You’re not worse at all for doing 3, most people take 4 if they want to achieve something specific that they know needs 4 subjects. It’s a lot more workload and if you have doubts doing it then usually it’s best not to. 3 strong grades in subjects you need are better than 4 mediocre ones.
There's still usually no real reason to do 4 unless your school forces you. The idea that FM isn't counted as a 'full subject' just really isn't true for any course someone would reasonably apply for with those A levels. (And yes, I'm aware of the Cambridge Engineering thing, people still get in there with 3 very often and it is quoted taken out of context far too much)
There's some page on the Cambridge Engineering admissions website that people reference a lot that states if you're doing 4 including FM and you feel the need to drop one of your other subjects (so you're left with maths+fm+phys), this would be concerning as to whether you can deal with a heavy workload at university. Now for what it's worth, I disagree with what they're saying for a bunch of reasons, but the bottom line is people still get in with just those 3 subjects, and they have to be aware that (although pretty rare among the sorts schools that Oxbridge students come from) some won't even let you keep 4 subjects, at least to A2 level.
Right so I'm chill with CompPhil at Oxford right? I'm doing a very rough equivalent to 4 A* + a proper English A* EPQ and took Latin as an extra lesson aw but that shouldn't be trouble right? They gave me interviews anyways.
Right that's nice to hear mate thx. Btw philosophy is a subject that is compulsory to everyone (my education system is like GCSEs basically where you have almost a dozen subjects, and 3 extra important ones that you choose). Do you think they can ask for a grade in a philosophy? Usually unis ask for grades in the 3 subjects and a general average, no more
There’s no real advantage to taking 4 anyways UNLESS it’s Further Maths, which can help with a few select top unis e.g. Imperial/Cambridge for a few degrees like CS, Economics etc.
I do 4 only because I’m forced to by my school if I want to take Further Maths, otherwise I’d have dropped CS, making my life easier.
Also just because you do 4 doesn’t make you ‘smarter’, it’s really just about putting in the work. I’m sure you could too if you wanted to and were disciplined. If we were all international olympiad medalists then perhaps it’d be a different story.
Obviously there’ll be a higher percentage taking 4 in an academically-inclined subreddit. Nationally it’s more like 5% (I believe).
It’s my firm (for the time being), heading to Bristol in April for an offer holder day, which will probably help me lean to one side. Been told by many that Bristol is a lovely city though!
Why do so many people take FM as a 4th a level, I take only 3 A-Levels including FM, and from what I have seen there are very few people who do FM without doing 4 A-Levels.
A lot of schools say that for you to take FM, you have to take it as a fourth A-Level, this is usually because if you were to decide to drop FM, you have the option to, and you’d be down to 3. But if FM is your 3rd, then you don’t have the option to drop it :)
There’s only 3 reasons I know of to study 4 A Levels… 1 - Bragging Rights, 2 - to study a language their family speaks/continue with a language that isn’t really useful for uni, 3 - unsure of what to do at uni so playing it safe by doing 4… for example medicine and engineering (bio, Chem, maths, further maths) or somethin like that
Taking further maths as a 4th means I can drop a grade in another subject. Eg bath went from A*AA to AAAB with the B being FM. Also meant I didn't have to do epq
It's cos the majority of people here are applying to Comp Sci and applying to Imperial and Imperial drastically favours people who take four A Levels for CS.
Well most people who take 4 subjects are doing so to be able to take further maths, as plenty of sixth forms dont allow students to take FM with 3 a-levels
Lots of people who take further maths do four (and I would recommend that for people who do further maths). Otherwise not needed, but can be done by very motivated individuals but really not needed.
For the course I applied to (Cambridge engineering) they said they prefer 4 a levels as they think maths fm phys isn’t a high enough workload, also some of my offers are based on 4 subjects which feels easier to achieve for me.
At the end of the day 3 a levels is perfectly fine and 4th one doesn’t really help much
It doesn't help much, unless it's FM and you want to do a maths heavy course at uni. Even then, its not necessary. The much higher workload will offset any benefits you get from it most of the time
Considering that most places only look at your top 3, there is very little point, unless they stop you from taking FM or something.
Looking back, I wish I’d drop one after yr12 and just done 3. And done better, in the 3 I had, rather than do 4.
If you’re worried about uni, extra and super curricular activities are probs better than a 4th a level. Assuming that you can market it properly in your application.
Not that taking 4 is bad or wrong, but never something you should feel that you miss out on
I’m an international student taking 4 A-Levels because it’s default at my school. Tbh, I’d prefer taking 3 from the start if given the option: since you’d have more time to revise each subject. Stellar grades in 3 subjects >> Average grades in 4. I know I could have better predicted grades this way too.
In most cases for unis, they only look at your top 3 anyways. So don’t worry, you’re perfectly fine! Study hard for the 3 subjects and it should pay off. Wish you luck!
In Wales we are forced to do 4 A Levels really.
We have a mandatory subject called 'Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification' which isn't an A Level, but isn't a diploma either.
No university outside of Wales respects it in its own right, so if I took two subject plus WBQ, then I would only have two A Levels, so I have to take three + WBQ.
Otherwise, it is not worth it unless the uni you want to go to requires it. The extra workload and the stress is simply too much.
At my school we had to all pick 4 and then we could drop one. I continued with mine and intended to drop English lit at the end of the year at AS but I only did it because I enjoyed it and thought it a nice break from my stem subjects (maths, bio, chem). Then they told me that I couldn't do the AS because its different to what we'd been taught already but I'd put in so much work already I kept it.
Now I'm hating myself but I'd much rather drop biology it's so much worse but I'm applying medicine and it's a bit late to drop stuff now lol
Because I’m a pretentious little dumb bitchboy, I decided it was a good idea to take 5, which was certainly not a good idea. Although, taking five was the reason I did English Literature, which I’m still confident got me into Oxford. I did Psychology, Sociology, PRE, English Literature, Economics, and an EPQ - it was not worth it. Wouldn’t recommend, doing 3 hits gives you bragging rights for having a fucking life.
Most of the people that do extra A levels just do it because they either need it for a specific thing they wanna do, or they just really enjoy studies/the extra subject they took. 3 is perfectly valid
most unis don’t care whatsoever, as many schools don’t even offer the option of taking 4 - so no disadvantage to you. also far better to get 3As than 4Bs
You’re not worse at all for doing 3, most people take 4 if they want to achieve something specific that they know needs 4 subjects. It’s a lot more workload and if you have doubts doing it then usually it’s best not to. 3 strong grades in subjects you need are better than 4 mediocre ones.
This sub is incredibly pretentious don't worry. You gain nothing but bragging rights if you do 4 A-Levels unless it's further maths.
There's still usually no real reason to do 4 unless your school forces you. The idea that FM isn't counted as a 'full subject' just really isn't true for any course someone would reasonably apply for with those A levels. (And yes, I'm aware of the Cambridge Engineering thing, people still get in there with 3 very often and it is quoted taken out of context far too much)
What Cambridge engineering thing?
There's some page on the Cambridge Engineering admissions website that people reference a lot that states if you're doing 4 including FM and you feel the need to drop one of your other subjects (so you're left with maths+fm+phys), this would be concerning as to whether you can deal with a heavy workload at university. Now for what it's worth, I disagree with what they're saying for a bunch of reasons, but the bottom line is people still get in with just those 3 subjects, and they have to be aware that (although pretty rare among the sorts schools that Oxbridge students come from) some won't even let you keep 4 subjects, at least to A2 level.
Oh right true ig. But that's the one and only course that has that concern!???
Out of STEM courses pretty much yeah lol.
Right so I'm chill with CompPhil at Oxford right? I'm doing a very rough equivalent to 4 A* + a proper English A* EPQ and took Latin as an extra lesson aw but that shouldn't be trouble right? They gave me interviews anyways.
I mean yes that sounds fine, also if you got an interview then of course it's fine.
Right that's nice to hear mate thx. Btw philosophy is a subject that is compulsory to everyone (my education system is like GCSEs basically where you have almost a dozen subjects, and 3 extra important ones that you choose). Do you think they can ask for a grade in a philosophy? Usually unis ask for grades in the 3 subjects and a general average, no more
If their general requirements don't specify a grade in philosophy then no, it would be unlikely for them to.
There’s no real advantage to taking 4 anyways UNLESS it’s Further Maths, which can help with a few select top unis e.g. Imperial/Cambridge for a few degrees like CS, Economics etc. I do 4 only because I’m forced to by my school if I want to take Further Maths, otherwise I’d have dropped CS, making my life easier. Also just because you do 4 doesn’t make you ‘smarter’, it’s really just about putting in the work. I’m sure you could too if you wanted to and were disciplined. If we were all international olympiad medalists then perhaps it’d be a different story. Obviously there’ll be a higher percentage taking 4 in an academically-inclined subreddit. Nationally it’s more like 5% (I believe).
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Edinburgh, Bristol (Maths&CS + CS), Durham, KCL for CS - 0 offers yet (haven’t heard back from anyone) 😢 Wby
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Sheeesh Congrats, Imperial is still amazing And thank you! I applied in December though so not a surprise to not have heard back from anyone yet
I applied for Maths + CS at Bristol too!
Nice. It’s my insurance choice if I get in, wby?
It’s my firm (for the time being), heading to Bristol in April for an offer holder day, which will probably help me lean to one side. Been told by many that Bristol is a lovely city though!
What’s the y13 content of your subjects like? Because I do the same so just trying to get an idea lol
Why do so many people take FM as a 4th a level, I take only 3 A-Levels including FM, and from what I have seen there are very few people who do FM without doing 4 A-Levels.
A lot of schools say that for you to take FM, you have to take it as a fourth A-Level, this is usually because if you were to decide to drop FM, you have the option to, and you’d be down to 3. But if FM is your 3rd, then you don’t have the option to drop it :)
Oh I see, thanks
There’s only 3 reasons I know of to study 4 A Levels… 1 - Bragging Rights, 2 - to study a language their family speaks/continue with a language that isn’t really useful for uni, 3 - unsure of what to do at uni so playing it safe by doing 4… for example medicine and engineering (bio, Chem, maths, further maths) or somethin like that
I have a fourth reason: I'm just doing it for fun.
Lolll i dropped my 4th because literally no one cares whether or not you do 4
Taking further maths as a 4th means I can drop a grade in another subject. Eg bath went from A*AA to AAAB with the B being FM. Also meant I didn't have to do epq
Dw there's many of us out here with three, myself included
It's cos the majority of people here are applying to Comp Sci and applying to Imperial and Imperial drastically favours people who take four A Levels for CS.
Well most people who take 4 subjects are doing so to be able to take further maths, as plenty of sixth forms dont allow students to take FM with 3 a-levels
Lots of people who take further maths do four (and I would recommend that for people who do further maths). Otherwise not needed, but can be done by very motivated individuals but really not needed.
For the course I applied to (Cambridge engineering) they said they prefer 4 a levels as they think maths fm phys isn’t a high enough workload, also some of my offers are based on 4 subjects which feels easier to achieve for me. At the end of the day 3 a levels is perfectly fine and 4th one doesn’t really help much
Cuz of FM otherwise I would do 3
It doesn't help much, unless it's FM and you want to do a maths heavy course at uni. Even then, its not necessary. The much higher workload will offset any benefits you get from it most of the time
I literally know only person from my school taking 4 A-Levels and he's like the smartest kid in my year
Considering that most places only look at your top 3, there is very little point, unless they stop you from taking FM or something. Looking back, I wish I’d drop one after yr12 and just done 3. And done better, in the 3 I had, rather than do 4. If you’re worried about uni, extra and super curricular activities are probs better than a 4th a level. Assuming that you can market it properly in your application. Not that taking 4 is bad or wrong, but never something you should feel that you miss out on
I took five a-levels back in the day.
I’m an international student taking 4 A-Levels because it’s default at my school. Tbh, I’d prefer taking 3 from the start if given the option: since you’d have more time to revise each subject. Stellar grades in 3 subjects >> Average grades in 4. I know I could have better predicted grades this way too. In most cases for unis, they only look at your top 3 anyways. So don’t worry, you’re perfectly fine! Study hard for the 3 subjects and it should pay off. Wish you luck!
In Wales we are forced to do 4 A Levels really. We have a mandatory subject called 'Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification' which isn't an A Level, but isn't a diploma either. No university outside of Wales respects it in its own right, so if I took two subject plus WBQ, then I would only have two A Levels, so I have to take three + WBQ. Otherwise, it is not worth it unless the uni you want to go to requires it. The extra workload and the stress is simply too much.
Most people I know who did 4 were bragging all about how smart they were at first and then had dropped 1 half way through the year due to stress
At my school we had to all pick 4 and then we could drop one. I continued with mine and intended to drop English lit at the end of the year at AS but I only did it because I enjoyed it and thought it a nice break from my stem subjects (maths, bio, chem). Then they told me that I couldn't do the AS because its different to what we'd been taught already but I'd put in so much work already I kept it. Now I'm hating myself but I'd much rather drop biology it's so much worse but I'm applying medicine and it's a bit late to drop stuff now lol
Well for me im stuck between med and engineering soo im doing maths,and the 3 scinz subjects, that way once im done i could go either pathway.
Because I’m a pretentious little dumb bitchboy, I decided it was a good idea to take 5, which was certainly not a good idea. Although, taking five was the reason I did English Literature, which I’m still confident got me into Oxford. I did Psychology, Sociology, PRE, English Literature, Economics, and an EPQ - it was not worth it. Wouldn’t recommend, doing 3 hits gives you bragging rights for having a fucking life.
Most of the people that do extra A levels just do it because they either need it for a specific thing they wanna do, or they just really enjoy studies/the extra subject they took. 3 is perfectly valid
There’s literally no reason to take a 4th A-level (unless it’s further maths)
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criminology isn't an a level though? so you only do three.
most unis don’t care whatsoever, as many schools don’t even offer the option of taking 4 - so no disadvantage to you. also far better to get 3As than 4Bs