A level dilemma; please advise

[Suki2]

DS has chosen three A levels; history biology and economics. Seemed reasonable until he started looking a little deeper into degree options. He's veering towards a biology degree and found that the vast majority want a second science, which he wouldn't have. His other possible avenue would be an economics degree but most require maths A level.

He's adamant he doesn't want to do maths A level; he feels it's just too difficult. He's an average student who doesn't like to exert himself too much, but he does ok. DH and I think he should swap economics for chemistry to facilitate a biology degree. He's a bit nervous that chemistry will be too difficult. He quite likes chemistry; he's not passionate about it but he's laid back about all his subjects. I"m not a scientist so find it quite hard to give advice.

His plan was to wait until results day and if he gets a 7 in chemistry he will take the A level; he's borderline 6 and 7. Now though he's obviously not taking the exam and not doing any revision for it; we feel he should decide now, especially as his school will start an introductory course to the A levels in the summer term.

Please advise.

What I notice is that his two degree choices match exactly his two A-levels, biology and economics.

How much research has he actually done into university. It seems like he’s trying to pick his A-level and degree all in one go, based on what he likes at GCSE where the opinions are actually far wider. He would be better about thinking what interests him and what sort of job he can picture himself doing in the future. If he gets a biology degree can he see himself working in a lab, for example? Biology and economics lead to very different career choices.

Could he do a career quiz? Think long term then work backwards?

As an aside, if he is thinking of doing science A-levels then he should look into the Core Maths qualification. If he ends up doing a science degree, not having done any maths for 2 years will be a disadvantage.

I would say that borderline 6/7 is not a very promising start for A level chemistry.

In 2019, 28% of students sitting chemistry got an 8 or a 9.

The GCSE is not that hard.

A level chemistry is properly hard. He will have to do a lot of work.

Chemistry A-level is apparently very hard. I didn't take it, but most people I spoke to got As or Bs, even in grammars. Same with maths, quite hard.

Honestly, I don't think a biology degree is the best idea. I was considering it before. Maybe have a look around and see if there's any others, there are less common degrees that are equally interesting and have better job prospects.

I don't think it is true that most unis require maths for an economics degree any more (core Maths is indeed a good idea if your school offer it) and history and economics is a good combination. Actual economics is quite mathematical, though : has he looked online at exam papers? They might put him off!

Not all biology degrees require two sciences, but it does limit your options. Second noblegiraffe's Core Maths recommendation. I would love my DD to do it (she's planning on English Lit, Film Studies and Psychology, and I think it would be helpful if she decided to run with the Psychology) but she is adamant that she is giving up maths and is doing an EPQ instead.

Agree noble giraffe I think he is trying to pick A levels and a degree all at once. I'm beginning to really dislike the A level system for almost forcing him to do that. Three options are too specialized for him at this stage.

For job options he is clear that he doesn't want to work in an office. He thinks forensics sounds interesting; obviously he'd need chemistry for that. Other than that he doesn't have a clue. He did do a career profile at school; we'll go back and look at it again.

Thanks for the tip re core maths, I'll look into it.

DS1 is studying Economics at uni and DD is now looking to study Biology. There are some Economics courses available without A level maths but your DS will be limiting his options. A friend's DS tried to start an Economics degree without maths and changed courses after a year because the maths was too difficult. DS1 regrets not taking FM at A level because thise who did have had a very easy time in the first year maths based modules. Why not look at something like Business Economics which is much less maths based?
DD is sitting maths and Biology A levels and thinks Biology is much harder. We did warn her it wasn't an easy option but it is the subject she enjoys most.

If he doesn't want to do Maths A level then a degree in Economics is an odd choice. I agree to working backward from what he may like to do.
Would a non degree option fit him better?

Would he like A level psychology?

My DD is going to study marine biology at university and it seems that lots of universities take psychology as a second science. Would he consider that? She was taking biology, psychology and English language. She had five university offers of which 2 were RG.

I do find it odd that psychology a level is viewed as a science. But yes, it often is.

cakeisalwaystheanswer thanks; we'll have a look at business economics degrees. I know DS will be wondering what jobs are available with this degree; do you have any idea? It seems to me that if he goes down the economics route he will be disadvantaged by not having maths A level, just as he will be disadvantaged by not having chemistry if he decides to pursue biology.
Interesting that your DD thinks biology A level is harder than maths. DS enjoys it the most so it's a definite for him.

Thanks Luckymarmite lover but his school doesn't offer psychology. It 's a shame as it sounds really interesting.

See attached for Business Eco career options.

www.ashford.edu/online-degrees/business/careers/economics

cakeisalwaystheanswer; many thanks!

If he is serious about a science degree it makes sense to do science a levels otherwise he will struggle at university. To do a PhD they often now require maths by the way because it's essential to have the underlying knowledge

My friend is head of sixth form
She says that chemistry is the alevel most.kids dump because it's just so hard.

I have DS who would ha e done A levels this year. One.did chemistry- really hard and he for 8.ar GCSE. Please let him choose his own subjects.ar.A.level.

I would advise him to think VERY carefully about what he plans to do with his biology degree. A love of the subject is just not enough. I speak from experience. I enjoyed my biology degree so much but ended up doing a second degree as I found that unless I wanted to do teaching or research, my options seemed limited (also taking into account earning potential too).

CatherineCawood thanks; agree that chemistry sounds really hard; some students at DS's school think it's the hardest A level. DS is clear that if he does it it will be just to support any further biology studies; he would have to work very hard at it.

BlueJava thanks but of course DS is making his own choice. I just want to make sure it's an informed choice .

Lampan thanks for the input. I'm sorry you found limited options after studying biology. DS may want to do lab work; very vague I know; he hopes biology would help with that. I anticipate all my children having to do more studies after their degree to secure a job. I wish it wasn't like that, it seems that a degree isn't enough any more.

What is it he likes about biology? Could he do it alongside environmental science? This opens up environmental consulting, oceanography, and other biology/environmental jobs.

Chemistry is incredibly difficult at A level- I did it and I got an A at GCSE and at A level got a D. I found the maths of it very difficult. Biology I was good at though and found it much more manageable to learn.

Head of 6th here.
Most importantly he should not choose A Levels that he thinks may be easier than chem and maths because bio, economics and history are every bit as difficult. However, if they are genuinely his three passions then he should follow them.

The issue he will have though is that none of his subjects really strengthen one another - history benefits from English, Politics or RS, Economics from maths (although there is always more writing in the macro section than students expect) and Bio from Chem and Maths. Geography or PE also have an overlap with Bio which seems to help students, and some universities will consider either of these subjects as an alternative to a second science although he’d have to look at specific courses.

I guess I haven’t really said much (sorry!) but I have found that students benefit from doing things they really enjoy, all sciences and maths require a huge amount of dedication to be successful in, and grouping subjects rather than keeping it broad does tend to help students.

Finally, If he is not a 7+ student I would recommend he spends a lot of his summer strengthening his skills in the hardest parts of the GCSE syllabus for Bio, Chem and Maths (regardless of whether he takes them all as they will help him in Bio) to help bridge the gap for when he starts his A Levels.

This is useful :

What degree courses do a level combos typically lead to (based on current student data):

sacu-student.com/?page_id=5203

Also stuff on how to chose a levels :

www.careerpilot.org.uk/information/a-levels/choosing-your-a-levels-what-you-need-to-consider