How is Drama considered as an A-level?

[Brogues]

DD wants Drama as one of her A-level choices. Both me and her dad are STEM graduates and middle aged/boring with it so Drama is a bit artsy for us and we don’t know how it is considered by universities.

She wants to do History and English Lit with it and these are her top scoring (predicted 8/9) subjects at GCSE. She doesn’t know what career she wants to do and is involved in school drama groups and a youth theatre group outside of school.

Any advice? Should we let her follow her heart on this or is it a pointless A-level in terms of progressing to a degree course?

It’s a very sensible statement. In a freedom of information request a few years ago drama was the most common A level taken by successful law applicants at a sample of RG universities. I personally know a lawyer and a barrister who both cite the subject as being very useful in their careers and there is lots of evidence that it helps in careers where presentations etc have to be given. So much so that some companies employ drama specialists to do corporate workshops.

I studied English Lit, History and Drama at A levels and did just fine 😊

Er... are you ok? You don't think lawyers and teachers etc need to have public speaking skills?

Disagree completely.
Being able to speak confidently in front of people is a benefit most interviews and jobs.

My niece went to a drama college instead of doing A levels and got an unconditional university offer for screenwriting and media off the back of it

My ex did drama a-level with English.... he's now an actor, playwright and screenwriter in New York. His work is awesome and has won loads of awards both in the U.K. and US.
We are still friendly and I'm ridiculously proud of his work.
He did his degree in Theatre

When I took Drama, I found that a large part of my grade depended on other people in the group. They needed to show up to rehearsals, take it seriously and contribute properly to the final performance.

In subjects like English and History, your grade is solely a reflection of your own work. Not so in Drama - I didn't always like being worried about whether my classmates would let me down.

Just something for your daughter to bear in mind.

My daughters best friend has just started at Cambridge reading philosophy. He took drama , English lit and philosophy. So drama A level certainly didn't hold him back.

I don’t see why it’s ridiculous. Being able to present yourself well, tell a story in an engaging way and speak in front of large groups is incredibly valuable for all those careers and taught in drama.

English language, English lit, history and drama were my a levels. I'm now head of talent for a tech company. Drama helped me with confidence and presentation skills. Not a waste of a topic.

DD did drama A level and said it came in very handy for doing things such as presentations, public speaking and for times when she has to think on her feet. So this statement is not ridiculous at all.

I did drama A level 20 years ago. I got into a very good university, they considered it to be the same as every other A level.

I had a student who went to do history at Oxford with those exact A Level subjects. She did her postgraduate degree at Harvard on a full scholarship.

If she wants to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant etc it’s an issue, she needs to decide what she wants to do.

absolute rubbish. You could do law with those subjects. The other two are highly academic traditional essay based subjects so that combination is fine. I am a lawyer and recruit junior lawyers/trainees.

You'd be surprised how academic the drama exams are for A level - much more focussed on the understanding of the literature than acting.

Is the problem the fact it's drama or that it's not a STEM subject.

You can guide your DD but you can not decide her choice of A Levels or even her degree choice. It has to be hers, she needs to what she wants to do,

Your DD seems not to want to do STEM subjects.

Her choice of A Levels will give her a wide choice of future career choices.

I think you won the award yourself.

Dd has just started studying law at university several of her new friends on her degree course also studied drama.

I did a Drama a-level along with English literature and language and theology. I do a lot of public speaking and presentations as the director of one of the UKs biggest companies. My drama a-level increased my confidence in public speaking and interacting with people in general, when those interactions are being heavily observed or critiqued. It also taught me a lot about being caught off guard but being able to continue in steady manner to recover, while public speaking.

So YOU may not agree. But as someone who has done it and has experienced it, you are wrong

My sister did drama for a level along with law and geography. She got into a top 5 uni to study law and is now a solicitor so I wouldn’t say it held her back!

I have worked with a talented Oxbridge graduate who did and loved drama A level.

But if she is keen on doing History or English at a Russell Group uni it is worth checking that drama will be ok. I was involved in admissions at an RG university 15 years+ ago and we did not look on drama as a particularly preferred A level subject. The text below is from one of the Cambridge colleges in case of interest:

“If you are interested in arts and humanities, then taking two out of English Literature, History, Geography, a language, a Sciences subject and Maths is usually a good idea.

These combinations enable you to keep your options open as your interests develop through your A levels.

We stress: these are not eligibility requirements for admission to this College, and we will consider seriously applicants who are high-achieving but not taking a combination as listed above (though see the subject requirements below).

It is however worthwhile when making A level choices to be thinking ahead so that the set of subjects put you in a strong position to be applying to a good range of degree courses.”

(from www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/applying/a-level-subject-combinations/)

I have also done a lot of interviewing for a company in professional services in the City and while we wouldn’t of course in any way have ruled out someone with drama A level we certainly tended not to see drama A level on the CVs of those applying to us. I am struggling to think of one candidate who had drama A level actually.

No. I'm afraid your own sweeping judgement here wins that award hands down.

Drama will be great for confidence in the public facing aspects of many roles.

If she wants to do history or englIsh at a top university you would need to check how they would view drama as the third a level.

If she wants to be a lawyer, doctor, accountant etc it’s an issue, she needs to decide what she wants to do

Well having sat through a talk by the ICL medicine admissions head (twice) they are quite happy with drama as 3rd A level. For medicine.
In any event the DC of OP can't do medicine with her other 2 choices anyway!
But many medical schools (not Oxbridge) acecpt any 3rd A level. Except the usual General Studies and that other onebi can never remember the name of!!!

It would not be an issue for her to be either a lawyer or an accountant with drama A level as her 3rd to History and English Lit. She clearly isn't going to be a doctor without Biology or Chemistry anyway.

She would actually like to do physics as the third A-level but understand it needs to be paired with maths and while she is very capable at maths it’s not one she really wants to do and it would push out one she does want to do.

She has to do the work and 2 years studying something you don't love/are resenting being forced to pick is a long time and wouldn't produce as good a grade as if she picks what she is passionate about. A lot of skills learnt in drama are very valuable in life and work.
I think from Alevels onwards its about supporting them to make informed decisions by making sure have all info, attend open evenings (even at different establishments) and talk to them about their thoughts.