Applying for Maths & faced with a gap year
University course discussion for mathematics. Use the Maths Study Help forum for help with maths questions.
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Applying for Maths & faced with a gap yearNot sure where I should put this...
Anyway: I dropped out of university at the end of my first year after realising I had chosen the wrong subject, and that I wanted to do Maths instead. I took a STEP paper in June to 'get back into the boat' and did well, and I plan on applying in September for 2013 entry. Now the problem is, I am faced with a gap year and I want to do something Maths-related with it (something that would hopefully look good on an application too - since most universities discourage gap years for maths). I will most likely do some private teaching for year 12 & 13 students, but beyond this I am quite clueless as to what I could do. I could easily enroll in a low cost university course (I don't live in the UK), but then I'm afraid British universities will wonder why I'm bothering to apply in the UK. I've also been looking around for lab-research/applied maths things but to no avail. Any ideas?
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Re: Applying for Maths & faced with a gap yearI had a look at your previous posts - did you do further maths? Because if not then it would be a good idea for you to do it. Also, if you've already done one STEP paper then some universities might ask for another one so you may need some preparation there. What were your subjects/grades and what universities are you looking at applying to?
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Re: Applying for Maths & faced with a gap yearThank you for your help. I am not from the UK - I did the French Baccalaureate and took our equivalent of Further Maths though (I got 20/20 in Maths/Further Maths, so essentially 100% - my average was 17.02/20 (main subjects were Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Natural Sciences, and Philosophy)). I am looking at Oxbridge, Imperial, Warwick, Edinburgh, UCL. Of course, I will take STEP II and III regardless of whether the universities ask for it, simply because I believe it is excellent preparation. The thing is, I am very motivated, but I want to show it by doing something interesting and worthwhile next year - and I simply can't see anything that will make universities go "ah, this student really wants this and is ready to do anything for it".(Original post by ttoby)
I had a look at your previous posts - did you do further maths? Because if not then it would be a good idea for you to do it. Also, if you've already done one STEP paper then some universities might ask for another one so you may need some preparation there. What were your subjects/grades and what universities are you looking at applying to?
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Re: Applying for Maths & faced with a gap yearI was in a similar(-ish) position this cycle; albeit our reasons for taking a gap year are very different but hopefully I can still add something useful. I had met the requirements to study at Warwick (my firm choice) last year but ended up taking a gap year and consequently re-applied to UCAS for Cambridge, Warwick, Imperial, UCL and LSE (w/ econ). From these, I received 4 unconditionals and an "S,1 in II and III" offer from Cam.(Original post by z0tx)
Thank you for your help. I am not from the UK - I did the French Baccalaureate and took our equivalent of Further Maths though (I got 20/20 in Maths/Further Maths, so essentially 100% - my average was 17.02/20 (main subjects were Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Natural Sciences, and Philosophy)). I am looking at Oxbridge, Imperial, Warwick, Edinburgh, UCL. Of course, I will take STEP II and III regardless of whether the universities ask for it, simply because I believe it is excellent preparation. The thing is, I am very motivated, but I want to show it by doing something interesting and worthwhile next year - and I simply can't see anything that will make universities go "ah, this student really wants this and is ready to do anything for it".
The impression I got from that outcome is that, although not recommended, a gap year isn't necessarily a hinderance to gaining an offer for any maths course outside Oxbridge provided that you have done two things - (1) already met the academic requirements; and (2) been able to demonstrate that you'll be keeping yourself fresh with maths via your PS (and in the case of Oxbridge, through the interview). If they feel you haven't convinced them enough that you're going to be doing maths on the gap year or simply haven't met the required academic standards in the past, it's likely that they'll expect you to take STEP and achieve suitably high grades (sometimes higher than the standard offer, as you can see from my case) or something similar to make sure you haven't gone off the boil. As far as the PS is concerned, you don't really have to do much other than reassure them that you intend to do maths this year through self studying or otherwise (being specific here is obviously helpful) and, if it applies, let them know of any time you've self-studied maths in the past.
If Oxbridge is your target, it's worth knowing that different Colleges have different views on gap years. I'd advise that you take a look around the various Colleges' websites and send a few emails to ascertain which Colleges have less of a problem with gap years well in advance of an application.
