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Do Universities look at the choice of A Levels?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Help needed. I want to do AS media, communications and sociology next year, and yes, i know their considered more easier than others.
I would like to know if this will be a disadvantage when It comes to uni, do universities really pick people on what subjects they do rather than grades, I find this unfair. As far as im concerned UCAS points are ucas points. And i really enjoy these subjects.
My dad put the paranoia in me though, so i reluctantly put business studies on to my college app to (in my dads word) Beef up my A levels.
Does anyone have any experience or advice, for example anyone who has not be accepted because of their subjects?
thanks
I would like to know if this will be a disadvantage when It comes to uni, do universities really pick people on what subjects they do rather than grades, I find this unfair. As far as im concerned UCAS points are ucas points. And i really enjoy these subjects.
My dad put the paranoia in me though, so i reluctantly put business studies on to my college app to (in my dads word) Beef up my A levels.
Does anyone have any experience or advice, for example anyone who has not be accepted because of their subjects?
thanks
Post edited by JustV on
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im doing a media type course, and some of the places i applied to would accept everything (going by ucas points alone) whereas others wanted specific subjects to be able to get in.
(eg. hull university wanted me to have done fine art as a subject to get in, while other unis such as liverpool and manchester didnt)
i say just read the prospectuses of the places you want to go to and see what theyre asking for. most places generally do go by ucas points so i dont think you have anything to worry about.
some courses do ask you to have done maths or english in order to get in - but i dont think that really applies to media courses
The one other question is, do you really need a degree for Public Relations? Ask yourself - is it completely essential, or can you get into it without one? Check with different firms that specialise in PR. This is not a criticism. What I am saying is, university is getting more and more expensive, and if you discover when you get a PR job that you didn't need the degree after all, might seem like a waste. Do the research, ask the right questions, and you won't go far wrong.
But don't most unis just ask for a C or above in GCSE Maths & English? This will depend on the course though.
I was doing Maths, History and English A'Levels and my Durham offer was lowered a little to compensate for the fact I was doing three difficult A'Levels. My offer would have been higher if I was doing three "easy" subjects.
Birmingham, on the other hand, didn't take that into account.
And you do need certain A'Levels to do certain courses, e.g. maths to get on a Physics course.
also public relations is growing fast and becoming ever more popular. And maybe i could get a job with a levels and earn 25k but with a degree ive heard as much as 75k =]
You will always find that there are subjects were there are loads of degrees. Remember, when you go to a Higher Education Fair (Thsi will be in Year 12) ask questions about the course(s) you're interested in - I did this on Thursday and found it quite useful. Also, do some research before going so you know exactly what questions to ask and which unis you shouldn't bother checking out - I did this and it meant that I saved my time asking 'do you accept NVQ Level 3 in Childcare?', etc.
Of course. When picking a uni to go to, is it best to stay at home or move away?
..And yet you yourself admit that you are going for "easy" A-Levels.. If you know that, don't you think that a university would know that too?
To be honest I am fairly sure that it will depend on what course you want to do at uni. If you want to do a heavy or popular course at uni, then you might be better off tailoring your A-Levels towards it. For example, I doubt that your choice would be the best if you want to go and study medicine, or law.
(I won't name what I class as "micky mouse" courses incase I get flamed!)
Would depend on what it is you really want to do. And whether you're doing it because you want to do it or because your parents are forcing you to do it.
Nothing is final...majority of colleges let you change your a level choices!
And its only a waste if you do nothing with them...if you want to go into media etc. thats fine, otherwise I'd say other a levels are better in terms or rep.
However, there is the point at which subjects you're going 2 get the best grades in: a uni is more likely to like an A in media than a G in chemistry.....
You can only change courses within the first few weeks or so of starting the course.
You can't get anything below an E at A Level.
To the OP - have you thought about doing an NVQ instead of doing A Levels?
I did unfortunately, which is qhy I'm changing my courses completely in September.
Totally agreed here. I wanted to do History A Level but told I couldn't because I got an E at GCSE.
I think theres an echo :thumb:
Remember though, that areas like media studies are incredibly competitive. For the top courses, it is likely that everyone applying will have an A, whereas this might not be the case in the 'proper' subjects, because fewer people do them, and therefore, fewer people get the top grades. (Well actually, the applicants for the very top courses in any subject will probably be straight A students, but you know what I mean). So yeah, you probably will need to do better in the 'easier' subjects, but that doesn't mean that getting a lower mark in a science or language is going to be the equal of an A in media studies.
A good tip, also, is to look on graduate jobs websites, to find out exactly what employers are looking for. A first class degree in physics from Oxford means the square root of fuck all if you're going for a job in marketing and PR. I get a weekly email from graduate jobs, and all they ever send me is jobs in PR and marketing, so it's obviously an area with a fair number of grad jobs. Whether you need a degree to do them or not is besides the point; if employers want a degree, then you'd better get a degree or your CV will be thrown straight in the bin.
I think you're choices are good for a PR related career. I would reckon that business studies will come in useful in terms of marketing and publicity. I would personally pick English Language instead of sociology, but that's just me.
Will i be able to 'wing it' lol?
Im 85% sure im going to still want to have a PR career in the future so Im not to worried about a career change.
Also my parents arent making me choose these courses, its infact the opposite they want me to do, law, psychology english etc. I wouldnt mind doing these but they dont really relate to what i want to do and are fairly more difficult.
You know, you should really start asking the college some of these questions:D....
Law isn't really that hard. Yes, there's loads to remember but it really isn't that hard as long as you put enough details into your essays, you should be fine.