Cambridge A Level program at Vinschool – Learning pathway for every student

As a member of the Cambridge international school system, Vinschool always takes the lead in making a difference in teaching quality and subject diversity. Vinschool is proud to be one of the Cambridge schools in Vietnam to offer the widest selection of IGCSE and A Level subjects today.

The Cambridge IGCSE Certificate and Cambridge A Level qualification are recognized globally, giving students a “golden key” to confidently “hunt” for scholarships and enroll in competitive courses at the top universities all over the world.

Choosing suitable subjects plays a very important role in helping students find out their interests and strengths, and at the same time, helps them get the best preparation for their college and future career.  At Vinschool, the A Level program provides students with 12 subjects and 11 separate learning pathways so that each student can choose a different time-table based on their own strengths, interests and career orientation.

• A Level Art & Design
• A Level English – Literature
• A Level Global Perspectives & Research
• A Level Mathematics
• A Level Physics
• A Level Chemistry
• A Level Biology
• A Level Economics
• A Level Psychology
• A Level Computer Science
• A Level Business
• A Level Media Studies

Faced with so many choices, how can a student determine his or her pathway when taking the A Level program? Here are some tips for choosing subjects from students at top universities in the world, such as Harvard University (2nd in the world), Yale University (9th in the world) and Duke University (23rd in the world), according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings):

1. Define “success”

First, students need to identify their own desires so that they can draw up their learning plans and pursue their goals. There are many cases when students have an aptitude for such subjects as music or history, but they choose to learn sciences or economics due to pressure from their family or their peers. Their failure to define “success” may easily lead to their selection of unsuitable subjects.

Choose Cambridge A Level subjects based on the career that you really want to pursue in the future. Here are some suggestions given by the Academic Advisory Board to you:

2. Find a balance between study and life

That you set the goal of studying all subjects well and leading every club at school means you always seek perfection.

However, you should keep in mind that the goal should be suitable for the time and the energy you have. Balance is important in everyday life and even more important in the choice of subjects.

Here are some tips for you to find balance:

• Make an appointment with the counselors at Vinschool;
• Talk to your teachers, classmates or seniors to gain more experience in balancing subjects;
• Write down all the extracurricular activities and your other goals to see if they fit your workload;
• Carefully check the subject requirements and benchmarks of the university programs you wish to take part in to ensure you meet the requirements;
• Quality is more important than quantity – learning all the chosen subjects well is more important than choosing too many subjects and studying ineffectively.

3. Explore new areas

Although academic balance is important, you should also take your time exploring new subjects. The high school environment gives you a perfect opportunity to explore new interests instead of confining yourself to any certain area. For example, instead of focusing on sciences and STEM subjects, you can choose other subjects such as history to develop multi-dimensional thinking and multiple perspectives on the same event that happened in the past. Your time in high school is the ideal time for you to broaden your horizons by choosing a diverse set of subjects.

4. Effective learning methods

Most of you must have wondered, “When can we use this knowledge in practice when learning some difficult concepts at school?” In fact, the purpose of attending high school is to form and develop study skills and good habits, which help you succeed in whatever path you take in the future, instead of gaining knowledge from books. Your time at high school can teach you how to study on your own and thus help you manage your time and organize your study more effectively.

Therefore, when choosing subjects, you will not only learn the knowledge related to the subjects but also other skills such as:

• Self-study and time management
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Essay writing and argumentation
• Teamwork

Choosing subjects at high school is certainly not an easy thing. As Vinschool is well aware of this, its students and parents of the Cambridge international program always receive the companionship of the school counselors who are teachers, principals and vice principals with a lot of experience in career orientation, study strategy development, college application and personal skill improvement.