To think that university is easier than A-Levels?

[AWinterWonderland]

Obviously content-wise, university covers much more complex and difficult topics and the workload is much more intense. However I found it a lot easier to get top grades at university compared to during A-Levels.

I really struggled during A-Levels and it took pretty much constant studying and a round of resits to get decent grades. I remember during A-Levels I would start revising for summer exams in February. Whilst in my final year of my undergraduate I started revising two weeks before my exams.

At university (undergraduate and master's level) I found it a lot easier to get good grades. I didn't feel like examiners/markers were trying to catch me out. I felt the marking was consistent which enabled me to be able to judge my work, I could always roughly tell when my work had reached first class or distinction standard and was ready to be submitted. In comparison, I remember walking out of an A-Level exam feeling that it had gone really well only to get a D! At university, I felt that there was less of an emphasis on exam technique and memory recall and instead more emphasis on higher level thinking like critical analysis, synthesis of information, etc.

Does anyone else agree?

Agreed. A level v intense whereas uni more self motivated and focused

I did English Lit at a level and degree and I found the step up with essays quite difficult, the marking criteria felt much tighter. In a level it felt like I got good grades just for chucking a few basic analyses of texts together, but my degree needed much stronger, more cohesive arguments.

However I found having a singular focus in my degree easier, rather than doing multiple subjects at the same time at A level and having to switch/getting into the headspace of each throughout the week.

Nope.

HTH

@AWinterWonderland

Interesting that there are lots of different opinions.

I guess some people find that the confinements of A-Level are helpful as you know what you need to learn, whereas university is a lot more open-ended and has a lot more content to cover.

I also guess passion and interest also plays into it. I still dedicated a lot of hours into my degrees but it didn't feel like work. Even as a graduate I will still read scientific papers because I have an interest in it rather than because I have to. Whereas A-Level Physics most definitely felt like a lot of work and effort as I found it tedious!

I also wonder about the background of those that found university easy vs. hard. I went to a pretty poor state school where we would frequently have supply teachers for months on end and were only encouraged to pass exams rather than aim for top marks. I took a very independent and proactive approach to my education and effectively taught myself. I guess that helped me adjust to university easily as I was already used to being an independent learner, whereas I know I had friends who found that difficult to adjust to.

I don't agree that it means I went to a "dodgy" university, my university is reputable with a good ranking. Does ranking even affect degree difficulty? I know work gets reviewed by external examiners so surely that means that there wouldn't be much inconsistency across different universities? I don't know, I don't really know how it works to be honest.

It's not interesting that there a lot of different opinions, just means you made a ridiculously sweeping statement.

I agree.

@TooLittleTooLate80 I disagree and I worry I have somehow hit a nerve and offended you somehow, if so I apologise. I gave an opinion, not a statement and I asked if others agreed with me - some did, some didn't as occurs with most opinions. It is interesting to hear different viewpoints.

I completely disagree. It possibly depends on when you did A Levels and your degree and on the subjects but my degree was much harder.

@corythatwas

I went to Oxford. I hated my degree. I did badly (2:2). I sailed through my A-levels. I've got nobody to blame but myself and my lack of interest at the time.

20 years later I'm planning to do an MSc at a former poly, followed by a PhD, in a completely different discipline, with a career change in mind.

I genuinely wasn't being superior about Oxford, the course I took just wasn't 'me' and I flunked it.

@AWinterWonderland

Interesting that there are lots of different opinions.

I guess some people find that the confinements of A-Level are helpful as you know what you need to learn, whereas university is a lot more open-ended and has a lot more content to cover.

I also guess passion and interest also plays into it. I still dedicated a lot of hours into my degrees but it didn't feel like work. Even as a graduate I will still read scientific papers because I have an interest in it rather than because I have to. Whereas A-Level Physics most definitely felt like a lot of work and effort as I found it tedious!

I also wonder about the background of those that found university easy vs. hard. I went to a pretty poor state school where we would frequently have supply teachers for months on end and were only encouraged to pass exams rather than aim for top marks. I took a very independent and proactive approach to my education and effectively taught myself. I guess that helped me adjust to university easily as I was already used to being an independent learner, whereas I know I had friends who found that difficult to adjust to.

I don't agree that it means I went to a "dodgy" university, my university is reputable with a good ranking. Does ranking even affect degree difficulty? I know work gets reviewed by external examiners so surely that means that there wouldn't be much inconsistency across different universities? I don't know, I don't really know how it works to be honest.

I think there's something in your point about the type of school you attended.

There are studies that show that students who went to state schools tend to do better at university than students who got the same A-level grades at private schools.

Anecdotally, the only person in my uni friendship group who got a 3rd had gone to a very good private school where she never had more than 10 people in her class. Her A-level grades were very good, but I definitely got the impression that she was a lot less used to independent work than the rest of us.

I didn’t do A levels (Scotland) but school and uni (a good one) I think were about the same level (not that challenging and only spent ‘big hours’ studying for the finals exams. I have said many times I don’t think I actually learnt much at uni.

Professional exams were above and beyond way harder and you had a full time job to do alongside.

@satnighttakeaway

Everyone is going to have a different experience, it totally depends on your A level subjects your degree subject, your university, when you studied etc

Some will agree with you, some wont, it was ever thus

This ^^

DD is studying biomedical sciences at a university that required AAA - AAB, and doesn't find it easier than her A levels of chemistry, biology and geography.

I found the opposite to you. A-levels were a breeze, I barely revised for them and got As/As.
My degree (Maths and Stats) was the first time in my life I had to work for something, as you’re suddenly in a pool of people who are all used to getting As and As so the standard is much higher!

Nope. For me, degree was harder, more intense work.

PGCE was a blast for me (although this was yearsssss ago).

Those that found A levels easy - were they linear or coupled with AS levels?

They say the step from GCSE to A Level is the biggest one you make. It was a big step to go from bite sized information to critical thinking where it is not black and white. Once you have that down it is not as hard. However University has the challenges of self directed learning, time management. It also depends how similar your A Levels and degree are- if you are wading into mastering new skills and how far you are out of your comfort zone.

DS1 was chatting recently about the gap between those on his degree course who had close matching A levels and those whose subjects which were not. With entry requirements of AAB the majority of students had very similar results but those without knowledge of the core subjects were playing catch-up the first year whereas he felt he was just consolidating his previous learning.

DD is in her second year, and the work has ramped up. She is finding the lack of real lab work difficult though.

Yes, A levels were a Biology, Chemistry and IT, degree was Biomedical Science, masters was Cardiac Science, the higher the qualification the easier it was imo.

I’m not from the UK (Ireland) and found the “leaving certificate” (A level equivalent more or less) hideous in terms of memory learning- I’m 45 now, so maybe it’s an old format but it was soo wrong. Not even vaguely creative or critical. And I have an excellent memory now, probably because of that pointless education system.
I took off at university (hadn’t actually wanted to go).
I’m probably officially one of the most recognised “genius” type persons in my university subject.
But I certainly wasn’t at A level (probably fifth best in some subjects).
So, I found university relatively easy, because it suited me. I found school hard because it wasn’t me.
I should add, I’m just a normal person

My Engineering degree was miles harder than my A levels (I did Physics, Chemistry, Biology & Maths fwiw).

If you've ever had to do a group project you'd realize the uni was just miles harder. I also struggle with exams and found out in uni that you could be tested on something the lecturer had not spoken about in lectures at all.

This might not be a popular opinion, but by European standards, A-Levels are pretty much a Micky Mouse qualification simply because you get to choose the three subjects you will perform best at, while totally excluding your least favourite subjects. I did A-Levels many years ago: I did work hard for then, but it was all intrinsically doable because I had chosen subjects that played to my strengths. DH did Irish Leaving Cert and had to do a wide range of subjects right to the end. DD1 has done the German Abitur qualification, which means you do around ten subjects, two of them to a higher standard, plus an extended essay project. It was way, way more challenging - both in volume and difficulty - than my A-Levels. There was also continual assessment PLUS final exams. However, the diversity was excellent preparation for her degree course, which integrated many aspects of social sciences. The few Brits on her course were at a real disadvantage compared with other students because they lacked that background breadth.