I’m Stuck – What subjects do I choose to study?

Choosing which subjects to study at sixth form can be a difficult choice. To make this slightly easier for you, we’ve compiled a few tactics and thinking points to help guide you into choosing the subjects that are right for you.

Working backwards.

If you have a good idea of what career you’d like to move into, look at the university courses that are available and the subjects that you will need to have a qualification in to get there.

All universities have the criteria for their courses on their websites, as well as what grades you will need to achieve to get there. Look at a range of courses and it is a good idea to have a few options available to you. The more research you can do now, the more you will benefit in the future.

Course Criteria.

Many courses have criteria to meet for you to join that course. It is important you have an understanding of what these are before you think about the subjects you’d like to take. Criteria could include certain grades but also that you have taken a particular subject at GCSE. For example, if you are thinking of taking a language, you will need to have studied that language at GCSE.

Stick to what I’m good at.

You’ve been studying your GCSEs and by now will have a good understanding of what you are good at. You need to choose subjects that you like, otherwise you will not be fully committed to your studies.

It is important to remember that subjects can go into a lot more depth at A-Level or BTEC. Look at the syllabuses for the subjects that you are currently studying and see if it is a good fit for you. If you have any questions, it is important that you ask those by contacting us at admissions@stdavidscollege.ac.uk.

Transferable skills.

Some subjects teach you more than what is on the syllabus. To thrive in a working world, and also to build skills that will help you thrive in life, subjects can teach you creativity, communication, writing skills, organisation, or teamwork.

Subjects like performing arts are fantastic in building confidence and public speaking, while other subjects like history and religious studies build great communication and writing skills, showing that you are capable of providing good balanced arguments and coming to conclusions back up with evidence.

I have a passion.

Passion for a subject area is great for having the motivation to succeed. You could be passionate about music, drama, art, sciences or maths, and having a passion for a subject area will make learning enjoyable and allow you to grow your knowledge much more.