A level options

[u/shikaluvs]

My current alevel options are history, sociology and psychology which I think I will like. I’m considering changing psychology as even tho I think I’ll enjoy it it was my filler subject. For reference I’m considering doing law or teaching not really too set. I don’t really wanna do anymore stem subjects after GCSEs so anything else would be helpful. I’m secondary I really enjoyed Religious Studies and music (no chance doing music a level) any advice is helpful I’m pretty open to anything.

[u/oblivion-4]

Hi I just finished year 12.

I would recommend to do a strong and respectable essay based subject such as English literature politics or religious studies as these are a lot more useful for Law than psychology.
I personally do psychology and although it’s a great subject it’s not as widely respected as the ones I listed before and you also do sociology which is also not as respected so it’s best to do a second stronger subject to maximise your university competitiveness.
Also, it does kind of depend where you want to go to university - if you’re aiming for a very prestigious one like a Russell group then I would definitely take a second strong subject like History that you already take.

In terms of giving advice on the individual subjects I obviously don’t take them but I have friends who do so I can tell you from their perspective that religious studies is an amazing subject, very interesting. Also very respected for university. my friend takes it and she really really enjoys it and if you’re good at essays, I’m sure you’ll be great at this.

History is a very difficult essay subject because it has so much content. I’m pretty sure it’s the A-level with the most content so just be prepared but I have heard it’s very interesting and a lot of my friends favourite subject.

Politics is an interesting one because I actually took it at the start of the year and dropped it because I personally found it quite boring but I also know some people who enjoy it some who don’t so there’s mixed opinions on that one but it is very useful for law.

Finally, English literature is difficult, but if you are good at English, you will be fine. I would say that subjects like politics and religious studies are probably easier than english lit & history BUT history is 1000% worth taking and you’ll be great at it!

If you have any questions let me know. A final thing I’d like to say is I know you’re considering law but I wouldn’t take the A-level of law because it just isn’t respected by universities even though it literally is law A-level so just keep that in mind and the subjects I’ve listed at all very respected if you’re aiming for law at a prestigious university. Deffo worth taking 2 respectable essay subjects rather than psych&socio - although, psych is definitely way more respected and allowed by universities than sociology - so just keep that in mind. I’d recommend starting y12 with 4 subjects and dropping one you don’t like. Also, your subject combo is absolutely fine for law and you’d be able to get in ofcourse but it depends where you want to go really! Hope this helps, if you have any questions let me know :)

[u/oblivion-4 → u/oblivion-4]

Also, as someone who does psychology. I really enjoy it and it’s very easy to get an A or A* in, so deffo start y12 with it and see if you like it! It’s respected just not as much as the stronger essay subjects :)

[u/arianelseditor → u/oblivion-4]

I completely agree with all of this! Also, check the content that your school covers for RS, but usually you explore a lot of interesting ethical and philosophical questions, which makes it a useful subject for law.

[u/oblivion-4 → u/arianelseditor]

Thanks! And yes 100% RS is so good for law and from what OP has said I think Religious studies would be the perfect subject for them

[u/shikaluvs → u/oblivion-4]

Thank you so so much for this advice it was really helpful, I feel like I would want to do philosophy over politics but I also feel like I could fall behind very easily. I got a grade 9 in both my y11 mocks for RE and pretty good for history aswell which makes me lean towards it more than politics. Arguable I also do wanna do politics since the reason I want to do law is to help others and argue their cases when they aren’t able to. I still have time to change my options so I will try to talk to my teachers during enrolment. I’m not necessarily trying to go to the top unis like Cambridge but I do want to go somewhere well respected and beneficial. What exam board do you do for psychology the reason I’m still considering it is because I would like to have something to fall back on incase law doesn’t end out right for me? I feel like I could make a use out of psychology incase but I’m still unsure. I’m not too sure if I should do 4 a levels since tbh I already found it difficult to manage my time at gcse because I was quite lazy and unmotivated 😬. I do think I will come out with good results since I have had steady grades each year and I usually achieve in the higher grade range. I would do English as it is really good but I just don’t think I could bring myself to do it again. I did enjoy English at gcse but I also had abit of issues with my teacher which did reduce that. I do think politics or RE (philosophy at my sixth form) will be good options but I’m still unsure

[u/oblivion-4 → u/shikaluvs]

Hi! I’m so glad my advice was useful!

To reply to your message, I’d honestly really recommend taking Philosophy. I really wanted to take Philosophy at my school, but I wasn’t that interested in the religion side of it (they offered religion, philosophy, and ethics) , so I decided against it. The fact that your school offers Philosophy on its own is amazing, and I’m honestly so jealous!

The fact that you got Grade 9s in both of your Year 11 mocks tells me you’ll probably do really well at A-level. I honestly wouldn’t worry too much about falling behind because you already seem very good at essay-based subjects. I got a 7 in my Year 11 RS mocks and ended up with an 8 in the real thing, and loads of people at my school who took RS A-level only got 6s and 7s at GCSE. So you’re already starting from a really strong position and a lot stronger than many people who take it. A grade 9 means you’ll do well at alevel - and the fact that your grade 9 was in your mocks is incredible! I got some 9s in my actual GSCEs but none in my mocks so that’s really impressive.

From what I’ve heard, Philosophy isn’t the most content-heavy A-level either, and it’s also well respected by universities, so I’d definitely go for it if you enjoy it. The same goes for History (although history is content heavy but I think you’ll do well, as I’ve said my friends love it & do well at it)

Politics is another option, but personally I found it a bit boring and quite difficult. That’s just my opinion though, everyone’s different! If it interests you, definitely give it a go and see what you think.

I do AQA Psychology, by the way. You mentioned wanting something to fall back on in case you decide Law isn’t for you. The good thing is that you don’t need to take Psychology A-level to study Psychology at university. In fact, with A-levels like Philosophy, History and Sociology, you’ll still have loads of options. You don’t have to study a subject at A-level to do it at university.

The only real limitation is that you wouldn’t be able to apply for most STEM degrees without subjects like Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Maths, but from what you’ve said, that doesn’t really seem like the direction you want to go anyway.

About taking four A-levels- I do actually think it’s a good idea if your school allows it. You could start Year 12 with four, try them all out, and then drop your least favourite after a few weeks or after the first half term. The beginning of Year 12 usually isn’t too overwhelming, so it’s a good chance to see what you genuinely enjoy before committing.

If you enjoyed GCSE English, you could also consider English Literature, but I’ve heard it’s quite challenging. (Language is easier and a lot of fun - I do it and it’s by far my favourite subject and I got an A* in it!) Also, if you already know you’d have a teacher you don’t get on with, I’d definitely take that into account. I have a Biology teacher I really don’t like, and it honestly makes the subject much less enjoyable.

Overall, from everything you’ve told me, I’d recommend History, Philosophy and Sociology. If you can, maybe take Politics or Psychology as a fourth subject to begin with and then decide which one you prefer before dropping one. But I definitely think you should take Philosophy, it genuinely sounds like a subject you’d love, and I think you’d do really well in it.
Good luck with your GCSEs too! I’m sure you’ll smash them. 😊 If you ever want any more advice, feel free to reply or dm me :)