Sixth Form Subject Choice

What to choose?

• Subjects you will enjoy

• Subjects you will be good at

• Subjects that make sense

Points To Bear In Mind

• EVERYONE who passes 2 A2s can go to ‘University’.

• You can study almost any subject combination if you don’t mind where you end up studying

• Where you go to University is as important as what you study!

SO…

• We want to give you the best

possible chance of getting to a

university with a good academic

reputation and status, to study

the most competitive courses.

Russell Group

It’s Very Tough

• Nineteen of the country’s

leading 20 universities have

quietly increased the A-level

grades required to study some

popular courses in an attempt

to restrict student numbers.

Reports This Week Say

• The Russell Group - which represents

the top 20 universities and takes in

about 75,000 first year students

annually - said yesterday that “nine or

10” teenagers were now chasing

every place on its courses compared

with about eight applicants in

previous years

For Highly Competitive Courses

• They will now need all As, including one A* grade, the new higher grade being introduced this year.

What you Need

• Must end up with at least 3 A2s and 1 AS and/or an extended project.

• This is what universities will be looking for.

• Quality not quantity• No university asks for or expects 4 A

levels• Art & Photography only count once• Business Studies/Economics only

count once• Subjects must make sense –

Economics, Biology, Physics for example does not

The University Experience…

Develops

Knowledge, skills and personality

Establishes

• Values, passions & networks• Writing, analysis, problem-solving

and presentation skills

Employment

• ‘Leaving university with a good degree is a pre-requisite in the graduate employment market, but this alone is not enough to secure your first graduate job.’

What do Employers Want

• High academic achievement

• Employability skills

• Work experience

High Academic Achievement

• GOOD GCSES – a good range of subjects, as many A*, A grades as poss.

• Good A/Pre U results – module results on UCAS form

• Good degree – 1st or 2i• Post grad/Profession qualification

Employability

• Self Reliance – self awareness, pro-activity, willingness to learn, self-promotion, networking, planning action

• People skills – team working, leadership, foreign language

• General employment skills – problem solving, flexibility, IT literate, numeracy, commitment

• Specialist skills – special occupationalEg languages, IT, technical skills e.g. journalism, engineering, accounting, sales

Skills Can Be Developed & Evidenced Through• Duke of Edinburgh Award

• Orchestra/Choir/School productions

• Sport/CCF

• Thursday afternoon activities

• Holiday jobs/Voluntary work

• Fundraising for charities

• ECDL/web design

• Contributing to school publications

Work Experience

• Practical experience• Knowledge of the world of work• Survey by Association of Graduate

Recruiters• ‘Internship, industrial placement,

work experience remains the royal road to the improvement of soft skills for graduates’

What Have You Got To Look Forward To…

• Jan 22nd Parents’ Meeting• Jan 29th Deadline for A level Choices• March 13th Careers Convention• Speech Day 29th May GAP and HE Fair• Post GCSE programme – work

experience• 24th August. Results day

A Wealth of…

• Futurewise Profile and report• Futurewise Website – log in, keep

track.• Careers’ Department website on

intranet – see Sixth Form subject choice