doesn’t matter which one because either way im applying to med but - is it better to go for the one i would enjoy and find easier (Spanish) or go for the one that fascinates me but the workload would be tough for (history)?

Hi, I'm a y13 student that just did all my Spanish exams, and in y11 I had a similar decision to make like yourself. However, after suffering from 6th form I can confirm that you should only pick Spanish if you thoroughly enjoy it, and like/are good at English lit. I loved Spanish in GCSE, but it got a lot harder in y12 and 13, and also turned into what felt like GCSE English lit but in Spanish, as you have to analyse a book and a play as part of your paper 2, and write an essay on them.

I have a friend who took Spanish, English AND History, and whenever I looked at him, he was always studying, so take that into consideration too. Although the work amount may seem harsh or large at first, you soon realise that the main subjects that everyone takes have lots of content naturally anyways. If you're applying to med, first of all, good luck with GCSE's and everything, I was going to, but messed up my UCAT and so didn't. TBH if I were my personal opinion is to choose Spanish, simply bc there's less content than history and also its a nice break to revise than heavy subjs like bio and chem (which fry ur brain). My sister did A-level French and got into medicine for uni as well!

But finally, ofc choose whatever you want, in the end you'll be crying and wondering "I wonder what my life would be like had I chosen this subject" anyways LOL.

Reply 3

Flower2007!

14

Original post

by HManFr123

Hi, I'm a y13 student that just did all my Spanish exams, and in y11 I had a similar decision to make like yourself. However, after suffering from 6th form I can confirm that you should only pick Spanish if you thoroughly enjoy it, and like/are good at English lit. I loved Spanish in GCSE, but it got a lot harder in y12 and 13, and also turned into what felt like GCSE English lit but in Spanish, as you have to analyse a book and a play as part of your paper 2, and write an essay on them.
I have a friend who took Spanish, English AND History, and whenever I looked at him, he was always studying, so take that into consideration too. Although the work amount may seem harsh or large at first, you soon realise that the main subjects that everyone takes have lots of content naturally anyways. If you're applying to med, first of all, good luck with GCSE's and everything, I was going to, but messed up my UCAT and so didn't. TBH if I were my personal opinion is to choose Spanish, simply bc there's less content than history and also its a nice break to revise than heavy subjs like bio and chem (which fry ur brain). My sister did A-level French and got into medicine for uni as well!
But finally, ofc choose whatever you want, in the end you'll be crying and wondering "I wonder what my life would be like had I chosen this subject" anyways LOL.

hey after your UCAT what did you change your choice to? x

Reply 4

HManFr123

6

Original post

by raz0nk

hey after your UCAT what did you change your choice to? x

Hey, so I never really had an immense passion about any course, and I ultimately narrowed it down to smth in healthcare (hence why the obvs pick of tryna do medicine). However after 2 months of my life wasted on UCAT, I just decided on Pharmacy, as I really enjoyed that as well as medicine when I did work experience. Now my problem is tryna meet my conditional offer for it (which may or may not be happening and I might have to resit Chem).

Reply 5

Chronically-in

2

Original post

by chickenc

I’m having a rlly hard time deciding between the two 😔 for Spanish i love my teacher so much and i know he would help me get a good grade, i also like the subject
For history i adore the subject but ive been hearing horror stories so im scared the workload would be too much alongside my other two: bio and chem
It doesn’t matter which one because either way im applying to med but - is it better to go for the one i would enjoy and find easier (Spanish) or go for the one that fascinates me but the workload would be tough for (history)?

Hi, I'm a current year 12 who takes both. For context, my course is French revolution - wars of the roses and Russia and it's rulers, and for Spanish we do volver and la casa de Bernarda alba. History has definitely got a tough workload, and I've found that I have to turn out essays relatively quickly. It's really interesting though, and I've improved a lot in essay writing and the analytical stuff. Spanish is great, it's very cultural and you still get to write essays so you're developing some of the same skills. There is a historical element, where we looked into Franco but that's pretty basic for my exam board. Spanish you've got to be comfortable with talking, and presenting is a particularly helpful skill! The history course typically gives you a free essay on a historical question of your choice, so that's a great way to get some academic writing. All of the a levels will be a jump from GCSE, so it's also important to consider - my history teacher told us the jump to a level from GCSE is steeper then a level to undergrad. I love both courses though, so let me know any further questions

Reply 6

Shjqbwwjjqbv

7

Original post

by chickenc

I’m having a rlly hard time deciding between the two 😔 for Spanish i love my teacher so much and i know he would help me get a good grade, i also like the subject
For history i adore the subject but ive been hearing horror stories so im scared the workload would be too much alongside my other two: bio and chem
It doesn’t matter which one because either way im applying to med but - is it better to go for the one i would enjoy and find easier (Spanish) or go for the one that fascinates me but the workload would be tough for (history)?

Hi I’m in year 13 and just finished my history A level. What exam board is it? I can tell you about AQA which is what I did. I loved it! It is a lot of content but if you enjoy the topics covered, I did British empire and American dream, you’ll love it. Also studying the content can be somewhat manageable as you just have to break it down into smaller chunks.

Reply 7

livkrk

9

Not 100% comparable but I am doing/did History and French so I kind of understand (except I don’t do science). Personally History is my favourite subject, there is a lot to do but it was quite manageable for me but I did by far spend the most time on it. French also had quite a bit to do as you have to keep on top of your vocabulary, tenses and grammar, and I studied a movie and a book for an essay paper.
I would say History definitely has a bigger workload but I had to put more effort into French. Either way, I would pick whatever you would enjoy more - maybe spend some time looking at the exam boards you would do and what content would be covered by your school/college, seeing which interests you the most.
I have a friend who did History, Biology and Chemistry. Her least favourite by far was chemistry but History had it’s ups and downs, that was mainly due to the content rather than the workload (if that makes sense). The questions you can be asked in History are either quite niche or very broad, for some that works but others find it hard. That is similar to French for me though, my Paper 2 (the book/movie essay paper) which is tomorrow can also have niche or broad questions (depending on your exam board).

I’m a bit biased because I want to do History at University (but it will be with French alongside) but I hope I helped a little. Good luck choosing!!

Original post

by chickenc

I’m having a rlly hard time deciding between the two 😔 for Spanish i love my teacher so much and i know he would help me get a good grade, i also like the subject
For history i adore the subject but ive been hearing horror stories so im scared the workload would be too much alongside my other two: bio and chem
It doesn’t matter which one because either way im applying to med but - is it better to go for the one i would enjoy and find easier (Spanish) or go for the one that fascinates me but the workload would be tough for (history)?

A levels Spanish vs history

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