A gentle guide on selecting study stream for advanced Level study stream.

1. How to select the right study
stream & subjects for A/L ?
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2. Overview
• Why important ?
• How?
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3. Why is right selection
important?
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4. Primary education
• In primary education up to GCE O/L,
every one learn common subjects
with little options / specialization
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5. What have you got (up to O/L)?
• Basic life skills
• Communication skills
• Analytical & numerical skills
• General knowledge
• Social and interpersonal skills
• Awareness of ethics and social well-being
• Aesthetics aspects
• Some basic technical knowledge/skills
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6. A/L require specialization
• In Advanced Level, you need to
specialized in one area, though there
are certain amount of overlapping
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7. Why important?
• It is mostly a lifetime decision on your
long term professional career.
• If you make a mistake, it can be
costly!
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8. The strategy for selection
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9. How to do? (Strategy)
• Follow your passion
• Think long term
• Be realistic in your capacity
• Be open for ideas
• Do not make options too narrow
• Never get fooled by mere popular trends
• Take your decisions & accept
responsibilities
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10. Follow your passion
• You must pick a career that you have
the passion
• Your selection of study stream suit for
your career
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11. Think long term
• Your study for A/L is short term, but
your career is long term
• What you enjoy studying may not be
the same as what you enjoy
practicing
• So think long term!
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12. Take your own decisions
• Give due consideration to aspirations
of your loved ones
o But remember that, Its your life and career at stake
• You must make the decision and take
the responsibilities
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13. Do not make options too narrow
• Example:
o If you select biology stream, only targeting your
become a doctor, do you have any other plan if you
can not achieve expected results?
o The reality is only a small percentage of students get
a chance to follow medicine
• Same apply for some other fields
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14. Be realistic
• Have a realistic assessment on
o Your capabilities
o Opportunities available
o Competition
• Its not how big your dream that
matters, but what you can
achieve !
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15. Plan it
• Have a master plan for your study
and career
• Make sure that A/L is part of the
master plan
• Have alternative plans (Plan B & plan
C) in case of not achieving objectives
in master plan
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16. Steps in taking the decision
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17. How to do? (overview)
• Do a SWOT analysis on yourself
• Think about what is your passion for
life & serving the society
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18. SWOT analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
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Negative (-)Positive (+)
SelfEnvironment

19. SWOT analysis (cont.)
• Write a list for each of the following
category
o Strengths
o Weaknesses
o Opportunities
o Threats
• Just be honest to yourself
• Write only the major points ((about major
5-8 points for each category)
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20. Strengths
• Positive things you have like;
o Good logical thinking
o Good at literature
o Leadership
o Creativity
o Have a good memory
o Parents are wealthy and can afford for high expense
for my private education
o Etc..
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21. Weaknesses
• Negative things you have like;
o Weak in mathematics
o Not good at literature
o Not a very social person
o Lack artistic talents
o Parents have some financial hardships
o Have a bad memory
o I am lazy
o Etc..
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22. Opportunities
• Positive things in the environment /
society that effect you;
o High salary job opportunities for a particular field(s)
o Highly satisfiable service opportunities
o Growth in some field(s)
o Industry/economic growth
o Availability of opportunities in higher education or
academic areas
o Etc..
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23. Threats
• Negative things in the environment /
society that effect you;
o Lack of jobs
o Economic instability of the country
o Unemployment issues in certain sectors
o Lack of opportunities (openness) in higher education
& career growth
o Etc..
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24. How to use SWOT analysis?
• Pick a stream that favor your strengths
and opportunities and least effect
weaknesses and threats
• But always remember that you may have
room for
o Rectify your weaknesses (If you have a plan and
willpower)
o There are possibilities in the change in the environment
(Opportunities & threats)
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25. Pick the correct subject
combination
• Your choice of subjects must reflects
your long term career aspirations
• Again try to keep options open
• The trend is to provide more options
for students rather than forcing them
to select narrow set of subjects
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26. If you feel like made a wrong
choice?
• Be brave to accept & rectify
o Check the feasibility for each option
o Plan it before executing the change
• But, better to detect it early since
more you are committed, harder to
amend it
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27. Common pitfalls
• Act without think
• Go by the surge in the society
• Blindly accept what others suggest
• Committing to wrong decisions
• Do what you like to study (short term),
rather than what you like to do in your
career
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28. Further resources
• How to do your Advanced Level (A/L)
studies successfully
o https://www.slideshare.net/auroracslk/how-to-do-your-
advanced-leve-al-studies-successfully
• How to face the A/L exam effectively
o https://www.slideshare.net/auroracslk/how-to-face-
the-al-exam-effectively
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29. Thank You !
Presented by
Aurora Computer Studies
(auoracs.lk)
Aurora Computer Studies
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30. "We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act,
but a habit."
~ Aristotle.
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(www.auroracs.lk)
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31. Contact Information
Premier Study Center
Aurora Computer Studies,
Summerset College,
# 135, 3rd Floor,
DFCC Building,
High Level Road,
Maharagama.
0115 690 290
City Study Center
Aurora Computer Studies,
Summerset College,
# 88/2, 2nd Floor,
BOC Building,
High Level Road,
Kirulapone, Colombo 06
0703 001 010
For further details and enquiries :
Call - 0719 842030
E-mail – info@auroracs.lk
Web - www.auroracs.lk
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