Page 2 | A-Level Choices thoughts?

TeenDivided · 03/12/2022 18:00

How much will you need to contribute v him having a student loan?
If he took a gap year to save that would help.

You do know that student loans are more like a graduate tax than a real loan?

Unicorn1919 · 03/12/2022 18:12

If he is interested in human geography then I don't think chemistry is any help (it is for other types of geography such as environmental geography) and again would really need maths A level to go with it. Politics is a good one to combine with geography, business studies is less useful in this context. I would suggest maths is the best way to go unless he really can't cope with it. The maths would help hugely with human geography at degree level as it often involves a lot of economics.

senua · 03/12/2022 20:45

it is such a large financial outlay I think it is reasonable to question if it makes financial sense.
Absolutely. It is a lot of debt to take on if he only ends up getting a so-so job that he could have got anyway without a degree. It has to be thought through. However, please don't let your financial fears hold him back.

The best bet is to take some sensible A Levels (that he likes!) that will be acceptable for a variety of post-school options (university, apprenticeship, etc). The safest subjects are the old skool ones, nothing too new-fangled, although the future will belong to computers. A Levels are merely a stepping stone to something else (as yet unknown); all you have to do is make sure that he is not narrowing his chances too much.

Cleopatra67 · 03/12/2022 20:52

Surely it’s up to him what he does with the degree once he’s got it. If you want a definite plan then he’d be better off with an apprenticeship. Also A level Econ is fine without Maths A level if he’s strong at GCSE.

Dotcheck · 03/12/2022 22:05

senua · 03/12/2022 20:45

it is such a large financial outlay I think it is reasonable to question if it makes financial sense.
Absolutely. It is a lot of debt to take on if he only ends up getting a so-so job that he could have got anyway without a degree. It has to be thought through. However, please don't let your financial fears hold him back.

The best bet is to take some sensible A Levels (that he likes!) that will be acceptable for a variety of post-school options (university, apprenticeship, etc). The safest subjects are the old skool ones, nothing too new-fangled, although the future will belong to computers. A Levels are merely a stepping stone to something else (as yet unknown); all you have to do is make sure that he is not narrowing his chances too much.

Traditional A levels? Why?
So many employers want someone with experience, which Alevels don’t offer.

OP
I’m still wondering how you expect your child to have a deep understanding of themselves and the world, if they are expected to lock themselves into a plan without exploring.

I talk to so many students who tell me their parents won’t allow them to do the thing they want to do- instead they are shoehorned into ‘sensible’ and ‘traditional’ even though it may not leas to employment.

EastLondonObserver · 03/12/2022 22:16

Don’t do business studies. It’s useless, as are business studies degrees and MBAs.

Business is best learned through doing business. And bods who get the best graduate jobs in business have generally shown high levels of academic achievement in ‘hard’ subjects. These don’t include business.

Ciri · 03/12/2022 22:27

EastLondonObserver · 03/12/2022 22:16

Don’t do business studies. It’s useless, as are business studies degrees and MBAs.

Business is best learned through doing business. And bods who get the best graduate jobs in business have generally shown high levels of academic achievement in ‘hard’ subjects. These don’t include business.

Hmm, I earn high six figures with my useless business management degree…

I’m sure you’re right though.

EastLondonObserver · 04/12/2022 07:54

Ciri · 03/12/2022 22:27

Hmm, I earn high six figures with my useless business management degree…

I’m sure you’re right though.

Show quote history

I’m glad you succeeded despite your business studies studies :)

TizerorFizz · 04/12/2022 10:05

So MBAs are useless? Really? Not from what I’ve seen. We were talking about A level!

@NextStepSupport
I would do the obvious and look at the best universities and look at what they offer. Be realistic. I wouldn’t necessarily go down a narrow field of Geography. One of its strengths is that it’s broad!

DDs friends who have done Geography work for the NT, buy a specialist food for a big importer, has become a surveyor, work in finance, and work for the Environment Agency. The universities they went to were Sheffield, Nottingham, Exeter (several) and Manchester. Friends who studied Geography are now a land buyer, commercial property valuer, planners (several), surveyors and HR officer. We do know lots in “property” areas of work but that’s just us! Obviously other jobs are available!

So look at careers but these can be broad and some degrees set you up better then others.

Sundaymorningstillalive · 04/12/2022 18:10

Geography and economics type degrees are very popular ar the moment. It doesn't matter if you have economics A Level, but the strongest degree courses will want A Level maths.

So if, and only if, he feels confident enough, Geography, maths and politics would be a great combination in my opinion.

A Level maths is hard though, unless you are really strong at maths.

senua · 04/12/2022 19:22

This is from Leeds' website. I note that they don't call the degree 'Human Geography'. They offer Geography degrees but differentiate them as B.A. and B.Sc

The entry requirements for the B.A. are
"A-level: AAA or AAB including a social science/humanities subject.

Accepted social science/humanities subjects: Ancient History/History; Business/Business Studies; Classical Civilisation; Economics; English; Geography; Government and Politics; Law; Media Studies; Modern Languages or Ancient Languages; Philosophy; Politics; Psychology; Religious Studies; Sociology.

Excludes A-Level General Studies or Critical Thinking."

Note that they ask for a SS/Hum subject. I read that as only one is required, the other two can be sciences / non-essay.

Obviously, this is just one University's take on the subject but it's a useful start-point to have a list of "approved" subjects.

TizerorFizz · 04/12/2022 21:17

Many who do Geography don’t have Maths A level nor see it as linked to economics. The op’s DS hasn’t mentioned maths as a choice either.

Happyhappyeveryday · 04/12/2022 21:22

Quite honestly, he should do what’s he’s best at and enjoys the most. Unless he were doing something specific, such as all sciences for médecine. the most important thing is the grade. not the subject itself.

DogInATent · 04/12/2022 21:30

BUT for us to support him there will need to be a plan for a career after university as funding him will be a real struggle.

I think this is unrealistic. He can have some ideas about what he might want to do, but one of the benefits of university is being exposed to ideas you've never come across before. And there's no certainty what the world will be like 3 years down the line.

Having a science subject in the mix always helps keep options open. But my gut advice is to take as a starting point the subjects he enjoys and is best at. Deviate from that only if it's such an odd combination that having it accepted by a university would be difficult (highly unlikely with the options you've listed).

Investigate bursaries and scholarships. There used to be a book available from careers tutors that listed these, it's no doubt available online now. Some of the bursary applications involve campus visits/stays and these are valuable experiences in their own right.

TizerorFizz · 05/12/2022 08:27

Bursaries are usually there to encourage PP/FSM students. I think that could be a fruitless task unless OP qualifies. However what might be better is looking for a degree with a year out. Or a university with strong employment links. Also I found with DD, having friends with strong ambition. They wanted certain careers and went for it! They didn’t sit back and did apply for work experience and did activities to enhance their cv.

Sarahcoggles · 05/12/2022 08:57

My advice - choose the subjects he finds the easiest.

DS1 is in year 13 and applying to study human geography. He's discovering that the offers given by universities are exactly the same, regardless of what subjects people are doing. Challenging yourself with a tricky A level doesn't put yourself in any better position than doing something you find easy.
As far as I can see, the only mandatory A level for Human Geography is geography.
Avoid another subject that has a coursework component, because doing 2 bits of coursework at the same time (DS is going history as well as geography) is bloody difficult.

senua · 05/12/2022 09:51

Challenging yourself with a tricky A level doesn't put yourself in any better position than doing something you find easy.
I agree with this. With so many going to University now it's all about numbers not people. Game the system.
Look at your own particular school, too - if nobody ever gets above a B in politics (say) but business studies (say) regularly gets A* then go for business studies!

All with the caveat that you don't paint yourself into a corner. Keep options open. DS enjoyed and excelled in a particular subject all through school and I assumed that he would study the subject at University but - after the autumn half term in Y13 - he suddenly switched and went to University on one of his other A Level subjects instead.

TizerorFizz · 05/12/2022 13:21

Often the higher grades are attained in more traditional subjects. Better people do economics. Less talented do business studies as it’s not very mathsy.

NewToWoo · 05/12/2022 13:26

Geography and Chemisty are definitely strong options. Is there any chance he'd do well in Maths or Economics? If not, I think Politics or Business could be OK as a third subject.

thing47 · 05/12/2022 14:13

Many of the highly regarded universities do Business Studies, they just tend to call it 'Management Studies' instead, but it's often not very different when you drill down into course content.

A great friend's DS did Business at Durham while his DD did Business at NTU, one year behind. There was surprisingly (to some) little difference between the courses.

Obviously that's just one example so you can't extrapolate too much from it, but I still found it interesting.

TizerorFizz · 05/12/2022 16:59

@thing47
I did mean A level where there’s a lot of difference. DD did Business Studies A level but wouldn’t have done Economics. They are different. Durham isn’t NTU either. Different maths requirements and A level/UCAS points.

thing47 · 05/12/2022 18:36

Oh I wouldn't know anything about A level, I confess. None of mine did either Economics or Business Studies so they've never really been on my radar. Though the DC I mentioned earlier actually got to Durham via a BTech, which tbh surprised even his parents, he definitely didn't have A level maths.

At degree level I wasn't comparing Economics to Business Studies, but rather pointing out that many, many universities offer a form of Business Studies even if they don't explicitly call it that. I always thought the difference was that Economics was more theoretical and academic as a discipline (my MIL was an economist), while Business Studies took a more practical approach to actually working in business after graduating.

TizerorFizz · 05/12/2022 22:19

@thing47
I think Business and/or Management degrees lead to a variety of roles in Business/consulting. If you look at modules and core subjects, they are often very much linked to running a business. Economics isn’t really but of course grads might like to! Durham definitely prefers A level maths but possibly a BTec with practical maths in it would be fine as it’s above gcse.

Thethingswedoforlove · 05/12/2022 22:26

chemistry a level is very hard. Maths is also hard. But chemistry is very hard. Just be warned.

Daisymay2 · 05/12/2022 22:41

DS1 did Geography at Southampton and got 5 offers with A levels in Geography, History and Biology. He was quite keen to do a "general" Geography degree as he wanted to leave the options open. He ended up doing mainly human options after the first year so was awarded a BA. He is now a Chartered Accountant.
I think he needs to look quite carefully at the professional requirements if he is thinking of surveying or planning as potential careers. DS1 found that he couldn't get work experience in the Uni holidays in either field as he was doing "the wrong" degree. He was very fixed on a Geography so didn't consider another subject.
DS2 started A level Chemistry ( as one of four) but dropped it at the end of Y12 as it was finding it really difficult without Maths.