It's about that time of year where year 11's go through the excitement and anxiety of picking your A Level subjects. It's such a big choice, do you do two or three subjects, do you take that EPQ/general studies on offer and most importantly will it benefit ME?

As someone who has been through this (and do not envy you for having to do this) I have a few helpful hints to get you started...

1. What do you enjoy?

This may seem a little obvious to some people but for others they pick subjects because their friends are doing it, their parents want to do it or the only reason they do a subject is because it is what they need for a career path. The truth of the matter is that you will only truly succeed at subjects you enjoy learning about, otherwise you will have a miserable 2 years.

2. What do you want to do after A Levels?

This is probably one of the biggest deciding factors for most students when they pick a their subjects. If you have a career in minds then look on the national careers service website and look into what qualifications are needed fr what you want to do. If you have a degree in mind then look on a couple of universities website and see if their entry requirements have any specific subjects. Now for the more difficult category: I don't not have a blinking clue! This is where tip one really applies, do not do a subject for two years because you think it might be easy or what others want you to do. Pick subjects you enjoy but make sure that they are general and have skills in many areas. Good examples of these include: humanities subjects, a science, English or maths. This will keep a lot of your options open while letting you pick subjects which interest you.

3. Check out the topics that will be taught.

Each school picks different units/topics to teach their students, so make sure you find these out from an open evening or from your teachers before you decide. There might be some topics that will really interest you in a subject you didn't consider before, or the topics in the subject you are considering and topics that you really really really hate. A lot.

4. If you change your mind, even within the first few weeks of sixth form, it isn't the end of the world!

Teachers will not force you to stay in a subject that you don't enjoy or you struggle too much with. They are there to see you succeed and have your best interests at heart (really shocking, I know). Four weeks into term one of year 12, I hated and struggled with my two sciences so I swapped them for history and Philosophy and Ethics which I now really really love! I have had to change my career path to go with it but it has opened up new ideas and new goals for what I want to achieve.


I hope this has been of some help and I wish year 11's all the best of luck with your subjects.
May the odds be forever in your favour. 

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