Throughout your time at school you will have studied a wide variety of subjects. When it comes to A Levels the decision of what to study can be much harder. The leap from GCSE to A Levels is a big one, there are lots of subjects to choose from, but the number of subjects taken is fewer. It’s a huge decision, so how do you decide?
You are going to be diving into the subjects in great depth for two years, so here’s our pointers on how to navigate the decision.
What makes you happy? If you’ve studied GCSE History and did well at it, you might want gain a deeper understanding. If learning about History makes you happy, chances are you will excel at it. Consider how you like to learn and look at how the A Level is assessed. If you don’t like exams, you may want to choose an A Level or even a BTEC which is more coursework based.
What do you want to do in the future? You might aspire to become a doctor when you’re older and for that you will have to follow a particular career pathway. A Levels will be your stepping stones to study Medicine at university and the subjects you choose will have to be specific for the university entry requirements you need.
What if you don’t know what you want to do in the future? At 16 years of age it can be really hard for some students to know what they want to do from their 20s onwards. If this is the case, maybe you want to keep your options a little more open. Choose A Levels that mean you have a solid basis to go onto study at university (some degree subjects are flexible with the A Levels they require), further education, training, an apprenticeship or employment.
What if you want to study an A Level that you haven’t studied at GCSE? The subjects on offer at A Level can be more exciting and that’s fantastic. If you’ve always wanted to study Politics or Psychology, then go for it, but try to remember that the combination of subjects you choose to study is important and that it could be overwhelming to take three totally new subjects you have never studied before.
You don’t have to decide by yourself. Choosing your A Levels is a big thing, so take all the worldly advice you can get. Yes, do your research, but talk to family, current students, teachers and school Career Advisors, if you have one. While it’s valid to talk to family, it may have been a while since they studied at A Level, so try to make sure you to talk to your teachers who will be more up-to-date on things and happy to help.
Ultimately, the decision is yours, choose your A Levels for the right reasons, come and study at our sixth form in Leeds, and we’re sure you will be rewarded with fantastic results!