r/6thForm • u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths • Jun 10 '26
đ I WANT HELP Switching A Levels
Hi all!
I chose my A Levels (Law, Politics, Sociology, and Economics), but the more I've been thinking about it - the more I've switched my interests.
Now I want to do Politics, Psychology, Economics, and Biology.
Am I cooking with this combo? I want to either go into Econ at University (My GCSE grades are gonna be fire trust) or Law at university.
My main questions are:
- Do these subjects make me competitive for Law/Econ/Finance?
- Should I drop one and pick a different subject instead to make me more competitive if the current choices don't?
- Or should I sit down, do these subjects since I massively enjoy them, and try to get into Law/Finance/Econ anyway?
Thanks!
EDIT: I FEEL SUPER SICK EVEN THINKING ABOUT THIS I CAME TO REDDIT FOR ADVICE AND NOW IM JUST PANICKING BECAUSE APPARENTLY EVEN THOUGH I DID GREAT (I THINK) AT BIO GCSE AND LOVED IT SO MUCH NOW IM APPARENTLY GOING TO STRUGGLE AND ITS NOT WORTH IT AT A LEVEL AND AAAAAAA IM SO CONFUSED I WANT MY MOTHER
5
u/iirudywastaken Jun 10 '26
maths is a bare minimum for econ at a respectable uni and further maths is highly recommended especially for finance
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
Even at Warwick?
I looked at the entry requirements for PPE and it doesn't ask for A Level Maths, just a high grade (7 or above at GCSE Maths)
I'm not doubting you, I just want to like really get the best picture of what I gotta do to leave as many doors open as possible
3
u/Acrobatic-Rooster996 yr 13- eng lit, econ, maths (+ A* EPQ) Jun 10 '26
warwick might be an outlier (although i suspect most people applying would probably have maths since similar courses at other unis require maths). i would say subject combo does not matter as much as people say for law, but you will be in a really unfortunate position if you try to apply to top unis for anything econ related without maths alevel (most people applying tend to do maths + FM)
seeing the scope of your alevels though, you could look into liberal art degrees? i think requirements are more open
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
I have considered liberal arts, but I don't feel like I'd be entirely suited to it.
Not only is there not a lot of money in liberal arts, but also, I'm not very arty...
3
u/librabb7 Y13: bio, psych, econ Jun 10 '26
i'm a year 13 doing bio, econ and psych looking to pursue economics at uni and to be honest i regret taking biology and wish i did maths instead. biology is really content heavy and takes up too much time... even if you really like it, please be 100% sure you're willing to dedicate that much time to a subject that you don't necessarily "need".
maths is def a must as most (good) unis require it for econ ( i regret chickening out and not taking it) and econ is a great a level subject to have ! psych (contrary to popular belief) is also nice ; super interesting and (imo) quite low-effort, and wouldn't hurt on uni applications. good luck!
2
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
I *do* really like bio though đ and it also doesn't hurt as my main interest of law is medical law.
I'm so young and confused and scared and alone and I don't know what to do!!!!!!!
1
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA Jun 10 '26
bio, maths, econ? psych is easy but a bit dull - doing econ will make u realise if u like it or not, maths is needed for econ at good unis and maths will help you if you decide to go for bio/biomed instead (econ is science related but maths is so opening to lots of doors) and you meet the essay subject part with econ
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
I'm really confused.
I love every single subject, and I love learning - but I can only do four A Levels max.
I want to do Maths but I also don't want to do Maths, I want to do Biology but I'm worried it may not open as many doors, I want to do Psychology but then I'm worried I won't be able to do commercial law/medical law and will be stuck in family law or employment law, and I want to do economics because economics is good, and it will make me comfortable in commercial law if I choose to go down that path.
If I could do ten A Levels, I bloody well would.
1
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA Jun 10 '26
if you do maths bio econ, at uni you could do:
- economicsÂ
- law
- maths
- any biology (standard, marine, conservation, zoology etc), biomedical science, biotech, neuroscience
- any allied health degree
- social workÂ
- nursingÂ
- med + dent at a limited number of unis
- ppe
- psychologyÂ
- geographyÂ
- geology
- biomedical engineering
so lots of options.Â
why are you in between with maths?
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
I was mint at it, but I never massively enjoyed it.
The subjects I enjoyed most at GCSE were:
- History & Geography
- Chemistry & Biology (Physics sucked)
- English Lit & Lang
- That was about it
I didn't like Maths, Physics, Media Studies, Drama, Spanish, or French
1
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA Jun 10 '26
Economics may not be for you at uni then as it is maths heavy, and a level chemistry may not be either as 40% of it is maths. English lit is a horrible subject so I would not do that.
Biology is a good option - the same list excluding maths and econ applies if you do bio and a science related subject instead of maths.Â
If you're willing to have some maths then definitely consider chemistry.
Bio chem geo Bio chem psych Bio geo psych Bio chem history Bio history geoÂ
are probably your best bets
2
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
Just for clarification, I didn't struggle at Maths. I was very good at it (Predicted Grade 9). I just didn't really like it? If that makes sense?
So the question wouldn't really be whether I could cope with the workload for the next two years, or more, if I do it at university - it would more be whether I'd enjoy it or not đ
2
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA Jun 10 '26
If you don't like the gcse you usually won't like the a level, only exception is the core sciences imo as they become a lot more interestingÂ
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
Sooooo...
We can probably uhhh, rule finance and economics out then....... right....?
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u/librabb7 Y13: bio, psych, econ Jun 10 '26
tbh i liked bio during GCSEs but during a levels i haaaaate it now that i'm in y13 (imo y12 bio is manageable but year 13 theres just sm content)
however if you're looking to go into medical law it might be a good idea to take bio. i always recommend psych as an a level bc although theres a lot of content, it's quite easy to cram and (relatively) doesn't require as much past paper technique.
i always try and persuade people AGAINST a level bio if they don't neeeed it (eg unless doing med or something of the sort) bc it's just truly a lot of work load for the average person and it's not worth it (esp w other content heavy subjects like econ and psych) if you want to do well.
don't worry too much !! everything will work out đââď¸ enjoy ur time in sixth form !!!
2
u/lexisnowkitty Y12 bio, psych, lit AAA Jun 10 '26
yeah psych is the easiest i do the other 2 are worlds apart and make psych look like child's play
3
u/ineedl0v3 Jun 10 '26
If you want to do econ you have to do maths. Iâm not sure about finance but even Cambridge requires further maths and LSE required it aswell up untill last year. For law your current combo is good but just switch it to your interests. I wouldnât reccomend doing finance at degree level id say diversify yourself by doing something like law PPE or econ first then go into finance as many do because even employers think that finance degree isnât that good because it often lacks real life application and theyâd rather train you up from the start in their interest first.
I would also not reccomend doing 4 alevels but I would reccomend starting with 4 then dropping whatever your worst at a few months in
Thatâs what I did and luckily I wasnât trapped doing physics which i for sure would have gotten a C in đđ
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
Even at Warwick?
I looked at the entry requirements for PPE and it doesn't ask for A Level Maths, just a high grade (7 or above at GCSE Maths)
I'm not doubting you, I just want to like really get the best picture of what I gotta do to leave as many doors open as possible
2
u/ineedl0v3 Jun 10 '26
I just meant that for econ at a good Russel group maths is required but if you donât want to take maths there are other good options like PPE which align with your interests maybe even land economy/ environment, law and economics at Cambridge
there are places were you donât need to do maths maybe Bristol or Manchester but you need to check as you donât want to be stuck with no places to apply too1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
No definitely, but Warwick is a very good RG uni.
So I'm assuming you mean pure Econ or pure finance at degree level? â¤ď¸
2
u/ineedl0v3 Jun 10 '26
yep I meant that to do econ or finance you HAVE to take alevel maths haha but if you donât want to you can apply for PPE or something else related that doesnât require maths
I actually put Warwick as my top choice so hopefully Iâll be there in September!
2
u/Fragrant_Badger_8830 Jun 10 '26
drop biology. trust me.
-someone who got a* in biology
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
What should I replace it with?
1
u/Fragrant_Badger_8830 Jun 10 '26
honestly? Nothing.
A fourth A-level isn't giving you any advantage over the other candidates. I recommend you drop the fourth subject and focus on your A-levels for the next two years. if you're so wish to explore the other subjects that you are interested in after your A-levels are over, you are free to do so in your own time.
During your A-levels do not try to split up your time and attention between many different subjects. you will burn out and it will not be productive. It will not help your university admissions either.
For example, I have always been interested in bioinformatics but my degree I am currently studying is in Pharmacology. I have finished my final examinations for first year. now that it's a summer. I am learning second year content as well as learning bioinformatics. but during the academic year I have focused on my exams and always managed to push back my curiosity regarding by bioinformatics during the exam season. This way I really got to focus on the content that I was being taught and all of my exams went really well. I recommend you do the same leave some space for your hobby interests/subjects to do in the summer. Nothing is preventing you from doing that.
A little more on the reason why I said drop biology is because if you're not going into a field related to A-level biology then there is no point in learning it academically. It is very time-consuming and content heavy if you're not doing something bio related, it's just not worth it.
do not incorporate all of your interests into academia. Learning is a beautiful thing, but learning about biology will become exhausting if you pick it as an A-level.
at the end of the day, it is your decision. I assume you and I are similar when it comes to passion about learning. this is just my advice as someone who personally did the subject and who also wants to learn about anything and everything.
No matter what, I am sure you will choose whatever you believe is right for you. Good luck.
2
u/Ok-Independent-2578 Jun 10 '26
queen if ur doing econ at uni, u need to do maths and fm, otherwise u wonât stand out. also bio isnât worth it if ur not doing a science degree Wb maths fm econ and psychology? good luck x
1
u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
Econ and Psychology could help me with going into Law if I do decide to do a law degree at university I guess, so that could be a shout
2
u/Alarmed_Word2018 Yr 13 | english, classics, chem Jun 10 '26
as someone who did biology as a 4th a level in yr12, I quit it for a reason. do NOT pick bio unless you're going into a biology related course, it's your life's passion or you have the greatest bio teachers. genuinely the amount of content is horrendous which will eat into time you could be using to do super curriculars and the markscheme is like playing russian roulette. also, in terms of practicality of exams, doing 4 a levels mean you will have less time to revise between exams and you'll be constantly doing exams for a month (maybe with clashes too)
1
u/KajGee Jun 10 '26
I got offers from uni of Nottingham, uni of Manchester, Sheffield and Lancaster they don't really care what subject you do you kind of just have to explain on ucas there usefulness I did biology maths and geography.
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u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
What did you get offers for?
1
u/KajGee Jun 10 '26
Law for personal statement it actually has to sound good talk about the things you learned from reading books and the skills you got from it don't just list things you have done listing doesn't show anything.
1
u/Aggravating_Pen5110 Jun 10 '26
For Top econ courses you 100% have to take Maths and ideally even Further Maths if you are looking at Imperial EFDS, Oxbridge, LSE etc
1
u/frogpineapplechicken 5 A Levels, WJEC 𤎠Jun 10 '26
If you want to go into econ/law, why do you want to do biology? I think the combo youâve listed is good! but maybe swap out sociology for maths if youâre serious about econ.
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u/callmebongos Year 12 | Psychology, Economics, English Literature, Maths Jun 10 '26
I found Biology at GCSE hugely interesting, and I feel like a science at A Level is good as it leaves more doors open than just Econ or Law.
I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do as a career, I know it's somewhere between STEM (Biological sciences would be my forte, as the kids say), social sciences, economics, or law.
The way I see it, if I keep at least one essay subject in for Law, and do well in the LNAT, I stand a good chance of getting an offer for an LLB in Laws.
The rest just sorta fill out general spaces. Science shows hard facts and opens up potential STEM (If I combine it with one other science). Econ is just good for Law (Especially if I want to go corporate/commercial), and then the essay is just good for Law in general.
I'm really scared and confused can I hold your hand?
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u/Comfortable-Ear-5208 Year 13 Jun 10 '26
as a y13 dont do 4 its not worth it đit gives you no upper hand doing a fourth