Which A levels? Textiles, Psychology and ...?

[GrapeOrBlue]

DD can't decide on a third. She's narrowed it down to either photography or sociology but can't decide. Her favourite subject is textiles and she's very creative and loves sewing, crocheting, etc. But she's also very good at more academic subjects, but has discounted most of them.

She's a very anxious person and worries a lot about not having done enough in GCSE textiles, so I'm a little concerned about her doing two creative subjects and never having a break. But sociology and psychology are a bit unknown. They definitely spark her interest and she is really interested in people and how the brain works.

She has no idea what she wants to do afterwards, possibly something creative, but she's not sure. Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

Has your dd done any photography before?
If you take a creative subject at A level it's fairly straightforward to switch to another one at a later date. Taking a Foundation course at a later date is one way to manage this.
Our dd is a similar personality type and we were fairly relieved that she only chose one Creative subject.
Have you considered alternatives such as BTEC in textiles and Fashion? This may not be offered in your locality though.

Sociology and Psychology go well together and complement one another. They would lead well to a career in social sciences or the public sector, for example. Likewise, Photography and Textiles may suit her if she is creative and would like do Foundation Arts or similar. I think it will come down to whether she wants to be more loaded in the direction of creativity and design or social sciences and essay-writing.

Hi, my DD did photography and was advised that two creative A levels (Art and Photography) would be a lot. After seeing the amount of coursework required I could see why. She also did psychology and loved it. Agree sociology and psychology is a good mix. If she wants to go to uni and isn’t sure what she wants to do, she might find (depending on the uni) that 2 creative subjects push her towards studying in that area and limit her other options. Probably more true for Russell group than other unis though.

If she’s not sure what she wants to do after sixth form but think maybe something creative she should look at the level 3 art diploma that most colleges offer. It’s totally free for 18 yos and is a good step to decide what areas of art interest her.

www.barnsley.ac.uk/course/foundation-diploma-in-art-and-design-level-3-full-time/ www.barnsley.ac.uk/course/foundation-diploma-in-art-and-design-level-3-full-time/]]]]

if she thinks she might veer away from creative stuff then she needs to think what else she might want to do. For instance if she loved psychology so much she wanted to do a psychology degree could she get onto a degree with textiles and photography as her other a levels.

Thanks so much for your thoughts. @catndogslife I'm thinking similar to you that I'd prefer her to only do one creative subject and then do an art foundation course if she wants to continue with it. But I want her to do things she enjoys too. She's written a list of pros and cons but she's still struggling to decide!

I did two art subjects at A level and did end up regretting it a bit as it did push me into arts at uni and I'd have liked to have had more choices.

At this point @GrapeOrBlue options are only provisional until results are received. On dds sixth form applications there was space for 3 choices and then a reserve choice.
The sixth form had an exhibition for students doing Creative Arts in Y13 where they had to prepare and display samples of their work. It was very hard work for dd with just one creative subject, so even harder for those with more than one stall.
PS For Photography check whether the sixth form provides the equipment (nor not). Sometimes they expect parents to pay for use of camera equipment etc.

My DD is like yours. Her school doesn't do GCSE textiles so she's doing art at the moment but at sixth form she wants to do textiles, dance and she can't make up her mind about the third. At the moment maths is the most likely but we've been to see some colleges and have been blown away by the offer tbh. The UAL level 3 diploma is amazing, unfortunately my DD is just not interested enough in just textiles for it. Not sure where you are in England but we found one place where it's covering basically whole if backstage theatre eg costume making, wigs, makeup, set design. They specialise in one area in y2. Might be something your daughter might like. Even the creative subjects are quite bland in the new A Levels :(.