A level choices for law
Hi,
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
Reply 1
Original post
by StudyUser09Hi,
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
Hi
I'm a third year student studying Natural Sciences- but my partner is currently doing a Masters in Law, and I struggled with A-level choices, so I think I'll be able to give you a bit of advice when it comes to choosing what subjects to study!
For a bit of context- I wanted to do a degree in Physics, and so I chose maths, further maths, physics and english literature-language. I did Welsh baccalaureate as well, which is like a bigger version of an EPQ.
My partner did AS level Sociology, A-level Law, Psychology, and Criminology (and Welsh Baccalaureate).
If your college offers English literature-language as a combined course, I would definitely recommend having a look into that; I loved every second of it, and it was so different to my other A-Levels that it provided me with some really good essay writing skills that can be transferred to university work. I would 100% recommend doing at least one essay subject as Universities will almost certainly look out for that kind of thing for a Law degree.
Politics sounds like a good choice, and you seem passionate about it. I know quite a few law students who studied English at some point in their A-levels, be it for AS or full A level. For that choice between the two, honestly just choose the one that you enjoy the most. A 7 is still a really good grade, so don't let that put you off.
Drama sounds fun- and its something that you can carry on in University with societies and similar. If its chill for you, I'd really bare that in mind whilst making your decision, as a chill-er subject is always quite nice to have when the others are more difficult!
The same sort of goes for Biology; if you enjoy it, then you should absolutely consider it. Even if its not linked to what you want to do in the future- you truly never know what you'll end up doing, and what skills will be transferrable.
Ultimately, A-Levels are a step up from GCSE, they are harder, and do require more time and work. I would recommend having a look at any Law courses that you fancy and seeing if they have any subject requirements- because that can really help cement your choice.
Once you've done that, I would advise that you truly just choose things that you enjoy. You can always do something, and then decide to drop it, or keep it going up to AS level. A-Levels are a very short and busy time in your life, so you want to make it as manageable as possible, and having a passion for a subject really helps to do that. And remember- all A-Levels are the same level of qualification, they're not ranked higher than others or seen as less than others. An A in drama is worth the exact same amount of UCAS points as an A in Biology, so don't worry about one being seen as 'less than' another.
I hope that this bit of insight helped!
Niamh
Natural Science Ambassador at Lancaster University.
Original post
by StudyUser09Hi,
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
For law, they dont have any specific subject requirements at a-level. So pick the ones you will enjoy most and get the best grade in.
If you are really good at drama, then that might be one to take.
How about sociology. Or geography. I did both at a-level and would highly recommend both.
Reply 3
11
Original post
by Lancaster Student AmbassadorHi
I'm a third year student studying Natural Sciences- but my partner is currently doing a Masters in Law, and I struggled with A-level choices, so I think I'll be able to give you a bit of advice when it comes to choosing what subjects to study!
For a bit of context- I wanted to do a degree in Physics, and so I chose maths, further maths, physics and english literature-language. I did Welsh baccalaureate as well, which is like a bigger version of an EPQ.
My partner did AS level Sociology, A-level Law, Psychology, and Criminology (and Welsh Baccalaureate).
If your college offers English literature-language as a combined course, I would definitely recommend having a look into that; I loved every second of it, and it was so different to my other A-Levels that it provided me with some really good essay writing skills that can be transferred to university work. I would 100% recommend doing at least one essay subject as Universities will almost certainly look out for that kind of thing for a Law degree.
Politics sounds like a good choice, and you seem passionate about it. I know quite a few law students who studied English at some point in their A-levels, be it for AS or full A level. For that choice between the two, honestly just choose the one that you enjoy the most. A 7 is still a really good grade, so don't let that put you off.
Drama sounds fun- and its something that you can carry on in University with societies and similar. If its chill for you, I'd really bare that in mind whilst making your decision, as a chill-er subject is always quite nice to have when the others are more difficult!
The same sort of goes for Biology; if you enjoy it, then you should absolutely consider it. Even if its not linked to what you want to do in the future- you truly never know what you'll end up doing, and what skills will be transferrable.
Ultimately, A-Levels are a step up from GCSE, they are harder, and do require more time and work. I would recommend having a look at any Law courses that you fancy and seeing if they have any subject requirements- because that can really help cement your choice.
Once you've done that, I would advise that you truly just choose things that you enjoy. You can always do something, and then decide to drop it, or keep it going up to AS level. A-Levels are a very short and busy time in your life, so you want to make it as manageable as possible, and having a passion for a subject really helps to do that. And remember- all A-Levels are the same level of qualification, they're not ranked higher than others or seen as less than others. An A in drama is worth the exact same amount of UCAS points as an A in Biology, so don't worry about one being seen as 'less than' another.
I hope that this bit of insight helped!
Niamh
Natural Science Ambassador at Lancaster University.
I'm a third year student studying Natural Sciences- but my partner is currently doing a Masters in Law, and I struggled with A-level choices, so I think I'll be able to give you a bit of advice when it comes to choosing what subjects to study!
For a bit of context- I wanted to do a degree in Physics, and so I chose maths, further maths, physics and english literature-language. I did Welsh baccalaureate as well, which is like a bigger version of an EPQ.
My partner did AS level Sociology, A-level Law, Psychology, and Criminology (and Welsh Baccalaureate).
If your college offers English literature-language as a combined course, I would definitely recommend having a look into that; I loved every second of it, and it was so different to my other A-Levels that it provided me with some really good essay writing skills that can be transferred to university work. I would 100% recommend doing at least one essay subject as Universities will almost certainly look out for that kind of thing for a Law degree.
Politics sounds like a good choice, and you seem passionate about it. I know quite a few law students who studied English at some point in their A-levels, be it for AS or full A level. For that choice between the two, honestly just choose the one that you enjoy the most. A 7 is still a really good grade, so don't let that put you off.
Drama sounds fun- and its something that you can carry on in University with societies and similar. If its chill for you, I'd really bare that in mind whilst making your decision, as a chill-er subject is always quite nice to have when the others are more difficult!
The same sort of goes for Biology; if you enjoy it, then you should absolutely consider it. Even if its not linked to what you want to do in the future- you truly never know what you'll end up doing, and what skills will be transferrable.
Ultimately, A-Levels are a step up from GCSE, they are harder, and do require more time and work. I would recommend having a look at any Law courses that you fancy and seeing if they have any subject requirements- because that can really help cement your choice.
Once you've done that, I would advise that you truly just choose things that you enjoy. You can always do something, and then decide to drop it, or keep it going up to AS level. A-Levels are a very short and busy time in your life, so you want to make it as manageable as possible, and having a passion for a subject really helps to do that. And remember- all A-Levels are the same level of qualification, they're not ranked higher than others or seen as less than others. An A in drama is worth the exact same amount of UCAS points as an A in Biology, so don't worry about one being seen as 'less than' another.
I hope that this bit of insight helped!
Niamh
Natural Science Ambassador at Lancaster University.
If I did both drama and biology (alongside politics) would that limit my likelihood of getting in as 2 out of the 3 aren’t really linked to law?
Reply 4
Original post
by StudyUser09Hi,
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I would recommend taking at least 1 essay writing subject. I would not recommend studying English Literature if you are not good at it as the grade boundaries are insanely high and you would need to be very good at essay writing. I recommend taking lang, politics, and biology. Biology adds a good mix and in my opinion, a STEM subject will give you an edge. Your subjects do not need to be linked to law.
Reply 5
Original post
by StudyUser09Hi,
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
I’m a yr 11 student aiming to study law in a Russel Group Uni (although I’m not 100% sure on this so I want to keep my options open). For context, I get mostly 8s and 9s at gcse. I really don’t know which a levels to pick, I think I’ve narrowed it down to the following options though:
- English Lit (I don’t know about this one, I love it but am bad at it, I get a 7 at gcse, my worst grade and I’ve heard it’s much harder at a level)
- English Lan (I quite like the idea of this one but I don’t know enough about the a level course, I get a 9 at gcse but I know it’s very different at a level)
- Biology (I love biology, although it’s supposed to be super hard and isn’t linked too much to what I want to do. But I still want to keep this route open for me if I change my mind)
- Drama (This is the one I’m having the most problems in deciding whether to do it or not. I’m brilliant at it, my teacher said if I took the a level now I could even get a good grade. I’m good at both the theory and performance side of it and it could be a nice chill subject. Everyone at school keeps saying it’s taken seriously by unis as it is still an essay subject but idk).
- Politics (This is the one I’m most sure on, I love it and love the look of the course)
Any thoughts would me much appreciated, thank you!
Hi!
I am a Law student at Lancaster, and I personally did English Literature, Spanish and Sociology at A-Level. Generally, universities don't have specific requirements for studying law, but there are some subjects that they find more desirable, and especially if you are aiming for Russell Group universities, I'd recommend doing some research into what subjects different universities consider desirable.
I was always told when going through the application process (at the time, I was looking at applying to Oxbridge and other Russell Groups, though I eventually decided I didn't want to do that) that you should aim for one or two "core" subjects. Things like either of the Englishes (even a combined course if you'd be interested) and Biology are great options to cover your "core" subjects. For me, I studied English literature and Spanish as my core subjects, and I personally found these a little more demanding than sociology, which was my more "passion" subject that I picked because I enjoyed it, even though it isn't necessarily viewed as a core subject. For yourself, Drama could be a great option almost as a change of pace, a more relaxed environment and different learning/assessment styles. I did Dance GCSE and I found it was such a nice change of pace from other more theoretical and essay based subjects.
Politics could also be a great option, I know many people who did politics and loved it as it is often the first chance students get to study a subject like that. As far as ive heard, it is quite content heavy, but my friends still viewed it as their "passion" or non-core subject and genuinely loved it.
Of course, the main thing you should do is pick what you really do love learning about, because A-Levels can be tough and it makes it so much more bearable if you really have passion for your subjects, therefore it is good to try to balance your desire to get into university with being realistic to what you think you can study and put a lot of work in for two years.
I hope this helps a little
)Beth- Law with Criminology student at Lancaster University
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