Five A-levels too much?

[MumO5]

My son has just started his Lower Sixth year and either wants to do Law at university (he has Oxbridge and the U.S in mind) or Biology/Biochemistry.

His current A-levels are Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History but he is leaning more to the social science route and thinks that doing another social science A-level will help him stand out more compared to other applicants and will make Oxbridge he's more qualified for that specific course.

He says U.S universities like Princeton and Harvard want students who took the most rigorous course load possible so it would also give him a great edge in that.

He is thinking of either English Literature or Economics.

I think he's capable as he got 9 A*s and one A at GCSE but is there any truth to what he's saying?

> He says U.S universities like Princeton and Harvard want students who took the most rigorous course load possible so it would also give him a great edge in that.

Not at all. I attended Harvard (having been schooled in the UK), and I now interview students who apply to the college. I also only took three A-Levels.

What colleges like Harvard are looking for is passion. That passion could be extra-curriculars (music, sport, volunteering, etc), or it could be academics. But is your son looking to take five A-levels because he is passionate about all five subjects? It doesn't sound like it - it sounds like he thinks it will give him an edge in the application process, and that's not going to be the case.

There are other ways of demonstrating academic passion: pursuing an extended project qualification in a subject of interest, taking university level classes, performing independent research...

> My son has just started his Lower Sixth year and either wants to do Law at university (he has Oxbridge and the U.S in mind) or Biology/Biochemistry.

Just as a heads up, in the US law is not an undergraduate subject, it's post-grad. Your son would have to take another subject (typically something law adjacent, like government/economics/sociology/etc), and then either go to law school in the US (a very expensive option) or return to the UK and take a conversion course.

Alot of this also seems to be coming from what your DS is telling you. If he is serious about US universities you need to read up to find out the entrance requirements / timing of tests / accomodation applications / financial expectations and any support available as lovely as it is to let him be independent it requires some parental involvement too particularly if you are footing the bill.

Does he not have a social life? Things often open up socially in the 6th form how sad if he misses out as he is swotting away on pointless extra a levels.

The exams may clash if so many subjects??

Maybe 3 and an epq. Especially if considering law as could do a law based one and really investigate whether its the subject for him.

Have known a couple of law students quit as didn't like the subject.

That's just too many A levels. Both my kids had GCSE results as good as your DS and they are taking/took 4 A levels only. It would have been completely unmanageable to do more. Unless your DS literally wants to do nothing at all other than work.

Bluntly - that’s a silly idea. My dd is doing four - maths, geography, french and art. Combining subject areas like this (as your son is also doing) becomes more demanding than doing four with subject overlap, eg maths/further maths/physics etc . She didn’t do an EPQ for this reason.

She’s very academic, got all Astars at gcse and while she’s managing ok with her current workload, any more would be insane. She’s also applying for Oxbridge and they only offer on 3 a-levels as most uk students only do 3.

At her school, they all start on four a-levels but about two thirds of the year drop a subject for Year 13.

It’s important these kids also have time to socialise and rest - I think 5 a-levels would make for a pretty miserable couple of years!

Echoing everyone - do not do this. Much more risk of dropping a grade and missing the place.

Are A levels the equivalent of Highers? Im in scotland do not sure?

He shouldn’t even consider doing five.
He should only consider doing four if it is Maths/ further Maths combo

Advanced highers

No they are harder. When I was at school you generally took 5 how highers and the usual number of a-levels is 3. I did sixth year studies and found this to be first year uni level. DS says that he had already done most of his first year at uni for his a-levels.

DS did 4 A-levels and I thought that was too many.

Unless you took them after 2017 it is likely that you took the old style curriculum. Most students now only take three, some take four or an EPQ.

Five is an awful lot, he could end up getting lower grades in all 5 and would have been better off sticking with 3/4 and doing better.

Universities tend to look at the whole package too not just academic achievement- so hobbies and interests, extracurricular activities. If he's doing 5 A levels he won't have time for any!

I did this in the late 90s. My A level grades were AABCE.

Guess which one was self taught?! 🤔

Thankyou! I was slightly concerned reading as my DD is doing 5 scottish higher. But only planning on 3 advanced highers which now makes sense.

No way. Dd went to a very academic sixth form and they were only allowed to do 4 if the 4th was extra maths. The reason being that otherwise 4 is too many, it will affect grades. Better to have 3x A star. Rather than 2x A and 2x B. Also as previously said it’s of no benefit for UK admissions afaik, they will only look at ucas points from three. Plenty of kids there went to Oxbridge.

I used to interview for Cambridge colleges, and we were only allowed to offer on 3 anyway. We saw plenty of students doing 4, but there was no particular advantage to doing so. People were often constrained by what their school offered, anyway, so it wouldn't be considered a fair comparison.

I think, at that time anyway, 5 would have been thought a risk to the grades, and we'd have been concerned the student would end up missing their offer if we did make one.

I can only recall one student with 5 A levels, and they were a student who had changed from sciences to arts part way through sixth form, so they'd done them in 3 years rather than 2.

Everyone who does admissions knows what the normal course load is for different systems. There's no point overloading someone.

Absolutely not! If anything, it will harm his chances of Oxbridge.

Go for depth, not breadth. Oxbridge tutors will want to see evidence of deeper understanding of subjects beyond the a-level curriculum. Simply doing more taught a-levels just shows he’s a hard worker who can learn what he is taught.

Far better to stretch himself by doing lots of super curricular learning… such as reading non-curriculum books/articles critically, attending lectures, entering essay competitions, listing to podcasts, doing a relevant EPQ, relevant work experience etc. These are just a few suggestions. He should speak to the Oxbridge lead at his college - they will be able to advise.

US universities may well be more impressed with breadth, but my advice would still be the same - those 4 a-levels are already more than enough.

Oxford open day last week was very clear - do 3. They actually said they are not impressed with four - it gets you no extra credits (exception being if the fourth is further maths) and potentially impacts your performance in the other three

What Oxbridge say they want is passion and evidence of greater depth in your subject. So, if your dc wants to study law, evidence of an interest in that area.

How about LAMDA public speaking exams? My ds found these great.

Essay competitions?

Do they have an interest on how law us made and implemented?

If he's thinking science based, that's a completely different area and career, might be best if he actually decides which route he's thinking of going. Throwing in an extra ALevel is of no use whatsoever.

If he likes English Literature and wants to stand out, then perhaps he could do some creative writing in his spare time and look to enter some competitions? Or take an OU free course in some aspects of psychology? Or join the drama society and act (good for law!)? All good for both his PS as well as his MH!

@Thismighthelp - did Oxford actually say ‘don’t do four’?

I’d believe if they said ‘we offer on only three, don’t do four if it will lessen your chances of the results we need’, but a lot of academic schools, particularly private ones, do four.

If you dig into the average grades for successful Cambridge applicants, a lot have four - often with further maths, which is a bit different I know. But still, I’d find it odd Oxford would be so black and white about it.

One of my sons friends took three A levels at school and one externally (in his second language). His uni wouldn't consider the external A level as counting towards his offer (even though it was taken in the same year).

I agree that depth (eg an EPQ) or other evidence of research work/interest in the subject would be a better option.

Why. Does he need to get 3 x A* for entry, so why not just focus on that.