Choosing a subject

Your subject choice is personal, and only you can decide which is best for you. There are a few things that can be useful to keep in mind:

• What do I enjoy?
  You'll be studying this subject for three years and maybe more, so it's important to choose a course that you will enjoy. This may be something you've studied before, or it might be a new subject that you can explore. Think about what you've enjoyed doing in the past and keep an open mind for new opportunities.
• What am I good at?
  Cambridge is a competitive-for-entry university, so we require students to achieve high grades. Considering your strengths and weaknesses can be useful in choosing what you'd like to study.
• What are my qualifications?
  Different courses have different entry requirements, and it's likely that your qualifications will be best suited to only a few subjects. Make sure that you will be a competitive applicant by checking your qualifications before you apply.
• What career would I like in the future?
  While most courses will prepare you for a wide variety of careers, there are some careers that require you to have studied particular degrees. Take a look at careers you might be interested in and think about how you can prepare.

Cambridge, like many other universities, offers subjects that you may never have studied, or may not even have heard of! While you probably already have subjects that you enjoy and are good at, university can also be the perfect time to explore something new. It's also important to remember that the same course may have different names at different universities, or a course with the same name may be quite different at different universities.

Why not try something new and explore some of the following subjects offered at King's - or take a look at our subjects page to find one that suits you?

• Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic: Medieval history, culture, language, and literature in the British Isles and Scandinavia
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies: In-depth study of global languages, history, and culture, including a year abroad
• Design: A mix of architecture, engineering, and materials science that challenges you to think about issues in the built environment
• Human, Social, and Political Sciences: An interdisciplinary course including politics, international relations, sociology, and anthropology
• Natural Sciences: Allows you to study sciences across 14 different departments with the flexibility to make your own path
• Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion: Addresses fundamental human questions through philosophical and religious perspectives

The subject choices that you make for your last two years of school can have a significant impact on the course options available to you at university. When assessing applicants, we consider not only the individual subjects taken but also the combination of subjects. We generally prefer applicants to have taken certain subjects or combinations of subjects because we believe they are more likely to be effective preparation for studying at Cambridge. We have put together the following guidance to make sure that the decisions you make when choosing school subjects will not reduce the opportunities available to you if you decide to apply to Cambridge.

The information below specifically refers to students taking A Levels, but the advice about subjects and subject combinations is still true if you are taking other qualifications. If you have any questions about subject choice, you can email us for further information. You can also take a look at the University's guidance for choosing school subjects.

Already know which course you want to apply for?

Many Cambridge courses require prior knowledge of certain subjects. If you have already chosen a course, we recommend that you check the relevant subject page before you finalise your subject choices at school.

Keeping your options open

Choosing subject combinations that genuinely keep your options open is trickier than you might think. We often meet students who have chosen to study a mixture of essay subjects and STEM subjects because they believe that it will keep their options open. While such a subject combination does provide a suitable preparation for many arts and social sciences courses at the University, it can make you a less competitive applicant for Cambridge's broad-based STEM courses.

There are, however, certain subjects that are considered either essential or desirable for a number of courses at Cambridge. Choosing one or more of these will help you to keep your higher education options open. These subjects include:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English Literature
• History
• a language
• Mathematics (and Further Mathematics)
• Physics

Inclined towards STEM?

If you think you would like to study a science course at university but you are not sure which one, then you are advised to take at least two A Levels, and ideally three, of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Some pairings of these subjects are more natural than others. The most natural pairs are Biology and Chemistry, Chemistry and Physics, and Mathematics and Physics. Another useful combination is Mathematics, Further Mathematics, and Physics. Many students who are taking four subjects at A Level take four out of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, and Physics.

If you are planning to study biological or medical sciences, you should take Chemistry A Level; for physical sciences or Engineering you should take Mathematics and Physics (required) and we recommend Further Mathematics as well. Other A Level subject choices such as Computing, Design and Technology, Electronics, or Psychology may be useful preparation for some of our science courses.

Inclined towards the arts and social sciences?

If you think that you would like to study an arts or social sciences course at university but you are not sure which one, then English Literature, History, languages, and Mathematics are good keystone subjects; choosing one or more of these will provide a good foundation for your subject combination. Other good choices to combine these subjects with include an additional language, Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, Economics, Further Mathematics, Geography, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and sciences (Biology, Chemistry or Physics).

Other school subjects

There are, of course, many other subjects that we have not mentioned at all on this page. The fact that we have not mentioned them does not mean that we think that they are not individually worth taking; however, they are either specialised in focus and not a good choice if you are looking to keep your options open, or the way in which they are taught and assessed means that they do not provide good preparation for the courses offered at Cambridge. If you are thinking of applying to Cambridge, our advice is to ensure that amongst your three or four A Level subjects (or equivalent), you are doing no more than one of these other subjects.

Please note that A Level Key Skills and General Studies are not required or included in academic assessment. Critical Thinking is worthwhile but not acceptable as a third A-level subject for any Cambridge course.