[oxygenmatters]

Right. Not sure if im even posting in the right place but as the title says i am in a bit of a pickle university wise. I got my alevel results this year, 3a*'s and 1a but I didnt apply to university because despite my predicted grades, I dont have a maths gcse so I decided to apply post results so I could hopefully retake.

But. Due to my crippling fear of maths (and dyscalculia) I STILL havent retaken it but spun a tale to my school last year which made them forget about it and hail me as one of the clever kids* This leaves me in an awkward position as all my teachers feel I have Oxbridge potential and are banging on at me to apply for 2013 entry.. BUT CAN I ADD UP THOUGH. lol okay fair enough id want to do an arts degree that wouldnt require any maths and I have pretty much all 'A' grades in everything else at GCSE.

So basically, as I am on a gap year should I end up taking 2 years off so I can bite the bullet and have an achieved maths grade on my UCAS? or should I just go for it anyway this year but with a pathetic 'pending' grade. And will that significantly lower my chances? i.e will admissions tutors laugh their arses off?

BTW Feel free to cheer me up with any 'I know someone who got into cambridge with 2 GCSES' stories

P.S I shall not reveal my alevels for fear of ridicule or 'how the hell did you manage that'

*P.P.S I went/go to a state school if it matters..

P.P.P.S hi

P.P.P.P.S okay sorry im going now.

[BJack]

(Original post by oxygenmatters)
x

You need a maths GCSE to get on in life, not just to get into university. A crippling fear of maths is not a good starting point but a good teacher should be able to help you get over that and get you to the point where you can at least pass. Your best bet in this case would be to contact the relevant department and ask them if there is a precedent for students in a similar situation to you.

P.S. what were your A levels? Not something like physics, surely?
P.P.S. no
P.P.P.S.

[Mellete]

(Original post by BJack)
You need a maths GCSE to get on in life, not just to get into university.

That seems a tad OTT. People with dyscalculia won't necessarily fail at life. Some of the content of GCSE may certainly be very helpful, but then circle theorems and similar pure geometry isn't necessary at all.

I would go for it anyway, I don't even particularly see the need if you're applying for a wholly unrelated course. University isn't a workplace, it's a place to do the subject you love.

[lp386]

(Original post by oxygenmatters)
Right. Not sure if im even posting in the right place but as the title says i am in a bit of a pickle university wise. I got my alevel results this year, 3a*'s and 1a but I didnt apply to university because despite my predicted grades, I dont have a maths gcse so I decided to apply post results so I could hopefully retake.

But. Due to my crippling fear of maths (and dyscalculia) I STILL havent retaken it but spun a tale to my school last year which made them forget about it and hail me as one of the clever kids* This leaves me in an awkward position as all my teachers feel I have Oxbridge potential and are banging on at me to apply for 2013 entry.. BUT CAN I ADD UP THOUGH. lol okay fair enough id want to do an arts degree that wouldnt require any maths and I have pretty much all 'A' grades in everything else at GCSE.

So basically, as I am on a gap year should I end up taking 2 years off so I can bite the bullet and have an achieved maths grade on my UCAS? or should I just go for it anyway this year but with a pathetic 'pending' grade. And will that significantly lower my chances? i.e will admissions tutors laugh their arses off?

BTW Feel free to cheer me up with any 'I know someone who got into cambridge with 2 GCSES' stories

P.S I shall not reveal my alevels for fear of ridicule or 'how the hell did you manage that'

*P.P.S I went/go to a state school if it matters..

P.P.P.S hi

P.P.P.P.S okay sorry im going now.

Ack. Difficult to say - I thought there was a requirement to have at least GCSE maths and English to C grade for Cambridge, but I can find no evidence on the Google machine. The best thing you can do is pick a college or a few colleges at Oxford and/or Cambridge that you might want to apply to, and then email them asking about your particular circumstances, making sure to mention that you've been diagnosed with dyscalculia. They'll be able to give you a much better idea of whether this will be a constraint and if you'll need to retake.

I'd go for it this year rather than next, since if it's a problem they'll make it a conditional part of the offer e.g. A*AA and a C at maths GCSE. If they're aware of your circumstances you shouldn't need to wait another year.

[around]

(Original post by Mellete)
That seems a tad OTT. People with dyscalculia won't necessarily fail at life. Some of the content of GCSE may certainly be very helpful, but then circle theorems and similar pure geometry isn't necessary at all.

Will you ever use circle theorems to calculate your change at the supermarket? No.

Will it make you an undeniably better person? Yes.

[Mellete]

Angle-chasing should be made into a sport.

[Derek_the_Sheep]

(Original post by Mellete)
Angle-chasing should be made into a sport.

Angles used to be quite vigorously pursued north of the Rhine in Roman times, I believe. After they moved to the UK, the Saxons and then the Normans carried on this great traditional sport of Angle-chasing. How times have changed! You can find hardly any to chase now, even in Wales.

[around]

(Original post by Derek_the_Sheep)
Angles used to be quite vigorously pursued in Roman times, I believe. After they moved to the UK, the Saxons and then the Normans carried on this great traditional sport of Angle-chasing. How times have changed! You can find hardly any to chase now, even in Wales.

non angli sed angeli

[Babs12123]

No one is really going to be able to give you an answer to this... It's a pretty unique situation!
I thought pretty much all Russell Group universities (and probably others) asked for at least a B in Maths and English. However it would be best for you to call or email the admissions office given that you do have very good A level grades and extenuating circumstances with your dyscalculia.
Also, be sure to do something productive with your gap year. Universities won't look too kindly on taking a year out to do nothing

[lizz-ie]

(Original post by oxygenmatters)
Right. Not sure if im even posting in the right place but as the title says i am in a bit of a pickle university wise. I got my alevel results this year, 3a*'s and 1a but I didnt apply to university because despite my predicted grades, I dont have a maths gcse so I decided to apply post results so I could hopefully retake.

But. Due to my crippling fear of maths (and dyscalculia) I STILL havent retaken it but spun a tale to my school last year which made them forget about it and hail me as one of the clever kids* This leaves me in an awkward position as all my teachers feel I have Oxbridge potential and are banging on at me to apply for 2013 entry.. BUT CAN I ADD UP THOUGH. lol okay fair enough id want to do an arts degree that wouldnt require any maths and I have pretty much all 'A' grades in everything else at GCSE.

So basically, as I am on a gap year should I end up taking 2 years off so I can bite the bullet and have an achieved maths grade on my UCAS? or should I just go for it anyway this year but with a pathetic 'pending' grade. And will that significantly lower my chances? i.e will admissions tutors laugh their arses off?

BTW Feel free to cheer me up with any 'I know someone who got into cambridge with 2 GCSES' stories

P.S I shall not reveal my alevels for fear of ridicule or 'how the hell did you manage that'

*P.P.S I went/go to a state school if it matters..

P.P.P.S hi

P.P.P.P.S okay sorry im going now.

Okay, apply for 2013 entry and do a maths GCSE this year. Do something productive like work experience or something this year, and buy a mathswatch CD-Rom. That was my bible for maths GCSE. Good Luck!


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[nulli tertius]

(Original post by around)
non angli sed angeli

Which according to Sellar and Yeatman translates as

Not Angels but Anglicans

[nulli tertius]

(Original post by oxygenmatters)
Right. Not sure if im even posting in the right place but as the title says i am in a bit of a pickle university wise. I got my alevel results this year, 3a*'s and 1a but I didnt apply to university because despite my predicted grades, I dont have a maths gcse so I decided to apply post results so I could hopefully retake.

But. Due to my crippling fear of maths (and dyscalculia) I STILL havent retaken it but spun a tale to my school last year which made them forget about it and hail me as one of the clever kids* This leaves me in an awkward position as all my teachers feel I have Oxbridge potential and are banging on at me to apply for 2013 entry.. BUT CAN I ADD UP THOUGH. lol okay fair enough id want to do an arts degree that wouldnt require any maths and I have pretty much all 'A' grades in everything else at GCSE.

So basically, as I am on a gap year should I end up taking 2 years off so I can bite the bullet and have an achieved maths grade on my UCAS? or should I just go for it anyway this year but with a pathetic 'pending' grade. And will that significantly lower my chances? i.e will admissions tutors laugh their arses off?

BTW Feel free to cheer me up with any 'I know someone who got into cambridge with 2 GCSES' stories

P.S I shall not reveal my alevels for fear of ridicule or 'how the hell did you manage that'

*P.P.S I went/go to a state school if it matters..

P.P.P.S hi

P.P.P.P.S okay sorry im going now.

Cambridge has abolished any formal matriculation requirements.

Oxford has never required GCSE maths.

In order to be matriculated as student members candidates must show evidence of an appropriate educational background and good standards of literacy and numeracy.

GCSE passes at grade C and above in English Language, in a Mathematics or Science Subject, and in a language other than English and at least two A-level passes (or the equivalent in AS levels or a mixture of A and AS levels) would normally satisfy these requirements, as would an appropriate level of attainment in other qualifications such as Scottish Highers, the Irish Leaving Certificate, BTEC National Certificate, an Open University Foundation Course Credit, the European and International Baccalaureates, and degrees of other universities.

This dates back to the School Certificate (before O levels) where a pass could be achieved by offering either maths or a science subject.

[chai wallah]

YOU DON'T NEED MATHS! You can work on coping with dyscalculia in the rest of your life, you don't have to do it now. If you spend a year working on Maths GCSE, something you hate, even though you know it's valuable, that's not great prep for your arts/humanities degree. Focus on what is actually important to you, that's what's setting you up best for a great degree.

(and if doing this IS really important to you, then do that, but it doesn't sound much like it is right now!)

[Monstersandmen]

Foundation maths is pretty strait forwards, get that c and you'll be fine.

You'd be amazed how many jobs require a C in maths.