A-levels Chat Continued!

Ooh, several days have passed since my miraculous return to the blogging hemisphere - what a surprise that I have found the courage to come back less than a week since I had published my first post of 2017! Well, I had made a promise of sorts to continue delving into the already-dusty past of the 2016-2017 academic year with regard to my experience of Year 12 (and, of course, the abhorred 'A' word which I won't mention yet!), so I was hardly going to let you down, was I?

Anyway, I'm already running out of programmes to watch on Netflix - which, despite being absolutely indispensible in my life, is something that I can only really enjoy in small doses (otherwise, how can I find the energy to stay as enthusiastic as I was when I first subscribed to it a year ago?) - so blogging seems to be the most appropriate antidote to ennui, which always threatens to settle in the first week or so of August. I mean, the first proper week of the summer holidays sans getting up ridiculously early and panicking about what to bring as a packed lunch (as discovered this year, I can only tolerate eating vegetable soup for lunch a certain number of times, even though it is worth 2 of my 5 a day - yay!) is fun at first, but keeping myself as occupied as possible without descending into the dreaded boredom can be quite a challenge.

Anyway, after much job-hunting in nearby towns, cities and villages for weeks (this is not an exaggeration in the slightest - I even sacrificed one of my precious Friday afternoons off school to walk around a city so that I could drop my CV off at various shops in the hope of being offered work!), I have finally found a job at a cafe several villages away, as well as doing some tuition at a centre on several occasions. Therefore, I'm hoping that this summer will mark my official venture into the world of work, so my reliance on Netflix to keep me entertained ought to weaken over the coming weeks!

Nevertheless, let's get down to business before I confuse jobs and A-levels together, although I should remind you that, above all, your studies should be your main priority above getting a job. OK, I realise that getting a part-time job allows you to become more independent and gain a bit of money - cash which, quite frankly, can be used to buy books and essentials for your studies (over the course of the year, I've realised that a bursary does help to an extent, but it isn't always enough to cover everything!), in addition to meeting your other needs (such as clothes, anyone?) - but please don't fall into the trap where you feel like you have to work all the hours under the sun whilst juggling your schoolwork at the same time. At a time when I had been faced with constant rejection because, apparently, I don't 'fit in' with certain companies and therefore am 'unsuitable' for their vacancies, I will admit that I did encounter the Green-Eyed Monster upon hearing several of my classmates bragging about how much they earn each month - one of them has even found a second job (and they are a full-time student!!!) - because I have wanted to earn some extra money for ages, albeit not at the expense of my grades.

Consequently, my advice is this: if you want to, find a job, but make sure that a) it isn't a nightmare to travel to (or, in other words, travelling costs won't eat up an enormous amount of your salary, which would make it a waste of your valuable time!) and b) you won't be time-tabled to work a ridiculous number of hours per week. Not only do you want time to revise, do homework and consolidate on what you have learnt, but you also need time to relax and return to Planet Earth - otherwise, A-levels will quickly seem like a prison sentence, which isn't the attitude you want to have if you are trying to maintain your motivation over two years of study! Luckily, I will only be working on Saturdays in a cafe so, when considering my increased number of free periods in Year 13, shouldn't deprive me of time that I can devote to studying, while I feel that having a job will help me to develop my time better upon going to university (especially as I intend to get a part-time job while I'm an undergraduate, so it is never a bad idea to get used to working before I head off to uni!).

At the end of the day, A-levels can be summarised by using this single noun: balance. In order to achieve the best out of yourself, you need to dedicate enough time - and when I say 'time', I'm referring to quality over quantity (4 hours of supposedly 'reading' something is nowhere near as useful as spending 2 hours creating essay plans, which take on a far more active and productive approach to your learning) - to your studies which, as a full-time student, you must prioritise! However, life is more than just A-levels - we are only young once, so I doubt that we want to look back at this time in our lives in so many years' time, regretting that we didn't seize other opportunities when they were also available, such as part-time employment. As much as I relish the idea of earning some money for myself, a major reason why I want to work is so I can become more confident in the presence of others, a confidence of which I hope will also be reflected in my studies!

Therefore, just be wise - or at least sensible - with the responsibilities and roles you may choose to take on during sixth form. Honestly, having several of these will be worth it just for the sake of being overwhelmed with inspiration when you start to write your UCAS statement at the end of Year 12 but, as we sometimes have to remind ourselves, there are only 24 hours in a day!

Before I get even more distracted with what I'm trying to discuss today, let's just talk about my following A-level options:

Sociology

Often regarded as one of those A-levels that you needn't have studied prior to starting sixth form, Sociology tends to be quite popular among sixth formers. The reason for this? Without trying to portray myself as overly smug, Sociology is somewhat easy compared to other A-levels, such as ultra-hard ones including the Sciences and languages (specifically AQA French!).

OK, possibly not everyone in my Sociology class would argue with this view because, if essay-writing is not your strong point, Sociology will be the death of you - only joking! Provided that you hide a secret stash of chocolate for emergencies under your bed (like me, although I mainly do so because my brother is like the Cookie Monster - he'll devour anything remotely sweet!), no A-level should really be the 'death' of you! All jokes aside, Sociology does involve quite a lot of writing - even more so at A-level where two of the three exam papers feature questions worth 30 marks (so get ready for soaking your hands in arnica gel afterwards to ease the cramp!) - which, if you lack confidence over your essay-writing skills, can be quite daunting.

However, if you become familar with the number of marks in each question and command words used to structure the questions (e.g. 'evaluate' = assess your points but you propose an argument which partly agrees/disagrees with the question), Sociology is more than manageable. Nonetheless, like any other A-level, it does take a while before you feel familar - and more importantly, comfortable - with this knowledge when you first start but, if you enjoy/are good at writing and are interested in finding out how society is structured, Sociology is definitely for you!

As I had already studied Sociology at GCSE, I was already familar with quite a few of the topics that I would study in Year 12, such as Family, Education and, the beloved 'favourite' (I hope you've noticed that my apostrophes are used to convey my sarcasm!), Research Methods, so making the transition to A-level wasn't overly difficult. Of course, not many schools teach GCSE Sociology, so only a few A-level Sociology students enjoy this so-called 'advantage', but I personally believe that, if you have any common sense (e.g. you know what a family is and how the education system is structured to an extent), you shouldn't feel as though you are 'behind' in any way by having not studied it at GCSE level.

On the AQA spec, Education is a mandatory topic, while Family is optional (but, considering that families are common knowledge and relatively easy to understand, it makes sense to select that option, doesn't it?). Personally, I prefer Education to Family because it is somewhat easier to guess the kind of question you will be asked - for Education, this tends to usually relate to educational differences in achievement relating to social class, gender, factors, internal (school) and external (family/society) factors. Meanwhile, I think that Family is a bit more ambiguous, particularly if a question relates to family diversity, but by looking at previous exam questions and practising essay plans, it isn't too mind-boggling to deal with!

Nonetheless, I will admit that, for the first three or so months of studying A-level Sociology, I did feel a bit out of my depth because, unlike GCSE, you have to learn the name of so many sociologists! Needless to say, I was panicking quite a bit when I was approaching my mock exam in January because there are numerous sociologists to refer to on both the Family and Education papers - not exactly what I wanted to be thinking about during the Christmas holidays! Still, my advice is to simply try to remember the names of the sociologists and what they say as you go along so that their names can hopefully become stuck in your mind long before you sit the exam. How some people can cram the night before the exam and expect to remember millions of sociological theories (OK, not that much, but it can feel like a lot at times!) like one can speak a language fluently... In other words, don't cram!

In my opinion, I'm not a massive lover of questions relating to Functionalists/Marxists, etc. because I feel that other kinds of questions - e.g. childhood (which appeared as a 20 marker in my AS exams - an absolute gift!!!) or ethnic differences in educational achievement - are simply more interesting (albeit at the expense of my sanity because this typically means that I need to remember more sociologists, but there is always a price to pay for something, isn't there?). However, I know other people who always seize the opportunity to sink their teeth into Marxist debates, so it is a case of personal preference. Just don't worry if you aren't completely sure about Postmodernism because, in spite of covering it in my English and Media classes, I still don't really know how to define it!

Overall, I have absolutely enjoyed studying Sociology this year because it has made me even more self-aware of the society surrounding me, which has truly strengthened my beliefs and has provided immeasurable inspiration for debates. Although some people in my class weren't overly keen on the Education unit, I think that it has been extremely useful for making me even more opinionated about my beliefs relating to the education system (which, as a sixth former, obviously affects me), so I do feel that Sociology is one of those A-levels which has a use beyond the exam hall. I realise that it tends to be regarded as a 'soft' option - possibly a view also taken by my sixth form because I only receive four hours of teaching in it per week, which is an hour less compared to other subjects offered (possibly because there is less content to cover - I had finished the Family topic ages before the Easter holidays!) - but, as long you study at least two 'facilitating' subjects, Sociology shouldn't pose any problems if you aim to study at a Russell Group university.

Media

Oh Media, oh Media - where do I even begin? Like all love affairs, there have been highs and lows in my relationship with Media, although I must make it clear that I didn't choose to study Media thanks to my love for the subject; indeed, I was somewhat forced to. Thus, let me clarify that this was no love affair!

At my sixth form, all students are expected to study a minimum of 4 AS subjects - oh yes, several valiantly opted for five options, students whom I absolutely respect yet there is no way that I could cope with five subjects (and no free periods!). Compared to GCSEs, when you can study as many as eleven to twelve subjects, spreading myself across four at AS-level doesn't sound too much like a nightmare, does it? In fact, I never questioned my ability to manage studying 4 AS-levels - instead, the question was raised with regard to what I would select as my fourth option.

Regardless of what would happen, I would most definitely study English Lit, French and Sociology - no question about it! However, finding another option to fill in a gap in my timetable posed quite a challenge because, asides from Media (which I had briefly studied at GCSE level before moving to the school at which I completed my GCSEs), I didn't have a vague interest in them. I toyed with the idea of choosing Psychology, then shied away from pursuing it upon realising that Maths and Science would both be involved; as one who leans more towards Interpretivist ideas (which Sociologists embrace), I realised that Psychology, which uses more quantitative methods (like a Positivist), wouldn't really suit me. Business Studies briefly caught my attention, but the urge to swap Media to study it was as short-lived as an occasional craving for a bag of Jelly Babies: the initial desire was initially as strong as a cup of espresso coffee yet, once it had cooled down, so had my interest. I mean, I don't even care about how businesses are run, so how could I motivate myself to study Business for a whole year?

Consequently, I stuck with Media which has overall been a decision that I don't regret. Mercifully, I'm quite certain that I'll get a good grade out of it because, quite honestly, it isn't that hard. Biggest news of the 21st century - Media Studies is easy! In fact, partly why I felt uneasy about studying it was due to the fact that it is often heralded as a 'soft' subject, so I didn't want people to think that I am an 'idiot' for selecting it as one of my options when the likes of Chemistry and Maths are undoubtedly more challenging. However, just like Sociology, Media does indeed involve plenty of essay-writing - I vividly remember having to write like a horse galloping towards winning the Grand National (time-management is essential!) - so I suppose that it would be arguably harder for those who may not feel in their element when writing.

Although I have (fortunately) finished studying Media unscathed, completing the coursework unit - which accounts for 50% of my AS grade and 25% of the whole A-level should I wish to study it in Year 13 (for which I have only one answer: absolutely fucking not!!!) - was as tedious as trying to binge-watch a TV series on Netflix that I utterly cannot stand. As much as I detest and fear exams, at least they only last two hours, nearly two and a half at most, which isn't a ridiculous chunk of time in your life, is it? Meanwhile, completing my Media coursework took months, which stressed me out so much because it seemed relentless; I suppose that I'm one of those people who likes to get things done and out of the way so that they don't haunt me like ghosts. Well, Media was unsurprisingly my Casper the Ghost from December all the way until the coursework was finally sent off to the exam board in May - something which I truly don't want to re-experience in Year 13!

Besides, I'm not going to deny to myself that my strengths don't lie in film-making or creating media products which are as breath-taking as ad campaigns you see in glossy fashion magazines: they simply don't. From the moment I unearthed a video uploaded on YouTube which was based on an animated Christmas John Lewis-style ad which got an A2 Media student full marks in his coursework unit, I just knew that A2 Media would be too much for me. And to prove my point, I possess the drawing skills of a three year old!

Doing Media coursework at the same time as managing my English literature coursework (which is simply a dissertation on The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman) would personally be a step too far for me; I feel that I've gained as much as I've needed from studying Media this year, such as providing me with a head-start for the Media unit that I'm currently working on in Sociology. Thus, studying Media in Year 12 hasn't been a waste of time - it has certainly made me more aware of different media products and the messages that they are transmitting to their audiences - but I'm far more interested in the theoretical side, which the Media unit in Sociology would better satisfy (and meet my Uses and Gratifications!).

From what I understand, the new Media A-level being introduced this September still includes a coursework unit, but it has a reduced weighting on the overall grade compared to the specification I've studied this year, so maybe the new A-level course will focus more on theory instead of coursework. At the end of the day, each to their own - for those who are visually creative and wanted to find out the role that the media play (as well as watching videos and clips from adverts, film trailers and TV shows), Media is definitely ideal for helping you to express your creativity.

Nevertheless, I'm relieved that I'll be dropping it ahead of Year 13 because, unlike my other subjects, it doesn't evoke a fervent love, which I think is vital for staying motivated in your A2 studies (which are sadly harder than AS-levels - how I pity myself!). Until Results Day, though, I won't be throwing out my Media notes quite so soon because you just don't know what will happen...