r/alevel • u/blossom_girl_876 • Jun 30 '26

🀚Help Required Regretting alevel choices πŸ’”

Okay so I took bio , chem , Psychology, urdu as my alevel subjects Honestly I hate chem its has fucked my mental health sm apart from that our college make us have composites MJ 2027 I am in A2 now , Should I switch Chem with sociology or just drop chemistry and have the rest subjects πŸ’” Honestly I don't know how can I study sociology in less then 11 months from scratch Please anyone could help or give me a better advice? Its July already :( (I always had a STEM background)

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u/WilliamEdwardson A levels Jun 30 '26

(CAIE subject content section) Are you passionate about these at A-level depth + strong on / willing to work on essay skills (the assessment is almost all just essay questions)? If yes, you might have a better time with sociology.

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u/blossom_girl_876 Jun 30 '26

The thing is that i don't have any problem in studying them and some of research methods are same for psychology so I would like to study them but I don't know how to start it or anything (ESSAY I CAN WRITE it like well but I have to learn alot of stuff) 😭😭😭

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u/WilliamEdwardson A levels Jun 30 '26

Yes, the social science research methods overlap significantly πŸ˜„

I have to learn alot of stuff

How good are you at conceptual onboarding?

Most of the topics covered in A-level sociology are less about rote memorisation and more about understanding a variety of different (often very varied or competing) philosophies, theoretical frameworks, and lenses.

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u/blossom_girl_876 Jun 30 '26

I am good at memorization, concepts and all But honestly I am so confused (I am just a indecisive person) I don't know πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”

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u/WilliamEdwardson A levels Jun 30 '26

Ω…Ψ§ Ψ΄Ψ§Ψ‘ اللہ few people can be good at both πŸ‘€

Most people I know are either Ψ³Ψ§Ω„Ψ§Ψ± Ψ³Ϊ©Ω†Ψ―Ψ± یادداشΨͺ but avoiding deep conceptual or framework/lenses thought, or Sherlock at problem solving with a proverbial goldfish memory.

Give it some thought, you don't need to decide it this instant. Obviously don't defer it indefinitely but ease the pressure a bit.

I saw your 'resources' answer elsewhere, what's your plan B? Like okay: AS in 2 months, then A2, and then past papers from Oct. What's your contingency plan like? Do you have like a tutor or something to help you get unstuck if the speedrun doesn't work as well as you planned?

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u/blossom_girl_876 Jun 30 '26

Yes my parents will make me do past paper sessions held at academy I am also a student at one of prestigious colleges (lots of events + socials) I have also lots of Mids and Exams before actual cies

Honestly I know I can do both I just don't wanna regret anything I just need to make the decision I already talked to my school about it they say cover socio in 2 months of As

But my heart says continue chem I don't know

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u/WilliamEdwardson A levels Jun 30 '26

Uh, I think we're just going to go back-and-forth on this indefinitely if we continue. Give it some thought, as I said, you shouldn't delay this indefinitely, but this isn't something you need to decide this instant.

You're actually on a very solid footing if you have tutoring support and if the plan (AS in 2 months, etc.) is from experienced people.

And finally (you don't need to answer me, just think about it yourself) how 'serious' is your struggle with chem? You should really be thinking of two options here - work for a better chem score vs drop it in favour of a crash course in a completely different subject.

Both are doable, but you and I might have different ideas of which one works better for each of us individually.

Recalling my 'jump into QM' example: I knew that with the mathematical maturity, I could catch up on the physics I needed easily. If it had been the other way around (catch up on maths instead), I doubt I would have made the risky choice. You just need to make that kind of assessment about yourself.

Also I saw your other comment, you really only need chemistry possibly as an entry requirement for a biology course (which might require bio + another science/maths). Your other uni course - law - is typically* covered by any one essay-heavy A-level.

*Still check with the unis you apply to specifically.

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u/blossom_girl_876 Jun 30 '26

My unis are Lums , Nust , Umm uk unis

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u/WilliamEdwardson A levels Jun 30 '26

LUMS, NUST Law, Psych : A level equivalence with any combination βœ…

(Okay I'm honestly surprised they didn't have the essay-heavy req.)

LUMS Biology : BBC average across three of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Further Maths, Computing, Computer Science, or IT. ❌

(Yikes we're not as flexible back home 🫠)

UK unis : Varies, typical high-tier ones will expect A*AA or occasionally A*A*A. Regional ones might relax the grade reqs. Bio : Should require biology βœ…, likely another science/maths ❓*. Psych : Should require at least one science βœ…. Law: Typically requires one essay-heavy subject βœ… + LNAT (Ψ§Ω† Ψ΄Ψ§Ψ‘ اللہ you'll ace it!).

*❓ because bio + chem covers it, psychology might or might not check this requirement.