uni for A*AA

I would strike Nottingham off of the list - They said at their Open Days this year that AAA was not high enough so that they required demonstrations of additional mathematical capability through either an A* in Maths, A in Further Maths or STEP.

Reply 3

mr j man

Original post by zakparker

I got A* - psychology A - maths A - biology.

With my grades was looking at KCL, nottingham, southampton, newcastle.
Was wondering what other universities are the best for maths degree with my entry requirments.

Thanks in advance.

What about Leeds?

Reply 4

glug

4

Original post by zakparker

I got A* - psychology A - maths A - biology.

With my grades was looking at KCL, nottingham, southampton, newcastle.
Was wondering what other universities are the best for maths degree with my entry requirments.

Thanks in advance.

Sheffield and Leeds are both fairly good unis, and don't need the A* in maths just A, have a look. plus you already fulfil their requirements of AAB

Reply 5

OP

Ive made my mind up about 3 out of the 5 choices. But am finding it difficult to decide on last two out of unis such as newcastle, st andrews, leeds, sheffield, cardiff, edinburgh. Any opinions of the above appreciated, ............... dunno which 2 rrrrrrrrrrrrr????????

cheers for the help

Reply 6

OP

maybe even exeter aswell...... confused haha

Reply 7

With those grades I'd be going for Oxford son. And then four other really good ones. What have you got to lose? Best wishes.

Reply 8

OP

wish it was that easy haha oxford requirements are higher :P

Reply 9

Original post by Eboracum

With those grades I'd be going for Oxford son. And then four other really good ones. What have you got to lose? Best wishes.

Oxford's standard offer for Mathematics is A*A*A with the A* grades in Maths and Further Maths. The second A* for Further Maths can be omitted if the applicant didn't go to a sixth form which offered the subject but an A* in Maths is mandatory whatever the offer.

Reply 10

OP

plz any help appreciated best unis for maths out of the above list :smile:

Reply 11

glug

4

Original post by zakparker

plz any help appreciated best unis for maths out of the above list :smile:

St Andrews has a top reputation with employers etc, however your grades are on the lower end of the applications they receive [my friend who got A*A*A A*s in maths and further maths says that his grades are fairly average on his course] but still you fulfill their min requirements, maybe with your personal statement you could potentially get an offer. Think about it though, as it could be risky.

Good luck!

Reply 12

Original post by DJMayes

Oxford's standard offer for Mathematics is A*A*A with the A* grades in Maths and Further Maths. The second A* for Further Maths can be omitted if the applicant didn't go to a sixth form which offered the subject but an A* in Maths is mandatory whatever the offer.

Blimey. Standards are very high. I assumed AAA gave you a chance at Oxford. Aren't they interested in the more rounded candidate though? So somebody going in with AAA and a host of other things would be more likely?

Reply 13

Original post by Eboracum

Blimey. Standards are very high. I assumed AAA gave you a chance at Oxford. Aren't they interested in the more rounded candidate though? So somebody going in with AAA and a host of other things would be more likely?

I think they give out AAA offers for humanities and music, but science courses require A*AA and Maths is an A*A*A offer. Being well-rounded is never a hindrance but remember this is Maths, the subject where extra-curriculars are least important, especially if they come at the expense of mathematical achievement itself.

Reply 14

Original post by DJMayes

I think they give out AAA offers for humanities and music, but science courses require A*AA and Maths is an A*A*A offer. Being well-rounded is never a hindrance but remember this is Maths, the subject where extra-curriculars are least important, especially if they come at the expense of mathematical achievement itself.

Ok! I'm glad my subject isn't Maths haha!

Would you say it is harder to get an A* in Maths than say a subject where you write essays like Politics or is it easier? I got an A in Politics and missed the A* by two marks!

Trinity College, Cambridge is the best for Maths if I am correct? What would you need to go there then, perhaps four A*s?

Reply 15

Original post by Eboracum

Ok! I'm glad my subject isn't Maths haha!

Would you say it is harder to get an A* in Maths than say a subject where you write essays like Politics or is it easier? I got an A in Politics and missed the A* by two marks!

Trinity College, Cambridge is the best for Maths if I am correct? What would you need to go there then, perhaps four A*s?

Probably down to personal opinion - A Maths exam is completely objective when it comes to marking though which tips the scales in my opinion.

As for Maths, Cambridge is concerned the best. Trinity College has a reputation for the subject and takes in far more Maths students than other colleges but has the same offer. Speaking of which, the offer is A*AA with Grade 1 in STEP II and STEP III, which is far more difficult than the extra A* at A Level.

Reply 16

Original post by DJMayes

Probably down to personal opinion - A Maths exam is completely objective when it comes to marking though which tips the scales in my opinion.

As for Maths, Cambridge is concerned the best. Trinity College has a reputation for the subject and takes in far more Maths students than other colleges but has the same offer. Speaking of which, the offer is A*AA with Grade 1 in STEP II and STEP III, which is far more difficult than the extra A* at A Level.

Hmm, so you would say that Maths is tougher than a subject where you have to write an essay giving at least a mild opinion. I'm not sure about this. I've heard it said that you can get 100% in a Maths A Level exam, but you will rarely see 100% in an exam where you have to write an essay, so maybe it's a tad harder. That said I got 100% in one of my Politics A Level papers and my brother did for English, so perhaps that throws that one out of the window! :colondollar:

I am a bit confused. What is Step 2 and Step 3? Are there certain parts of the A Level you have to do well in, or are they extra courses you have to do for Cambridge?

Reply 17

tdawe

11

Original post by Eboracum

Hmm, so you would say that Maths is tougher than a subject where you have to write an essay giving at least a mild opinion. I'm not sure about this. I've heard it said that you can get 100% in a Maths A Level exam, but you will rarely see 100% in an exam where you have to write an essay, so maybe it's a tad harder. That said I got 100% in one of my Politics A Level papers and my brother did for English, so perhaps that throws that one out of the window! :colondollar:

I am a bit confused. What is Step 2 and Step 3? Are there certain parts of the A Level you have to do well in, or are they extra courses you have to do for Cambridge?

They are another Mathematics exam based upon A Level Maths and Further Maths content. Many universities use it as additional criteria for giving out offers for Mathematics.

Reply 18

wrexhamfc

11

Original post by Eboracum

Hmm, so you would say that Maths is tougher than a subject where you have to write an essay giving at least a mild opinion. I'm not sure about this. I've heard it said that you can get 100% in a Maths A Level exam, but you will rarely see 100% in an exam where you have to write an essay, so maybe it's a tad harder. That said I got 100% in one of my Politics A Level papers and my brother did for English, so perhaps that throws that one out of the window! :colondollar:

I am a bit confused. What is Step 2 and Step 3? Are there certain parts of the A Level you have to do well in, or are they extra courses you have to do for Cambridge?

I'd definitely say that A*s in Maths are more attainable than in Humanities subjects. Maths exams are very rigid and formulaic in structure.
STEP are extra maths exams that are required as part of offers from a lot of the top universities, so they're very competitive. STEP exams are normally sat at the end of Year 13 so they're usually included in conditional offers (as such, Maths courses make more offers than other courses would because STEP culls a large percentage of offer holders). I don't know much about their format, but I do know they're rock-solid.

Reply 19