What A Level subjects did you choose and why?

[MIG]

Lets hear it from the whizzkids shall we?

 

[AZ]

Maths
Chemistry :vomit:
Physics

was the standard for Engineering

 

[Oxy]

Maths (quit after 1st lesson)
Economics (quit after 2 terms)
Geography (quit after 2 terms)

Instead I took up table-tennis and got to the schools 6th form final & won a runners up shield.

 

[Juggernaut]

Maths
Biology
Business Studies

Maths was the only thing I found interesting so I decided to do a degree in it. Smart move eh?

 

[Chasing Cars]

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Politics (but dropping after AS level)

Reason: Because I am completely bonkers

 

[AZ]

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Politics (but dropping after AS level)

Reason: Because I am completely bonkers

agree with the reason

 

[Chasing Cars]

agree with the reason

Thanks (!)

Nah the real reason is because I want to be a doctor And help people And I'm quite a sciency person (or at least I think I am )

 

[Zahid87]

Economics - Interested me, and since I wanted to go into Finance it made sense
Maths - Again I wanted to go into Finance and study Economics at Uni, so Maths was pretty much essential for me. In fact at LSE you have to have an A in Maths A Level to do Eco.
History - Genuinely loved the subject. Loved the arguing, the debate, the historiography. Just found it interesting.

 

[Zahid87]

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Politics (but dropping after AS level)

Reason: Because I am completely bonkers

Typical asian choice.

 

[AZ]

Economics - Interested me, and since I wanted to go into Finance it made sense
Maths - Again I wanted to go into Finance and study Economics at Uni, so Maths was pretty much essential for me. In fact at LSE you have to have an A in Maths A Level to do Eco.
History - Genuinely loved the subject. Loved the arguing, the debate, the historiography. Just found it interesting.

would have loved to do History, always find it fascinating.

 

[MIG]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

 

[Chasing Cars]

Typical asian choice.

Nah. Well at least in my school anyways. I'm the only asian doing Chemistry and the only pakistani doing physics (my sri-lankan friend is doing it with me ). Or the asians in my school go for things like sociology, psychology and Philosophy&ethics.

 

[Chasing Cars]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

I did He sounds like me actually. Only I ditched maths because I didn't like one of the teachers and I took politics instead of history.

 

[Cover Drive]

Uhmm whats A level again? ? Can someone explain that in American or Canadian standards?

 

[Chasing Cars]

Uhmm whats A level again? ? Can someone explain that in American or Canadian standards?

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?t=84944&page=1

Scroll down a bit, and you will find a conversation I had with you about this where I confused you extensively Sorry about that by the way

 

[madaboutlfc]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

good subjects but any reason for not taking physics.. the reason i ask is because if he is to go to the US and do SAT Alevel physics basically means SAT II physics is covered..

 

[MIG]

good subjects but any reason for not taking physics.. the reason i ask is because if he is to go to the US and do SAT Alevel physics basically means SAT II physics is covered..

Good point - he is still in his final GCSE year so can reconsider.

Whats the effect of these choices if he wishes to study in Canada?

 

[madaboutlfc]

Good point - he is still in his final GCSE year so can reconsider.

Whats the effect of these choices if he wishes to study in Canada?

i do not know about Canada.. As far as US is concerned Physics is a pretty good subject to have as far as Ivies are concerned..

 

[Salazar]

3.5 years ago... Did:

Math- A
Physics- B
Chemistry- C
Economics- C

Math, Physics, Chemistry were taken incase I went into Engineering.
Math, Economics were taken incase I went into Business.

I went into business in the end.

 

[Free Hit]

i am curently doing AS, as i faield my first year.

first year AS
maths
chemistry
human biology

failed got E E D respectively

so i decided to take some burden off my shoulder and picked up accounting instead of chemisty.

 

[tahaqureshi]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

Miggy bhai, I took Math, Physics, Chem and Bio since I wanted to go into either medicine or engineering and still keep my options open till the end. Maths is almost universal, Chem is also a universal science for all science fields, whilst Physics kept the engineering route open and Bio kept the medicine route open.

Technically speaking, he should have a rough idea of the 2-3 fields he might want to go into as he chooses his A level subject. The lack of a certain subject may cut his options for certain degrees such as Physics for engineering.

Subject like Business, Economics, Accounting etc do not require study up till A level, often the GCSE level will suffice. The sciences tend to be more intense which is why you need a foundation at A level. In other words, if he doesn't take economics at A level he can still study it at undergrad, but if he doesn't have Chem or Physics, he will find it hard to get into uni for engineering.

In terms of Canada, his most important exams will be his AS level exams at the end of his first year. If he can nail those, he should be a shoe in. From then on the A2s become a formality, just make sure you don't get a D.

Canadian schools also require 3 A levels and a 4th becomes an added advantage in the selection process.

The best thing to do is to go on the website for different universities, look at the different programs he's interested in and check their subject requirements. Thats the best way to avoid a situation where he can't apply to a program later on simply because he didn't know their requirements.

 

[Cover Drive]

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?t=84944&page=1

Scroll down a bit, and you will find a conversation I had with you about this where I confused you extensively Sorry about that by the way

JazakALLAH Khair. Recalled it

Yeahh in my "A1" (Grade 12) I took
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
International Business
English
2 Maths ((Advanced Functions) and (Calculas and Vectors))

Took 3 Sciences in grade 12 just because I had taken them in grade 11. I mean could have opted not taking those 3 courses in grade 12 but I don't I just took them. I didn't like other courses being offered. Didn't want to take more than one spare so taking 3 sciences was the best option

In "A2" (First year of my uni) I took

Economics - Full year
Chemistry - Full year
Management - 1 per semester so two courses (in other words full year courses)
Accounting - Half year
Sociology - Half year
Intro to Islam - Half year

Took 4.5 credits in first year

Chemistry, Sociology and Intro to Islam were electives. Rest were required for the program

 

[Cover Drive]

Canadian uni's will take International students with there eyes closed. All they care about is $$$$

 

[12thMan]

In other words, if he doesn't take economics at A level he can still study it at undergrad, but if he doesn't have Chem or Physics, he will find it hard to get into uni for engineering.

Unless rules in USA have changed you can (or could) get in college with O Levels. O levels is like highschool. With A Levels you can look for credit for some classes. But most likely he will be going to Canada so your rules apply.

I didn't didn't do A levels. Maybe was there for 3 months and sametime had applied for admission in USA and left

 

[tahaqureshi]

Unless rules in USA have changed you can (or could) get in college with O Levels. O levels is like highschool. With A Levels you can look for credit for some classes. But most likely he will be going to Canada so your rules apply.

I didn't didn't do A levels. Maybe was there for 3 months and sametime had applied for admission in USA and left

Its true that you can get into some US colleges with O levels alone, however most of the competitive colleges and universities have applicants with as much as 6 A levels. So in order to simply compete with the applicant pool, A levels almost becomes a necessity because the university will obviously look at an applicant with greater course load and greater qualifications more favorably.

 

[Zahid87]

Nah. Well at least in my school anyways. I'm the only asian doing Chemistry and the only pakistani doing physics (my sri-lankan friend is doing it with me ). Or the asians in my school go for things like sociology, psychology and Philosophy&ethics.

In my school it was completely different. For a private school, we had a massive asian population. About half our year was asian, so like 100-150 people.

Half of them wanted to go into medcine, and did the sciences, and the other half wanted to go into finance (like me) and did maths econ, etc.

I loved the way we lived up to the stereotype there. We used to have soo much racial banter. Miss all that....

MIG your sons choice is good. You have an essay writing subject in history, Maths is a universal subject and those two sciences keep medicine as an option open.

 

[Shoaib Akhtar's Fan]

Mathematics - Understandably so since I am a Math major in college. Also, I took Additional Mathematics in O'Level and got A's in both Math and Add Math.

Accounting - Am an accounting minor.

Business Studies - Always felt I had an aptitude for this field. Found this subject really interesting but surprisingly couldn't do very well, which still bugs me.

Urdu Literature - Have always been very good at this subject and ended up securing a very high A.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

I have no idea what this A level means...

But I am doing an undergrads in Biochemistry..and right now am a sophomore (2nd year) in uni..

Right now I am taking:

Physics
Physics Lab
Organic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Spanish

Next semester I will be taking:

Organic Chemistry II
Organic Chemistry II Lab
Lab Meth. Chemistry
Biology and also lab
Telecommunications
20th Century history..

I chose Medicinal Biochemistry because..I think sciences are interesting!
lol..just have to devote a little time to them! (out of the bunch of classes I just listed..I hate Spanish!!) In High School I decided to go in for a business major..and then decided against it because..it was too boring lol..and also I thought..no one really needs to teach me how to do business..

Mig bro..I would say..have your son go for BioChem..

 

[12thMan]

A levels will mean that you have done some courses of first year of college (maybe 2). So if you had A levels in Physics you might get credit for "Physics 211" (or most of most of the 2xx courses you did A levels in) and it is possible that you have to talk to school about giving you credits for it. 300+ classes maybe not and you will have to take them,

Easiest to explain will be going to community college or the first two years of 4 year college and you have done classes of two years in the subjects you took in A levels. You still have to take rest of the classes

 

[tahaqureshi]

A levels will mean that you have done some courses of first year of college (maybe 2). So if you had A levels in Physics you might get credit for "Physics 211" (or most of most of the 2xx courses you did A levels in) and it is possible that you have to talk to school about giving you credits for it. 300+ classes maybe not and you will have to take them

In Canada I think its hard to get even 2xx level credits..I think they stick to just 1xx.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

A levels will mean that you have done some courses of first year of college (maybe 2). So if you had A levels in Physics you might get credit for "Physics 211" (or most of most of the 2xx courses you did A levels in) and it is possible that you have to talk to school about giving you credits for it. 300+ classes maybe not and you will have to take them

so basically only 200 level courses count? Well there is no 200 level chem at our uni..its like Gen Chem I and then Gen Chem II..then you go to your upper levels..and I would assume you take all your A levels in uni..first or second year right?

 

[mmkextreme_1]

In Canada I think its hard to get even 2xx level credits..I think they stick to just 1xx.

Are they taking about AP courses in high school?

 

[12thMan]

In Canada I think its hard to get even 2xx level credits..I think they stick to just 1xx.

I don't know because I didn't do A levels but numbering system between Canada and US might be different. It has been a while and I don't even remember if numbers started at 1xx or 2xx

so basically only 200 level courses count? Well there is no 200 level chem at our uni..its like Gen Chem I and then Gen Chem II..then you go to your upper levels..and I would assume you take all your A levels in uni..first or second year right?

It might be just Gen chemesty 1 you get credit for going by above. Which is surprising as A levels takes 1-2 years (one year if you are very smart I guess) and Gen Chemistry 1 only 4-5 months

 

[mmkextreme_1]

I don't know because I didn't do A levels but numbering system between Canada and US might be different. It has been a while and I don't even remember if numbers started at 1xx or 2xx
It might be just Gen chemesty 1 you get credit for going by above. Which is surprising as A levels takes 1-2 years (one year if you are very smart I guess) and Gen Chemistry 1 only 4-5 months

Hmmm...I have no idea..I am in my second year at uni..and I am 300 level chemistries..I am still kinda unclear about A levels lol..I would say AP courses from high school maybe?

 

[12thMan]

taleem-e-balighan zindabad
I make it a point to learn something new every month. and this completes the goal for this month

 

[pakistani_banda]

maths -my mom made me take it cause she said that every field requires maths (for guys)
physics - i took this cos the results of my olevel physics wasnt that bad
economics - wanted to diversify myself and not just remain in just one field


but however i am studying computer science and all have helped me, except physics because i had forgotten what i studied in my alevels the moment i gave my finals.

 

[Cover Drive]

Hmmm...I have no idea..I am in my second year at uni..and I am 300 level chemistries..I am still kinda unclear about A levels lol..I would say AP courses from high school maybe?

yoo bro I was confused about this concept but I later knew what it was (JazakALLAH Khair to Khushbu)

Yeahh so A level has two years in it

A1 is grade 12 for us

A2 is first year at uni

So last year at highschool (grade 12) and first year at uni is complete A level

Hope it helps!

 

[Cover Drive]

In Canada I think its hard to get even 2xx level credits..I think they stick to just 1xx.

As you progress at your uni you have to take 2xx, 3xx and so on courses

For example,

In first year I had taken ECO100
In second year I am taking ECO200
and so on

I hope we are on the same track

 

[tahaqureshi]

Hmmm...I have no idea..I am in my second year at uni..and I am 300 level chemistries..I am still kinda unclear about A levels lol..I would say AP courses from high school maybe?

A levels is before university. It is the end of high school.

In the British System, your last four years of high school are divided into O levels, and then A levels.

In O levels people take a wide variety of subjects usually 6-10. At A level, people take 3-4 as it is more comprehensive.

People then go on to university after completing A levels.

 

[tahaqureshi]

yoo bro I was confused about this concept but I later knew what it was (JazakALLAH Khair to Khushbu)

Yeahh so A level has two years in it

A1 is grade 12 for us

A2 is first year at uni

So last year at highschool (grade 12) and first year at uni is complete A level

Hope it helps!

lol its not quite that simple.

A levels is basically high school, its just that in the UK they teach their high school students a lot more detail for every subject which is why they are often more knowledgeable than the average US/Canadian high schooler. As a result, Canadian universities grant certain credits to people having done A levels since they are more advanced. But only a few credits, not enough to forgo the entire first year.

 

[Mohsin]

English Language
History
Law
Economics

 

[Yossarian]

Maths
Further Maths
Physics
Chemistry
- because I was good at them!

Oh, and in my days, there was no half and half (i.e. AS and A2).

You did the lot at the end of Upper Sixth, in May/June. There was no 'coursework', only exams, with a very small percentage of marks for the practical parts of Physics and Chemistry.

I recall doing 4 x 3-hour papers on one day - 2 for Maths and 2 for Further Maths (because Maths and F.Maths were with different Exam Boards)

 

[cricket_fever]

Physics
Chemistry
Maths
Geog
Life sciences (bio)
english
afrikaans

i am doing the NSC in south africa...am in grade 11 now...passed g10

 

[On_the_up]

Maths (I like maths and was good at it)
Physics (I am interested in how things work)
Chemistry (thought was the most interesting of rest of the options)

 

[Wazeeri]

MIG Bhai

Maths is a must - no questions, no arguments. Maths is what is looked at pretty much every vocational degree you can think of in England (even for some Law degrees).

Chemistry is a must for MBBS.

English needed for a law degree

Economics not a must for anything but it does build a good understanding which can be used later on in finance/business roles.

Latin gets you into Oxford Cambridge.

Phsyics allows you to act smart

 

[cricket_fever]

MIG Bhai

Maths is a must - no questions, no arguments. Maths is what is looked at pretty much every vocational degree you can think of in England (even for some Law degrees).

Chemistry is a must for MBBS.

English needed for a law degree

Economics not a must for anything but it does build a good understanding which can be used later on in finance/business roles.

Latin gets you into Oxford Cambridge.

Phsyics allows you to act smart

good one!

 

[itduzz]

Maths
Further Mathematics
Physics

 

[Chasing Cars]

MIG Bhai

Maths is a must - no questions, no arguments. Maths is what is looked at pretty much every vocational degree you can think of in England (even for some Law degrees).

Chemistry is a must for MBBS.

English needed for a law degree

Economics not a must for anything but it does build a good understanding which can be used later on in finance/business roles.

Latin gets you into Oxford Cambridge.

Phsyics allows you to act smart

I don't agree with the maths bit. You can still get into medicine and dentistry without maths if you choose to do the three sciences. Thats what I'm doing because I hate maths

I have never spoken latin in my life but inshallah I hope to apply to Oxford next summer

 

[Zahid87]

MIG Bhai

Maths is a must - no questions, no arguments. Maths is what is looked at pretty much every vocational degree you can think of in England (even for some Law degrees).

Chemistry is a must for MBBS.

English needed for a law degree

Economics not a must for anything but it does build a good understanding which can be used later on in finance/business roles.

Latin gets you into Oxford Cambridge.

Phsyics allows you to act smart

Latin does in no way get you into Oxbridge. I got into Cambridge without Latin! All you need is amazing GCSE Grades, and AS grades (with good raw marks, i.e. high A's). It does help if you want to study certain courses like Classics, but otherwise it does not give you anything extra at all.

And English is not needed for Law either. Any respectable essay writing A-Level subject is sufficient. I know someone who did Law at Oxford who did History for his essay writing subject.

I don't agree with the maths bit. You can still get into medicine and dentistry without maths if you choose to do the three sciences. Thats what I'm doing because I hate maths

I have never spoken latin in my life but inshallah I hope to apply to Oxford next summer

If you want to do either medicine or dentistry, Oxford is not the best place. It has an amazing reputation I know, but for Medicine especially, look at a London Uni. You get access to hospitals and get to do practical work. At Oxbridge, you learn more theory. Lots of people I know turned down Oxbridge medicine because of that. But if you want to go to Oxford, then you want to go to Oxford, and you will get an amazing degree. Good Luck!

 

[Chasing Cars]

If you want to do either medicine or dentistry, Oxford is not the best place. It has an amazing reputation I know, but for Medicine especially, look at a London Uni. You get access to hospitals and get to do practical work. At Oxbridge, you learn more theory. Lots of people I know turned down Oxbridge medicine because of that. But if you want to go to Oxford, then you want to go to Oxford, and you will get an amazing degree. Good Luck!

Thankyou for your kind wishes bhai
Yeah I know it's not the best, but I really want to make my parents proud, especially my daddy. He has done so much for his family, and I want to return all of the favours he has indebted me with. Also, as I am the youngest of the three daughters that he has it also means that I am his laadli And I don't want to sadden him by not applying at least. I want to be able to make my parents lift their heads with pride when (inshallah) I finish my university degree, and I know the best way to do this is if I apply to Oxford (or Cambridge). It's not the "typical asian parent" thing going on here. I actually would like to go to Oxbridge because that would mean I would be the first person EVER in my family to do it, and it would make me feel happier.
I was also thinking of applying to UCL or maybe Birmingham (probably for dentistry)

 

[Zahid87]

Thankyou for your kind wishes bhai
Yeah I know it's not the best, but I really want to make my parents proud, especially my daddy. He has done so much for his family, and I want to return all of the favours he has indebted me with. Also, as I am the youngest of the three daughters that he has it also means that I am his laadli And I don't want to sadden him by not applying at least. I want to be able to make my parents lift their heads with pride when (inshallah) I finish my university degree, and I know the best way to do this is if I apply to Oxford (or Cambridge). It's not the "typical asian parent" thing going on here. I actually would like to go to Oxbridge because that would mean I would be the first person EVER in my family to do it, and it would make me feel happier.
I was also thinking of applying to UCL or maybe Birmingham (probably for dentistry)

By all means apply. Always give yourself the option. But if you get Imperial, Kings or UCL as well, you have a tough choice. For Medicine those three places are on par, if not rated higher in the industry, than Oxbridge. But its what you want. I applied to Cambridge, but turned it down for LSE. Its what I wanted. Both are amazing Unis in their own right, but the life in London was much better for me. Im just a big city kind of guy.

Just work your @$$ of this year though. Get your A*s, I think it is now. And you have your choice of the country. Its not impossible to get 280-290 out of 300 in your AS years. Thats what you need if you want to aim high. Get into societies. Be an all round person. A good thing will be to go to Pakistan or India this summer and get work experience if you want to do Medicine. They love stuff like that and its not that difficult to arrange compared to here. Do all that, and Oxford will want you.

If you need any help/advice, just ask.

 

[Chasing Cars]

By all means apply. Always give yourself the option. But if you get Imperial, Kings or UCL as well, you have a tough choice. For Medicine those three places are on par, if not rated higher in the industry, than Oxbridge. But its what you want. I applied to Cambridge, but turned it down for LSE. Its what I wanted. Both are amazing Unis in their own right, but the life in London was much better for me. Im just a big city kind of guy.

Just work your @$$ of this year though. Get your A*s, I think it is now. And you have your choice of the country. Its not impossible to get 280-290 out of 300 in your AS years. Thats what you need if you want to aim high. Get into societies. Be an all round person. A good thing will be to go to Pakistan or India this summer and get work experience if you want to do Medicine. They love stuff like that and its not that difficult to arrange compared to here. Do all that, and Oxford will want you.

If you need any help/advice, just ask.

Thankyou so much bhai, it really means a lot
I'm actually doing my AS year at the moment, so I've got some of my science exams in Jan and the rest in April/May.
The work experience thing was actually quite interesting. I need to apply for work experience in my local hospital, as I don't think my parents will let me go to Pak.
Inshallah I will keep you posted
Thanks again

 

[Zahid87]

Thankyou so much bhai, it really means a lot
I'm actually doing my AS year at the moment, so I've got some of my science exams in Jan and the rest in April/May.
The work experience thing was actually quite interesting. I need to apply for work experience in my local hospital, as I don't think my parents will let me go to Pak.
Inshallah I will keep you posted
Thanks again

No worries. Smash them in Jan ok. You can get some modules out of the way, and you can get high marks since you havnt got as many exams at the time. Just keep doing papers.

Unis love work exp. Get some anywhere you can, and as much as you can. My friend had the same issue - her parents didnt want her to go to Pakistan. So she went to India instead, to Bangalore and worked in a hospital. She said it was an amazing experience, and it gave her something different to write about in her Personal Statement. Thats what its all about in the end, making yourself stand out from the rest.

 

[Wazeeri]

Latin does in no way get you into Oxbridge.

Zahid

Latin pushes the button with all of these old school boys who still run the red brick unis. It is amazing how much you can achieve just with the perception of culture.

I applied to cambridge and got to the interview and test stage only. I didn't goto a private school so I had no preparation for the interview but the friends I made there all told me how they were forced to study latin by their tutors and parents so they end up in oxbridge.

 

[Zahid87]

Zahid

Latin pushes the button with all of these old school boys who still run the red brick unis. It is amazing how much you can achieve just with the perception of culture.

I applied to cambridge and got to the interview and test stage only. I didn't goto a private school so I had no preparation for the interview but the friends I made there all told me how they were forced to study latin by their tutors and parents so they end up in oxbridge.

I never found that at all. Had never studied Latin and got in. Never really had to pander to that 'old boy culture' thing either. I was just myself in my interview, talked about economics, and interestingly, the 'perception' of economics in different cultures. I.e. the western economic culture and the sub-continent's.

 

[Wazeeri]

I had to sit in front of two guys with bow ties asking me to do maths sums and name different parts of planes and tanks.

 

[Zahid87]

I had to sit in front of two guys with bow ties asking me to do maths sums and name different parts of planes and tanks.

That sounds fun. I had the maths too. I hated it, but managed to get through a good number of questions. But me being me, I allowed myself to try and carry the conversation and divert it into something I was comfortable with.

To be honest I thought it was a massive risk and could be percieved as cockiness/arrogance. But I felt I had to trust myself and my instincts and just went with it.

 

[Usman]

Economics: Most interesting A Level for me

Maths: Hardest by a mile!

Geography: Enjoyed it so much that I had to take it!

History: Was my favorite until A level when I got a crap teacher and it became a nightmare!

General Studies: Forced to take it. School said it was for 'well-roundedness'. Real reason was to bump up the ucas points per candidate and put the school into the top 5 of the country!

 

[Usman]

By all means apply. Always give yourself the option. But if you get Imperial, Kings or UCL as well, you have a tough choice. For Medicine those three places are on par, if not rated higher in the industry, than Oxbridge. But its what you want. I applied to Cambridge, but turned it down for LSE. Its what I wanted. Both are amazing Unis in their own right, but the life in London was much better for me. Im just a big city kind of guy.

Just work your @$$ of this year though. Get your A*s, I think it is now. And you have your choice of the country. Its not impossible to get 280-290 out of 300 in your AS years. Thats what you need if you want to aim high. Get into societies. Be an all round person. A good thing will be to go to Pakistan or India this summer and get work experience if you want to do Medicine. They love stuff like that and its not that difficult to arrange compared to here. Do all that, and Oxford will want you.

If you need any help/advice, just ask.

Turning down an Oxbridge offer, man you crazy? Seriously though, I've only ever heard of one other person turning down Oxbridge and that too because his family moved to London and he just physically couldn't attend (I'm talking about Lord Woolf for any law students!). To turn it down by choice is unheard of, especially since the application for Oxbridge in itself takes a massive amount of time, commitment and preparation. If you weren't going to go, why bother wasting your time like that when you had January exams to worry about in any case?

 

[Zahid87]

Turning down an Oxbridge offer, man you crazy? Seriously though, I've only ever heard of one other person turning down Oxbridge and that too because his family moved to London and he just physically couldn't attend (I'm talking about Lord Woolf for any law students!). To turn it down by choice is unheard of, especially since the application for Oxbridge in itself takes a massive amount of time, commitment and preparation. If you weren't going to go, why bother wasting your time like that when at that time in particular, you've got January exams to worry about in any case?

I know quite a few that turn down Oxbridge. As I was saying earlier, for Medicine, it isn't the best, and most people turn down Oxbridge for the likes of Imperial, Kings and UCL. That is because in those Unis you get practical experience in major London hospitals, unlike Oxbridge. In that sense you become someone who knows all the theory, but have no practical experience.

I turned down Cambridge because I had an offer from LSE, which is on par with Cambridge in Economics. (Oxford only does Econ + Management.) I liked the LSE course more. Also, with LSE I was in London, which I prefered to living in Cambridge. Much better lifestyle. And the fact that LSE has lots of networking events for Banking, and therefore has lots of links with major banking institutions, was also a factor.

There were people on my course that did the same. And none of us regret it at all. We had a much better life living in London and we all got the careers we wanted at the end of the day too. Going to Cambridge, we probably would have got the same jobs, but not had the same kind of life.

Applying to Cambridge took the same amount of preparation as applying to LSE. And if you feel you are good enough, you have to apply just to have the choice. Also, if I had not got LSE I would have gone to Cambridge in a heartbeat. To be honest, I was more worried about not getting LSE - its more competitive than Cambridge in some peoples eyes because of the amount of places international students take. And they pay a lot more, so the Uni is more than willing to accomodate them.

By the way I had the same problem with History as you did. I had an amazing teacher for one module. But a crap one for the other. She almost made me drop it at AS. I always loved the subject, but she was just terrible. We hated each other.....got into trouble a few times in her classes. But got through it in the end....and look whos laughing at the end of the day.

What Uni did you go to?

 

[Gujar]

Chemistry - A
Maths - A
Biology - B
Further Maths - B

Physics (AS) - B

I would've got A's in Biology and Further Maths (In my opinion but Allahu Alim) but i fell ill at the start of my 2nd year of A Levels and missed a significant period. Completed them in 2004.

 

[cricket_fever]

I don't agree with the maths bit. You can still get into medicine and dentistry without maths if you choose to do the three sciences. Thats what I'm doing because I hate maths

I have never spoken latin in my life but inshallah I hope to apply to Oxford next summer

In south africa if u wanna do medicine then u have to do maths, physics, chemistry and bio/lifesciences

 

[tahaqureshi]

In south africa if u wanna do medicine then u have to do maths, physics, chemistry and bio/lifesciences

Physics too?

 

[Wazeeri]

I know quite a few that turn down Oxbridge. As I was saying earlier, for Medicine, it isn't the best, and most people turn down Oxbridge for the likes of Imperial, Kings and UCL.

I'm gonna have to disagree with that. Oxbridge is a lot better then all other medical schools by far. I know of and have heard of many people who turned down Oxbridge for other Universities but they are very rare.

There is a small gulf between Oxbridge and the closest competitors ie Aberdeen, UCL and Imperial.

 

[MIG]

Miggy bhai, I took Math, Physics, Chem and Bio since I wanted to go into either medicine or engineering and still keep my options open till the end. Maths is almost universal, Chem is also a universal science for all science fields, whilst Physics kept the engineering route open and Bio kept the medicine route open.

Technically speaking, he should have a rough idea of the 2-3 fields he might want to go into as he chooses his A level subject. The lack of a certain subject may cut his options for certain degrees such as Physics for engineering.

Subject like Business, Economics, Accounting etc do not require study up till A level, often the GCSE level will suffice. The sciences tend to be more intense which is why you need a foundation at A level. In other words, if he doesn't take economics at A level he can still study it at undergrad, but if he doesn't have Chem or Physics, he will find it hard to get into uni for engineering.

In terms of Canada, his most important exams will be his AS level exams at the end of his first year. If he can nail those, he should be a shoe in. From then on the A2s become a formality, just make sure you don't get a D.

Canadian schools also require 3 A levels and a 4th becomes an added advantage in the selection process.

The best thing to do is to go on the website for different universities, look at the different programs he's interested in and check their subject requirements. Thats the best way to avoid a situation where he can't apply to a program later on simply because he didn't know their requirements.

Thanks Taha

 

[Shahid A]

Media Studies
ICT
Religious Studies
Retaking GCSE Maths

Want to get into Computer side and Media

 

[cricket_fever]

Physics too?

yup its compulsory for medicine...i know its weird but thats it

 

[Chasing Cars]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

MIG bhai, has your son asked the careers advisor at his school? Normally they are quite helpful in helping you to decide which options to take for which profession. If I didn't have my careers advisor, I would be doing some weird subjects trust me. And she ensured that I didn't have to do a pre med year I seriously advise that he does this.

 

[Equinox]

My sons chosen Maths, Chem, Biology, History.... opens a few career choices for him, I guess.

BTW, how many of you chose the subjects you chose based upon career that you would like to pursue? as opposed to taking subjects you like and then worrying about careers later

3 out of 4

I chose:
Maths (Had to)
Economics (I want to pursue a career in Finance/Business)
Biology (Parental pressure but am enjoying the course now and keeps my options open)
History (Had to drop Sociology)

I chose Maths and Economics for career reasons but I enjoy these subjects any way. I wasn't keen on doing Bio but my parents convinced me to pick it and after struggling initially I am enjoying the course and not doing too bad on the Tests.

My first choice uni is LSE. I will be disappointed if I fail to get in but I hear Imperial, Crown etc aren't too bad. UCL has good links with my college so that's my fall back option.

 

[HinderTheJinder]

History
Media Studies
Law

Going against the opinions of my family I took it because I want to become a journalist and my grades in O Levels weren't ideal so thought I should do what I want instead of what people want

 

[Mamoon]

History
Media Studies
Law

Going against the opinions of my family I took it because I want to become a journalist and my grades in O Levels weren't ideal so thought I should do what I want instead of what people want

Good on you, never an easy decision if you are based in Pakistan.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Math
Physics
Computer Science
Economics

All A's but had to work my butt off. I thought it would be as easy as O levels

 

[marlonbrowndo]

History
Media Studies
Law

Going against the opinions of my family I took it because I want to become a journalist and my grades in O Levels weren't ideal so thought I should do what I want instead of what people want

Good to see

 

[HinderTheJinder]

Good on you, never an easy decision if you are based in Pakistan.

Its still not that easy,My friends and cousins are mocking me and saying that getting below an A in these subjects would be a travesty

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Its still not that easy,My friends and cousins are mocking me and saying that getting below an A in these subjects would be a travesty

Don't listen to those people man. That's why so many robots come out of our region. They are just sad

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Accounts
Business Studies
Psychology.
I gave my AS exams for these subjects this May,will take accelerated Economics in my A2 year.I had all of the Sciences in my O levels but halfway throught the first year knew this wasn't for me.I was terrible at Chemistry in my O Levels and got a C.

 

[Syed1]

Maths
Physics
Chemistry
General English
Further Maths

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Maths
Physics
Chemistry
General English
Further Maths

I also had to take general english. Didn't mention it. I thought it was compulsory just in my school. Where did you go if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Syed1]

I also had to take general english. Didn't mention it. I thought it was compulsory just in my school. Where did you go if you don't mind me asking?

Saint Michael's

 

[ExpressPacer]

I took English, History, Economics and Accounting. I always loved reading and writing so English was a given. Owing to my inlinationvtowards international relations, current affairs and political science, History and Economics made a lot of sense. Accounting was the only subject I wasn't extremely comfortable with but had to take it because my father really wanted me to. Otherwise, I may have taken Sociology which was hands down my favourite subject at the time.