Research shows Students Regretting The A-levels They Took
At the tender age of 16, choosing what A-level subjects to study can be very daunting. Some students really struggle to decide what to study, and others make decisions without doing any research. Knowing how each subject can affect your future choice is crucial before deciding on what subjects to study.
New research conducted by Which? University shows that young people don’t feel informed about just how much A-levels can impact their choice of university. The research consisted of a survey of just over 1,000 UK students under the age of 19 who had applied to university. It shows that perhaps students aren’t being given enough information to help them make this big decision. Parents also need to be adequately informed too, so that they can help advise their children.
Half of the people that took part in this research don’t feel suitably informed about how A-levels can shape their university future. Unfortunately, universities don’t look at all A-level subjects in a positive light, and a lot of courses will only accept specific subjects. Students are then left disappointed and wishing they had chosen different subjects.
The research also showed that 30% of university applicants wished they had chosen different A-level subjects, and over 40% wished they had thought more about what subjects might help them get into university. The general consensus is that young people know how important their choice of degree is, but don’t necessarily understand just how crucial their A-level subjects will be.
Helpful resources for choosing A-levels
The best thing to do when it comes to choosing your A-levels is to look at what sort of degree you may like to study, and which subjects they require. It can also help to select a core subject which can be useful for a variety of different degrees. There are plenty of tools and handy websites out there that can help students with making this decision.
Which has a helpful website that gives you tips on which subjects to choose, click here for more information. This handy A-level selector tool tells you what options specific A-level subjects can give you. It’s really insightful and shows you what degrees certain subjects can offer, and also what sort of careers they open up and how well they pay.
The Russell Group has also produced an Informed Choices guide which explains how important it is for students to be fully informed about how what they study at sixth form can impact their choice of degree. Apparently, choosing facilitating subjects such as biology, chemistry, English literature, geography, history, physics and maths can be a big help. It’s tough because students obviously want to choose subjects that they will enjoy, but they also need to consider how these subjects could shape their future.
Thinking about all this when you are just about to choose your A-level subjects can be a little terrifying, but if you take the time to digest everything, you will be able to make smarter choices.
Published on: 26 Aug 2021
