About sons a level decisions

[ginorwine]

Our ds has just done his as levels . He did not enjoy English at all - one of the books was Austen and it was totally not his bag and he struggled to be intrested!
He is now saying that he has learnt a lesson and he wants to do b tech in outdoor ed then a level geography and travel and tourism . He was prev asked to do three sciences at g c s e by the school which was not his thing so it is his second experience of this.
The school have said that the curriculum set up means that he would not be able to do a level geography as it clashes so he would have to do the b tech and travel and tourism . He has just done a young leaders course via a bursary from a charity and that was outdoor ed as well as public speaking group work etc. he loved it. He has no idea what he wants to do after sixth form and thinks maybe uni or maybe appreitiship - he loves school and that's why he struggles to think beyond it I guess.
The school don't want him to do the b tech as they say it will limit his options and feel he shd be aiming for an r g uni . My gut instinct is to support him to do what he wants as if happy will enjoy and do well but others like a relative who employs people say you have to think of future .
We have appt with school later this week. !!! Any advice or experience please? !

I agree that he needs to work out what he wants to do and then work backwards.

e.g. if this was the sort of job he'd want to do:
www.outdoor-learning.org/Default.aspx?tabid=79&JobId=2204

then the job requirements include a degree in geography / biology / environmental sciences (and in my experiene, it needs to be a good degree from a 'good' university).

Whereas if this was the sort of job he wants
www.outdoor-learning.org/Default.aspx?tabid=79&JobId=2333
then the job requirements are quite different

yes it totally depends what he wants to do in outdoor education - and what his long term plans are - a degree in youth and community work or education would give him more long term prospects but it is not essential - Granita is spot on about working backwards

Granita the difference in requirements & pay for those two positions is really interesting, thank you for posting.

A BTEC level 3 extended diploma is enough to get into some universities.

This is the graded equivalent to 3 a-levels

I think he really does have to sit down with the web and have a serious look at courses he might be interested in and their entry requirements.

When and only when he's done that should he make any ddecisions.

It's got to be his choice, but it needs to be an informed choice.

DD1 has swapped maths on her sixform application for art, but only after checking her preferred universities don't need it for her kind of biology.

Art is her safety valve, she does it to relax anyway. She's not a natural mathematician.

My son just done a two year BTEC Level 3 and is now going to University to be a Sports Scientist! Distinction * all the way through

Forgot to say he does volunteer work with disabled children helping them to engage in sport .! I will ask him more about this.
At the moment he is only seeing the positive in the outdoor wd and t and t course - possibly due to fear re options combined with intrest in it as well .
Will get on Internet and look at ideas.
My only worry is that he may be partly running from difficulty in one area and seeing his options as a get out rather than a well thought out choice. Once he makes his mind up he finds it difficult to listen and says that we are just trying to change his mind rather than what we are really doing which is look at all choices available and I don't want this tendancy to lead him to make a mistake! It's hard as he is less likely to listen to this balanced view from us than say a pal who wants to do outdoor ed with him! Which having been a teen I get!

Seems a bit of a waste of a whole year not to do any A Levels, or even only one.

The school not offering A level geography is ridiculous.

If he is going to proceed through life on the basis that he should only do things he enjoys, he is going to be a bit disappointed, isn't he? Most jobs are comprised of only fleeting moments of enjoyment amongst the mundane, necessary and downright unpleasant.

Forgot to say he does volunteer work with disabled children helping them to engage in sport .! I will ask him more about this.
At the moment he is only seeing the positive in the outdoor wd and t and t course - possibly due to fear re options combined with intrest in it as well .
Will get on Internet and look at ideas.
My only worry is that he may be partly running from difficulty in one area and seeing his options as a get out rather than a well thought out choice. Once he makes his mind up he finds it difficult to listen and says that we are just trying to change his mind rather than what we are really doing which is look at all choices available and I don't want this tendancy to lead him to make a mistake! It's hard as he is less likely to listen to this balanced view from us than say a pal who wants to do outdoor ed with him! Which having been a teen I get!

Media, especially with a lowish predicted grade, was unlikely to get him down the RG path anyway so best drop that. Is the btech they are offering L2 or 3 ? He doesn't need the outdoor ed qualification now, with the other activities and contacts he has. I'd suggest he sticks to core subjects - Geography, T and T maybe English or even PE/science, and applies for a more vocational course afterwards or during the holidays.

Chelsy it's not a waste of a year if he's discovered that it's not what he wants to do. Also, the op said he couldn't do A level geography due to timetable issues, not that they don't offer it.

My DS did the same, good GCSE grades and went to college to do A levels; it was a disaster! He got E and the rest U at AS. He changed direction and started a BTEC in Business and is going to a highly rated uni for a subject that he wouldn't have considered if it wasn't for his BTEC plus he hasn't got the nail biting moment on Thursday to see unconditional.

It's frustrating his school pushed him into an odd mix of alevels in the first place. Looks like it was timetable driven rather than the mix needed for uni or a career.

Echo the advice to get some career guidance and work backwards from uni entry requirements and career paths.

I did a BTEC and then worked in my chosen profession for a while before being accepted to uni. Someone posted saying a BTEC alone will not get you into uni - mine did and my application was straightforward! I then went on to postgrad to teach which I have enjoyed for many years and am about to take the next step towards teaching at further education now. BTECs can give you lots of opportunities, A levels can give lots of opportunities. What is right for one person may not be right for another.

He says that he doesn't know what he wants to do but finds the area s of geog , travel and tourism intresting . Partly I think he may be doing outdoor ed as it intrests him and he sees it as a god route to get points. It's a level 3 .

That's as maybe but he'll only get the points if he sticks at it for another 2 years and he'd be sacrificing the points from Geography to do so. Ask him to find out more about the A level texts for English (check intranet , website ask current pupils?). It may have simply been a poor choice in the first place but with a predicted B he can't potentially be that bad at it.

My eldest son is off to uni this year - He's about to be 22.

He got a 'U' in one of his A levels,and basically lost all hope.

Then,after a year,he suddenly got himself a part time job,enrolled on a full time course to do a BTec at college,and now has been accepted to study History at Uni.

A woman from work in her thirties is going to Uni this year...she has 2 children,and is going to a local campus to study full time.

It is never too late as far as I can see.

I think it's vital that he should do the subjects that he wants to do, and not plough through a year of something that really isn't his thing (two years of Maths and Further Maths at A-level are burned into my memory). He should also make his own decisions about his future, and not be influenced by the school's wish to brag about the number of students who got into RG universities.
Having said that, A-levels will give him wider options than a BTEC. English is about more than Jane Austen. And while sport is 'important' at one level, it really doesn't equate to academic achievement in careers terms.
Can you get him some objective careers advice from somewhere other than the school?

I think your ds needs to decide for himself which subjects and courses to study, it has to be things he enjoys and is interested in.

At his age I think he needs to be allowed to decide himself, make sure he has the facts and is aware of all the advantages and disadvantages of each option and then let him decide which works best for him.

It really depends what he wants to do and it sounds as if outdoor education is his thing.
I have experience of people being pushed down the highest academic route just because they are bright and mostly it hasn't ended well for them.
I have lived and learned-direct him to impartial advice ( not the school who just want feathers in their cap) and then let him make his own decision.

I agree with most others here, he has to be allowed to make the decision but he should make himself well informed about all the options. I was taking A levels at 6th form but they were random combinations of things I was good at and would never lead me anywhere. I was floating but doing so competently. It wasn't until a friend who was struggling was advised to consider a btec that I thought "that's what I want to do".

The head of the dept initially wouldn't let me change as I was predicted an A in my A level in that subject and he thought it was the decision of an unfocused drifter. I persisted in wanting to change and he forced me to outline my higher education and employment plans, ensuring I had a solid future direction before changing. He also made me complete the a level even tho it became duplication (they do want the good grades!)

I discovered I would have to take additional a levels to bump up the bTec to get into uni and I ended up working far harder than 3 a levels would have required. But I loved my bTec and I was focused in a way I never had been.

I got into uni on a well respected course and I cannot tell you what good stead the bTec stood me in. I'm now in my dream career. Give him my best wishes!

As an aside, OP, this attitude from your son He says what's the point studying what he doesn't enjoy doesn't bode well - there are very few courses at Uni where he would enjoy every aspect. Same is true in working life. He does need to get over this. That said, he should broadly enjoy his subjects or they will tend to lead toward further study/employment areas he might not enjoy.
I would say that his English teacher saying B wasn't good enough she expected A, though perhaps confrontationally phrased, suggest she is interested in him and does think he can do well. I'm an English teacher and, while I love Austen, I no longer teach it at A Level as it is definitely 'Marmite' and if a student hates it they tend to answer relatively poorly on it. He might well enjoy next year's books better.
I agree with everyone who says he needs to decide what he wants to do when he leaves school and work backwards from there. This also has the advantage of adding focus if he knows he heeds certain subjects and grades.

I was leaning towards outdoor education at the end of my english degree. There are several unis offering a postrad diploma in outdoor education. But you need a degree first. Would he consider sticking with geography and doing something like environmental science or geography, or tourism at uni? Have to say, the tourism and management sounds like it wouldcompliment outdoor ed rather well - for adventure travel etc.

Also, as scary as it sounds, has he talked to an army careers office? They have a lot of that stuff.

Whatever he decides, there are no laws against going to uni later than 18, and I think being absolutely sure of what you want to do is very wise. So many people just do something at uni without really thinking about the 40 years of work that come after it!

There are several unis offering a postrad diploma in outdoor education. But you need a degree first

You are right there are several post grad courses but there are also degrees and foundation degrees.

I also didn't go to uni until my 30s

Thanks all . Have tried to talk to him gently today but he won't explore the options other than googling what jobs cd be related to travel and tourism and outdoor ed and says these are his intrests and he wd be happy to study or work in either in theory. I think he will do be tech level 3 - he plans to do the two years in one alongside a level t and t . I think he finds it hard to even begin t o look at the choices and advantages/ disadvantages as it looks as if he gas made mind up and Is avoiding discussion as in his words he thinks I will try to get him to change his mind. ! I only want a balanced conversation but his head is now in sand ! He tends to like to be in the top of the class otherwise he goes off the boil historically. I partly think he likes t and t as its easy . He loses confidence v easily if gets discouraged, he says he is fed up of doing what people like you want ie us and school but we have never pressurised ds!! Think in dependant careers advice good idea !! Thanks all !

Is the school prepared for doing a L3 in one year ? Might be equally tricky timetabling wise as for Geography. Is he now saying he'd go into work at 18 ?