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Sixth form decision for Uni Media (not needed but London specific advice appreciated)

This first bit is just added context, if you don't want to read through all of it I'll post the straightforward questions at the bottom.

I'm located in London, and am an aspiring filmmaker (director, writer and producer). I've applied to Woodhouse (Classical Civ, Eng Lit, Psych), and both LAEs (Eng Lit, Psych and Politics at Stratford, same + Econ at Tottenham). I definitely don't want to go to the specialist academies where you can only study film, plus one a level, which I find is common for the specialist schools, but I've been considering whether it would be more prudent going to a sixth form offering subjects that more directly correlate to film/media, seeing as I'd be studying Media at university.

I started considering LaSWAP (Eng Lit, Psychology, Film Studies and Photography), then found out they have an entry req of a 6 in GCSE Art for A Level Photography which I don't do (although a portfolio can be accepted) so I might apply for Classical Civilization or Media Studies instead.

Don't know if this info helps but I do Maths + Eng Lit and Lang obvs, Triple, Spanish, Geo and RE, and I'm predicted all 9s (I'm probably going to get a mixture of 7s, 8s and 9s though to be honest)

Questions
Is Media Studies + Film Studies at LaSWAP (and just generally) a bad combo due to them being too similar? (It would also be eng Lit and Psychology)

Leading on from that, would aforementioned combo or Classical Civilization, Eng Lit, Film Studies and Psychology be better

Overall, is it more beneficial to go to a more prestigious school like LAE Stratford, or prioritise Media related subjects and go to a school like LaSWAP

Also if anyone could recommend other good sixth form colleges for media related subjects that would be great (I'm North London, wouldn't mind travelling up to just over an hour in each direction)
(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 1

Original post
by artificial-jig
This first bit is just added context, if you don't want to read through all of it I'll post the straightforward questions at the bottom.
I'm located in London, and am an aspiring filmmaker (director, writer and producer). I've applied to Woodhouse (Classical Civ, Eng Lit, Psych), and both LAEs (Eng Lit, Psych and Politics at Stratford, same + Econ at Tottenham). I definitely don't want to go to the specialist academies where you can only study film, plus one a level, which I find is common for the specialist schools, but I've been considering whether it would be more prudent going to a sixth form offering subjects that more directly correlate to film/media, seeing as I'd be studying Media at university.
I started considering LaSWAP (Eng Lit, Psychology, Film Studies and Photography), then found out they have an entry req of a 6 in GCSE Art for A Level Photography which I don't do (although a portfolio can be accepted) so I might apply for Classical Civilization or Media Studies instead.
Don't know if this info helps but I do Maths + Eng Lit and Lang obvs, Triple, Spanish, Geo and RE, and I'm predicted all 9s (I'm probably going to get a mixture of 7s, 8s and 9s though to be honest)
Questions
Is Media Studies + Film Studies at LaSWAP (and just generally) a bad combo due to them being too similar? (It would also be eng Lit and Psychology)
Leading on from that, would aforementioned combo or Classical Civilization, Eng Lit, Film Studies and Psychology be better
Overall, is it more beneficial to go to a more prestigious school like LAE Stratford, or prioritise Media related subjects and go to a school like LaSWAP
Also if anyone could recommend other good sixth form colleges for media related subjects that would be great (I'm North London, wouldn't mind travelling up to just over an hour in each direction)

Hi @artificial-jig,

Are there any universities you're currently considering? I know it seems like a long way off when you're still studying for your GCSEs, but having a look at the entry requirements for a couple of potential universities could help inform your A-Level choices. Depending on the Media courses you're interested in at university (e.g. Film), a portfolio may be required which may take precedence over subject choices.

I think either combination would be good - it just depends which combination you'd prefer and/or perform best in. Have a look at the specifications for Media Studies and Film Studies to see if there's much crossover in terms of content; if there is and you don't actively want subjects that overlap too much, choose Classical Civilisations.

Hope this helps and best of luck,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 2

Original post
by Kingston Eve
Hi @artificial-jig,
Are there any universities you're currently considering? I know it seems like a long way off when you're still studying for your GCSEs, but having a look at the entry requirements for a couple of potential universities could help inform your A-Level choices. Depending on the Media courses you're interested in at university (e.g. Film), a portfolio may be required which may take precedence over subject choices.
I think either combination would be good - it just depends which combination you'd prefer and/or perform best in. Have a look at the specifications for Media Studies and Film Studies to see if there's much crossover in terms of content; if there is and you don't actively want subjects that overlap too much, choose Classical Civilisations.
Hope this helps and best of luck,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply!

I've already had a look at some universities, and both options seem to be okay for the majority of them. Some do require portfolios, but that's something that I'd 100% work on outside of school anyways.

I would honestly probably prefer Media and film studies. I've looked at the specs, and there are some crossovers, but not an insane amount. It's more complementary than anything, so I think that I'll do both. Thank you so much for your help!

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