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AIBU?

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Dd wants to do a levels in geography, politics, English lit

188 replies

Worriedagainmum · 05/01/2023 14:05

She has no real idea what she wants to do with these land it worries me she has no plan

OP posts:
bendmeoverbackwards · 05/01/2023 15:52

OP they are all good A levels. Please don’t worry or pass your anxiety onto your dd.

Unless she wants to do medicine or engineering, those subjects are fine for a wide variety of university courses.

My dd has chosen Sociology, Psychology and Class Civ. Not a single traditional subject!

Lakeyloo · 05/01/2023 15:54

"She has no real idea what she wants to do with these land it worries me she has no plan"
Don't worry, she doesn't need a plan, especially at this stage. She'll probably change her mind a load more times between now and graduating and end up doing something totally different. She can do whatever she wants ! Love the idea that some of the jobs she could do don't even exist yet.
Many employers look at a Degree as a demonstration that you can study, learn, are disciplined, probably fairly bright and will have the right attitude to work (as long as you haven't completely flunked it) not necessarily WHAT the degree is. Graduate recruitment is changing and it's about attitude and employability (obvious exceptions - Dr's etc) as much as anything. Lots of employers aren't even bothered about degrees now, but it does open up more opportunities. (Coming from someone with 16+ years niche recruitment experience for Global Blue chips/FTSE 100/250 etc Grad level to Director level)

TenoringBehind · 05/01/2023 15:57

Great choices - fantastic!

StillWantingADog · 05/01/2023 15:59

Sounds like a good mix
at 16 I didn’t have a clue either and just went for the subjects I enjoyed the most

Catspyjamas17 · 05/01/2023 16:00

Does she enjoy/is she good at the subjects she is doing? Is she good at essay writing? They sound like quite essay-heavy subjects. I was always good at anything where I could put an argument together and waffle on for a bit.

That's the main thing. Unless she wants a career where you need to do specific science subjects or maths at A-Level then it's a good choice for lots of different potential jobs.

I did what some people would consider to be "easy" A-Levels (apart from French which is quite hard) Communication Studies (a mixture of English, communication theory and media studies) Psychology and French then did French and Law (joint honours - almost twice the work!) at an ex-poly university including a year studying (in the loosest possible sense) in France then a couple of years working in London as a legal assistant/paralegal then went to law school full time (and worked PT in the evening) and got a training contract while I was there.

Dixiechickonhols · 05/01/2023 16:02

I think there’s a tendency if you haven’t gone to university to think vocational subjects are better but actually if she’s academic high grade A levels in strong academic subjects are best option.
Eg acquaintance telling me her dc was going to college out of town as they do law A level and x wants to do law. The outstanding/academic 6th form in town doesn’t offer it as they know top unis for law prefer you not to have done it and favour traditional academic A levels.

Catspyjamas17 · 05/01/2023 16:02

Meant to say also I didn't know I wanted to be a lawyer even when I was doing a law degree, though sort of decided to go for it after getting non-qualified legal jobs after graduating.

Newnamefor23 · 05/01/2023 16:04

Worriedagainmum · 05/01/2023 14:11

Yes she badly wants to go to uni

but doesn’t know what uni course she wants to do

Not a bad selection. Keeps her options open and her interest.

Not all A levels or degrees lead directly to obvious jobs and careers.

Good luck to her.

WeWillLookBack · 05/01/2023 16:04

These look like a good, broad range. My eldest is nearly 18, and made his application to Uni in October. At 16, he didn't know what he wanted to do. He is studying History, Geography and Law at 'A' Levels. . He chose Law as he thought it would be interesting and a decent subject. He immediately loved it - and is now focused on a career in law. Really driven - work experience / observing court hearings / Barristers talks the lot - so from no idea to 100% focus over about 12mths. He is predicted really good grades, and has offers from all his applications - of which 4 are RG.

Knowing what you want to do at 16 is incredibly difficult, I would suggest she focuses on subjects she enjoys and hopes to do well in. She will be come more more aware of career options over the next few years, she can then identify routes to these - but they generally start with good grades. It may not lead to University - or it may be that she applies for an apprenticeship degree, where she can gain valuable experience. These subjects will keep her options open (assuming she isn't hoping to study medicine etc) and give her a good, broad base.

Try and take some pressure off her - it really isn't the worst thing to not have your career mapped out at 16.

Catspyjamas17 · 05/01/2023 16:04

Psychology is probably a bit frowned on in stuffier circles but I personally found it a great preparation for a law degree - the case study/argument essay format particularly.

blackpearwhitelilies · 05/01/2023 16:07

These are excellent subjects that can lead to loads of different uni courses. I don't think you should worry at all, OP.
And it's absolute nonsense to say Humanities aren't respected by potential employers. I do wish people would stop coming out with this pernicious ignorance.

Justkeepsmilingx · 05/01/2023 16:16

My daughter is doing geography, politics and sociology. All subjects she loves. It’s made A levels easier for her to learn about things she has a general interest in. She has no idea what she wants to do. She has thought about nursing or teaching geography but has no real passion for a career other than to know that she wants to work with people and not be office based.
Just support what ever she chooses to do and whatever happens in the future.

TaylorZwift · 05/01/2023 16:20

My DC did similar A-levels, but Economics instead of Politics. They didn’t know what they wanted to do at uni so went with the subjects they liked at A-level. All strong subjects. Ended up doing English Literature and Linguistics at Uni but they could have gone onto a variety of courses. I wouldn’t worry about it.

Shannith · 05/01/2023 16:23

That's a great mix. Got me into Oxbridge- PPE (I did economics not politics A level).

MrsPinkCock · 05/01/2023 16:26

Anyone saying politics is a soft A Level clearly didn’t do it themselves - it was incredibly challenging when I did it, albeit it was 20 years ago!

I didn’t know what I wanted to do either but I did politics and English as 2 of mine - I then went on to do a law degree and qualified as a lawyer.

My DD picked 3 random subjects and ended up dropping one - she got an 8 in English but was working at a U for A Level. So sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out - she is going to now have to pick up a third subject next year.

But it’s a marathon not a sprint. Let her choose what she enjoys and is good at.

LighthouseCat · 05/01/2023 16:28

Those are sound A-levels. She'll have loads of options when it comes to looking at uni courses. Are you worried she's not doing a science/maths? What do you think are her academic strengths? We're at the same stage you are with DD trying to decide A-levels yet not knowing what they want to do at uni or for a career. I had no idea at 16 either so did A-levels in subjects I enjoyed. Then did a humanities degree, a related masters and then got a totally unrelated job and a PhD in a science!

Boating123 · 05/01/2023 16:28

Let her do what she wants to do. I wanted to study Art and Geography at Uni. My parents said but what job will I do, afterwards? so I did architecture instead. Failed the course after two years then did a degree in Geography (I missed the chance you go through clearing and the uni I was in didn't do art).

I did Geography got a 2.1 and am now a planner (there is a shortage of them so your daughter could get a job in that field is she wanted to). I am happy with the way my life has panned out but annoyed my parents didn't let me make my own decisions.

Poodleporn · 05/01/2023 16:35

Anactor · 05/01/2023 15:36

Geography A level includes Physical Geography (Earth Sciences), Human Geography (Social Sciences) and Introduction to Fieldwork. It’s a science A level with experience in practical data gathering.

It's a social science.

noworklifebalance · 05/01/2023 16:36

I understand where you are coming from, @Worriedagainmum - my friends and family that did non vocational degrees, without an idea of where it would lead next struggled for many years, usually doing work they were not enjoying (but at least were employed), masters, PhDs and still feeling a bit at sea and worried for their futures. It has worked out for most of them one way or another.

noworklifebalance · 05/01/2023 16:37

I am sure there are plenty who found it much more straightforward!

Anactor · 05/01/2023 16:42

Poodleporn · 05/01/2023 16:35

It's a social science.

Exactly what part of tectonic processes is a social science?

pa1ace · 05/01/2023 16:51

Geography is not just about plate tectonics!

Landmark2022 · 05/01/2023 16:51

20 years ago admittedly so things may be different now, but I did Geography, English Lit and French. All complemented each other, developed skills like critical thinking and analysis, and were my strong subjects so got me good grades and into a good university. I did a Geography degree and people from my course went on to a range of careers: finance, consultancy, law, town planning, auditing, journalism, teaching, civil service. A number left on graduate schemes for big multi national employers (KPMG, Anderson consulting), others undertook post grad training to get to their final careers.

RampantIvy · 05/01/2023 16:56

Yes she badly wants to go to uni. but doesn’t know what uni course she wants to do

She would be far better off taking a gap year while she decides what she wants to do. There is no point in wasting her student loan studying something she isn’t sure about. DD wasn’t sure what she wanted to do at 16, but had a rough idea that it would be something to do with healthcare. She graduated this year with a degree in biomedical sciences and is having a break from studying and is working while she applies for a post grad degree. Her degree enabled her to walk into a job straight away.

But if she does humanities at uni it is a total waste of time - not respected by employers and are soft

What was the point of your goady post @barneshome? You know perfectly well what a load of nonsense your statement was.

xyhere · 05/01/2023 17:06

Honestly, it's far better that she takes subjects she's good at (and preferably enjoys). When she's the other side of university, very few employers will really care what subjects she did at A-level (unless they're very niche roles). In fact, most don't even seem to care about the subject of the degree these days, except for roles which specifically require in-depth knowledge of a particular subject.

Thing is, unless she's going for an academically-focused role, it's likely that she'd need to have a lot of the things she learned at university trained out of her in her first job anyway - that's certainly true in my world (IT and development) and I've heard it said in a lot of other areas too. Getting the degree itself is the important part, because it shows an ability to get down and work.

Basically, relax. Let her do her thing, and she'll discover where she wants to go with her life - the important part being that it's her life. That, to me, is the most critical part of university; it's where you go to learn how to be independent, and to figure out what you want to do with yourself for the next forty or fifty years. Don't put additional pressure on her to decide that right now, because whatever choice she makes under those conditions...odds are it'll be the wrong one, and she'll resent you for it for a lot longer.