Oh how we’ve deliberated, so I suggested asking a load of random strangers from the internet 😆
It’s the third and fourth (possible reserve) choice she’s struggling with.
Top two are PE and maths and locked in. The other contenders are biology, economics, geography and chemistry. She has no idea of what her future holds. I asked once on here about becoming a pilot as that was mentioned but all the required “in roads” seemed out of reach to us.
Any advice?

Which ones is she interested is the starting point really even if its only used to remove options she doesn’t like. She won’t study what she doesn’t have any interest in

I’d be tempted by economics (from the point of view of working in or running a company) and geography (from interest)

Usual answer (as a teacher) there would be Biology. Obvious good fit with PE. As for the fourth one, a lot of PE teachers I’ve worked with seem to have Geography as their second subject. No idea whether teaching is a possible future option though?

gotta be biology and would suggest chemistry

will open up a load of different degree options

Yeh biology would go well with pe.
Then I guess either geography or chemistry depending on what she enjoys most.

4 a levels are quite a lot of work so she whilst chemistry might be the better compliment, geography might be more interesting, and field trips!

PE and biology go well, I agree. Chemistry would sit well with Biology and Maths but orient distinctly towards sciences.

Of the other 2 Economics would be the most interesting (to me) and IMHO would sit the best with Maths.

So we’ve got it down to PE, Maths, Biology and [Economics|Chemistry] 😀

Between biology and geography it really comes down to interest.

If she has a specific goal (e.g. physiotherapy, nursing, coaching), it would be easier to suggest something, but if she wants to be open to future possibilities, I would strongly suggest the subject that most interests her.

Consider the fact that many schools are looking for guidance with their DoE programmes. A young woman with a degree in PE and Geography could make her a phenomenal candidate for employment. In fact, if your daughter is someone who likes sport and/or anything to do with outdoor activities, then the combination could be extremely helpful.

If, however, she is more classroom-inclined, then PE with biology could be more helpful in the sense of opening up a more indoors-oriented pathway.

I think biology would suit PE and help if went on to do sports science. And economy would go well with maths if wanted to go into business.

If she doesn’t have a career path in mind I think it’s all about what they enjoy most, as they are more likely to do well, they are pretty strong subjects.

My bosses degree is in sports science, something completely unrelated to what we do.

Leffeboy had it – what she enjoys and will work at.

I did what was “right” at o level and a level instead of what I was interested in. Was bright enough to get 6 As at o level, but not bright enough to fluke the a levels.

Its been a long time since I was at school but no English? I never took English at any level and I can remember wishing I did when starting out post school.

Biology to go with PE.
Chemistry to help with the doping.
Geography to help plan routes.

Chemistry unless you can persuade her to do Physics which’d go lovely with maths and the mechanics in PE…

biology only really required for medicine. I didn’t do biology till uni. chemistry and geography unless she likes biology or needs geography etc for her degree of choice. if it was me it would be biology and chemistry.

Normal suggestion is to do what you enjoy but in this case think hard about PE in first place as narrows options

Economics at A level is easy so if grades matter that’s a good choice. Some find it interesting!!

Colouring in is also a good choice but q hard work

IME big steps up in science between GCSE and A level. Make sure you are really good or you will flounder. Ditto maths

~25 years ago I came to Southampton Uni with A-Levels in Biology; Chemistry; Geography; General Studies.

I was officially enrolled on the “Biochemistry and Pharmacology” degree course, but due to how the module schedule was common between a number of degrees, there were opportunities to change degree titles as late as part way through the final year.

… But things have probably moved on at both A-Level and Degree level in 25 years!

PE is her first choice and is definitely happening, was asked to do further maths as well but is going to stick with just maths. It’s the definite third that’s she can’t decide on. It’s all her choice, I’m made up she has chose pe and has the chance to get an 8/a or higher this time at GCSE level.
Mrs ws and I both thought biology sat well with the pe.
As for the economics it was just something I mentioned after she got all fired up about fair distribution of wealth so she looked in to it.

wrightyson – Member

Oh how we’ve deliberated, so I suggested asking a load of random strangers from the internet
It’s the third and fourth (possible reserve) choice she’s struggling with.
Top two are PE and maths and locked in. The other contenders are biology, economics, geography and chemistry. She has no idea of what her future holds. I asked once on here about becoming a pilot as that was mentioned but all the required “in roads” seemed out of reach to us.
Any advice?

OK so, the problem is “no idea what her future holds”. PE is a great A level but it only does certain jobs, which doesn’t sit well with “no idea”.

Here’s the university specific advice, which doesn’t really do much for direct entry to work or for college but I think few universities would disagree with. PE as I say is good for PE and physical sciences stuff but it’s a problem for everything else. Economics is a great course but doesn’t sit very usefully with PE. Maths is always good.

So if PE is a definite then it makes sense to build a basket around PE, and that basically means biology and then chemistry- because PE is relevant for life sciences, sports science, coaching, lots of things like that. And because economics, maths and PE = a failed application for a maths or business course, with many universities

Source: works in student recruitment

A little bit of certainty is actually way more than many students manage these days and it’s going to give her some harder decisions, but that’s still really positive.

Make sure the right type of subjects are chosen if she has ideas of going to University.

Not all A levels are equal in the eyes of the top universities. They look favorably on ‘robust’ subjects as Maths, Physics, Chemistry.
Others such as Media Studies & PE wont be seen as a robust preparation for a degree.

@Northwind – I was thinking of the sports science/coaching type route and in that case I thought that economics would be a good addition if heading towards some sort of business. Is that wrong or would you need the biology as well to help?

(always like some real knowledge on these topics 🙂 )

Geography is a relatively easy subject, whereas Biology and Chemistry are a lot tougher. If she’s going to do well in one of those then she’ll have to put a lot of work in, which might be tricky if they’re third and fourth choice and not a priority.

Although the top Universities also recognise this and value Biology and Chemistry highly.

Personally, I’d suggest she picks the subjects she has the most interest in as she’ll probably end up doing better in them. A Levels and degrees are hard when you find the subject tedious. I’d only pick a specific A Level if she has an Uni course in mind that will require it.

Northwind has it. PE is great for being a teacher/physio etc, but not much clout in the outside world of business and academia.
So if career options will centre around PE then great, if not then I would reconsider.
If PE is the centre of it all then Biology is a cert. After that I would genuinely pick a subject where passion and interests sit.
Personally I am biased towards the sciences, Phys/Chem/Bio and maths/further maths. Other stuff can be done later in life.

If she reckons she can hack it I’d suggest Chemistry and Physics, as this would make a set that’d get you into loads of different uni courses. If she does have any reservations about wanting to do them or isn’t a ‘sciency’ person it’ll be tough, but the PE A-level (unless it’s changed drastically in 3 years since I did it) isn’t particularly challenging, so she’ll have enough time to work on the other ones. If the school/college offers a sports coaching qualification alongside the PE that’s well worth doing – minimal effort for something to put on your CV.

As others have said though, it’s pretty hard to know what to choose if you haven’t got a particular plan.

I did Maths, Physics, Chemistry and PE at A-level. PE was my ‘other subject’, that I didn’t focus on as much, but the A I got in that effectively got me into my uni of choice. I did a year of mechanical engineering before realizing I’m not good enough at maths, and am now studying Sport and Exercise Science! So the PE really did come in useful (N.B. Biology, unless specified by the uni, isn’t really a requirement for sports science, it’s all stuff that’s fairly easy to pick up in the first year).

Hope that helps!

leffeboy – Member

@Northwind – I was thinking of the sports science/coaching type route and in that case I thought that economics would be a good addition if heading towards some sort of business. Is that wrong or would you need the biology as well to help?

OK now bear in mind I’m purely talking about uni, the real world is different! But it’s not so much about the economics, it’s the PE… They could be a decent combination in other fields but not really as a set of 3 alevels on a ucas form

But of course that’s not the be-all and end-all, it’s just the bit I can talk about.

Whatever she most enjoys.

Don’t try and second guess subjects and entry requirements. I don’t think we live in a world where you can’t go back and take more, or a world where most of us such at same career any more.

Therefore interest and enjoyment will get her higher grades.

My son was in a similar situation and chose to do PE, geography, maths and further maths, dropping further maths after AS. He had originally thought about chemistry or physics instead of geography, but didn’t do quite as well as hoped in GCSE physics (strangely as he thought it was his best GCSE subject and he’s good at maths!) His reason for considering chemistry was down to me having been a chemistry teacher, which didn’t seem like a good reason to take it!
However, he is now regretting doing geography rather than a STEM subject as his future options have now become more limited.
The key is to choose subjects that you enjoy and which keep open as many doors as possible. With this in mind, sciences and maths win out. PE is actually pretty good too and keeps open options that are often associated with biology. Being slightly biased I’d say that economics at a level is unnecessary and probably doesn’t open many doors.
Top choices then could be:
Maths, physics, chemistry
Maths, chemistry, PE
Maths, physics, PE
Physics, chemistry, biology.

Take at look at the entry requirements for lots of universities in the whole range of subjects that might be of interest.

Good luck, difficult decisions to make!

I asked once on here about becoming a pilot as that was mentioned but all the required “in roads” seemed out of reach to us.

What in roads are these that seem out of reach?

As a uni biology lecturer if you want to do a life sciences course (including sports physiology, etc) at uni then chemistry is top choice followed by biology and maths.

PE will not be treated as an academic subject in its own right, particularly if you want to do a course other than sports science/physio. If it came to the crunch choosing between 2 applicants any “academic” subject would trump PE (apart from maybe general studies).

It really comes down to having an idea about future careers, seeing what the entry requirements are and working with that. Not very free thinking I know but with the number of applicants for courses at good institutions these days you need to tick all the boxes and then some.

If she is lekely to get good grades and want to go to a top uni shunt PE to fourth choice. Even going to do PE at a top Uni biology would be more respected I would think. Biology, Chem, Maths etc will keep more doors held open than PE.
My other thought is that if she is doing 4 then she must be very bright and my first point stands. Most schools have stopped doing the take 4 and drop 1 after AS route now.

Is it just me or does this entire thread demonstrate how ridiculous our education system is? The fact that decisions made when you’re 16 can have a long term impact on your future career, whether you know what you want to do or not, is a shocking state of affairs. I was a victim of this myself, and I can’t believe nothing has changed in 25 years.

Edited to give thanks, must say great replies so far, thanks guys.
I did chemistry at uni, Ive never once set foot in a lab after the age of 20 so I was in a very similar situation. I love my job now and wish it was backed up with a uni degree but i genuinely believe I could hold a reasonably sound argument with anybody in the same industry.
She’s driven, incredibly driven, and just on the basis of the work she’s putting in I really really hope she smashes her gcse’s which are still 6 months away. However the dreaded decision has got to be made for Friday.
She loves PE and I haven’t got the heart to ward her off it, I “interfered” at GCSE options and insisted she did a language to get the baccalaureate when she really wanted to do cooking of all things, which is now something she loves doing at home and is good at, incidentally she hates Spanish.
So many future things may hinge on this decision which at 15 is a bit shit I have to agree.
As for the pilot thing, we had some great great responses on here but it was suggested she needed to be involved with flying pretty much now to stand any chance.

Do what she enjoys. Then apply for an Airways Aviation ladies scholarship to train as a pilot. Whilst it may not sound fair, there are positive discrimination routes into flying for women.

Do something you enjoy – as its unlikely anyone will care what your A levels are in.

Nothing hinges on her choices apart from maybe a parents pre conceived notions of what their child should do.

dazh – Member

Is it just me or does this entire thread demonstrate how ridiculous our education system is? The fact that decisions made when you’re 16 can have a long term impact on your future career, whether you know what you want to do or not, is a shocking state of affairs.

They do have a massive impact but not permanent/irreversible (unless you end up in jail or something). More people articulate to university via college than ever before (scotland is arguably the best in the world at this, the HND-to-degree linkages are superb, but England has good options too)

And thing is… What’s your alternative? These decisions can’t be made when you’re 50.

A levels are worse for it than some systems, purely because of the tight specialisation- most kids are coming through with 3 or 4 so, if you want to go into a science or engineering you’re basically doing maths and 2 sciences. Up here, you typically do 4 or 5 highers in the first sitting and then a mix of 2-4 more (or advanced highers) in the second, so you can be much more varied, pursue things just out of interest and not stress about that so much, experiment a bit, “crash” new subjects, it grows a more T shaped student. But the flipside is that an A level student with maths-science-science is a more advanced candidate than a highers student with maths-science-science and a bunch of other stuff- it’s why the scottish degree is 4 years not 3. I’m not sure either system is right but I do like the flexibility of the Scottish system

What bothers me a lot more is the even earlier decisions- maths is so critical for so many futures and yet kids lose interest in it in at nat 5/gcse level, because at that point it’s really hard to tell what it’s for. Once you get past everyday numeracy and relatable stuff like trigonometry, interest wanes. And then a couple of years later you start to discover what it’s for but so many kids have already fallen off the maths wagon. I basically sacked off maths because of a shit teacher in second year.

the dreaded decision has got to be made for Friday.

That is just to aid a schools planning. She can change her mind in september so dont stress about this decision.

its unlikely anyone will care what your A levels are in

Apart from admissions people at uni and thats why most people do a levels!

If your daughter is smart enough to do maths and further maths then economics is also a natural combo.

Plus mate who does Oxford entries for economics prefers 2 maths but no A level econ.as the latter is too easy and he claimed Oxford can teach it in <1 term. Not far off as I have tutored people from C to A in three weeks!!

The other suggestion is think Scottish unis as you get four years with greater flexibility in first two years to do interesting subjects around your core. Th finest also has links to RAF Leuchars too !!

If you are from England then Scottish Unis are REALLY hard to get into. My son is doing MMath at York (2nd Year). He also applied to Edinburgh and they wanted something like A*AA, a good grade higher than Durham which is also rated.
Studying the sciences does not “doom” you to a career in a lab or engineering (unless you want that!), I know many top marketing and sales and HR people who did science/maths at A-level and Uni.
Also to back up the comment made above. Picking your A-levels while in YR11 is really premature. This can only be to aid school resource/timetable planning. All the schools I know don’t ask you to choose until AFTER GCSE results day, and even then I know that many people change subjects in the first term. My daughter is in YR12 at the moment (Maths , Further Maths, Chemistry, Biology) and one of her mates wasn’t getting on with chemistry, so swapped to Drama for a couple of weeks. Two weeks later she wasn’t enjoying that much either, so on the advice of teachers she swapped back to Chemistry because if you are going to do a subject that is not your favourite, then Chemistry trumps Drama on the CV/UCAS application. Good luck wih her choices!

Plus mate who does Oxford entries for economics prefers 2 maths

Just a word of caution that some places will not count maths and further maths as two. Had a student applying for medicine fall into this trap. Had to teach him biology in a year

If she’s asked to do Further Maths i’d definitely recommend doing it.

This is what I did. It was taught as an “extra” as well, so you could still take Maths + 2 other A-levels (so it didn’t really matter if people dropped it). Really sought after at Universities for a lot of courses.

It was completely different to the first Maths A-level, much more about they “why” than the “how” which for me made it more interesting.

However, this is all 20 years out of date now so things may have changed!

Further Maths (if you can do it… I can’t!) is amazing as a fourth subject. In my daughters school there are only two or three doing further maths A-level (same when my son did it in 2016). It is therefore taught out of timetabled lessons as a private tutor group with the best maths teachers in the school. Both my two love it, partly because of this. Obviously some schools might have more of a potential intake for further maths so may run it as a normal 3rd subject.