My daughter, now 16, has decided to take 3 A levels: critical thinking, French and psychology - any thoughts?

Question

Have worried about her choice, though of course, up to her. She wanted to study Law later, but I've been told Law degrees not keen on people with A level law. Also, she's v keen on psychology, but think she's pulled the rest out of the air - any guidance? She's bright and self motivated, think she'll prob be OK whatever, but we put her off Performing Arts stuff she enjoyed as thought she might be unemployed waitress rest of her life

Answer 1

I worked in a recruitment agency that employed people to work on a production line. Now the amount of people that we employed with degrees was amazing though disheartning. She sounds as if she has a good head on her shoulder and should be encouraged to do what makes her happy, just trust her to make the right decisions for herself. A degree doesnt guarantee a job in her chosen field and an a level in performing arts sounds great fun.

I left school with only standard grades and worked my way up through university and am heading for my social work degree so i wouldnt worry about her just yet

Answer 2

I took chemisty, biology and geography. I studied archaeology at uni. I currently work as a part time removal man. So perhaps I am not the best qulaified to give careers advice.
But anyway here is my opinion. If she liked GCSE french then she should do well in A-level. Language is helpful in many ways, plus French is a Latin based language and Law uses a lot of Latin terms so this could be helpful to her.
Critical thinking seems a very good choice - basically a philosophy/ humanities based A-level which sounds like it has some solid use.
As for psychology - she is keen on it so let her continue with it.

Anyway that is my opinion. I hope she does well in whatever she chooses. Remember that in many ways it is better to have a poorly paid job you like then to be well paid for doing something soul destroying.

Answer 3

Well, I would think that A-level Law would have the benefit of giving her an introduction to the subject so that she can decide if she really would enjoy studying it for three years at degree level?

Critical Thinking is a good choice - it or Citizenship, whichever the school offers - as it does help students think more broadly and deeply about issues. I've tutored a number of kids at A-level (for English) and my partner's daughter is in lower 6th at the moment, and I think Critical Thinking's really helpful.

I'm kind of curious though what you think the benefits are of her doing something "pulled out of the air" rather than something she enjoys (such as Performing Arts?). What would seem more likely as giving her a chance to excel and get good grades towards her university entrance, something she really enjoys, or something she's plucked out of the air to fill the gap??

I did Theatre Studies at A-level (admittedly this is going back 15 years!!) and it neither stopped me getting a place at Cambridge nor had any impact on my future career - I now work in criminal justice, nothing to do with the A-level or even the degree subjects I picked! These days the labour market is flexible, people retrain, switch careers, take gap years ... what your daughter picks at the age of 16 doesn't fix her future academic career and employment prospects in stone :-)

P.S. One of my friend in 6th form with whom I studied Theatre wanted to an actress. She let her parents talk her into doing a Law degree instead. She did her degree, although it took her 4 years as she failed one and had to retake, because her heart wasn't in it. Straight after graduating, she jacked in the subject that was making her miserable and went back to acting. She's been a working actor for about 7 years now and last time I saw her she had never been happier. He parents, however, are still waiting for her to get a "real" job....

Answer 4

My first thought is that any girl who wants to take classes that hard has to be bright, determined, self-posessed, and will no doubt break many hearts down the line.

My second thought is this: I always wanted to go into the arts but my parents encouraged me to have a fallback career and take the safe route. I went to business school, worked for three years in an office, and spent every day in sheer misery. Finally I got sick of being unhappy every day, threw caution to the wind and applied to an arts school. Now I'm hanging around college students that are a decade younger than me, preparing for a career in a bloodthirsty, back-stabbing industry, and wondering how I'll ever manage to survive... and yet I'm the happiest I've ever been.

If your daughter wants to go into the arts, I mean *really* wants to go into the arts, let her do it. Better she try it for a couple of years and find out that her heart's not in it than spend the rest of her life wondering "what if I'd tried?"

Just my opinion...

Answer 5

Psychology is always a good one to take. It can apply in so many different situations. Most businesses hire psychologists or people who have psychology qualifications now. French could be good. I'm not sure what critical thinking is... is it like philosophy? I'm not sure about that one.

Law is a very hard area to get into its more about class than anything else, most solicitors offices hire on a points grading system and if you go to the best colleges and uni's you get the most points. (I used to work at a top London solicitors hiring trainee solicitors). I think her choices are although I'm not sure about the critical thinking. You are always welcome to email me if you need more guidance... Good luck

Answer 6

hi, according to a recent UK based survey, top universities like cambridge are preferring students with core ALEVEL subjects such as mathematics, physics, economics.subjects such as psychology, business studies etc are considered soft alevels which are taken by students to avoid the tough studies, however i suggest that anyone doing A level should take atleast 1 core subject which is based on teh career interests of tht individual, a good example would be economics or accounts for someone on the business side and mathematics for the sciences/engeenering path.

Answer 7

I think they are a great choice, because if she wants to study law, she may need a second language, and uni's love it as well. I've heard from my school that Critical Thinking is rubbish, but in my school its compulsory, and students don't like compulsory stuff. I think its a good choice!

Answer 8

Well her choices are good, but most good universities won't recognise critical thinking as an alevel so they may only accept her 2 and not the third. Maybe she should choose another, but that is up to her

Answer 9

i do no longer think of they extra healthful. faith has consistently had the privilege of being exempt from criticism. it rather is in basic terms taboo to criticize faith. We consistently ought to be politically astonishing. i think of that's misguided. i think of faith has gotten a loose holiday for many to long and it rather is approximately time we get previous this political correctness and have an open and user-friendly discourse approximately faith. i don't experience I ought to be obligated to easily understand human beings's ideals. I evaluate their reasons for his or her ideals. In what different discourse are we admonished to easily understand human beings's ideals without justification?

Answer 10

Just be sure that when she asks for help (and she will) that you have plenty of time and love to support her with because thats a very large load for a girl in highschool.