Thoughts on these A levels

[Slippersandshakes]

DD wants to do computer science, drama and RE at A level.

Got mainly grade 9s at GCSE so capable academically.
Will absolutely not consider taking maths and doesn’t want to do a comp sci degree so not worried about the fact maths is a requirement for that.

Would like to do some form of communication, programming, philosophy, ish type degree but not at all sure yet.

Would English be considered a more robust choice than drama? Would that help keep the doors open for certain unis?

Would appreciate thoughts as school not helping.

What is the point of saying “snobby”? Either a uni is happy with drama or they think other students are better prepared with another subject. That’s surely down to what subjects they prefer for their courses. The DD here does need to think what degree these subjects might lead to. If the degree requires maths or English, then this combination comes up short. If it’s a subject that doesn’t require anything, but is highly competitive, eg law at elite unis, is this a great combination when compared against others? If DD is happy that it is, then that’s fine.

Apparently drama A-level is not at all uncommon for successful law applicants - someone has already pointed that out on this thread. Maths A-level is also in no way a bar to a law degree (I should know!). I’m not convinced there are any more than a tiny handful of degrees which actually specifically require English lit or lang A-level, and the dd has already ruled out wanting to do degrees which specifically require maths. So, really, it does come down to the perception of drama A-level by universities which do not, apparently, have the honesty to say they do not like it and would instead advise English. English is certainly a “traditional” subject, though, so certainly very “safe” if you are paranoid that it is only applicants for law degrees who are not disadvantaged by their love of drama.

All that said, obviously the safest alternatives to drama are history or English, as these are traditional essay subjects that no university is known to object to when considering applicants to essay-based degrees.

8340 pupils did Drama A level this year. 5.4% got A star. Very very few lawyers take this A level. In some schools, the chance of getting a high grade isn’t great due to how the performance element is structured. It’s risky if high grades are needed. In a few schools, Drama attracts very good students and they can get high grades big it’s hugely dependent on teaching and other dc.

Speaking clearly with confidence is, of course, useful and some might have done LAMDA or other acting exams in addition to their A levels.

@TizerorFizz - very few people take the A-level, you mean, so self-evidently few take a specific degree subject. The proportion of A shows it is not an easy option. I never chose my A-level subjects on the basis of ease of other people getting an A, though, I chose them on the basis of my own interests, strengths and abilities.

Given the difficulty in obtaining a high grade, I can see exactly why it would impress if you were one of the people to get an A in A-level drama. The OP’s dd therefore needs to decide why* she wants to do drama and how important it is to her, but as I have constantly reiterated, there is no good reason to out her off computer science or tell her she should only do it if she does it with maths. Her risk is whether she can get top grades in all her chosen subjects, not whether university admissions departments would think her choices too odd to contemplate, regardless.

Stupid A* bolding effect! 😂

The proportion of A stars is a bit like the media studies issue. It’s often a subject not taken by the most academic. It’s also affected by those around you and is at GCSE too. Also hugely dependent on teachers knowing the time of day. My DDs old school had amazing drama results and is recognised for the subject. When DD2 took drama gcse only 1 girl got an A. All the others got A star (back in the day!). Not much different at A level but it’s not likely large numbers of drama A star holders are going to court as lawyers to display their skills. I’m not saying it’s not a good A level but the assertion that it’s valued for law is wide of the mark. It should be taken with an essay subject which is a more useful combination for law.

Plus barristers are offered voice training! it’s not a career that attracts shy and retiring people. Usually.

It is being taken with an essay subject, surely. RS is an essay subject! And the girl hasn't even said she is interested in law.

Well yes. Slightly off topic discussion but thinking about a degree is part of the discussion around A levels surely?

@TizerorFizz - it’s utterly irrelevant what whether law “values” it - it is only relevant whether law is “put off” by it. I distinctly remember being advised to do a subject other than maths if I wanted to apply to do law, because apparently it was less “valued” for law than other subjects. What an idiotic piece of advice that was (which I did not listen to).

(Well, OK, might not be utterly irrelevant if it were the only essay subject offered, or if all the subjects were privately considered options taken by the untalented and that the candidate concerned somehow fluked their excellent GCSE results in the general context of their school and actually has a very poor work ethic and lack of any academic credibility).

A friend of mine at university did a degree in Maths. He is now a high court judge, a KC and has had a distinguished career in criminal law and human rights.

The DD isn’t doing maths. I’m only trying to say that the statement “it’s not uncommon” to find lawyers with an A level in drama is wide of the mark. No idea why maths is even mentioned! Who is taking it?

It was just an example of wrong advice re whether some A level subject is valued or not for a particular degree.

I think you may have missed the point slightly.

Yes, thank you, @ErrolTheDragon . It was indeed just using another example (my own) of the potential wrongheadedness of advising people not to do a subject because of some pre-conceived notion about what best prepares a person for a degree subject where in reality there is not any essential A-level subject required for that degree.

Interestingly, the only subject I remember Oxford explicitly stating it disliked as an A-level subject for those applying to study law (jurisprudence) when I was choosing my A-levels, was A-level law. I’m not sure it admits to that dislike any more, but it definitely used to hate it! So yes, of course English or history are extremely safe options for any essay-based degree subject, so nothing to fear in choosing them, but RS is a respected essay-based subject in and of itself, and computer science shows a degree of logical thinking that is highly desirable in many otherwise essay-based degrees, as well as showing more rounded abilities than an all-arts/humanities or all science/maths candidate can do. The performance element of drama is also not remotely undesirable for a potential barrister (or employee in a many different types of business where good presentation skills are required).

Obtaining the highest possible grades in your chosen subjects is important. When it comes to the actual subjects chosen, that’s for the intelligent candidate to put their own spin on.

Not a great point when anyone who knows barristers would immediately realise a maths degree is no bar to being a barrister! 50% of barristers don’t have law degrees! However most KCs will have an academic degree and the majority have been to Oxbridge. In some years, as high as 80%.

A drama degree might be more difficult to even get pupilage though. Just an example!

@TizerorFizz - the point is, a good prospective law student would not be as pedantic as you are being, and would be perfectly capable of explaining why they think their qualifications are excellent preparation. 😂

The only barrister I personally know has a music degree

@Comefromaway One of DDs barrister friends has a music degree from Oxford. It’s an academic degree if you look closely at it.

This was a music degree from a music college, that was very practical rather than academic.

I started off doing joint hons music and drama before switching to single hons music. The drama part was far more academic than the music part.