Subject Choice Help Please

[acwilliams]

For those of you that don't know, I'm all geared up to start college in September. I have to choose 4 subjects to take at A-Level. I have settled on 3 so far, PE, Media Studies and Psychology. For my 4th choice, it is between English Language and Law.

For the record, over the 2 years I would be studying, in English Language:

Analysis of texts,

Relations between how males and females use language differently,

Editorial Writing,

How children learn to talk and where the EL comes from,

2 coursework pieces,

Plus a total of 4 assessments.

In Law, I would by studying:

Sources of Law - how laws are made by parliament and judges,

The English Legal System - study of the courts and alternatives to settle civil cases, the legal profession and the role of everyday people (juries and magistrates) in making legal decisions,

Criminal Law - Property offences, offences against people and defences,

Criminal Law Special Study - General defences of duress and necessity.

There are also lots of one off activities and lessons, such as the writing of defences, the consideration of cases from a jury's perspective (guilt or innocence), handling of recent and past cases, handling of legislation, and visits to local criminal courts. A select few of us will attend presentations by the College of Law.

My thinking at the moment is that Law will provide me with an alternative career choice should opportunities in my first choice prove difficult to come by, which is a possibility.

I know that there are a lot of college and uni students on this board, and that is why I have chosen to ask the question. If anyone has had direct experience of either, or both, subjects, please let me know.

Thanks.

[JB]

Well I've just qualified as an English teacher, so I'm bound to be biased! But seriously, unless you're considering doing Law at uni, I think you should do English. Is there any chance of doing combined language and literature? That's what I did at A Level and what unis and employers prefer, I believe. Just looks a bit better. My English A' Level has helped me a lot, both in my further education and subsequent employment.

[Hanky]

I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that if you want to do Law at Uni then you don't neccerssarily have to take it at A level but I could be wrong there.

I also did PE and it was a good course, with the A levels your doing, I'd go english Language personally but I don't know a lot about Law though.

[trekka]

Law is a very "hardcore" subject and as JB says, unless you want to do Law further on down your career then I would think seriously about it.

I would suggest you think long and hard about what you ultimately want to end up doing, whether that is something law based or otherwise.

Don't worry if you don't know what sort of career you want yet as not many do, but do make sure you pick the right subjects that give you the better chance of you finding the career you like. So the obvious question is...do you like law related matter and could you spend weeks (nay, months!) reading the same material to build up a case?

My experience suggests that (not that I have a lot of experience in this ) Law would give you a good rounded subject if you, in a few years decided on something different then you have everything there required by a good degree, i.e analytical skills.

English Language is a good subject to take but, again, you've got to think long and hard as to what degree you want to apply it in. Irony is, an English Language would do well on getting you onto a Law degree

(I'm happy to be proved wrong )

Good luck, I'm sure whatever you decide will be right decision.

[trekka]

I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that if you want to do Law at Uni then you don't neccerssarily have to take it at A level but I could be wrong there.

I also did PE and it was a good course, with the A levels your doing, I'd go english Language personally but I don't know a lot about Law though.

That could be very true as once upon a time (when I thought IT related stuff wasn't for me), I looked into law stuff. I quickly rejected it as my mind was all over the place and it's obviously for the better, but the likes of Sheffield Uni and even Queen's Belfast University offered me a place based on my A levels of Computing, Physics and Technology.

Again, that was a moment of madness - but don't think you need Law at A Level to do Law at Uni - it's actually quite the opposite. The good Law reading Universities tend to want "fresh" students with a good grasp of the english language and not moulded in any way by the A Level That sort of goes against my post above

(again, I'll be happy to prove me wrong - that was yonks ago!).

[acwilliams]

Well I've just qualified as an English teacher, so I'm bound to be biased! But seriously, unless you're considering doing Law at uni, I think you should do English. Is there any chance of doing combined language and literature? That's what I did at A Level and what unis and employers prefer, I believe. Just looks a bit better. My English A' Level has helped me a lot, both in my further education and subsequent employment.

They do offer a joint language and literature course, but I decided on language because a) I might need the spare space to re-take GCSE Maths if I fail to get a C and because it interested me more than literature.

[villahero]

just come and work in a factory like me...it's great

[mattster]

Do whichever you will enjoy most.

[trekka]

Do whichever you will enjoy most.

Yep, best advice anyone could have and why I'm not going to vote.

Think long and hard and ultimately - do what you think is right for you, not what anyone else says.

[Anthony]

English will be more useful to you and open up more options for the future; That said, really you should go with Mattster and Trekka: Most people spend too much time thinking about the future - pick a subject you enjoy NOW and the future will be dealt with when you get there.

[snowychap]

I wouldn't do Law at 'A' level even if you were thinking of law as a career.

I doubt it will benefit you at all. Indeed, I'd hazard a guess that you'd cover the same stuff again in a degree or a conversion course.

I'd run with the combined English course myself. I reckon that Lang on its own might get a bit dry. Then again after reading the article this morning which I posted in the 'A' level results thread about Eng Lit, it sounds as though it's all dry and formulaic nowadays.

Anyhow the best advice is to do which ever one you fancy doing. That's what education is (or ought to be) about.

[JB]

Well I've just qualified as an English teacher, so I'm bound to be biased! But seriously, unless you're considering doing Law at uni, I think you should do English. Is there any chance of doing combined language and literature? That's what I did at A Level and what unis and employers prefer, I believe. Just looks a bit better. My English A' Level has helped me a lot, both in my further education and subsequent employment.

They do offer a joint language and literature course, but I decided on language because a) I might need the spare space to re-take GCSE Maths if I fail to get a C and because it interested me more than literature.

Fair play mate. Those are both pretty good reasons. The only thing I'd say is that I've heard that some people can look at English Language with a bit of snobbery, and just plain old English is a little bit more respected. Shouldn't think it would matter too much though.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure it will work out for the best .

[Chindie]

Law A Level is more or less useless for a Law Degree. It's not in depth enough and you go straight back over it all again in the first few months of uni anyway, thats from the experiences of a few law students I know.

English Language isn't a patch on Literature, Literature is viewed as a better course (and it is), and is more interesting provided the teachers are good. English Literature also is a subject that is massively useful. It develops your ability to analyse, research, write and argue and put forth ideas and concepts. It's a reasonably hard course and varied over the 2 years of A Levels. I did it, enjoyed it, and did stuff as varied as comparsions of the dystopic novels 1984 and Brave New World, Blake, war literature and a bit of Shakespeare. Language is much more dry, of my 6th form friends who took it, few enjoyed it.

Ultimately though, at A Level, it's important to pick stuff you'll enjoy. It's much harder than what precedes it, and requires some form of conscious effort to do well. It's less about jumping through the hoops and memorising stuff, and more about thinking for yourself and really using what is taught to you. If you do a subject that you don't enjoy, you'll not succeed in it.

If you are going to go to uni, if you've got your eyes on anywhere decent, they hate media studies. And in psychology you'll spend a few lessons going over the delightful thing that is Penis Envy *giggles*.

[GasGasGas]

Very interesting papers you got for A levels.

Check out what the colleges here offer for the A levels. Stuff like Maths (with all sorts of letters prefixed to classify it), sciences like Bio Chem Physics, boring stuff. Can't think what's the most interesting of the lot but they're probably stuff like Economics which isn't very interesting either.

English here is called General Paper, no?

[acwilliams]

Thanks for all the advice.

The point that Chindie makes about Media Studies I find interesting, as specifically, I actually wanted journalism, but that wasn't available at this college, so I went for Media because I'd studied it at school and done well and because it was the next best thing.

[bickster]

sometimes people need to actually make a decision themselves, this is one of those times

You make a shit choice, tough, you'll have to deal with it, its called a life lesson

[JB]

sometimes people need to actually make a decision themselves, this is one of those times

You make a shit choice, tough, you'll have to deal with it, its called a life lesson

Ridiculously harsh and strange thing to say I feel. Surely this is a time is his life when advice is particularly needed, as the choice will have a direct impact on his future.

Anyway, if you're thinking about a career in journalism, it's a no-brainer surely? I'd say that combined English language and literature is a must. As Chindie said, unis and employers generally hate Media Studies or whatever it's called.

Probably shouldn't tell you this, but I know some sneaky **** who just did English Language (A Level and degree) and on any subsequent CVs, application forms or whatever, put it down as English, which most people presume is the combined one. That's an option for you :winkold: .

[bickster]

If Uni's hate media studies why do most of them seem to offer it as a bloody course these days?

[Chindie]

If Uni's hate media studies why do most of them seem to offer it as a bloody course these days?

Cheap course to teach, gets in more students, equalling more fees and money for the uni.

[YLN]

I've one more year left in my law degree and I have to say that I don't like it at all. The people who do like it are not my type of people and I can't wait to get out of it.

I don't recommend doing law to anyone, as it is not a fun subject. It is not very applicable to actual life.

I would definitely have done english if i had my time over again. Its nice being able to express yourself. In law, when you try to express yourself you just end up sounding like a word removed.