• Question: what did you get in your A levels to get where you are today?

    Asked by Holster to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 15 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Siana Jones

      Siana Jones answered on 15 Nov 2015:

      Hi Holster, this is an interesting question. I’m not sure how much it mattered what subjects I did at school, it seemed to be more about showing that I was able to study and work independently. I did 5 Scottish highers and got: BBBBC. I also had 2 years out between school and Uni which strengthened my application and probably was beneficial towards me progressing my career.

    • Photo: Peter Francis

      Peter Francis answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      I did an Irish leaving certificate (6 subjects). I scored 465/600 points, so I guess around a 78% average from 6 subjects. These results will not define your career. If you can pass at least there are many different ways onto the courses you want.

    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Hi Holster. I did four A-levels, got an A in Maths and B’s in Biology, Chemistry and General Studies (no A* in those days).

      They were enough to get me into a good University to study Biology, and that’s where my interest in doing practical research, rather than learning from a book, really took off.

    • Photo: Carolyn Nielsen

      Carolyn Nielsen answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      I think your A levels are important for getting into university, but then after that point your degree will be more important. I really wanted to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge and was upset when I didn’t get in, but I had a really great 3 years at Durham and I don’t think going to Cambridge would actually have made much difference at this point. It’s hard to tell in retrospect of course, but my first year tutor in Durham is the one who inspired me to go into public health (controlling disease at the population level, rather than one-on-one like with medicine) and if I had gone to Cambridge then who knows if I would have made a different choice.

      (I got AAAA in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and French, then General Studies if you count that too.)

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