Softly Softly...

Think back to your days of A level revision… sweltering hot days in June when all you wanted to do was cool down your sweat with a dip in the sea, but all you could do was work up a sweat over a revision book. Remember how disheartening it was when you realised that no matter how many different colours you used on your mind map, it still didn’t sink in. Imagine then being told that your subject is in fact a Mickey Mouse subject which won’t get you into any decent university…

School pupils all over the country will currently be applying for universities, but ill-informed choices may have already hindered their chances of success. Cambridge University has released a list of twenty subjects they consider to be ‘soft’. To be a ‘realistic candidate’ at the university, regardless of the course, students shouldn’t have taken more than two of these named subjects.

It seems that it isn’t only Cambridge University that is partaking in this educational snobbery. Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of the UK’S 20 leading universities, said most top institutions would follow suit in “providing a steer on preferred combinations of A-levels”.

Cardiff University is a member of the Russell Group, so how does this statement ring true for potential applicants here? Entry requirements for Cardiff University vary from course to course, affirming that we, at least, aren’t joining the race for pretentious prestige.

With over a quarter of last year’s A level candidates receiving A grades, it is understandable that the UK’s top 20 universities should need a means of differentiating. But for candidates now applying for university who have been ill-advised at school prior to the release of this subject blacklist, they face a disheartening prospect.

An UCAS spokesman said: “The key thing about admissions is for universities to be transparent and we certainly encourage them to do that.” Won’t this lead to all universities blacklisting more practical and vocational subjects for fear of being seen as poor universities if they don’t?

There also appears to be a distinct gulf between A level choicesfor state and private school pupils, putting state school pupils at a greater disadvantage. Of the 2006 Media Studies A level entrants, 96% were from state schools. Languages have also been nose-diving in state schools.

This clearly isn’t through lack of talent, so are state school pupils being misguided by lack of clear guidelines? Oxford University rather patronizingly and transparently advise pupils to “take the A levels you enjoy”. Despite the sense of snobbery from releasing a list such as Cambridge’s, pupils at least have clear guidelines on what they need to do.

Ultimately, what everyone gains from a good education is a job, so how much do recruiters actually take note of A levels? A representative of Cardiff’s Capstone Recruitment Agency claimed that if an individual has a degree, A levels are largely overlooked.

“From a recruiter’s point of view, there is no such thing as soft subjects at secondary or further education level. For example, even if an individual sat 10 A levels and gained top grades, if these didn’t relate to their desired job, then they become irrelevant,” she said.

Interestingly, she also noted a rise in recruiters looking for graphic designers, a skill which would come under the blacklisted A level, Design and Technology. In other words, if your A level is relevant to your desired job, then it will always be advantageous regardless of its difficultly rating.

Cardiff University seems to be bucking the trend of releasing blacklists of subjects, which is something for us to appreciate. Educational snobbery for the sake of prestige and league tables can only result in over-read students who couldn’t do something practical like change a light bulb to save their lives.