Another A level one - just one Science?

[usedtobeboss3]

DS is currently choosing his A level subjects - so far definitely Music, probably Spanish (his best subjects, and the ones he enjoys more than any others) - and one other. Biology is potentially in the mix - he likes it and is good at it, but I'm concerned about the wisdom of doing one science on its own. Is it harder to do one science subject? He should be aiming for 8s and 9s in virtually all subjects, if that makes a difference - and Maths, Chem and Physics are definitely not contenders for A level. To complicate matters, he doesn't think he wants to go to university but instead go straight into the forces...

Im no expert (been out of science teaching for 10 years). But Biology was more standalone than the other two, which fitted more with maths. But does involve statistics.

The fact he wants to go straight into the forces makes things easier doesn't it?
Pick 3 subjects he likes and will do well in. Sorted.

otoh, it gives less of a fall-back if he gets injured or changes his mind.
Does he have a direction/'trade' in mind in the forces? Could that help inform his choices?

Thanks. Yes, Biology does seem to stand alone better than the other two.
And I guess in some ways it is simpler, but we're just trying to get a balance between range / enjoyment / potential usefulness. We'd still like him to apply to uni, both as a plan B and to help keep him motivated in Y12 and 13. He wants to join the marines, but not as an officer...

I agree with the poster that Biology is the best Science to take as a stand-alone subject. The new 9-1 GCSE Maths courses should be perfectly OK for taking A level Sciences because they cover more material than the old courses.
My concern about an unusual subject combinations is that some sixth forms place subjects in blocks and sometimes this doesn't work out for timetabling. However plenty of students change their minds between now and results day, so what you decide now isn't final until later on.

I dont think any of the sciences would be a problem as a stand alone A level (although the maths element of physics might prove challenging without maths A level) just so long as he isnt planning on studying science at degree level.

Biology should be fine if he is set to get an 8 or 9 in maths but I would suggest he considers what other careers he would be interested in if he couldn't join the military. Particularly if he wants to join the marines, it isn't uncommon not to complete training because of injuries.

Spanish, music and biology could limit his options at university. He would really need 2 sciences for a science degree so that leaves him with music or MFL or a course that accepts any combination.

Has he thought about what he could combine with Spanish at university? This can open up lots of useful possibilities. So business studies, history, politics, geography, psychology and law could all be contenders to go with Spanish and obviously a lot I’ve missed. DN is doing environmental science but she’s done maths a level so I think a subject that goes better with Spanish would be the way to go if you are thinking about non military careers.

Thanks - some really useful thoughts.
Yes, we've tried to encourage him to think 'what if...' for other career paths but he is quite single minded / stubborn. Other options in the mix include Psychology and History, both of which would seem to open up more possibilities than Biology

DS has friends who started biology and swapped to other subjects because it is very chemistry heavy.

Just make sure that he is aware of that.

History is a very good shout.

My daughter is going to do art because she lives it (not a typo), history because she is loves to write and it shows how we got here as a society, and biology because she is interested.
If he has a real passion for a subject I'd let him do it - sixth form is an experience in itself, not just a means to an end.

But it does have an end and mostly it’s good to have plan B. Art leads to art courses, history leads to history type courses. Biology is the outlier. But History is definitely keeping doors open. History of Art is clearly an option plus history itself. Law too.

Spanish and History would be great. Music and Spanish - not so much. Biology on its own? Limited options. I really would suggest Music, Spanish and History. There are history courses with military and war history!

I forget to say - DDs friends have gone into the army post degree. The subject didn’t seem to matter!

I would only suggest that your DS does music if he is strong on the composition side as I think that is 1/3 of the marks as with GCSE. My children are strong performers but both hated composition so have not chosen music A level.
If one of my children wanted to do Music and Spanish I might suggest they considered one of the following as the third subject:
another mfl, Geography, History or Politics
If they were adamant they still wanted to do Music, Spanish and Biology I'd let them go ahead but might be worried that it would limit uni course options.

If he hasn't got any ideas for a plan B, maybe he might be interested in war studies? KCL is probably the best place for war studies. He might feel inspired by some of the career options that their graduates go on to follow eg foreign affairs, aid work, security. It's also worth looking at their Defence & Security department for inspiration. It's postgraduate only and some courses are only open to members of the military but it might make him think about related fields.

www.kcl.ac.uk/warstudies

Or maybe he would be interested in international relations? History would probably be a better choice for international relations (or war studies). Spanish, history and psychology would be a excellent combination. If he's a talented linguist, maybe he could combine a language with a degree eg Arabic and international relations or development.

www.lse.ac.uk/study-at-lse/Undergraduate/Degree-programmes-2021/BSc-International-Relations
www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/ug/undergraduate-programmes-by-subject/#politics

It's so hard choosing options at 16, most teenagers have very little knowledge of jobs they might enjoy outside of the most obvious options - doctor, lawyer, teacher etc

I also thought of IR. if goes well with politics and definitely good at KCL. Has he looked at grad entry into the forces?

Physics goes well with music but it’s pointless doing Physics A level if he’s not going to do well/enjoy it.

My dh has a music degree and is now doing a postgrad in vocal pedagogy which incorporates a lot of biology/anatomy so it can be relevant.

Possibly not for a career in the forces though!

You can enter the forces as a musician

Psychology and biology go well together - quite a few combined degree courses eg Durham, Newcastle, Keele.

Biology is great and if he wants to retrain into massage/physio ?

I meant vocal pedagogy post grad.

I think it is probably a case of what role he wants in the forces and also his plan B. Something IT related could be helpful for both and go well with music and Spanish.

I did Biology A level with Maths but no other science because my school was hopeless at Chemistry and Physics and we literally taught ourselves. Biology wasn't overly helpful on its own.

Does he want to specialise in anything in the forces? There is also life after that and he probably should think about a career when he leaves the forces.

Does he have any other subject in mind?

If he definitely doesn't need another specific subject for any potential plan B, then having one science rather than none surely will make him a generally more broadly educated person? So long as he's aware that just biology is rarely enough for access to good science degrees, doing it as an end in itself rather than a means to an end seems fine.

Thanks all - lots to think about. He came home yesterday enthused about History and Psychology, so we'll see where that takes us!
He's adamant that he doesn't want to go in as a graduate, which is why we're trying to keep options open for plan B / afterwards.
The music route into the marines isn't really an option, as his instruments are voice , piano and organ, so not band-friendly. School has a significant military background and emphasis, so I'm hoping they might be able to give specific advice too.