The "I still don't know where to go" thread

Nottingham is AAA now, I think. Bath is up there with Bristol (AAA+). Birmingham is ABB (for applicants studying full FM). Cardiff is AAB.
Generally, the MMath course has one grade higher in requirements than the straight G100.

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Right. So there's no point to this thread then is there, if you don't even thank people for their comments, instead you say they're not needed. Tbh, if you don't know where you're going, then you're not as prepared as some.

The point of this thread has nothing to do with grade requirements and you was telling me stuff I already knew. I was asking advice because university rankings are pretty useless when it comes to picking a university based on academic reputation. I've been writing my personal statement and doing other research for 4 months so if that's not being prepared then I don't know what is.

The point of this thread has nothing to do with grade requirements and you was telling me stuff I already knew. I was asking advice because university rankings are pretty useless when it comes to picking a university based on academic reputation, also beyond the top 7 or 8 it's pretty unclear what are the next best options. I've been writing my personal statement and doing other research for 4 months so if that's not being prepared then I don't know what is.

Thats surely contradictory since if you're so prepared, then you should know what universities are good or not?

4 months, erm... no comment! :P
I'm basically saying that your post hasn't got a proper question in it, so will be full of people saying "yeah I don't know where to apply to either". dead end.

Anyway the point of this thread is that I'm still unsure what my 5 options should be and thought the people here may be able to give me a little advice

if you think you could get an A in economics and a distinction in AEA/2 in STEP, apply to warwick

and definitely make manchester one of your AAB unis

...

Offers for 2011

Double Maths: For applicants taking AEA/STEP we will ask either for grades A*(M)A(FM)B over three A levels plus at least Merit/2 in AEA/STEP or for A*(M)A(FM)A. The latter alternative will also apply to applicants who are not taking AEA/STEP.

Further Maths AS level: For applicants taking AEA/STEP we will ask either for grades A*(M)AB over three A levels plus an A in AS Further Mathematics and at least Merit/2 in AEA/STEP or for A*(M)AA plus an A in AS Further Mathematics. The latter alternative will also apply to applicants who are not taking AEA/STEP.

Single Maths: we ask for A*(M)A*A over three A levels with As in all Maths modules plus at least Merit/2 in AEA/STEP. There should be a second scientific or quantitative subject preferably physics.
A six unit vocational A level is acceptable provided it is in a broadly related subject. In all our offers, General Studies will be excluded.

A word of caution, I don't think those entry requirements for Bath's 2011 entry are correct.



Source: http://www.bath.ac.uk/math-sci/undergraduate/admissions/offers/

Hope that helps

The reason why after the top 10 or more it becomes very unclear is because the situation is very unclear. A simplistic way to gauge it is to go by the standard offer each university gives, but that still isn't great, and very few really have an in-depth knowledge of a large number of departments to be able to give any helpful information.

I'm thinking Nottingham, Bath/Manchester, Surrey, UEA and one more

If KCL think they can ask for that based on their academic reputation I think they're kidding themselves

As I wrote immediately prior to this post, there's a reason they ask for those grades. Believe it or not, generally universities and their admissions staff aren't blathering lunatics who year on year dish out near random entry requirements based on how they perceive themselves.

Their offers are informed by previous experience and analysis of admissions figures. Sometimes they might be a little out here and there, but their requirements are based on previous years' data and are generally as high as they can be without running too great a risk of incurring a shortfall in admissions (balanced against the demands of the course).



To be fair, and perhaps a little harsh, why should you have heard about their reputation for mathematics, and how reliable is the lack of hearing anything as an indicator of the quality of KCL's maths department?

You're not a mathematician,and I'm guessing you don't spend your spare time mingling with a large number of graduate employers discussing the state of the labour market. So it is for nearly everyone, and we should always err on the side of caution when it comes to passing judgements on institutions and people based on what really amounts to the odd snippet of info and received wisdom.

No, no, fair enough, you're right, you make very good points but I think TSR tends to be very informed about reputable Maths unis

It really isn't though, in part because the question is one that if dealt with properly kind of defies any cut and dried answer!



It might seem that way, and I agree it is frustrating to see offers rise, there are perhaps two factors to consider.

One is that generally places are becoming much more competitive due to increasing student numbers and a strengthening of the cap on university places which gives universities a lot less room to maneuver when it comes to dealing with applications and determining entry requirements.

The second point is that it's not unusual for a university to raise the difficulty of its courses as the entry requirements increase, so it's not like it's simply a case of universities demanding ever more from applicants and offering nothing in return.



Yes, but reputation is wholly subjective. The reuptation of one institution can vary even within one subsector of the job market, and, outside of the hothouse orchid industries (IB, Management strategy) sometimes it isn't even as big a factor as many suppose it to be.

If on the other hand, you're talking about the reputation of a university within academia, then that's an even more complicated issue (not least because it's not unusual for individual academics to judge a university not on its department as a whole, but the presence of a couple of research groups and individuals who are prominant in their line of work).



As long as it's not a case of me being nosey, what is the source of your emphasis on reputation?

Sadly, the offer which you quoted was from the previous year. Bath haven't updated the main undergraduate pages as the maths department have only just decided on their 2011 entry requirements. They were seriously oversubscribed for the 2010 entry year, and I think that was the main reason for the slight delay.

And fair enough. I place Bath and Nottingham on a equal level for mathematics. The courses share a lot in common, so I think you would be better off at Nottingham if you prefer the place Personally, I love Bath but I would say that, as I'm going there this year

The only other suggestion I can think of, is perhaps Exeter. The department is quite small, but Exeter is a lovely place, and not far from Bath which you were considering. The university is on the rise, with some very big plans in the future.

My primary interest is in Finance/IB BUT I want more options behind me in case I change my mind when I start studying proper degree level maths. I'm considering other areas too so I don't think it matters too much what the uni offers as I'll probably decide what to specialise in when I'm further along the path.

That makes sense, wish universities would be clearer about these things. I'm applying to unis on the basis that their information is accurate(prospectuses seem to be inaccurate but the sites are obviously likely to be most up-to-date). To clear that up; if a university's site says it's offering certain grades I expect that to be accurate so I have the best chance of getting an offer regardless of whether I'm going to firm it or not.

I have a friend who studies maths at Nottingham so I can get a good up-to-date opinion from her about the course, I visited her earlier in the year and the area is great, campus seems nice and Nottingham isn't bad either as a city centre. I only have one small gripe and that's the cost of the bowling alley but if I do go bowling I can go on student nights instead of a non-student night like I had to.

Do you know much about the city of Exeter? I have a few filters when picking based on location. I don't want to study in London because I live in that kinda area already but also not being too far(because I do love London but I want to get around) unless it's too good to pass up(back before Durham updated it's standard offer I had that as my fave because Durham is an amazing uni and the offer was too good to miss) and I don't want it in the middle of nowhere either.

One of my major problems in picking unis is I know very little about the cities the universities are in