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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

A level options - too soft for top unis?

101 replies

ALevelDilemna · 26/10/2019 10:23

My dd is in Y11 and is making her choices for sixth form. We seem to be going round in circles discussing the best options for her but she has finally plumped for:

English Lit
Textiles
RE / Philosophy and Ethics
French (reserve choice)

Is this combination OK? She is bright and aiming for unis such as Bristol / Manchester / Bath / Leeds etc...

OP posts:
MrsMaiselsMuff · 26/10/2019 10:27

What subject does she wish to study? I'd drop textiles unless it is relevant to her degree choice.

SirTobyBelch · 26/10/2019 10:32

If she has an idea of what she wants to study at university she should look at the entry requirements for those courses at the universities she's aiming for. You'll get a lot of uninformed opinions here about textiles, in particular. Don't take any notice of them: find out from the universities.

Wheat2Harvest · 26/10/2019 10:32

I would be inclined to make contact with her preferred universities prior to choosing which subjects to take at (I presume) A Level. Textiles sounds a bit 'iffy' to me alongside the more academic subjects.

Bath University, for example, is quoted in a Guardian article thus:

""Our undergraduate prospectus and website give applicants very clear and transparent information about essential and preferred A-level subjects, to help them in the application process."

www.theguardian.com/education/2011/feb/01/university-preferred-a-levels#102

This article is from 2011 so things might have changed, but I think contacting the universities prior to your DD choosing her A Levels is the way to go. Presumably she has some idea of what career path she wishes to follow.

ODFOx · 26/10/2019 10:32

Depends what she wants to study at Uni.

If she hasn't decided then Eng Lit and French are both facilitiating for Russell group, but if she has picked her subject and textiles/philosophy are relevant then she should do go with those.

Original poster
ALevelDilemna · 26/10/2019 10:44

She has no idea what she wants to study at higher ed yet.

Obviously if she picks textiles then she MUST do textiles a level! But I’m concerned that she’ll do all that work for a soft option that does nothing but limit her choices.

I think French would be the better option however she is stronger at, and more passionate for, textiles.

Is P&E a ‘soft’ option?

OP posts:
corythatwas · 26/10/2019 10:56

No experience but if I were her I wouldn't bank on textiles actually turning out to be a soft option in terms if the work required. Ime students who do choose artsy portfolio choices end up doing a LOT of work: they do after all have to meet the needs of students aiming for careers in highly competitive industries. She should do textiles (ditto art, ditto performance) if she is genuinely interested in the subject, thinks she may end up in a job where it is relevant and is prepared to put the work in. (Just possible that I am wrong and pp with more experience will put me right.)

Fifthtimelucky · 26/10/2019 11:36

One of my daughter's friends is currently at Durham. I can't remember what she is studying, but it's something essay-based. One of her A levels was Design Technology, so it obviously didn't damage her chances.

I agree with others about checking with the institutions she's most likely to be interested in.

BubblesBuddy · 26/10/2019 13:09

If the textiles had been Drama, I would definitely have done that as it complements English. RE does though but French is more academic, obviously. What would she do best in? Also some subjects are less competitive to get into. English isn’t one of them. Sociology would be,if she went durn that route.

Original poster
ALevelDilemna · 26/10/2019 13:10

That’s really encouraging, thanks fifthtime.
Cory, yes that’s my concern. She can see herself working in fashion somehow though - trends, marketing etc.

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 26/10/2019 13:11

Not all essay subjects are equal! History and English are more competitive than some others. So check the possibilities out.

Original poster
ALevelDilemna · 26/10/2019 13:12

(Although not necessarily - she’s still only fifteen after all!)

Bubbles her strongest subjects are English, RE, and textiles. French is one of her weaker ones but she wants to be fluent in French one day! (I know there are other avenues to that which don’t involve doing a notoriously hard A level!)

OP posts:
TeacupDrama · 26/10/2019 13:17

English Lit, French and RE are not soft options I think for red brick 3 academic A levels but if she is dong textiles she may not need textile a level as loads of schools won't have a textile course; law doesn't require law A level either

SirTobyBelch · 26/10/2019 14:55

if she is dong textiles she may not need textile a level as loads of schools won't have a textile course

She would probably need a creative subject, though, even if it's not textiles. Some universities would look at portfolios rather than qualifications but I don't know whether this would be the case for the kinds of universities the OP's daughter is interested in.

law doesn't require law A level either

No, but it usually wants one of more subjects that involve a lot of reading and essay-writing. Both of my daughters have done essay-based subjects at A-level but history seems to have been the only one that required much reading, and even that didn't require very much: it was mostly based on web sites and endless rehearsal of model exam answers.

Couchpotato3 · 26/10/2019 15:00

P & E definitely isn't a soft option, it's a proper academic subject.

If she does three academic A levels and then decides she wants to do textiles after all, could she then do some sort of art foundation course to change direction? Unless she actually wants to make and design textiles, she might be better off keeping that as a hobby and doing academic subjects that would be more likely to get her on to a marketing/business type course.

LizzieVereker · 26/10/2019 15:04

It’s fine - 3 facilitating subjects + Textiles.

Boyskeepswinging · 26/10/2019 15:05

If she's possibly interested in that side of the fashion industry she should at least have a look at the specialist degrees on offer in Fashion Marketing/Management. Whilst they may not be offered by the super-academic uni's some of them are truly excellent with great industry links and fantastic employment rates. At this stage in the game when she's undecided she may as well investigate what's available and something might pique her interest.

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 26/10/2019 15:08

I don't know if P&E is a soft a level but I studied politics at Durham and very few people had the a level and they said they preferred us not to, but I don't know if that was actually enforced by admissions or was a few lecturers banging on

RuffleCrow · 26/10/2019 15:10

She seems to be approaching this backwards. First you choose the degree you want to study, then you look at the best universities for that particular subject, then you check their entry requirements and choose your A-levels accordingly. Take it from someone who fucked up her a-levels and ended up at an ex-poly.

MarchingFrogs · 26/10/2019 15:42

Textiles sounds a bit 'iffy' to me alongside the more academic subjects.

Serious question - are there actually universities (top or otherwise), who state that even if all three of the others satisfy their requirements, they will immediately reject you if you have also taken a particular fourth A level? As opposed to the pretty common Requirements: Three A levels, not to include General Studies / Critical Thinking, I mean?

Wheresmykeysnow · 26/10/2019 16:21

I asked Cambridge about

  1. Eng Lit
  2. Drama & Theatre Studies
  3. Politics
and the college I asked emailed straight back and said that was fine combination for three A Levels to study Eng Lit. Politics is a funny one as it’s changed and become a lot harder than the old Government and Politics.
Wheresmykeysnow · 26/10/2019 16:30

My other child did RE/Philosophy at A Level. It was hard.

Original poster
ALevelDilemna · 26/10/2019 16:36

Thank you all, this is very helpful. I don’t think she’ll do four; she put French down as a fourth option as a reserve. She might try it though and see how she gets on, with a view to dropping it if it gets too tough (am assuming you can do that?)... but really she has no idea what she’s going to do at uni. How many fifteen year olds do?

Again, thanks so much for your opinions.

OP posts:
Oblomov19 · 26/10/2019 16:38

I worry about this. Ds1 doesn't know what he wants to do. Or if he wants to go to uni. I just don't know where to start.

This morning he announced he might want to do law. He's very bright, but not that bright. And lazy. Both of mine are bare minimum ds's. I can't see it myself! Hmm

aatwi · 26/10/2019 16:42

What job/career does she want though? I'd be taking the approach of career goals > suitable courses > suitable unis that have those courses --> their a level requirements to make the choice.

What can she do with a degree in textiles, and are those options jobs she wants?

TheMarzipanDildo · 26/10/2019 16:44

If she doesn’t know what she wants to do it’s kind of irrelevant anyway. What if she wants to do a degree in fashion designing/art or something similar?

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