Need advice for a level options + career path

This isn't urgent, but I want advice on what A levels to choose. It’s not just about a levels of course, but also knowing what to study at university. As much as I'd like to study everything for the sake of it, I have to narrow down my options if I want to have more flexibility in the future (plus uni isn't cheap). I’ve thought about it a ton and researched and have come up with two sort of paths: genetics/epidemiology or politics/policy. So basically public health vs public policy.
For starters, I’m doing well in my GCSEs, predicted all 9s, and I take geography, economics, spanish and triple science (9 subjects). I’ll also be studying further maths once I finish taking my maths exam early (which is next week).
I think I tend to find STEM subjects easier in school, although technically my best subject is Spanish, but that’s because I genuinely want to learn it outside school and can memorise/learn things quickly. This is also why I’m good at biology, but I especially like it more than the other two sciences because nearly everything I learn feels relevant and exciting and also I'd say it's taught better at my school.
I’ve noticed that for STEM I am mainly interested in topics that have exciting prospects for new discoveries or breakthroughs like epidemiology, nanoscience, sustainability/energy. On the other hand, the reason why I love social sciences is because I’ve always enjoyed debating (especially since both my parents are lawyers) and the interdisciplinary reach of combining subjects like politics econ psychology sociology to find solutions to current global issues. The majority of what I’ve done outside of school revolves around this (youth diplomacy nonprofit, YOUNGO, MUN, launching an initiative tackling media polarisation). Also I’ve done two internships and neither are explicitly science-y (one was law, the other was a sustainable rooftop garden project).
I really thought I wanted to do HSPS at Cambridge and still find it appealing but realised that I don’t want to just limit myself to social sciences. The other thing is that I crave the academic expertise that’s easier with STEM than policy. Like if I want to work in a niche that combines science and policy (like with sustainability) then it’s more convenient to come from a scientific background and branch outwards than from social sciences. Also, fields like biotech and bioinformatics are rapidly growing and would be a comfortable option for the future (given that I develop more quantitative skills). A major worry for me is if I would be disadvantaged applying to a competitive biological sciences (or similar) course without chemistry a level.
Thank you if you’ve made it this far, and I’ll list the main potential combos I’ve thought about (maths is a must since I'm good at it and it's important in all of the industries I've mentioned):
- Maths, biology, politics (apparently the politics curriculum is very narrow to the UK but still)
- Maths, biology, economics (this is more broad than the first one but maybe not essay heavy enough if I pivot to hsps)
- Maths, politics, economics (if I decide bio isn’t worth it for what I want to do)
Definitely no: physics, englishes, spanish (i would be the only one taking it)
Maybe: geo (I don’t like physical geo but the department is by far the best in my school), psych, probably no chem but I wouldn’t hate it (only like <5% in my school gets an A*)
I guess I could do 4 a levels (and could drop one later) but I’ve been heavily advised against it since I also wanna do an EPQ.

This isn't urgent, but I want advice on what A levels to choose. It’s not just about a levels of course, but also knowing what to study at university. As much as I'd like to study everything for the sake of it, I have to narrow down my options if I want to have more flexibility in the future (plus uni isn't cheap). I’ve thought about it a ton and researched and have come up with two sort of paths: genetics/epidemiology or politics/policy. So basically public health vs public policy.
For starters, I’m doing well in my GCSEs, predicted all 9s, and I take geography, economics, spanish and triple science (9 subjects). I’ll also be studying further maths once I finish taking my maths exam early (which is next week).
I think I tend to find STEM subjects easier in school, although technically my best subject is Spanish, but that’s because I genuinely want to learn it outside school and can memorise/learn things quickly. This is also why I’m good at biology, but I especially like it more than the other two sciences because nearly everything I learn feels relevant and exciting and also I'd say it's taught better at my school.
I’ve noticed that for STEM I am mainly interested in topics that have exciting prospects for new discoveries or breakthroughs like epidemiology, nanoscience, sustainability/energy. On the other hand, the reason why I love social sciences is because I’ve always enjoyed debating (especially since both my parents are lawyers) and the interdisciplinary reach of combining subjects like politics econ psychology sociology to find solutions to current global issues. The majority of what I’ve done outside of school revolves around this (youth diplomacy nonprofit, YOUNGO, MUN, launching an initiative tackling media polarisation). Also I’ve done two internships and neither are explicitly science-y (one was law, the other was a sustainable rooftop garden project).
I really thought I wanted to do HSPS at Cambridge and still find it appealing but realised that I don’t want to just limit myself to social sciences. The other thing is that I crave the academic expertise that’s easier with STEM than policy. Like if I want to work in a niche that combines science and policy (like with sustainability) then it’s more convenient to come from a scientific background and branch outwards than from social sciences. Also, fields like biotech and bioinformatics are rapidly growing and would be a comfortable option for the future (given that I develop more quantitative skills). A major worry for me is if I would be disadvantaged applying to a competitive biological sciences (or similar) course without chemistry a level.
Thank you if you’ve made it this far, and I’ll list the main potential combos I’ve thought about (maths is a must since I'm good at it and it's important in all of the industries I've mentioned):
- Maths, biology, politics (apparently the politics curriculum is very narrow to the UK but still)
- Maths, biology, economics (this is more broad than the first one but maybe not essay heavy enough if I pivot to hsps)
- Maths, politics, economics (if I decide bio isn’t worth it for what I want to do)
- Maths, biology, chemistry (some places require chem for biology-related courses but only like <5% in my school gets an A* and I don't really want to do all STEM subjects but if it makes my application better then I wouldn't hate it)
I guess I could do 4 a levels (and could drop one later) but I’ve been heavily advised against it since I also wanna do an EPQ.
Edit: I realised more bio courses than I thought require chemistry. There are still good ones that would be fine with just Maths and Bio a levels, but it would still have an impact.

This isn't urgent, but I want advice on what A levels to choose. It’s not just about a levels of course, but also knowing what to study at university. As much as I'd like to study everything for the sake of it, I have to narrow down my options if I want to have more flexibility in the future (plus uni isn't cheap). I’ve thought about it a ton and researched and have come up with two sort of paths: genetics/epidemiology or politics/policy. So basically public health vs public policy.
For starters, I’m doing well in my GCSEs, predicted all 9s, and I take geography, economics, spanish and triple science (9 subjects). I’ll also be studying further maths once I finish taking my maths exam early (which is next week).
I think I tend to find STEM subjects easier in school, although technically my best subject is Spanish, but that’s because I genuinely want to learn it outside school and can memorise/learn things quickly. This is also why I’m good at biology, but I especially like it more than the other two sciences because nearly everything I learn feels relevant and exciting and also I'd say it's taught better at my school.
I’ve noticed that for STEM I am mainly interested in topics that have exciting prospects for new discoveries or breakthroughs like epidemiology, nanoscience, sustainability/energy. On the other hand, the reason why I love social sciences is because I’ve always enjoyed debating (especially since both my parents are lawyers) and the interdisciplinary reach of combining subjects like politics econ psychology sociology to find solutions to current global issues. The majority of what I’ve done outside of school revolves around this (youth diplomacy nonprofit, YOUNGO, MUN, launching an initiative tackling media polarisation). Also I’ve done two internships and neither are explicitly science-y (one was law, the other was a sustainable rooftop garden project).
I really thought I wanted to do HSPS at Cambridge and still find it appealing but realised that I don’t want to just limit myself to social sciences. The other thing is that I crave the academic expertise that’s easier with STEM than policy. Like if I want to work in a niche that combines science and policy (like with sustainability) then it’s more convenient to come from a scientific background and branch outwards than from social sciences. Also, fields like biotech and bioinformatics are rapidly growing and would be a comfortable option for the future (given that I develop more quantitative skills). A major worry for me is if I would be disadvantaged applying to a competitive biological sciences (or similar) course without chemistry a level.
Thank you if you’ve made it this far, and I’ll list the main potential combos I’ve thought about (maths is a must since I'm good at it and it's important in all of the industries I've mentioned):
- Maths, biology, politics (apparently the politics curriculum is very narrow to the UK but still)
- Maths, biology, economics (this is more broad than the first one but maybe not essay heavy enough if I pivot to hsps)
- Maths, politics, economics (if I decide bio isn’t worth it for what I want to do)
- Maths, biology, chemistry (some places require chem for biology-related courses but only like <5% in my school gets an A* and I don't really want to do all STEM subjects but if it makes my application better then I wouldn't hate it)
I guess I could do 4 a levels (and could drop one later) but I’ve been heavily advised against it since I also wanna do an EPQ.
Edit: I realised more bio courses than I thought require chemistry. There are still good ones that would be fine with just Maths and Bio a levels, but it would still have an impact.

From what you've said, it sounds like you are interested in keeping your STEM interest alive but making a difference to the public in some way. Have you considered PPE? The downside of this degree is it's not necessarily related to biology that much, but you do develop quantitative skills and these can come in handy when applying to a wide variety of companies after your degree which could include biohealth/biotech companies.
Another thing I thought I should mention is Scottish degrees v English degrees. Most degrees in England are 3 years with a pretty set in stone "major" from the beginning (e.g. If you apply for bio medicine that is what you will study for 3 years). However, a lot of Scottish degrees that are not accredited (so not medicine, law, engineering) have a "flexible degree" model. So you study for 4 years in total instead of three and study a broader range of subjects in first year and progressively narrow it down until you have a specialty in foruth year. They would still have to be related, like within sciences or within the humanities, but maybe that is something to research as well. There are quite a few very good schools that have 4 year degrees rather than 3 year ones like Edinburgh and St Andrews. Obviously, they're maybe farther away, more expensive, etc etc so do your research but just wanted to put that information out there
Right now I would say Maths, Biology, Economics (economics is often more widely applicable than politics, and you do write some essays in Economics if I'm not mistaken? But then I might be so just ignore). These are all subjects you are interested in and link in to what you want to do. They are both relevant to public policy and you are developing quantitive skills.
You are right that for competitive unis like Cambridge, Imperial, etc. Not having chemistry will be a major disadvantage, I.e. You won't be able to apply without it. I think you should do some more research maybe even get some work experience or talk to university students in the fields/degrees you are interesteded in and make your mind up about what direction you want to go in. You have lots of time!
I wouldn't recommend doing 4 A Levels, not because it's impossible but because you seem to mainly want to do chemistry if it helps your application and not because you love chemistry and can't bear to drop it and the former probably won't sustain you through a very difficult A Level, on top of another 3. So I would recommend doing further research and thinking about your career at large.
I think if you just go with your gut and pick the subjects you most enjoy, THEN look for degrees that are related to these subjects, that's another way of doing it. Like, have you considered Law? It has no subject requirements (usually) and has a huge scope for things like what you are talking about on the humanities front.
Anyways, best of luck with your studies and making this decision!
Maryam, Cambridge Medicine offer holder