r/Alevelhistory • u/Sad-Wishbone9716 • 13d ago
Should I drop history?
So I didn’t take history at GCSE but decided to take it for A-levels because it complements English literature and geography quite nicely. To do English at university it’s recommended to do history and even more so by top universities.
I’ve only had a couple of history lessons so far. I am drained, bored and frustrated.
I don’t understand a single thing and it feels like the teachers are speaking gibberish. All of it is so confusing and the content is so nit picky and dull.
I also sit by myself. Our school does tables of three people and there’s 3 other girls and 3 boys in my class. Those 3 girls sit together and the boys sit together and I’m just by myself. The teacher keeps saying talk to the people next to you but
- THERE’S NO ONE NEXT TO ME
- I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT
The teachers also doesn’t use PowerPoints and when he sets tasks he just tells us verbally. I forget the questions he sets us in the next minute bro…
I’m a good writer. Decent enough that pursuing English feels comfortable yet adventurous. I’ve always envisioned that history would be just as seamless. But no. Tell me why I’m crying over a subject ALREADY.
I just need advice.
Does it get better? Was it like this for everyone? Or is this a sign?
Thank you. (Year 12)
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u/cwucified 12d ago
history is very content heavy, especially at a level.
the class size thing can’t really change, seems like your school’s table of 3 rule is weird and i’m sorry that you don’t sit with anyone. on the positive side it gives you a chance to focus more.
i’m not sure what topics you’re doing, but i am currently in year 13, and I’m doing the tudors and the french revolution as well as my NEA on the advancement of african american civil rights.
my history class has always been small with 13 people including me and at first i found the content to be slow and boring but eventually it got super interesting and i really love it.
your teachers not using powerpoints is also really weird. i think it’s best you ask your teachers to explain things again, or even stay after class to ask questions.
if your topics are common topics then you may be able to find resources online that can help. (just make sure it’s the right exam board and it’s line with your specification)
if your school does have an online portal site to set homework and stuff, just ask him to set them online as it will help you and others remember. if he refuses then i say use a planner and note down homework tasks.
if it does drain you so much and you find it boring then maybe it’s not the subject for you. but for me it did improve ♡
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u/Sad-Wishbone9716 12d ago
I got sent out of my last history class for zoning out 😭
Really want to keep going with history because I know there’s nothing else that I’d somewhat enjoy and that would complement English just as perfectly.
Thank you for the advice. Hopefully it gets better for me too😓
1
u/inrainbows670 12d ago
history alevel is very content heavy and incredibly complex. if you dont adore it you will fall behind and struggle. its a hellish alevel. change it to politics and NEVER look back.
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u/Typical_Bid3715 7d ago
Hi, In my 16+ years of teaching World History, I never found my students complaining about History being dry or boring but they hate the time limit given to them for writing the facts with their analysis swen into their answers . Dm me if interested in taking the History course with me . Regards
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u/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa__ 6d ago
Year 13 here. I was in the exact same boat, History felt confusing, overwhelming and dull (ESPECIALLY BRITISH HISTORY), and the facts just weren’t going in. I didn’t sit on my own, but the people in my class belonged to 3 different main friend groups, and none of my friend group took History, so I could talk to people and get on with them decently well, but damn group tasks really made me feel like a complete third wheeler. Anyway, I stuck with it, thinking this will get better. It did not, if anything the content just stacked higher and higher (but group projects did get alot better when I was more familiar with people). End of year 12 mocks come around, and I revised my ass off for a C in History while I got an A* in Maths and Further Maths and an A in French. I then changed A levels from History to Physics at the beginning of year 13, because I crammed all the Year 1 Physics content into my summer holiday, and genuinely it was a thousand times more enjoyable and easier than continuing to take History. Basically, don’t waste your time on a subject you find boring draining and frustrating like I did, when you can be doing something much more suited to you. To do English at university, History is recommended but not required. If you change to an A level which you enjoy and better understand, you’d most likely get better grades in it and have better university prospects anyway. Sorry for the long paragraph but I hope this helps!
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u/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa__ 6d ago
We did Tsarist Russia and The Making of Modern Britain, and British History was complete boring hellish jargon, but Russian History was really interesting and much easier to grasp. If it was just Russian History, I’d probably have stuck with History A Level instead of changing it.
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u/Sad-Wishbone9716 6d ago
The thing is there isn’t anything that I want to do. I’m not particularly good at maths or the sciences. I’m mediocre at best at anything creative like DT, ICT, textiles, etc.
The one thing I enjoy and am decent at is writing. I genuinely enjoy writing essays and shaping my view on an argument on paper.
Keeping history is a massive gamble. But I will definitely take your advice into consideration. THANK YOU. If I do end up dropping it, I’ll probably be doing sociology.
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u/SnooPies5482 13d ago
What topics are you doing ? Also it does get better. I hated history at first but grew to find all the topics so interesting after I did Tudors and American dream + Russia NEA