Calling Year 12 parents....

[Sparklingbrook]

DS1 (Year 11) is about to choose his A Level subjects. No idea of any career path but a vague interest in University. Been going round the 6th form open evenings etc.

Any hints and tips or things you wish you had known from this time last year?
Any subjects turn out to be not quite what they thought?

Currently trawling uni prospectuses, A level maths seems to be required for all maths, computing, engineering and most science degree courses. So unless taking a single science to add variety to humanity / arts profile you need to take maths with science A levels.
There will always be stories of people who got good degrees without, but uni applications are competative and so DC without the recommended subjects will be at a disadvantage.

I honestly wish there was the opportunity to do five subjects for longer for those who don't know what they want to do in the future. It feels like she is being forced to choose too early. I think there are some countries that run a system like that eg Ireland.

I know we have maths as a definite (teacher very certain she should do it). It is so difficult to know what to advise for the rest. I think we will have to wait for the mock results. Maybe all will become clear.

I don't know when ds's mocks are He's generally an A/B student but this is difficult.

Ah Sparkling before you know it you will be joining us on the Higher Education board .
Mine both went to a huge sixth form college. Very different to a school sixth form. Suits some DC better than others but has more of a "college" feel to it.

DS1 (18)- very good at Maths never in any doubt that he wanted to do Maths, Further Maths and 3 sciences. Dropped Biology after AS and now doing a maths degree.

DS2 (16)- good all rounder but not inspired by anything. He ummed and ahhed right up to GCSE results about his final choices. Fortunately the college were willing to let him have a short list of 6 subjects (probably because he was predicted good GCSE grades). In the end he chose Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. These subjects, I hope, will keep doors open for him until he decides what he wants to do next.
Incidentally the subject he was most unsure of was Chemistry and he is loving it and getting very good grades. He says it's much better than GCSE.

I meant to add that neither DC did EPQ, Critical Thinking or General Studies.
Most universities don't count them towards the offer and no one I have spoken to thinks them worthwhile. DS2 rejected a particular sixth form that insisted on everyone doing GS as well as DofE

We begged for our dc's not to do General Studies, but the request was refused as apparently the school gets extra funding for every child that takes the exam. They HATED it! (Got good marks by the way, but they couldn't see the point).

However, both older ones have loved the EPQ & it comes in very handy if dc misses an A Level grade, but has a high EPQ grade....

DS1's cohort had to do general studies A level but it was 'uncertificated' I am not sure how that works?

At DD1s school they do gen studies and Crit thinking at AS and gen studies at A2. Plus 4 other subjects and the EPQ. Fun and games.

the school gets extra funding for every child that takes the exam
Of course, I should have known!

Things are changing from 2015 with many schools limiting them to 3 subjects ready for the new A levels. Some not doing AS levels at all in subjects with the new linear exam.
Less room for manoeuvre if they find they struggle with one of their subjects.

DD1 did her EPQ in the subject she wanted to do at uni (but in an up-and-coming trendy research area) which helped with her personal statement, but didn't count for entry requirements.

DD2 is in Y12 at the moment, and her advice is to check with current students what the subjects are actually like, and which teachers take the A level classes. She's gone from loving geography and wanting to study it at uni, to hating the classes so much she's planning dropping it after AS . A combination of weak teachers/peculiar lesson planning (split a topic into sections and get individual groups to do a presentation on the different sections - leaving you with poor cut'n'paste powerpoints from weaker students) and disruptive classes where people have picked geography as it's seen as easier than eg history. More of a problem this year in those kinds of subjects (drama and biology are others) because more 16 year olds have stayed on in 6th form than would have done in previous years.

Chemistry is a massive step up from GCSE and carries on with no let up; languages only if you are very very good and the school has better than average teaching; PE is much more science heavy than you might initially expect; drama takes over your life.

Look at the previous few year's stats - which subjects get the most students the highest grades, which subjects have big dropouts between AS and A2, that kind of thing.

DD1 had career choice mapped out in year 11, made her A level choices based on uni requirements and moved schools to one which had better performance record in her chosen subjects. All went so smoothly. Then along came DD2 and it was a different story!

She is now in year 12 and she got to her choices by process of elimination initially and is now doing 4 essay based subjects plus GS. She did much better in sciences and maths than predicted but worked so hard on these, she knew she wouldnt be able to step up to A level, MFL ruled out, along with art and music as she doesnt have natural talent in these areas (she would flame me for agreeing with her on that though!).

She spent so much time over the summer going backwards and forwards over her choices especially between law and history as a fourth choice but as she is only doing one other facilitating subject (English Lit) I encouraged her to take history, just to keep options open. She does want to go to uni but has no idea what to study and after really not enjoying history at gcse it is now her favourite subject!

She feels confident she has made the best decisions as she could easily have taken a science, a language, an art as she got As at GCSE but she knows she would be struggling by now. Her choices all complement each other, and she is managing workloads as well as keeping up hobbies and taking on weekend job, so although 4 essay subjects may not appeal to most, it is what she enjoys most, so she is within her comfort zone.

We did it (filled the bloody form in). RS, History, English Literature and English Language (AS level for this). His predicted GCSE grades are 3 A*, 7 A's and 1B. It was really hard for him

I feel a bit funny even thinking about filling the form in. I might do it in pencil.

DD has had to do it on 5 forms now! She is pretty sure about 3, but has 2 possibles for the 4th. Of course it could all change when she gets her actual GCSE results!