Any ideas? Strange A-level mix

[mamaduckbone]

I'm not sure if this should be here or in secondary education.

My ds is in year 12, doing A-levels in biology, politics and product design. Since he has absolutely no clue what he wants to do next, we encouraged him to choose subjects he enjoys. He got 8/9 in double science and 8 in product design at GCSE, so they were his strongest results and politics is a new subject to him.

His dilemma now is that he genuinely does enjoy them all equally and is still none the wiser about where it might take him next. He's not even sure if he wants to go to university, but suspect he will.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what direction this rather odd and diverse range of interests might lead to? I'm stumped!

That is quite a disparate mix tbh.

I guess it’s a shame that he didn't pick a second science or maths (or even psych or geog) as that would make studying science at uni a bit easier. Kind of shows why it's helpful to think, as well as "what do I like", "where does this lead". But it is what it is and hopefully he is enjoying his choices?

And all that said, there are certainly biology courses at uni which only require biology – often with a higher offer but still it's worth a look.

Otherwise PD at uni I think often asks for maths or physics, especially if it is PD engineering (at Lboro or Strathclyde for example) but worth checking. But PD BA at NTU for example needs no specific A levels.

Politics (how is he liking that?) can support any generic humanities degree like sociology, philosophy, politics obvs – and others that need no specific A level subject.

I'd also look at some combined honours courses, which might allow hom to keep things a bit broader than choosing one degree now.

I tried your child's subjects in theuniguide.co.uk (needs you to register) but it didn't come up with much. It doesn't work for DD either - she has a broad selection, but has some fab ideas for DS who has picked a pretty standard "suite" of subjects.

@clary he doesn't really like maths and did start physics but hated it and switched to biology which he's enjoying much more - I don't think a purely science degree will suit him at all, and there was no point in the 'where will it lead' conversation when choosing subjects as he doesn't know where he wants it to lead!
He's loving politics, and enjoys the practical side of PD but not so much the theory.
I mean, I'm more than happy that he's enjoying his subjects, and will trust in the universe to get him to where he needs to be eventually!

Also not interested in engineering - he knows what he doesn't like much better than what he does like!

Haha. How about a law degree?

Engineering wouldn't be suitable due to his A-Level combination.

He could train in a profession allied to medicine with the bonus of an NHS bursary. He could combine biology with product design for things like prosthetics / orthotics or occupational therapy etc.

Sounds potentially very useful - things like;

Developing equipment/PPE for firefighters/other emergency services
Emergency kits for people in areas of natural disasters
Appreciating the political context of providing, sourcing, manufacturing and funding equipment in disasters

Could even go in the direction of space - literally, DD's PhD is heading that way.

In term 1 of year 12 I wouldn’t worry too much.

pick a random uni, order a physical prospectus and get him to go through crossing courses or ticking them. If he knows what he doesn’t like, that’ll work!

there are so many courses at uni he’ll never even have heard of…there used to be a thread on here with some of them but I can’t find it!

OK fair enough with the other sciences. I only meant "where will it lead" might have shown him that bio A level on its own is not ideal in terms of uni – and so he might have picked something else. But it doesn't sound as tho he was struggling to choose between several options, so it's all fine.

I suggest he looks into possible degrees on the social science side – bio would be a nice support perhaps – I am thinking things like sociology, criminology, psychology (bio is good here as it often requires a science, tho it is mathsy too) or obvs politics. See if any of them grab his interest. If not, it's fine not to go to uni. I think if it's not needed for your career and no specific course of study is gabbing you then it maybe best to swerve.

A slightly longer post from me.

I volunteer on The Student Room. We generally don't expect students to know what course they want to study at this stage of the year. Your son has been doing A-Levels for less than three months, so there's no reason he should already have everything figured out. It doesn’t sound like you're putting pressure on him, which is lovely to hear, and hopefully his school isn't either.
It's actually very positive that he's already identifying subjects he doesn't want to pursue - he's moving closer towards the final goal!

Another poster gave excellent advice about browsing a few random universities to see the full range of degrees on offer - the possibilities are far broader than most students realise. Remember that many degree subjects aren't taught in school and most humanities or social science courses have no specific subject requirements.

Attending Open Days can also be extremely helpful, as they're designed to give students a clearer idea of what different courses involve.

Most graduate employers are far less concerned about specific degree subjects these days, so there's plenty of room for flexibility.

He may also want to consider a gap year or an apprenticeship.

I'm happy to offer more guidance on choosing degrees as I've been advising students on A-Level choices and university courses for several years. I just wanted to get some of the main points down first. 🙂

Thank you for all these helpful posts - no, I absolutely wouldn't expect him to know at this point, and if he wants to take a gap year / not go to uni at all that's also fine by us....I suppose it's more idle curiosity as to whether anyone had any ideas about where his odd range of interests might lead...and actually some of the things people have suggested I never would have thought of!
I can see him taking a gap year and doing some travelling to be honest - he was very interested in a school expedition to Ecuador which didn't come off for various reasons. He's a young 'un as well - won't turn 18 until the July after A levels end.

Would something like Design with Innovation appeal (Bristol)? You do projects with people from other disciplines to solve real world problems.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2026/innovation/msci-design-with-innovation/#programme-structure
Or something like occupational therapy, which combines knowledge of human body with problem solving skills?

I would recommend getting paper prospectuses if they still do them .
DS found his course with his rather unusual mix of subjects that way ,in a subject that wasn’t a school subject .
Jyst flicking through rather than being directed on the website .
Old fashioned I know !!

I got into bsc physiotherapy with a combination of music, biology and geography...albeit a few years ago now 😆 I didn't really know what I wanted to do before picking my a levels (and still don't 20 years down the line!)
OT or Prosthetics might fit as others have said?

This is a pretty good set of A levels.

Biology will allow him to explore courses like Biology (obvs), Human Sciences, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.

Politics opens up law, humanities and social sciences, while product design gives a real-world problem solving element that would work for business, innovation and entrepreneurship courses.

I'd recommend he try this interests profiler and see what careers it suggests. https://onetinterestprofiler.org/

That looks so interesting @DoggerelBank - I think I'd like to do it myself!
Also like the suggestion of having the odd paper prospectus just lying casually around to have a look at.

Ds1 was so straightforward in comparison - loved business GCSE, loved Economics A-level, loves earning money - management degree...Tada!

Thank you @Skule - I think I just need to know what type of courses each A level might lead to, to make gentle suggestions further down the line.
(I did an art foundation, design degree and PGCE back in the time of the dinosaurs so feel very out of touch)

Ds is VERY indecisive and VERY stubborn...so any support with decision making will have to be stealthy.

@Mulledmead your selection seems similar in its, let's say, diversity!

@OP
LLB Law,
BSc Business Management,
BSc Computer science (at the right uni e.g Cardiff)
BASc Global Sustainable Development
and many more.

Social work?
Something in public health?

If you go to the Russell Group informed choices webpages you can input the three subjects and it'll tell you some degrees he could do.

What is he like as a person? Does he like groups or working alone? Extrovert or not so? Is he competitive? What does he do in his spare time? Go out lots or stay in? Wants to help others or make money? Practical or more intellectual? I'd think about those sorts of things then try to identify where he might fit in work.

Does he have any universities on his radar? If he knows some places he likes the sound of he could spend a little time reading their course list and see if there’s anything that catches his eye, and then look further into those? That’s how my DS found his course.

If he finds something he’s missing a vital a-level for he could pick up a version of the course with a foundation year (second time today I’ve suggested them!). Very few paths are actually closed off at this stage.

That's interesting, thanks