A level options

[charlotterose]

Hello,
recently I chose my A-level options (Drama, Enlish lang, English Lit and German) but I really enjoy the media/producing short films etc so I was thinking about changing english literiture for Media studies. However, I am aware that both Media and Drama are on the 'blacklist' for some universities, so I was wondering wether taking both would be a good idea or not, as I would like to go to university (or Drama school)
I was thinking of doing either acting (which has always been my passion), or film and television production at university.
I would love it if someone could tell me what they think as this is proving to be a really hard decission to make. I have spoken to teachers but they all have pretty bias attitudes towards their own subjects, which isn't helpful .
Thank you very much,
CharlotteRose

[pg]

I would recommend sticking with English and doing the film/media in your spare time as a hobby or looking for short professional courses and workshops. A film school or film course is likely to be much more interested in what you have done in a practical sense than seeing that you have an A level in Media Studies.

Media Studies really, really isn't held in high regard in the industry. My son loved Media Studies (only did it to GCSE) - it was more or less what he did in his spare time anyway - but it's not a subject that teaches you very much that will be of use if you want to make a living in the industry. To be honest, the same is true of Theatre Studies/Drama in my opinion, no doubt you will learn some useful things but it's probably more helpful to act at every opportunity and to learn about the industry rather than necessarily do an A level in Drama if you want to be an actor. I'm not saying don't do it, because you will probably enjoy it - and that's really important - but I do think English will be of far more use to you and much more highly regarded.

My son went on to drama school and is now a professional actor. The drama school did not specify which A levels he needed. In fact for some drama schools there are no educational qualifications stated at all. That doesn't mean they are not useful/desirable of course.

I'd recommend contacting the Universities you are interested in attending and seeing what they recommend.

[ruby95]

I was in a sort of similar situation last year...

I am not 100% sure but I think that English literature is regarded slightly more highly than English language - although I really may be wrong on this- so if you were to drop one of the Englishes then probably drop English language rather than English literature. Additionally -and I am not completely sure about this either - but I think from an acting point of view English Literature is also viewed more highly as it teaches you to analyse stories and characters and can give you an in depth knowledge of some key dramatic texts (i.e. the works of Shakespeare)

Have you already set your heart on one particular 6th form because I know that some 6th forms offer an English literature/ language combined course...?

I think it also depends on what uni you are thinking of applying to. If you want to go to Oxbridge then I would advise sticking with both Englishes but many other good Unis may not care what subjects you take as long as you get their required grades. Having a modern foreign language at A level is often looked upon very highly so that will also count in your favour.

Hope some of that helps

[paulears]

Anything with 'Studies' on the end, plus dance, drama and sport are considered soft, warm and fluffy by SOME universities. However, not, by any means, all.

If somebody applies to Bournemouth or Portsmouth to do a media degree, then a lot of emphasis is placed on media in school, probably ignoring German totally as being worthwhile. However, if you want to be a Doctor, or an engineer - then those universities would see media as a total waste of a subject. I'm assuming by now that some expectation of a career path exists - which will probably eliminate many universities, leaving those that want a more particular kind of A levels or BTEC.

Don't expect teachers who possibly have a vested interest in particular subjects to be objective. In fact, if the choices for A levels mean a good student goes to a colleague and not them, or worse still, to a totally different college - then they have failed. So good honest career/qualification advice is doubtful.

To make the decision, it's vital to know what area of degree study is the target - then look at the prospectus data and see what subject combinations are the ideal. If four A Levels are available, then you should be able to get a decent match on three, I'd have thought. Somebody who wants to be an actor would find English Lit quite handy, but would somebody wishing to specialise in production, or makeup or any of the dozens of other careers need to have read Bronte, Dickens, or whoever? The biggest problem is asking somebody to make a decision now about something alien and three or four years away. Pretty tough really.

I heard one career advisor suggest finding a person who they would like to be like, and investigating their career pathway which seems a good idea.

[Welsh Mum]

One thing you could do is contact a university directly - they are very helpful to enquiries. Ask to speak to an admissions tutor for the subject you would be interested in doing there. thery cxan tell you stuff that is either not in or only implied in the prospectus. Lots of students dont speak directly to the unis, but its the best way to get accurate and uo to date informaton and guidance. they can tell you what the ideal profile of a student on that course would be - not only A level subjects but also skills and experiences. You cann then try to get as many of these as possible.

However, that said I think the single most important factor in choosing a subject is enjoyment - in my 30 od years of teaching I have found that students rarely do well or work hard at subjects they dont enjoy.

[paulears]

Welsh Mum's quite right. Don't forget that the universities NEED good students. They want people who will be able to do well, and won't leave during the 3 years. So in fact, they are perhaps in the poor position - especially now it's so expensive. They need to get the best people - so the courses can be good. So that's why they actually want to attract you to them. A few unit are over-subscribed, but they're not really ones most readers here would perhaps want to go to anyway. The fact that clearing is so successful shows that there are empty places on offer all over the place.

[Nessa-lila]

Firstly, German and English Lit will look very good on your CV to universities and potential employers. They are both 'traditional' and not many people take a language to GCSE, let alone A Level.

If you want to do a 'serious' course at Uni, something not related to the arts or at a really overly competitive University, you should drop either Drama or English Language when you do A2. you only need 3 full A levels to go to most places anyway, so pick your favourites but also pick what you're good at. If you have any doubt, you should contact the admissions tutors for your chosen department and uni

I was advised against taking Media Studies A Level because i was told it "screams you want to be famous". Go figure. However, it will probably provide a better contrast when compared to English Language, if you want something a bit more hands-on.

Whatever you choose, try to make as many short films and theatre as you can and get work experience because lots of people going for drama/Film Production courses will probably have Media Studies A Level and you need to stand out from others.

You should check if you need to have Maths as well, i know for Music Tech you need to have Maths, which baffles me... but yeah...


I'm doing a Music degree and I did Music, Drama and Theatre Studies and Psychology as my main subjects to A2 level. I also did General Studies A2(I know, you could do EPQ and do a film-based project! ) and Citizenship as well as English Lit to AS. I know English Lit is more traditional but for my course, all they were concerned about was the Music grade...

Best of luck in your endeavours!

[orangebear4]

That's interesting Nessa-lila. Do you mind if I ask which uni you are studying music at now please?

[Nessa-lila]

That's interesting Nessa-lila. Do you mind if I ask which uni you are studying music at now please?

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[charlotterose]

Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much for your advice, it is SO useful! I am going to talk to the careers person at my school again and e-mail a university I am thinking of applying to as well! I was also thinking of taking an a-level as a home study, which may solve the problem.
As I said, thank you so much!
CharlotteRose

[sapphire]

Good luck with your choices! Just one thing to think about ... A levels are a LOT more work than GCSEs especially essay-based subjects like you are choosing. Don't underestimate how much time you will spend on homework/coursework and be careful about taking too much on! Remember to leave some time for non-academic activities and fun

[rebeccaM]

Just to add to these comments Charlotterose, if you are looking into film/tv production at Uni seek out Skillset approved courses - the Bournemouth course you mentioned is excellent, then you can be sure there is a strong link with the industry. My DD is in year 13 now having gone through 'what course shall I do', and needs to get AAB this year to get her place at UEA. (Not a Skillset approved course as she decided, in the end, not to pursue TV/Film production, but to study Film.) I would also recommend a short weekend course that the Met Film school run for students - it was a great learning experience for my DD. She loved it, and she came away with a short film that they had written, directed and produced. After a lot of soul searching, her decision was that she was going to immerse herself in the critical theory side of Film first, do as much work experience as possible and see what happens after her three years at UEA, fingers crossed she gets those grades!!! Good luck Charlotterose, let us know what you decide.