Sixth Form
Subject Choice
What to choose?
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Subjects you will enjoy
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Subjects you will be good at
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Subjects that make sense
Points To Bear In Mind
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EVERYONE who passes 2 A2s can go to
‘University’.
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You can study almost any subject
combination if you don’t mind where
you end up studying
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Where you go to University is as
important as what you study!
SO…
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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
• Birmingham
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Bristol
Cambridge
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Imperial
Kings, London
Leeds
Liverpool
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LSE
Manchester
Newcastle
Nottingham
Oxford
Sheffield
Southampton
UCL
Warwick
It’s Very Tough
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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
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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
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They will now need all As, including
one A* grade, the new higher grade
being introduced this year.
What you Need
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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
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Values, passions & networks
Writing, analysis, problem-solving
and presentation skills
Employment
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‘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
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High academic achievement
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Employability skills
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Work experience
High Academic
Achievement
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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
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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 occupational
Eg languages, IT, technical skills
e.g. journalism, engineering,
accounting, sales
Skills Can Be Developed
& Evidenced Through
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Duke of Edinburgh Award
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Orchestra/Choir/School productions
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Sport/CCF
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Thursday afternoon activities
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Holiday jobs/Voluntary work
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Fundraising for charities
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ECDL/web design
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Contributing to school publications
Work Experience
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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…
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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…
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Futurewise Profile and report
Futurewise Website – log in, keep
track.
Careers’ Department website on
intranet – see Sixth Form subject
choice