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Further education

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Original poster

Third A level - Sociology or something else?

110 replies

VaccinistaToteBagChicBaristas · 10/03/2023 13:55

DD Yr 11 has chosen Maths and History and unsure of third choice between -

Sociology - Probable favourite & she was enthusiastic about taster session at school. I know it's fine for all unis including Oxbridge but is there still any snobbery around it amongst graduate recruiters? And, given she's also doing 2 very traditional academic subjects, does it matter?

Politics - she's generally interested in subject but thinks the A level syllabus (seems to be mostly about UK & US govt structure) looks quite boring. If she ends up applying for History & Politics degree, would it look odd or would she be disadvantaged without the A level?

Economics - seems good fit with Maths/ interest in current affairs but don't know a great deal about it.

English Lit - tried and tested, safe bet. She's very good at it but I'd say she likes it rather than loves it.

She's at a selective school - Economics & Sociology most popular A levels of these 4 & v good results in all 4 subjects.

Possible degrees History/ History & Politics/ Social Science type degree but still very unsure. Possible careers - discussed Law/ civil service/ teaching/ maybe even accountancy - but again still very unsure.

Any thoughts welcome. Thanks

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 11/03/2023 14:43

No one cares what subjects your A levels were in, unless we are , according to MN, speaking of magic circle law. It might matter in teaching for some subjects...

My DS did economics, history and sociology A levels and got a Cambridge interview. They literally teach sociology at Cambridge!

It really really won't matter.

On a practical note, potential students need to be wary of the huuuuuuuuge amount of content in sociology . DS has an excellent memory , luckily but there is masses of rote learning. It's not as 'sexy' as taster sessions could make it sound.

PerpetualOptimist · 11/03/2023 08:50

@VaccinistaToteBagChicBaristas, glad to see you are one step ahead of me!

In respect of potential prejudices against Sociology A-level amongst recruiters, I suspect that, if these exist, they lurk in a sector like law.

I remembered the thread I have linked below attracted a number of lawyers involved in the later stages of recruitment as well as those (more likely HR) involved earlier and throughout. The discussion was more about perceptions of A-level Law but Sociology and other subjects are mentioned.

My view is that your DD should think about what is drawing her to Sociology ahead of other choices. It could be she is the sort of person that enjoys and needs new challenges and change or it could be the topics within the subject are really appealing. Ultimately it might mean she is more likely to get an A in Sociology than in, say, Eng Lit or Econ and that, far more than possible prejudices in one pocket of one profession, would be the crucial factor.

Link: www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4492302-Any-lawyers-on-here-that-could-give-some-advice-to-my-dd-age-15

Ariela · 10/03/2023 18:09

Timetabling may be an issue with starting 4 and dropping 1.

I'd suggest Economics.

Original poster
VaccinistaToteBagChicBaristas · 10/03/2023 17:40

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Appreciate everyone's thoughts.
@ALS94 Already considered and ruled out Psych, along with a couple of others. Am wondering if she'd be at a disadvantage actually getting on to a Politics degree in first place without the A level?
@PerpetualOptimist Great minds think alike - I think I've already seen that Cambridge doc but am less concerned about Sociology for uni applications than for job applications afterwards. I've also already suggested she looks at A level papers as next step, thanks!
@3sthemagicnumber Re starting with 4, I think she may still struggle to decide which to drop & end up doing 4 which seems an unnecessary amount of work & stress. Apparently there's also an issue that depending on when they drop the 4th, it may be too late to then sign up for an EPQ.

OP posts:
SeasonFinale · 10/03/2023 17:09

Personally if those I would say Economics

Bobbybobbins · 10/03/2023 17:07

I think with the two 'traditional' subjects she could choose any of those 4

3sthemagicnumber · 10/03/2023 16:38

Could she start two of them (alongside Maths and History) with a view to dropping one

That would give her the opportunity to try out the new subjects and see what she thinks and is a fairly common approach to A levels here. Wouldn't completely solve it for her though...

Saturdayafternoonnap · 10/03/2023 15:54

I would suggest she goes with what she will most enjoy.

Economics is very popular at degree level, but the key is her maths ability. It is a hard A Level, ds did well, but it wasn't taught well at school and I did have to fork out for an online course.

Politics sits very neatly with history, and there is often a cross over between the two. Ds found the content quite basic, so probably worth looking at the syllabus before she chooses.

With history and maths, I think it doesn't really matter what you pick for the third.

PerpetualOptimist · 10/03/2023 15:47

Your DD might like to download and read 'Subject Matters', produced by U of Cambridge. This indicates that, for students potentially interested in Arts or Humanities subjects at Cambridge but not sure yet which one, a combination of Maths and History and a range of other, specifically mentioned subjects including Sociology would be regarded as a good base. So no snobbery or reservation there with regards to Sociology. LSE also includes Sociology on its list of approved subjects.

I had a DC interested in a range of subjects not taught at GCSE level at their school (eg Politics, Economics, Business). I encouraged said DC to download a couple of past A-level papers to see whether they liked the look and style of the questions. It was actually very helpful. For example, they realised Politics had a big constitutional element and Economics had a quite dry (in their view) focus on theoretical models. They actually stuck with Geography in the end (liked it and did well). Your DD could use the same process if unsure and that might confirm that Sociology really sparked their interest vs, say, English Literature.

ALS94 · 10/03/2023 15:04

I’d say for her to go with what interests her the most. A Levels are hard but they’re made a lot easier if you have a genuine interest in the subject.

From my experience the first year of university covers most of what the A Level would cover anyway, so if she didn’t take politics then I don’t think she’d be at a disadvantage

In regards to the snobbery around Sociology, I don’t think there is, especially as she has more traditional other subjects like you said. If you are concerned though, has she considered psychology as an alternative