How is Drama considered as an A-level?

My DD took drama, English lit and geography A levels this summer.
She loved the analysis element, and opted for set design rather than acting.
She is now at a RG uni, reading English lit & film.

My DD recently had 5 offers for law at RG’s and one of her A levels was drama. There was a lot of analysis involved and hardly any practical acting but that may have been as her school was shut for any months due to covid.

@Brogues my DDs friend did Drama A level and is now studying to be a vet. It's a very useful course for some jobs !

History, English Lit & drama is quite a common combination at the sixth form I worked at. Many students went onto Russell Group unis with this combination, no issue.

I love this!

DD highly selective Grammar does Drama as one of the 22 A levels it does.

The prospectus says

The choice of further study is vast, e.g. medicine, law, teaching, stage craft, production, acting, costume design, sound production – the list is endless.

It is a fairly hard subject

I won't repeat what has already been said about how valuable drama is for public speaking, composure and confidence - I just wanted to add that I am from a low income background and didn't have a lot of cultural capital growing up. Whilst I enjoyed GCSE drama, it was A Level theatre studies that really stoked my passion for the arts, taught me about our rich theatrical heritage and helped to politicise me (cheers Brecht). I then went on to do a politics degree and now work in a highly paid public sector leadership role. I can't say I draw on my drama skills everyday (or not consciously anyway) but it is probably the only A Level subject I still explicitly think about and draw upon in certain situations.

She has to do the work and 2 years studying something you don't love/are resenting being forced to pick is a long time and wouldn't produce as good a grade as if she picks what she is passionate about. A lot of skills learnt in drama are very valuable in life and work.
I think from Alevels onwards its about supporting them to make informed decisions by making sure have all info, attend open evenings (even at different establishments) and talk to them about their thoughts.

It would not be an issue for her to be either a lawyer or an accountant with drama A level as her 3rd to History and English Lit. She clearly isn't going to be a doctor without Biology or Chemistry anyway.

If she wants to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant etc it’s an issue, she needs to decide what she wants to do

Well having sat through a talk by the ICL medicine admissions head (twice) they are quite happy with drama as 3rd A level. For medicine.
In any event the DC of OP can't do medicine with her other 2 choices anyway!
But many medical schools (not Oxbridge) acecpt any 3rd A level. Except the usual General Studies and that other onebi can never remember the name of!!!

If she wants to do history or englIsh at a top university you would need to check how they would view drama as the third a level.

No. I'm afraid your own sweeping judgement here wins that award hands down.

Drama will be great for confidence in the public facing aspects of many roles.

I have worked with a talented Oxbridge graduate who did and loved drama A level.

But if she is keen on doing History or English at a Russell Group uni it is worth checking that drama will be ok. I was involved in admissions at an RG university 15 years+ ago and we did not look on drama as a particularly preferred A level subject. The text below is from one of the Cambridge colleges in case of interest:

“If you are interested in arts and humanities, then taking two out of English Literature, History, Geography, a language, a Sciences subject and Maths is usually a good idea.

These combinations enable you to keep your options open as your interests develop through your A levels.

We stress: these are not eligibility requirements for admission to this College, and we will consider seriously applicants who are high-achieving but not taking a combination as listed above (though see the subject requirements below).

It is however worthwhile when making A level choices to be thinking ahead so that the set of subjects put you in a strong position to be applying to a good range of degree courses.”

(from www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/applying/a-level-subject-combinations/)

I have also done a lot of interviewing for a company in professional services in the City and while we wouldn’t of course in any way have ruled out someone with drama A level we certainly tended not to see drama A level on the CVs of those applying to us. I am struggling to think of one candidate who had drama A level actually.

My sister did drama for a level along with law and geography. She got into a top 5 uni to study law and is now a solicitor so I wouldn’t say it held her back!

I think you won the award yourself.

Dd has just started studying law at university several of her new friends on her degree course also studied drama.

I did a Drama a-level along with English literature and language and theology. I do a lot of public speaking and presentations as the director of one of the UKs biggest companies. My drama a-level increased my confidence in public speaking and interacting with people in general, when those interactions are being heavily observed or critiqued. It also taught me a lot about being caught off guard but being able to continue in steady manner to recover, while public speaking.

So YOU may not agree. But as someone who has done it and has experienced it, you are wrong

Is the problem the fact it's drama or that it's not a STEM subject.

You can guide your DD but you can not decide her choice of A Levels or even her degree choice. It has to be hers, she needs to what she wants to do,

Your DD seems not to want to do STEM subjects.

Her choice of A Levels will give her a wide choice of future career choices.

You'd be surprised how academic the drama exams are for A level - much more focussed on the understanding of the literature than acting.

If she wants to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant etc it’s an issue, she needs to decide what she wants to do.

absolute rubbish. You could do law with those subjects. The other two are highly academic traditional essay based subjects so that combination is fine. I am a lawyer and recruit junior lawyers/trainees.

I had a student who went to do history at Oxford with those exact A Level subjects. She did her postgraduate degree at Harvard on a full scholarship.

I did drama A level 20 years ago. I got into a very good university, they considered it to be the same as every other A level.

DD did drama A level and said it came in very handy for doing things such as presentations, public speaking and for times when she has to think on her feet. So this statement is not ridiculous at all.

English language, English lit, history and drama were my a levels. I'm now head of talent for a tech company. Drama helped me with confidence and presentation skills. Not a waste of a topic.

I don’t see why it’s ridiculous. Being able to present yourself well, tell a story in an engaging way and speak in front of large groups is incredibly valuable for all those careers and taught in drama.