A level choices unsure about uni

[Randomeemoh]

Hi, my son is due to make his A level choices soon. He wants to do History, Politics and either Design Technology or Music Technology.

At the moment he wants to apply for a specific competitive job straight after school (where the A level choices don’t matter).

however if that doesn’t work out he would likely go to uni.

We have told him to choose the subjects he enjoys and will do well in. And although I think they are excellent subjects to take, I am worried the DT or MT choice doesn’t fit well (from a uni and employer perspective) with the others.

for reference, his grade predictions are 7s, 8s and potentially a few 9s if he pulls his finger out!

Would be grateful for any advice / stories from anyone whose children did a third ‘non fitting’ subject and what they went on to do. Did it limit their uni / job options? Thanks!

Dd knew what she wanted to do at uni and for her degree subject her a level subjects didn’t matter. She did product design as that would be useful even if not needed for her degree, then biology and geography. School had a fit and said doing one science was pointless. Seemed a bizarre attitude to me. It was her best gcse grade and she enjoyed it. She didn’t want two essay subjects. Obviously she couldn’t have gone and done a science degree but she never wanted to.

does your ds have any thought what degree he might do if he went to uni? It probably wouldn’t be bad to consider that in case the job doesn’t work out/he doesn’t get it. That might then affect his A level choices or not.

Thanks! He has mentioned Law in passing…..and I believe for that, it would be better if he took another essay subject instead of DT/MT. I personally think he will get a lot more enrichment and practical skills (project planning and execution) from those topics which are far more applicable in the workplace. But I know that’s not how the uni / recruitment workd always works!!

Obviously she couldn’t have gone and done a science degree but she never wanted to.

Actually @OnlyOnAFriday she could have done a science degree. Lots of unis a) accept geog as a second science b) only need one science for a science degree. DS does bio sciences at uni and some of his choices were happy with just biology A level, sometimes with a higher offer.

Anyway @Randomeemoh it really depends what he might study at uni. DT A level will not stop him getting a uni offer if that's your concern. A level choices don't need to fit together. If he might study (say) history, politics, sociology, or any similar subject then no worries. Obvs those A levels are not going to take him to a maths or medecine degree but presumably that's not where his interests lie.

I'm actually a lecturer on a degree course, we genuinely don't look at A level subjects apart from making sure there is one science which is clearly listed in our entry requirements. Admissions check that for me and then once they have weeded out people with no science they send the ucas application to me, I make decisions about who gets a place and who doesn't and I genuinely don't even look to see what subjects they're doing. Appreciate that may not be the same everywhere.

But I do think there's an argument for doing DT and consolidating his skills in project planning which could be transferrable to law as well as an essay subject.

Certainly DT would have transferrable skills for a lot of jobs, it's the sort of thing he could talk about in interviews (or his personal statement) that he has had to plan, time management, deal with things which haven't gone as planned, have a rethink and go back, building resilience, etc. I think employers would like this. DD found Product Design a very useful A level for the same reasons.

How do you decide who to admit?

Law degrees don’t have preferred A levels, some unis specify one essay subject. History is a great option for law as similar skill set. History, politics and another is absolutely fine. Pick subjects he will be most likely to get high grades in.

Thanks for this - really helpful. It’s out my mind at rest a bit, as I wondered if I was being a bit naive in encouraging to choose A levels based on aptitude x interest (of course taking into account any future degrees he might want to do). I did History at uni and the only requirement for that was History A level plus UCAS points. But of course that was a million years ago!

History A level is not even needed now for history degree at some unis (Leeds for example, so highly rated unis) tho ofc I do wonder why anyone who wanted to study history for three years wouldn't do the A level.

Mainly the personal statement, a little bit on work experience. Also gcse grades. Well that decides who gets an interview. Then final decisions made after interview.

Obvs you don't have to say where you work @OnlyOnAFriday but I wanted to flag that this is unusual IME (two DC gone to uni and good knowledge of numerous other YP through the process). The only people I know who had an interview applied to Oxford or Cambridge. Most unis admit (when we asked at open days) that they don’t really look at the PS that much and it's much more about PGs.

I am assuming you are at Cambs, Oxford, or one of the best-rated London unis. Which is fine and I am not doubting your uni's process. Just wanted to flag for anyone reading the thread that this is not the most common way.

One thought - the school will only have studied a particular offering from the available options from the board chosen? Whereas 'A History degree' opens up multiple sets of options, especially if your search for somewhere to go is interest-led rather than institution-led.

My own degree was a fairly broad one under the umbrella of 'BSc Econ', subheading (so to speak), 'Population Studies'. My A levels were German, Biology and Economics, plus the old JMB 'proper A level' General Studies, my degree encompassed the demography of the early modern period, Third World demography and migration, (very primitive) computer programming, statistics, medieval economic history.... A level History, let alone an actual History degree was never on my radar, even though I had taken History at O level.

Yes, that is more than valid, especially if a) the topics chosen for A-level by your school leave you cold and b) you have a lot of A levels you want to choose and need to find one to drop.

It's worth being aware tho that even tho several unis don't require A level history, a decent number do if you want to study it.

My DD had a similar quandary for her A level choices. Initially she was going to do History, Art and Politics. In the end she decided she did want to drop the art and did English Lit instead. She did however want to go onto Uni and wanted to apply to competitive ones the one she ended up going to states -

You do not need to study a preferred subject to be considered for entry, however, for competitive courses you may be less likely to receive an offer.

Just keep in mind the design course may hold him back if he is interested in the more competitive Unis. My DS is now at an old Poly and their A level requirements were far more laid back.

Hi, OP -

I am a former STEM admissions tutor in a very competitive subject.

I realise your DS isn’t looking at my area, but the basis principle behind the advice from PP is universal. He should figure out what degree programmes he likes and make sure to take any A levels strongly associated with them -ie ones required by a majority of degree pr

Apologies.
…… ones required or strongly recommended by a majority of degree programmes.

A competitive programme will be less inclined to offer to someone who passed up a chance to take a recommended subject (in my field, Further Maths is the big one), though subjects are frequently recommended rather than required because we understand that they aren’t available to everyone (FM is less available in economically deprived areas).

Aside from this, we select for interview on the basis of predicted grades, the historical reliability of those PGs, and other factors in the application. PGs are most important. Entrance tests are becoming more widely used also.

The blunt reality is that many degree programmes so desperately need bums on seats that they are not very selective.

Is there any scope for your son to take Core Maths in Y12 alongside History, Politics and DT A levels? This would perhaps bolster his 'polymath' credentials in highlighting he enjoys word-based analysis, the practicalities and 3D visualisation of design and is comfortable with the quantitative side, albeit at a level below Maths A-level.

Only 35 18 year olds sat History, Politics and DT A levels in 2025, compared with 1,365 who sat History, Politics and EngLit. So, yes, it is an unusual combo but ultimately an A in DT is better than, say, a B in EngLit if the more unusual combo plays to his wide ranging strengths and interests.

DD1 is studying biology, chemisry and history. She likes both sciences and humanities and we looked at the requirement at some of the most competitive universities. For science you pretty much need 2 STEM subjects (includes 'soft sciences' like geography, and psychology) gor the elite universities but for humanities degrees one humanity A level is sufficient. For professional degrees they are more specific, for medicine/dentistry/vet medicine/pharmacy you generally require chemistry and biology (but that's not universal), for engineering physics plus math seems standard, for architecture maths is needed but I've not found a single degree that specifies three A levels and having an unexpected third subject can work in your favour. For STEM your PS doesn't seem to matter, for some professional degrees WE is essential and GCSEs achieved are more important than predicted grades. So check what he is interested in and where his A levels matter. A lot though will depend how elite the University he is applying to is.

@JaninaDuszejko I would agree with most of what you wrote – and certainly for medicine a lot of unis are in favour of a third A level being an essay or humanity subject, so your DC's choices are good for that.

Interested in this tho GCSEs achieved are more important than predicted grades – which degrees at which unis would this be so for? Some unis certainly want a certain number of higher grades at GCSE (and some unis for certain specific courses) but AFAIK PGs for A level are even more important.

Interested in this tho GCSEs achieved are more important than predicted grades – which degrees at which unis would this be so for? Some unis certainly want a certain number of higher grades at GCSE (and some unis for certain specific courses) but AFAIK PGs for A level are even more important.

For Medicine some universities rank based on GCSEs rather than PGs but I guess that's because everyone has PGs of AAA or above. So I suppose it's just the way I've worded it but I was surprised that DDs GCSE grades were so important and restricted her choices so much when she has PGs of AstarAstarA.

Ah that makes sense thanks. I guess it’s almost that the PGs are a given, as you say, everyone applying has AAA PGs, “so what are your GCSEs like?” Certainly GCSE grades are looked at for a lot of med courses.

Mine did Politics, History and DT A level a few years ago - got 5 RG offers and did a degree in International Relations, is now working in civil service.

Have a look at entry requirements for some potential degree courses. That will shed some light.

A complementary third subject is pretty common and can help with breadth for a lot of future careers.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve had a look at a few courses like history, politics, law at RG unis. Nothing to suggest DT or MT would be a problem.