Which A level would you drop?

[EachandEveryone]

If you were 17 and didnt have a clue what you wanted to do. Medicine is out because she knows it would be too stressful. She wants to earn money and has had part time jobs since she was 14 so she likes to spend😃. No interest in computing. She is quite argumentative and much more woke than me. Typical teen really. She is desparate to do a course which means she cannwork abroad for a year.

Todays halfway results Geography A Biology B Sociology A and Chemistry C (which she is gutted about) Apparently they dont have to drop one but it would make sense to.

I am sorry but sociology is an academic A Level.

There are vanishingly few vocational A levels left and very few with coursework.

Academic A Levels would be :

content heavy
test analytical/writing/numeracy skills
be exam heavy (English Lit and history do have coursework mind and I find the overlooking of research skills interesting)
have no practical or applied elements

Is sociology not academic then because it is about people? because otherwise it ticks every box above.

I just looked at a top economics degree and entry requirements:

maths at B or above
at least one humanity or arts or a social science subject which include essay writing from English (Literature or Language and Literature) , history , economics, geography , sociology, philosophy or politics.

Also, if you want to study a degree in History and Politics at Oxford, they recommend Sociology A level as one of the preferred entry requirements. I rest my case.

I've never understood the disdain for sociology. It's a rigorous academic discipline.
Because no ones heard of Karl Marx, have they?

I agree with teenminustest
Chemistry A level gets tougher in the 2nd year. Much tougher. DD loves chemistry but Yr13 was seriously hard. When applying for university courses unless they specify chemistry no one cares what the subject is; it’s the grade that matters. Chemistry may have more kudos than sociology BUT if she doesn’t need it then the subjects with the highest grade potential are the ones to keep.

I’ve phrased that poorly. Students should choose their strongest subjects that they enjoy the most unless there’s a particular requirement. They shouldn’t be swayed by what they believe gives them more kudos etc.
I’m not for one minute suggesting sociology is easy. Your DDs grades so far suggest that she finds it more suitable to her than chemistry. I’d be keeping sociology.

@Piggywaspushed

What is interesting is the same subject snobbery often isn't applied to politics and economics. I have always suspected a degree of sexism in that. Likewise graphics is often talked up over textiles.

I’ve never thought about it but crikey you’re blooming right!! Stealth sexism.

She might be interested in anthropology (biological or social), or archaeology? Very people-y, also use science, good overlap with all four subjects, lots of potential for travel!

@GiantToadstool the question is which would you drop if you were 17 ?
My response is to the question from the perspective of my 17 year old self.

My DD studied A levels Chemistry, maths, economics & psychology in yr12. She kept chemistry and dropped psychology despite the predicted grade for psychol being higher. She didn’t need chemistry but she did need high grades, which was a struggle in Chem and wouldn’t have been if she’d kept psych. It became very very difficult in 2nd year thus lowering her predicted grades and limiting university choices.
@EachandEveryone help her choose her best subjects. Sociology, Geography & Biology are a great choice!

@Oblomov21

I too am very very saddened to see Talkwhileyouwalk who I have seen before posting, and know that she recruits graduates for top Investment banks etc, dismiss sociology so much and say that a B in chemistry is better than an A in sociology.

Me too. I don't know who they work for but it sounds like their recruitment policies are not 'honest' or transparent. Companies are perfectly entitled to choose what qualifications they prefer their applicants to have but it sounds like the Company that @Talkwhilstyouwalk doesn't think this info is worth telling to the poor applicants who then waste a lot of time pointlessly applying for jobs they don't have a hope of being considered for. Talk wouldn't have to sift through quite so many applications if applicants were given accurate advice over what they need to apply. It's a complete waste of everyone's time and I don't understand why big employers would do it.

I'm not sure how @Talkwhilstyouwalk squares that with the fact that Oxford and Cambridge plus other top universities are happy to accept sociology A level too. It's very sad that young people's life chances are impacted on by a clear lack of understanding of an academic discipline. Did they make that decision based on the 1980's BT ads?

Ha! hpa, I was thinking about good old Beattie yesterday!

Sorry, username fail!

Students should choose their strongest subjects that they enjoy the most unless there’s a particular requirement

With a proviso on the last bit, that if they neither particularly enjoy, nor are particularly good at, something which is a requirement because the course they are aiming towards is heavily based on it*, perhaps they should have a second thought about whether a different course would suit them better.

*As opposed to something which merely e.g. requires an essay essay based subject at A level, no specific one and they find that having chosen Eng.Lit as their one essay based subject, they realise too late that they would have preferred Politics, or whatever.

She's got AABC so far. She doesn't need to drop anything at this point. I'd wait and see if she can step up from September and drop one at half term if it's too much.

She's analytical, bright and capable of essays based on her geography and sociology grades, so law might be an excellent fit for her. You don't need to be a lawyer: it opens a raft of business and international careers. Or PPE?

She's got AABC so far. She doesn't need to drop anything at this point.

I disagree. She needs to be able to focus on her best three in year 13. No university asks for 4 A levels, not even Oxbridge or medicine/vetmed. With those grades it would be madness to continue with 4. If she was achieving A A A A then it shows that she can cope with the workload, and carrying on with 4 would make sense, but this is clearly not the case.

DD achieved AABB at the end of year 12, but she wanted AAA so dropped one of her subjects - and achieved AAA.

This is really bad advice.

Year 13 Mum here. What does your DD wants to do a university? If she is doesn't need Chemistry then as her weaker subject I would consider dropping this. Check out a few courses as some need 2 sciences although most consider Geography a science.

For those saying drop Sociology universities only care on grades so a B in Chemistry is not worth more than an A in Sociology.

@RampantIvy

She's got AABC so far. She doesn't need to drop anything at this point.

I disagree. She needs to be able to focus on her best three in year 13. No university asks for 4 A levels, not even Oxbridge or medicine/vetmed. With those grades it would be madness to continue with 4. If she was achieving A A A A then it shows that she can cope with the workload, and carrying on with 4 would make sense, but this is clearly not the case.

DD achieved AABB at the end of year 12, but she wanted AAA so dropped one of her subjects - and achieved AAA.

This is really bad advice.

I absolutely agree. It used to be standard for the most academic to do 4 A levels but since the reform it’s now only relevant for those doing Maths & Further Maths.

It can be detrimental to try and do 4 and risk a dropped grade.

I said she doesn't need to drop one now, but to wait until next half term because the pace changes in Y13 and this may impact her decision.
It isn't terrible advice: I was involved in academic selection for several years.
The only poor advice on the thread has been from those suggesting that she drop a favourite subject which she's doing well at because they mistakenly believe that the subject isn't worthy enough.
She's studying 3 facilitating subjects and Sociology. No institution would turn down a student with 3 A grades at A level just because one of the subjects is sociology.