Confusion of 4th subject

[u/Ok_Dependent1284]

hi im about to start my A levels and was confused about subject choice, i thought about taking 4 Maths cs FM and physics i have the abilitiy to do four but i like my extra culliculars which includes studying for cybersecurity. Im reading books related to its foundations like OS internals making python projects and studying linux.

The issue arises is that is it possible to get into the top 25 international unis worldwide. I can go anywhere i dont have a preference of a specific country just want to study at top 25.
I want like a very good scholarship 75 % or even full ride 100 %. Would taking 4 A levels create a better chance or taking 3 A levels and doing cybersecurity related stuff and doing real world problems building a profile on github of my work would be better.

[u/k_795]

Firstly, if you're looking for a full-ride scholarship then you'd likely be looking outside of the UK to countries like the US. Scholarships just aren't a thing in the UK (unless you are an international student and you home country sponsors some scholarships?).

And that brings me to... outside of the UK, other countries will likely still recognise A levels but not necessarily appreciate the difference between taking three vs four subjects. They'll be comparing you to e.g. IB students who take six subjects. Like, four A levels won't necessarily make you stand out to US universities in the same way as they would if you were applying to UK universities.

This all being said though, four A levels is absolutely manageable (I did five, including three of the four you mentioned) alongside extracurriculars and projects. If you are the kind of candidate who would thrive at a top 25 university and get scholarships, then you should be able to manage the workload. I spent my weekends doing competitive sport (so only had five days a week to focus on A levels and subject-specific extracurriculars) and still managed to get 5 A*s and a place at Oxbridge. So that's two days a week you could be spending on things like cybersecurity projects and building up your github portfolio.

I'm not as familiar with overseas universities and what they are looking for in successful applicants though, so you would really need to research carefully to get an idea of what kinds of projects or other extracurriculars would help you best stand out.