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Original poster

Psychology A level, any info re uni application and ways to sample course content online

28 replies

B0ttl3tr335 · 14/12/2019 21:51

Ds suddenly announced he wants to do this. Will be doing maths Alevel and maybe Further Maths or Computer Scuence.

Is it an ok Alevel for Russell group and any way to sample it as he has no experience of the subject.

OP posts:
crazycrofter · 14/12/2019 21:55

Dd also wants to do this A Level. For all her subject options she’s looked at last year’s papers - it helps to see what is expected of you. He could also ask to look through a textbook at school.

RG unis accept all subjects - they’ve scrapped the list of facilitating subjects. However, obviously it depends what degree he wants to do - that combination is no good for medicine, but would be fine for a Maths, Psychology or Computing degree and probably lots of others.

ElluesPichulobu · 14/12/2019 21:58

no one who does Psychology ALevel has experience of the subject. it isn't taught at GCSE in the vast majority of schools.

you do not need psychology a-level to study psychology at degree level.

Original poster
B0ttl3tr335 · 14/12/2019 22:02

He is struggling to find a third, quite interested in the subject.

OP posts:
crazycrofter · 14/12/2019 23:53

It sounds interesting. I also think it’s a bit of a crossover subject so goes well with either humanities ( which my daughter is planning) or science/maths. Apparently there’s a mix of short answers and essays and a fair bit of statistics.

ElluesPichulobu · 15/12/2019 04:30

does his school offer Philosophy? with an interest in maths and computers he might find that a very interesting subject, getting deep into the nitty gritty of the nature of facts and logic. nothing wrong with choosing psychology at a level in these circumstances, and as pp said it's not a bad idea to have a more essay based subject as the 3rd.

Fifthtimelucky · 15/12/2019 07:09

My daughter really enjoyed psychology A level - so much so that she is now doing a degree in it.

I agree it is a bit of a crossover subject. It goes well with lots of other subjects. My daughter's other A levels were English and drama. My nephew (lower sixth) is studying it as a third subject along with maths and physics and again really enjoying it so far.

Stupiddriver1 · 15/12/2019 07:23

What’s he planning to do for a degree, has he got an idea ? What do the uni prospectuses say about entry requirements for the degree he’s thinking of?

Ginfordinner · 15/12/2019 07:27

DD thought she would enjoy it at A level, but she hated it. Luckily she started with 4 subjects and could drop it after her AS exams. Her teacher was disappointed and told her she was throwing away an A*, but she found it boring and in challenging.

Original poster
B0ttl3tr335 · 15/12/2019 08:04

No idea re degree which is part of the problem. Maths best subject, good at C/S but not enjoying it like he used to. Psychology only other thing he has expressed an interest in but keen to avoid a mistake. Think the 3 could keep options open?

OP posts:
MarchingFrogs · 15/12/2019 09:08

Not even a Psychology degree will have A level Psychology as a requirement. But equally, in several years spent looking, out of idle curiosity, at the the entry requirements for various degrees (3 DC, studied Biochemistry, studying IR with a MFL, previously interested in studying Architecture but now intending to study History of Art, resoectively) I have yet to see requirements for anything which state that offering Psychology will mean automatic rejection even if the applicant otherwise fully meets the requirements and would have been accepted, if only Psychology had not been taken alongside them. Psychology really isn't General Studies or Critical Thinking (the two subjects most commonly not a accepted as one of the number of A levels required for a degree course and even they are not an automatic rejection if requirements are otherwise met, just discounted).

There are courses requiring two sciences, which do not accept Psychology as one of them, but even then, the third subject is unlikely to be specified. And e.g. your DS won't get any offers for Medicine, except possibly from Newcastle (which has no specific subject requirements), but because he isn't offering Chemistry or Biology, not because he is offering Psychology - but presumably this isn't his goal, anyway.

If he is only going to be doing FM as a third, not 4th, A level, though, he should check that this will be accepted for any degree course in which he thinks he may be interested.

Original poster
B0ttl3tr335 · 15/12/2019 09:42

Ok good tip although it’s a case if god knows re uni courses at this moment in time.GrinDef won’t want to do medicine.

Wondering if maths, C/S and psychology would be a better bet or start doing maths, further maths , c/s and psychology with a view to ditching one if too much.

Is FM not seen as an Alevel in its own right?

OP posts:
Original poster
B0ttl3tr335 · 15/12/2019 09:43

Ds thought a psychology degree needed a science in which case psychology would fill the gap his choices would leave.

OP posts:
cakeisalwaystheanswer · 15/12/2019 13:13

DD took Psychology this year as one of her original 4 the others were 2 stem and a language. Her schools drops to 3 just after half term for those who already know a subject isn't for them. Psychology seems a bit marmite, she loves it but quite a few dropped it and hated it. As it's a new subject I don't know how you can have any idea which camp your DS will fall in to. I would have preferred DD to stick with a language because as others have said no course requires Psychology as an A level but languages are a lot of work and grades are skewed by native speakers which is another story.

cakeisalwaystheanswer · 15/12/2019 13:15

And DD has no idea what she wants to study either. She is supposed to be looking at unis this year with no idea which departments to visit!

Ginfordinner · 15/12/2019 17:00

Ds thought a psychology degree needed a science in which case psychology would fill the gap his choices would leave.

At DD's school psychology was a social science, along with sociology, not classed as a proper science. DD took biology and she said it helped quite a lot.

crazycrofter · 15/12/2019 17:47

Psychology A Level counts as a science for all the Psychology degrees we’ve looked at (there may have been one exception, I can’t remember exactly). Dd is thinking about a Psychology degree but doesn’t want to do any other sciences. She’s also thinking the A Level will show her whether it’s for her. It seems more sensible than taking Biology A Level.

She’s also hoping to start with 4 in case she doesn’t like it.

mousemousse · 15/12/2019 17:51

Just make sure he's aware of what psychology is. Its not dream analysis/body language etc it's learning names and dates of key theorists etc. A lot of people drop out because they think it's a soft option or it's going to all be about psychopaths.

thesunwillout · 15/12/2019 18:02

DD has enjoyed sociology A level

Ginfordinner · 15/12/2019 18:07

Yes, re theorists. DD had to quote loads of case studies by (insert German sounding name) et al.

shivermetimbers77 · 15/12/2019 18:11

I did a Psychology A Level then a Psychology and Philosophy degree at a RG uni (Bristol). The A Level covered a lot of the same ground as the first year of the degree course!

parietal · 15/12/2019 18:12

borrow / buy any psychology a level text book to get an idea of the syllabus

parietal · 15/12/2019 18:14

@shivermetimbers77 - first year psyc degree repeats a lot of the A level because not everyone has done the A level and some of the A level text books don't treat the topics the right way. so we have to re-teach it.

So there is no need to do psychology A level to do Psychology degree. Biology might give more options

trudylady12 · 16/12/2019 09:54

Which one is more difficult in A Level? Psychology or Biology?

Ginfordinner · 16/12/2019 10:26

DD started with both and says that biology is harder. For psychology it is just a case of remembering loads of text and case studies. DD found it boring and unchallenging. she dropped psychology after AS , but carried on with biology as she needed it for university. She also finds biology much more interesting.

She says that doing chemistry with biology helped a lot as there is a fair amount of chemistry in it.