Really Concerned with A Level Choices - Help.

[urbancupcake]

I met up with my nephew yesterday and was talking about his A Levels choices. My sister was very secretive about the GCSE results he didn't quite get the right grades for in order to do his original choice for 6th Form and so it was difficult for me to get involved.

It now transpires he's doing Biology, which he wants to do at Uni, as well as from memory, philosophy, RS, ICT I think and possibly Technology which he plans to drop (I appreciate I may have listed one too many).

The problem is however, from my research, if he wants to study Biology in one of the Russel groups Uni's, he should have done Chemistry.

Now I'm not sure if he's grade for Chemistry was too low to do it, I will find out. In any case, am I right by saying that he doesn't stand a hope in hell getting into a Russell Group Uni without chemistry? This would be tragic as I know he loves the subject dearly.

I asked him who advised him about what subjects to take and he said no one. He just did what he enjoyed and got decent grades in. Do schools generally do this, as in, just leave it to the student to pick a stupid combination of topics without any guidance???!!!!

If I found out he did get a decent enough grade in Chemistry, could I suggest his parents meet with the school and get him to switch course?

His best friend, who I know is academically brighter, seems to be doing the right thing and studying for his A levels, Maths, Economics, History and another traditional topic, but his Father is an academic himself, so could have guided him more wisely.

Or, am I worrying too much?

It's probably not too late to change. I switched from economics a level to chemistry at this point in y12 and never looked back. Just tell your nephew that sone courses require chemistry and it might be worth him considering it.

I think we sometimes need to remind ourselves that not everybody who does not attend a Russell Group university walks straight into a life of unemployment and living in a cardboard box. If that were the case, unemployment figures would be far, far higher than they are.

cory - I can always tell which parents are MN's at school

Reading between the lines he has not got the grades to do A level Chemistry or A level Maths. This means the school put him onto subjects where he did meet the criteria. If the boy was that keen to do another science and/or maths then he should have gone to another sixth form or college. There is no point going in all guns blazing now as I doubt very much the Director of Sixth Form Studies would see you especially if he has not achieved the grades. Schools will have done their initial assessments to check students suitability for courses. The options are 1. improve GCSE grade and do an AS pickup next year, 2. Move to another sixth form next year. 3. Continue but he needs to research the sort of course he really wants to do and not just the course he thinks his family wants him to do.

1. Continue and do a degree with a Foundation year for those students who do not have right grades or A level subjects

The thing with RG universities is that they are research universities. I went to a RG uni (clue in the username) and I have since done courses at non RG universities. I do think the research element can distract the institution, whereas the non RG uni was 100 % teaching focused. Much better student experience.

Apologies for late reply. Anyway update:

a) The reason I'm meddling in my nephews affairs is because he is just that, my nephew. How bothered you'd be about your own nephew/nieces future I suspect would be down to the dynamics of your own individual families. The dynamic within my own family means that I care for his future a great deal and would consider myself somewhat selfish to have certain knowledge and not share it with them, especially if after speaking to fellow mumsnetters, there was a way of rescuing the situation or at least managing their expectations in a nice way.

b) Based on the feedback I received, I was able to to exactly that - not worry about all this 'Russel Group Uni thing (phew). Among my mummy mates that's all they go on about, so it was brill to come on here and feel reassured that it all is still okay.

c) Isn't best to manage his expectations now about the reality of studying Biology at uni than a few years from now? Who knows, he now even think about an alternative subject. Another question mind, if he had Biology, RS and Philosophy, would they be deemed 3 decent A levels?

d) When my sister, who is not an academic, was being a bit evasive about his scores, I knew she was probably feeling a bit embarrassed that he flunked a couple of the key subjects like Maths. Outside of our world it may come as a shock that they're are parents who generally want there children to do well, but not realise there are 'smart choices.' For GCSE options, from reading posts on here, I get the impression that schools don't always do what's in the best interest of the child, but more the school. There are parents out there who'd be shocked by that and who trust the schools without question. She'd be one of them. I appreciate though in this instance, he may well have been advised appropriately.

e) On a positive note, based on the feedback I received from here, which I'm incredibly grateful for, I sent him an email with a separate one to his parents. It outlined possible choices within RG, links for careers, checking if school will allow Chemistry next year to open up his choices and great alternative uni's too.

f) Received an email back from sister thanking me loads and loads for taking all this time out for her son.

And so big thanks to you all too guys.

I really don't think RS and Ethics are two separate A Levels, in which case he needs a third. If they are two they may not be treated that way by universities as they are so similar.

Silly me, when I posted my last reply I wasn't on the last page of the posts and so missed a couple of vital ones, like employment prospects decreasing the lower down the table things went, but also some sound advice like from @Happilyconfused as to, yes he flunked it but what do we do now?

@titcy - in all honesty he did rattle off a couple of subjects that he said was basically an RS. My mind went into overdrive after he said Biology as I was waiting to hear him say some of the more traditional subjects, but they never came. Based on Happilyconfused's and apples's advice I'm going to go back to him again with some further options and clarify exactly what happened to chemistry.