Possible Uni courses? DS considering 2 academic subjects and DT as A- Levels

[notonthishightstreet]

Hi,
DS just finishing year 10. His strongest subjects are DT, Maths, History and Geography ( although still early -he's generally been consistent at at least a 7 in these).

He is consistently at a 9 in DT. However as he enjoys all 4, he says the 2 options he's considering are Maths, History and DT and Maths, History and Geography.

He says he'd like to go to Uni although is not sure what he wants to do and varies between Psychology, Law, Maths, Product design - he did some questionnaire at school which seemed to confirm that he's suited to these ( it asked about non academics also - he's sporty and sociable! I would say he's not super studious but it's really nice to see him talk with enthusiasm about these 4 subjects)

I wondered whether the combo that includes DT would limit his subject options when applying for and how I should go about researching this? Many thanks for advice

DT would be fine for the subjects you’ve suggested and many others. If he’s not got a really set path the best thing he can do is take subjects he really likes and will do well at, and DT sounds like a great fit for that.

Maths and DT are a good combination for any product design/engineering degrees.

It's great that you are thinking of this before his A levels as it can be really important. If you visit any university website and look at the courses they will give the entry requirements, including any specific subjects that are required, or subjects that they don't accept. I would look at all the subjects he might possibly consider studying and that will give you a really good idea whether his combination of subjects will allow him on the course. If you aren't sure which universities he might go to then perhaps just look at some of the well regarded ones such as Durham, Bristol and Manchester to give you an idea. It's really well worth doing as we realised that some of the courses my son had an interested in required 2 science A levels but that psychology was accepted a science. It really helped him when choosing his A levels as he chose psychology alongside biology which has given him more options. It is also surprising to see how many universities accept Btec which, for some students, are easier to secure a high grade in. My other son took Btec and got a place at a well respected university where he would have never met the A level requirements.

DT and Maths would work for lots of engineering courses - possibly with physics in the mix too?

DT/Maths would also work for something like architecture, but not having and art subject he would need to build up his own portfolio.

He may need more than just maths for a maths degree - perhaps physics and/or further maths too.

this website allows you to enter combinations of A levels and then suggests possible degrees

Discovereads - that's interesting re engineering as I had assumed you would probably need Physics as well? He's doing combined science and doing okay ( 6-7) although doesn't enjoy it as much as these 4.

From what I've seen of his DT work, I think DT at A - level would be great for him.

As he's also interested in psychology, that's where my concern about whether DT at A- level might limit his Uni choices. He likes people and when he does his weekly coaching of a younger footie team, the feedback is that he is v good with younger children. As psychology matched quite strongly for him on this questionnaire , he then said child psychology would be something he wanted to consider too....

Oh didn't realise there were 2 more messages and was on phone while typing my message - will read!

DS1 took maths and geography A levels. He got a very good 7 in his GCSE maths but sweated blood and tears to come out with a B at A level. It's really a step up and many students find it a struggle.
DS2 also does maths, got a 9 but still his hardest A level despite doing two sciences too. Very many of their peers in maths also studying physics and further maths.
Make sure he looks carefully at grade requirements for various courses and be realistic.

I'd suggest DT. I think we feel we should be doing academic bookish subjects but quite frankly being able to make stuff and design and be practical is a lot more useful after school.

If he does look at product design there is a wide range of degrees from purely artistic to more engineering based courses.

But importantly don't get too bogged down by what career he may want, and that he must do the right Alevels, do what he enjoys.

If he is thinking of psychology he will need either psychology A level or a science A level (biology is the most relevant). From memory, I don't think maths is normally counted as a science in this respect. Google a few psychology degrees and check the entrance requirements.

Seeline - that website looks great - thank you

Re Maths - yes I'm not sure Maths at Uni would be the right subject for him. I think that he's thinking about Maths as he is intuitive at it and enjoys it and does well ( without needing to put too much effort in!)

Re Architecture, he was good at Art too but he could only do Art or DT at GSCE and choose DT but good to know he could still do Architecture.

I did 3 sciences at A- level and was very clear at age 14 what I wanted to do and as he's doing a mixture and not so clear , it's all a bit new to me so need to look into more. Thankyoupeter - thank you for advice, I think that would be a sensible place to start.

cptartapp - I agree re Maths - I did Maths at A- Level and having got an A in GCSE with minimal work, was completely shocked by how much harder the A-level was and how much more work and effort I had to put in.

Other possibilities for uni might be a joint honours degree which can bridge science and arts subjects.
Or a Liberal Arts degree, or something like Birmingham's Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences degree where students are able to have a much larger choice of elements to make up the degree.

Have a look at year 10/11 uni taster courses and Sutton trust. Go to local job and apprenticeship fairs / look up degree apprenticeships. Arkwright Scholarships for DT/engineering students. Out of those history would be best for law as unis will want an essay subject. You do sort of get forced to choose sciences or ‘arts’ at A level. There’s usually a maths class with pupils doing essay subjects+maths and then one where everyone is doing maths,fm,science. It’s a shame we make them choose just 3 subjects at 16. A lot of pupils pick 4 and drop one in first term once they’ve tested them out. A lot also swap to local colleges which do less traditional subjects / offer more choice like animation, film, photography, computer science etc which would fit with maths/DT.

HI OP - my ds2 did maths A level with an 8 and it was his hardest - he was extremely happy with a B. There were people in the class who got a 6 at GCSE and they really struggled. Just FYI - of course it is a great A level to do and having a B will never be a bad thing for DS2 (he does something else at uni).

I would be amazed if any uni courses did not count maths as a science as a pp suggests. For any course. Many of them count geography, psychology and I have even seen PE A level as sciences.

If he is considering maths at uni he should do FM if it is offered. Appreciate that can narrow choices tho unless done as a fourth.

DT is fine as an A level - mate of DS's took it and is an absolute whizz at making stuff, like little computery things (as you can see I have No Idea!) which took my breath away. He has gone on to uni to study something related. Sorry I can't remember what but it had to do with computing and product design.

Psych degrees don't require psych A level as not every school offers it. That said, taking the A level it is a good way to see if you like it (I believe it is very much not what people think and a lot of year 12s are disappointed and drop it - anecdotally). Maths and geog might count as two sciences towards a psych degree but he would need to check that out (easily done).

Weatherwithme - thank you lots of useful ideas for us to discuss with DS. I agree with having a less broad base of subjects here than in other countries. We've always got feedback, even in primary school, that he's a bit of an all rounder. I have no idea if this has any relation at all but DH did English, Geography and History at A- level and I did Bio, Chem and Maths???

He finds Geography the easiest but Maths is probably his favourite subjects ( although he enjoys DT so much, he seems to see it as one of his outside school interests iykwim). If he really wants to do Maths at A- level (which he hasn't wavered on), I am now wondering whether it might be helpful to get him a tutor for Maths as he may struggle at A- level ( particularly when up against those doing maths, further maths and physics) as he's around a 7-8 in it...

OP nothing wrong with doing maths A level with a 7 or 8. You are not "up against" anyone - ds2 did a well as he could, regardless that his good mate got 4 x A and went to Cambridge (to do maths). No point comparing. Just be aware if he is aiming at AAA uni courses I guess. I mean DS2 could probs have gained an A with a lot* of work, but as he didn't need to (uni offers AAB/ABB) he focused instead on his other choices that were more linked to his uni course.

hahahah bold fail! Mate got 4 x A-star and DS2 would have had to do a lot or work to get an A

If he's interested in psychology and DT then he could consider something like digital product design or user experience. It's a good mix of the both.

I did maths, DT and art. Degree in Product Design and worked in the industry for around 8 years before moving into digital product. I definitely find digital more interesting, there's more of a focus on the human side of things. Plus it pays significantly better and there is more demand.