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Bad A2's or more AS's?
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
So, I'm in Yr12, do german, maths and psychology, which I love and seem to be doing well in, and chemistry, which I hate and am not (probably gonna get a D, with some luck a C). School have said if we drop a subject after AS we have to pick up another AS.
So, am I better having 3 good A levels and a probably shit one, or 3 good A levels, a shit (but not as bad 'cos it'll be harder next year so I'll do worse) AS in chemistry and hopefully a decent AS in.. something else?
(I hope this made sense!)
So, am I better having 3 good A levels and a probably shit one, or 3 good A levels, a shit (but not as bad 'cos it'll be harder next year so I'll do worse) AS in chemistry and hopefully a decent AS in.. something else?
(I hope this made sense!)
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
Post edited by JustV on
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Comments
However it could be worth getting your parents (if they are supportive) to sit down with you and the school and ask why this policy is in place. Call me cynical, but I think it could be something to do with league tables perhaps, eg more qualifications gained from the same number of pupils. If you think you may struggle or find it a bit too much taking on another AS in the second year, then perhaps it could be worth questioning this school policy.
Whilst schools on the whole generally have the best intentions at heart (or should do), I have experienced myself the case of "school says so pupil just accepts". Think about it quite a bit, but in the end it should be your decision and if you look into things properly then at least the school cant accuse you of not making an informed decision.
You're totally right though, it is league tables. I'm at a grammar school and its all very 'You didn't get an A*, its not good enough' etc etc.. Work load shouldn't be a problem though, I did 5 AS's at the start of this year (dropped spanish because I hated it, not because it was too much work) so I should be ok, I hope!
Thank you
that's a bit daft and I agree with G, it's probably your school just trying to look good. in the end, you should do the amount that you feel comfortable with.
personally I found three A2s more than enough to be doing, and I got top marks which I probably wouldn't have managed if I'd been splitting my time between more subjects. if you want to go to uni then for most courses it's your three best full A levels that matter, so in that sense a weaker fourth A2 subject wouldn't be too much of a problem, but on the other hand the amount of time you'd be spending on it might be to the detriment of your stronger subjects.
if you hate chemistry, and you don't need it for your future courses/jobs then it might be better to drop it and do an AS that you'd enjoy more and find easier next year. you should keep your focus on your A2s and consider the AS as an extra. in the end if you think chemistry will take up loads of your time and weaken your performance in your other subjects then it's probably not worth it.
What are your options (in a really simple manner).
Is it that your school are saying you've either got to do 4 A2s next year, or 3 A2s and an AS?
Where actually what you'd want to do is just the 3 A2s?
I'd either end up with 4 A2's (including a really crap chem one) or 3 A2's and 2 AS's (with a crap AS chem that I'm currently doing, and another AS I'd start next year).
Psychology. For which I need a science... Luckily most uni's accept maths or psychology, which I'm doing well in, but I don't know whether to persevere with chem in the hope I miraculously become good at it!
Thanks guys
Personally I have 3 bad A2s and a mid-range As and did just fine, so I think that the most important thing is that you're happy with your decision and you can do what you need to do with the result.
Look at entry requirements for courses you might want to do.
Would you be better off doing AS biology for example than A2 Chemistry, just for a general point of view?
Most unis only look at the grades from your first 3 a2 levels and one as level (to prevent people padding their applications with lots of lower grade a2s)
AS biology would make sense though I guess, I was thinking eng lang 'cos it has some psychological related stuff, hadn't thought about biology! I guess its not only what will help me actually get into uni but what will help me with the actual course.. hmm...
It sounds like you're doing a lot of thinking about this decision and looking at all your options and outcomes, which is great Thinking about how the choices you make now might impact your future (in terms of the courses you can realistically get into) is key. I'd also add that, if you're struggling with a subject, the extra work that you have to put it in to get a decent mark in it might end up jeopardising the results you get for other subjects, so it's worth weighing that up before making a final decision.
Good luck!
I hadn't even thought about taking biology before, although I guess it makes sense, and I'm not too bad at it so it could work! Plus the boyfriend's doing it this year, so extra help sorted!
omg hi, did you do psychology at uni then?
yep, i'm one exam away from the very end of the course! happy to help if you need
Ooo good luck with the last exam! Mind me asking which uni you're at?
Exams are important because people look at them and use them to judge people against one another, though if you don't do quite as well as you hoped or expected, remember that the world won't just end. School exams are never, and will never be a 100% indicator of how someone will cope in the vocational aspects of a job. Though the irony being that you may not get a job if you have lower grades.
Big head :P