Applying for Uni after having received A level results

[Looking for help]

RE or rather Philosophy and Ethics is a good A Level, not a soft subject.

Also lol my daughter is applying to do English at a good uni, and one of her subjects is in fact drama. I will let you know how it goes Magwich

[daughter]

Rob - that is good to hear- thanks for the answer.

I think universities (and us) have to remember that ultimately we have to follow what the particular school offers whether it be exam boards, numbers of subjects, modular/non-mudular and when they are sat.

DG - I don't claim to be an expert on any of this but sounds like your DD has a great combination - I don't know anyone who has done either Economics or Politics at GCSE but I am sure they are good subjects especially in combination with other subjects. Both Economics and Politics are subjects that can be taken from scratch at either A level or Degree level - however my neice did very well at economics AS but now realises she can't apply for it at Uni (at the sort of uni she aspires to) as she doesn't have maths AS!!! Re. 2 choices of course instead or 5 in the new system I agree it is very worrying it may all iron itself out as unis and applicants get better at making choices and decisions but I think it will be very tricky for the first couple of years.

I just want to clarify also that I don't think there are good and bad subjects but good and bad subject combinations for particular students. e.g. A levels in photography, Media Studies and Business Studies would in my view be a bad choice for a highish achiever wanting to go to a Russell group or Red brick uni. It could however be an excellent choice for a less academic student looking to go straight into the workforce and/or a more vocational course.

LFH - my neighbours son is currently at Oxford doing English having taken theatre studies at AS (admittedly 4th subject) - his interests lie in film production etc there was some reference to it in his Personal Statement I believe drama is quite a bit more highly regarded than Media Studies!

[Looking for help]

I think the important thing is that if our sons and daughters want to go to university to study good degrees they need at least 2 strong A Levels. Things like PE and Drama are fine as long as they are supplemented by 2 strong subjects like Chemistry or English.
daughter, drama is definitely a second tier subject, but all the good universities have said they're happy with it esp for English, as per our research, and hey ho! she's happy doing that, better darma than another subject she wasn't interested in.

PS Even Cambridge are saying that their preferred subject criteria is 2 strong A Levels plus one from a list of any.... so I wouldn't get too over excited unless my child wanted to do drama, PE and Business.

Then I might be a tad concerned

[Fran17]

We are in the same situation with our DS LFH. One of his A level subjects is ICT but he is taking it alongside two traditional subjects. Even after all my research, I must be honest I didn't realise this was regarded as a so-called soft subject until after he had started studying for it. However, it is what he wanted to do and he enjoys it.

Good luck to all our DCs and let's hope they all get what they want.

[Rob Clark]

I just want to clarify also that I don't think there are good and bad subjects but good and bad subject combinations for particular students

Quite so, and I agree with what LFH and Fran have said too. DD wants to do sports science so PE ‘A’ level will be essential, alongside Biology and a.n.other. Niece is studying food tech at university and the better-rated places actually wanted hard science A levels, not food technology A level. Even the much derided media studies is a perfectly valid degree subject, and the universities which run well thought of courses (such as Sussex, East Anglia, Warwick, Stirling and Goldsmith’s) will be looking for students with academic A levels.

[XCRGSMUM]

Rob I`m sure you`ve done your homework but we did discover that some unis will not accept PE AND Biology, as some of the areas overlap quite a lot.

[Looking for help]

My son is at one of the top ones, Rob, in his third year. His A Levels were in Geography, Philosophy and Ethics and Music -completely unrelated to sports science. He got offers from all his choices, and had dropped Biology at the end of year 12 as it was his weakest subject. He did also have PE at GCSE.

I agree with you and Fran - it is far more important they take subjects they enjoy because otherwise they won't do well, they need to be interested and engaged. It is important to keep abreast of the situation regarding the softer subjects, but it's not the be all and end all.

[Fran17]

We have just got back from our middle son's sixth form open evening. He walked in with the idea of doing English Literature, History, Economics and Maths (they have to do General Studies) over the course of the evening it became apparent to my DH and I that, although he is very good at maths, maybe he wasn't looking forward to doing an A level in it. He said there were other subjects he would prefer to take because he really enjoyed them and was equally good at them, however, he thought that by taking the above mentioned subjects it would give him a broad range, so as not to limit his choice of degree course too much. We spoke to all the teachers involved and he has now decided to do English Literature, History, R.S. and Spanish. He was so relieved and is now thoroughly looking forward to sixth form. He knows he won't be able to do anything in the medical field, science or engineering but then he doesn't want to do any of these. He got the idea of doing a broad range of subjects from the research he had done and felt that would be the best thing to do at the expense of his true preferences. I would much prefer a happy young son who is enjoying the subjects he is studying rather than him doing subjects he is less keen on.

[daughter]

So pleased for your son Fran17 - it is great when they know what they want to do and I agree with all the earlier comments that they should do what they are interested in.
My DD2 is in yr 12 and is passionate about her subjects but I did (mentally only slightly verbally) struggle with her choice as it is so narrow and so not my thing! Physics, Chem, Maths and Further Maths!!! DC wants to do Chem Eng so a perfect choice for that but very limiting/narrow. As I say she has no doubts it is me that has struggled with her subject choice!

[Fran17]

How lovely to hear you use the word passionate when describing how your DD2 feels about her subjects, that is just how it should be. I am sure she will do very well indeed.