Joining A1 can be overwhelming at the start; all the hassle of taking trial classes and dealing with clashes in your schedule, all for the sake of subjects. Deciding subjects is harder than it often sounds, you never know what you’re going to end up choosing, which is why we have just the list for you!

1. Interest

This is the most important factor which has to be kept in mind when selecting your subjects. You have the chance to take many trial classes before coming to a decision and you should make full use of it. Ask yourself, do you really want to study this subject? Do you see yourself enjoying while studying it? It doesn’t matter if you had something else already decided to pursue, because if you have no interest in those subjects, then trust me, A Levels is going to be more of a hell than it is already meant to be.

2. It’s alright to switch!

Listen, I am going to give my personal example for this one. I had always planned to study sciences throughout my life, mainly engineering. So what happened with me was that while taking a Mathematics class, I kept thinking how I couldn’t see myself pursuing this field in the future. The next day I decided to take trial classes for humanities subjects and honestly I don’t regret it a bit to have selected them! Yes, I’ll admit that at first I went through this really bad crisis because I thought I had messed up my future, but honestly, I later realised how many more doors had opened for me. Trust me, it all gets sorted out so just take it easy.

3. Schedule

You have to remember that sometimes if you choose really different subjects, like sciences with literature, you might not be able to select them. That is because the school has to cater to all students and might be unable to offer every set of subjects. But that’s okay, because most of the clashes get sorted if you ask for them to be, however, even if they don’t, don’t sweat it because you will still have time to see what is right for you.

4. Go to counsellors

It is very important to meet the guidance counsellors, especially when you are really confused about your subjects. Yes, I know you might feel hesitant and nervous at first, but listen they don’t judge, they’re only there to help you and guide you on what is the right thing for you to do. Trust me, they’re really helpful! This GIF is an actual visual representation of how they are waiting to help you.

5. Don’t worry about the future yet

Listen, it’s absolutely okay if things don’t pan out the way you planned, in regards of the subjects. It’s alright to not want to study what you thought you would. You will have many opportunities for a career and everything will turn out to be just fine. It’s okay to have an existential crisis about your future, but honestly you have a lot of time right now to decide.

by Sunaiha Adeel
A2 Student