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Original poster

A level choice curveball?!

29 replies

yolofish · 30/06/2015 22:55

DD2 is very dance and arts orientated. She is currently on 3 days 6th form induction at her current school, where she wants to stay.

She wants to work in fashion if her dream of being a professional dancer doesnt come true (good plan), so is considering a fashion buying/merchandising course at uni in 2 years time.

Her plans were: double BTEC dance (2 A level equivalent); photography; creative writing, which sounds like a good creative mix to me.

Anyway, she has come home today and said she might do biology instead of photography - is this a positive, adding a hard science subject to the mix, or is it just off the wall when her other subjects are dance and writing?

I had NO idea she was thinking about biology!!

OP posts:
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muminhants1 · 02/07/2015 08:28

Rather than English Lit - is English Language an option? Or a mixed English Lit and Lang A level? At the sixth form college near us I believe all three are offered.

balletgirlmum · 01/07/2015 22:59

My dd is a lot younger than yours but she also wants to be a professional dancer. She plans on changing schools for a levels.

She plans on taking science based a levels as her back up plan is along the physiotherapy/speech therapy line.

She doesn't think dance a level or btech will be helpful to her but instead plans to try & fit in as many high quality technique classes
Outside school.

Original poster
yolofish · 01/07/2015 22:51

thank you all for further comments. to my huge relief she has come home today and said she def wants to do photog rather than biol. tried to push home the eng lit rather than creative writing msg but she is adamant she doesnt want to do lit. with double dance, photog and creative writing she will end up with 4 A levels (or equiv), plus she is doing NCS and DoEd so she should be able to accrue enough points to do something interesting, somewhere... I like summerends drama suggestion, and her school excels but I dont think timetabling will allow it.

OP posts:
summerends · 01/07/2015 15:58

Instead of creative writing.

summerends · 01/07/2015 15:50

Another curveball suggestion - what about drama /theatre studies. It will incorporate some English as well as theatre costumes and may help her dancing career as a teacher or dancer.

stareatthetvscreen · 01/07/2015 15:38

why not eng lang ?

HarrietVane99 · 01/07/2015 15:30

I'm a writer and I'd definitely suggest Eng Lit, or another essay based subject such as history, over creative writing. Either of those, if well taught, should develop writing skills as well as subject knowledge.

I was going to mention the Open Days thread, but I see someone already has.

Millymollymama · 01/07/2015 15:25

A level Art Textiles is not vital for Buying and Merchandising. No-one specifies it in the courses I have looked at. Art A level would suffice but the textiles element would be good. Business Studies/Maths are more important. I think people who do dance are different from people who do a degree in Buying and Merchandising and therefore choosing the best A levels for both is a conundrum.

Buying and Merchandising does not need a foundation year because it is not an "art" degree in the same way that fashion design is. They are very different. That is why it is vital to read what is involved in a Buying and Merchandising course and not just think it is like fashion design where knowledge of handling textiles within an art and design context is obviously more important.

summerends · 01/07/2015 15:10

If she really is unlikely to change her mind about RG entry then I would have thought Business Studies would be more useful than creative writing for both her present career directions plus as already said Art (incorporating textiles) instead of Photography. It is all pretty heavy on course work but might be no bad thing if exams are not a strength.

Millymollymama · 01/07/2015 14:18

LCF has a similar course and so do Manchester Met. They both look at the business side of buying and merchadising in that, if you look at the modules, maths is useful. Buying is not about textiles, it is about the techniques that make money for your employer! If the garments don't sell, and you are left with surplus stock, the shop loses money. It is all about managing the buying budget for the maximum profit plus understanding the needs of your employer and their market.

A level Subjecs suggested as useful by LCF are: English, Maths, Business Studies, Art, Media Studies and Languages. I do agree that some universities do not state their A level subjects, but Biology is not really a good preparation for buying and merchadising. OP, get your DD to read what the courses are about and the best preparation, then decide what A level courses might actually be suitable. Buying and merchandising has little to do with biology, dance or creative writing however, some universities wont be too choosy!

HmmAnOxfordComma · 01/07/2015 10:44

Just had a really quick look at some fashion courses and found an example of Fashion Buying and Marketing at De Montfort (which looks like a good mid ranking uni/ course with not too onerous UCAS point requirements).

It states no specific A levels accepted, just 260 points BUT says the top 5 A levels held by students accepted onto the course are Fine Art, Art Textiles, Eng Lit, Psychology and Product Design Textiles - in that order.

Might be worth a look at a few similar courses.

Gruach · 01/07/2015 10:41

Even though you don't think she's academic it might be worthwhile, since you have some time, to have a look at this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/2412554-Sadness-of-Open-Days?msgid=55285129

You never know, she might change her mind again!

HmmAnOxfordComma · 01/07/2015 10:36

I despair at how the current GCSE Eng Lit puts people off books/reading AND studying lit at A level.

I'm hoping and praying that the new GCSE will be much better in this regard.

OP, has dd looked at admissions criteria for the types of course she might apply to if she doesn't go into dance?

Original poster
yolofish · 01/07/2015 10:29

that's an interesting idea, focussing on textiles within art, I'll get her to think about that one. I'm going to look at the creative writing thing too, and find out what the Eng Lit books are going to be before she writes it off completely.

they can change their minds up until October half-term, so nothing is set in stone at this stage.

thank everyone, v. useful.

OP posts:
HmmAnOxfordComma · 01/07/2015 09:07

Cross post - shame her school doesn't offer textiles...can she not do Art but focus on textiles within it?

thehumanjam · 01/07/2015 09:05

Do they not offer the option on studying for a specific A level at a partner school? Our schools allows you to study at other local schools as long as it fits in with timetable constraints.

HmmAnOxfordComma · 01/07/2015 09:04

I think the btec dance is fine - possibly even better than A level.

But, I think she should take English Lit over Creative Writing (more respected) and surely needs Art (or possibly Textiles) to stand any chance of a fashion degree? Two friends who did fashion degrees and work as buyers had 2 x art A levels plus Eng Lit then a foundation art course .

Original poster
yolofish · 01/07/2015 09:00

senua I think she's worried about having too much coursework with photography and double dance, both of which are pretty time intensive.
She's quite bright at the things she likes, so her GCSEs are going to be a spread - probably A for photography, textiles and dance, and then anything goes for the rest, and the C in maths is our holy grail.
School doesnt do A level textiles, or else she would have gone for that.
She says no to Eng Lit because she hated GCSE Lit, but she does fancy creative writing.
She's not academic, we are not talking about RG scenarios!
I just want her to really enjoy what she does for the next two years.

OP posts:
thehumanjam · 01/07/2015 08:56

I also don't think that the creative writing will prove to be useful for her, far more useful to opt for a subject that will assist her with plan B.

Original poster
yolofish · 01/07/2015 08:55

hmmm. definitely a maths struggler so that's an issue I hadnt thought of. Thank you for that point.

The BTEC dance is a double, and is a really good qualification. School has performing arts status, sends loads of dancers onto respected places (eg Laban, Leeds, Chichester) and they do end up performing or teaching so not worried on that side of things. She is also in a dance company, performs 3 major show series a year etc as well as school performances. I think it is unlikely she will end up as a professional dancer but may well teach (is already involved in teaching younger students).

I hope she sticks with her first choices...

OP posts:
thehumanjam · 01/07/2015 08:53

Most fashion merchandising type courses will require A level Art or Textiles and a portfolio.

senua · 01/07/2015 08:52

Why this change of heart? What's her logic?

YesThisIsMe · 01/07/2015 07:55

And yes, what's her predicted GCSE maths grade? because if she's a maths struggler then any science A Level will be tricky.

YesThisIsMe · 01/07/2015 07:52

What's her predicted GCSE grade in the Biology? Does she have a good chance of getting a decent grade at A Level?

I agree that maybe Eng Lit might be a more bankable fallback option than Creative Writing in terms of actual qualifications - again, if she's capable of getting a solid grade.

PurpleDaisies · 01/07/2015 07:52

A warning about A level biology...the syllabuses are changing from September to become more challenging, specifically with much more maths content. I've no idea about your daughter's academic ability, but biology is a big step up from GCSE. It would be worth having a look at what is involved.

Almost all my biology pupils (I'm a private tutor) are doing it as a solo science subject and hadn't realised how much chemistry/maths was in it. Saying that, it is really interesting and sciences are great A levels to do so if she is genuinely interested, prepared to work hard and likely to get an A/B at GCSE no reason why she shouldn't go for it.