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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Confused over A level choices

234 replies

ihearttc · 07/07/2021 20:25

DS1 has just finished Y11. He is a fairly bright boy and is predicted 6s, 7s and 8s for GCSE. He has picked his a level choices…PE, Geography and Biology. These are some of his best subjects and is predicted 8 in both PE/Biology and a 7 in Geography.

He had his induction day at 6th form this week and PE/Geography are ok, the Biology didn’t go well. He thinks the teacher is great (he taught him before) but the others in the class are just not on his wavelength. I’m aware that sounds really shallow and pathetic but 2 of the boys especially are very hard work and he said he was only in there for an hour and wanted to walk out. There are 10 of them and he said there is literally no one he could talk to. He is rather cool and sporty…they are the complete opposite so I can see why he found it tricky.

Anyway…my question is does he suck it up and just accept the fact that he is going to hate a lesson just to do the subject or walk away and chose something else. He wants to do something sport related…either sports science or become a Secondary PE teacher if that’s relevant.

The other option is his other choices are limited due to timetabling. It would have to either be the biology, Media Studies (which he did for GCSE), a BTEC medical science (which seems not at his academic level) or Maths. The obvious one is maths but he is freaking out over hard it will be and he doesn’t want to fail.

Any thoughts if that makes sense at all?

OP posts:
Original poster
ihearttc · 08/07/2021 08:25

@Comefromaway

But he will have another 2 academic a levels so that alongside an extended diploma should be ok?

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 08/07/2021 08:28

Try having a child the other way around. As the mum of a female "Sheldon" type (highly academic autistic girl) she has never had the opportunity to study with others like her and has just had to suck it up. Not only that she has been actively excluded on many, many occasions.

I think your ds needs to learn some tolerance.

Comefromaway · 08/07/2021 08:29

[quote ihearttc]@Comefromaway

But he will have another 2 academic a levels so that alongside an extended diploma should be ok?[/quote]
It would be very unusual to be allowed to study an extended diploma alongside two other A levels as timetable wise it would be the equivalent of studying 5 A levels. Some are able to do 1 A level alongside it but yes, according to that criteria as long as one of them is a "prefferred subject which I assume is listed further up then that should be accepted)

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 08:31

@ihearttc

It’s not a problem…I don’t give a shiny shit who is in the class with tbh. He says he feels really uncomfortable because they are a specific “type” (whichever way I say it seems wrong) and is completely different.

He has had experience of them at school which is the whole reason he doesn’t think he can cope being in a class with just them for 2 years.

It’s a social circle which he will never ever be able to penetrate.

Maybe this is his way of verbalising that he doesn't like Biology A level!
Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 08:33

comefromaway
An extended Certificate is one A level

Dd did BTEC Healthcare and 2 x A levels (PE and Psychology!) and got into Exeter do do sports science and is now training as a physio

Comefromaway · 08/07/2021 08:36

That's what I said

Extended Certificate = 1 A level

Diploma = 2 A Levels

Extended Diploma = 3 A levels

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 08:36

@ihearttc

Genuine question…would everyone really “suck it up” for 2 years if it made you feel uncomfortable every day? Cause I’m not sure I could.
Of course not! He doesn't have to do Biology if he wants to do sports science. There is more Human Biology in PE A level than Biology A level!
Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 08:39

If he does the BTEC he needs to hit the ground running and start getting coursework distinctions straight away. If he's the kind of dc who likes to cram at the last minute BTEC won't suit him

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 08/07/2021 08:39

@spotcheck

He needs to suck it up. More doors will be opened to him with Biology + PE together.
Agree with this. Also he has to learn to be in the same room as people he may not like. What if he changes subjects and then he finds there are others he dislikes too?

Does this come down to feeling inferior to the other students? He has the grades to continue studying so he is on a level footing with them surely? Just because someone aces out a GCSE with a 9 does not mean that they will get an A* at A level. Dedication and a good work ethic count for a lot.

Ds is year 13 and did all the subjects people are saying nerds do. He definitely isn't a Sheldon (quirky) he was praised for peer tutoring other students and is really lovely. I hate that people say you cannot be cool if you do maths/physics etc.

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 08:41

People need to stop being offended for their own children and think more about what the Ops son needs to do to get to a decent uni to read Sports Science. And that doesn't necessarily mean Biology which is very difficult to get an A in anyway.

HasaDigaEebowai · 08/07/2021 08:43

I think the class is relevant. Ds1 is trying to choose between two A levels and is influenced by the fact that one choice is a very small group and half the class is “cool” kids who will mess about and spoil things for the others.

But in his case it doesn’t affect his degree choice since the other subject is actually a better fit anyway.

Piggywaspushed · 08/07/2021 09:03

bryony that really is not very good advice. Biology is specifically required by enough unis for it to be silly to drop it.

SimonedeBeauvoirscat · 08/07/2021 09:11

Over the course of two years, he will find that what now appears to be an impenetrable identikit group of high-achieving swots resolves itself into a series of clearly differentiated individuals, some of whom he might actually have something in common with - enough to be able to share the occasional pleasant remark, at least.

nicknamehelp · 08/07/2021 09:20

He will probably find once in 6th form and settled his attitude and that of others changes as they mature. My DS lost all his mates going into 6th form but has made great friends with kids he hadn't given the time of day to for the previous 5 years. Yes he might not become great mates with anyone in the class but see it as a learning experience that you have to sometimes learn to get on with people you dont pick to be mates with. I'm sure the teacher will make sure he is included in any group work etc.

Piggywaspushed · 08/07/2021 09:27

Here is Bath Sports Science

You will need a strong performance in a core science (or Psychology) or mathematics subject as part of your entry qualifications. We cannot accept Geography or PE in place of a science subject for this degree

OP's DS sounds like he is on track for good GCSE grades so Bath would be a potentially realistic university to aspire to.
If he drops biology, he cannot apply to Bath.

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 09:40

@Piggywaspushed

bryony that really is not very good advice. Biology is specifically required by enough unis for it to be silly to drop it.
It's not bad advice for someone who wants to do Sports Science but doesn't want to do Biology Confused

Loughborough and Exeter both excellent for Sports Science

Cattitudes · 08/07/2021 09:45

If he is considering teaching then he might also consider how useful his subsidiary subject is as he might end up teaching anything that he has studied at A level as well as PE.

I doubt that all the other 9 get on with each other and as long as he can get on with them we'll enough to ask someone for homework and to do a practical then he won't need to spend loads of leisure time with his class.

Piggywaspushed · 08/07/2021 10:09

But he does want to do biology : he chose it! The class is making him a bit uncomfortable and that's an issue he can hopefully work through with OP, his teachers, and himself.

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 10:12

It's not bad advice to give examples of good Sports Science degrees that don't need Biology, @Piggywaspushed

SE13Mummy · 08/07/2021 10:17

@ihearttc

Genuine question…would everyone really “suck it up” for 2 years if it made you feel uncomfortable every day? Cause I’m not sure I could.
I'm not sure I'd advise my DD to 'suck it up' for two years if it made her feel uncomfortable but I'd absolutely encourage her to recognise what she's feeling right now as anxiety, to talk to the teacher to confirm she's going to cope with the course then park it until results day. I'd then encourage her to give it a go in September, knowing I'd support her to change course/setting if it was as awful as the induction session had been.
lljkk · 08/07/2021 10:59

DS & DD have not enjoyed biology A-level. DD got A* in everything anyway, but didn't enjoy it (Chemistry & math A-level were fine for her, easy enough). DS will be lucky to scrape a C in Biology A-level. Now that DS is doing biology A-level, I can't believe how boring it is. This is same kid who constantly spouted biology facts at me thru GCSE years which is why I thought A-level biology would suit him.

I'm surprised your son has so few choices in the time table. Shame that.

If I was 16 I couldn't suck up 2 years of a class with classmates that drove me nuts. Unless he has a hunch the annoying lads will drop out early? If he can enjoy media studies, do that instead.

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 11:05

I don't know anyone who enjoyed Biology A level. Dd did it for a few weeks and it was deathly.

thecognoscenti · 08/07/2021 11:06

I'd be encouraging him to grow up and not dismiss people based on him spending an hour with them and deciding they aren't cool enough to study with. How is he going to cope if he's a teacher and believes that his class aren't the right sort of people for him? They're all there because they want to study biology so they do have something in common already. Even if that's all they have - so what?

Bryonyshcmyony · 08/07/2021 11:08

@thecognoscenti

I'd be encouraging him to grow up and not dismiss people based on him spending an hour with them and deciding they aren't cool enough to study with. How is he going to cope if he's a teacher and believes that his class aren't the right sort of people for him? They're all there because they want to study biology so they do have something in common already. Even if that's all they have - so what?
I'd be listening to him and not encouraging him to take a subject he doesn't feel happy with just to make me feel better about him not liking everyone in his class.
Piggywaspushed · 08/07/2021 11:22

@Bryonyshcmyony

I don't know anyone who enjoyed Biology A level. Dd did it for a few weeks and it was deathly.
Likewise I know plenty who do!