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Which uni with a level 3 extended diploma in Computing?

Am starting a level 3 extended diploma in Sept in Computing.

Someone else asked about their realistic uni options with a Business BTEC, so I wanted to ask the same question, i.e. to do an IT/Computing degree. Which uni?

The trouble I have is with Maths. I just looked up Bath Uni and it says I could get in with D*DD plus Maths A level, or D*D*D* with an A at Maths GCSE.

I got a B in Maths GCSE, I started Maths A level, and dropped to Use of Maths which I am not really trying very hard in (I know, I know).

I guess most IT/Computing degrees are going to want Maths, aren't they?

So, should I retake my Maths GCSE (alongside the BTEC) to aim for an A? Or do you think 2 reasonable ASs in Geog and Economics might push me over that line? Assuming the Use of Maths one won't be of much help!

I know the answer is 'ask the uni' but- which ones? I don't really know what sort of IT/Computing I'll want to do- but I guess their entry will be broadly similar for any at a given uni.

Reply 1

Tiger Rag

I think you need to look at the uni course you want to do first and the look at the unis that do them. Then look at the entry requirements.

Reply 2

Deeboss

Original post by Miljee

Bro,

I was in such a bad situation when I started my BTEC in September 2014. I had a D in English, and a C in maths. To be very frank my friend. I am doing a BTEC in IT and Applied Science (Level 3 National Diploma Final Year). I am on a D*D*, alongside with my Subsidary Grades, which were also D*D*. Equivalent to 4 A* at A-level. Unis do care about Maths, and English. I re did my English and got a C.

But with you seriously I wouldn't re-take maths if you already have a B, all of the favorite unis I wanted to apply to asked for a B so you are in the safe zone bro.

FYI: I have offers from Hull, Huddersfield, Liverpool (John Moore's), and I am more than happy, to study Computer Science. If your heart tells you to re-take if you want to aim for a high university by all means do it.

However, if you think you will slack on revision with Maths, do not take any risks, because you dont want to be in a situation, where you re-sit and mess about and get a C or D with maths, it all depends on your attitude towards learning.

Good Luck On Your Journey.

Reply 3

yt7777

Original post by Miljee

I think i may have replied to one of your threads before

you should easily get offers from top unis if you are predicted D*D*D*

are you doing Use of Maths alongside your BTEC? if so, some unis will accept it instead of the standard Maths A level, it is not usually listed as an alternative because it isnt really a common qualification but a friend of mine from my old BTEC class took it and got into a uni that required an A in A level Maths alongside the BTEC, they just accepted it as an alternative, also you mentioned Bath, that friend also got an offer from there and they accepted Use of Maths as well in place of Maths A level, so if you work towards DDD+ in your BTEC + an A in Use of Maths you will have a lot of options available to you.

if you are unsure of a degree to do, I would advise you to stay away from really specialised ug courses, I would say do straight BSc Computer Science, most job applications for almost any IT, Software or the more specialised roles will still say something like 'degree in Computer Science or similar' alternatively if you dont like learning about programming, algorithms, discrete mathematics, , low level hardware i.e. the fundamentals of computer science, but prefer the more organisational, business side to IT then you could go for a degree in IT Management or ITO, however, I still stand by Computer Science being the best degree to do in this field, and dont feel like you are limited with uni choices, you will be able to get into almost anywhere (with the obvious exceptions).

These are the best (in my opinion) unis you can get into with the BTEC, where CS is Computer Science, CIT is Computing & IT, ITMB is IT Management for Business or Information Management for Business, ITO is IT in Organisations and SDB is Software Development for Business.

UCL - ITMB - DDD
Bath - CS - D*D*D*
Surrey - CIT - DDD
Manchester - ITMB - D*DD
KCL - CS - DDD
QMUL - CS - DDD
Nottingham - CS - DDD
RHUL - CS - DDD
Southampton - ITO - DDD

If you are able to do A level Maths as well you could apply to:

Oxford - CS - DDD+A*
Southampton - CS - DDM+A
Manchester - CS
Durham - CS - DDD+A
Durham - SDB - DDD+A
Surrey - CS - DDD+A
Surrey- SDB - DDD+A

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 4

YumCha

I too have replied to your other thread. In regards to what the UNIs look for, most top ones requires A in A Level maths for Computer science. There isn't a way around it. Computer science is a field derived from mathematics and makes up most of the course. The mathematics you would be mostly learning about is discrete maths at uni and it makes up about 50% of your course (at least for university of Warwick). It helps if you choose to study Decision maths at A level as this is highly regarded by the admission tutors for CompSci, though it is not a necessity. For CompSci, economics and geography is just the fillers, uni don't really focus on those grades. If say you got A* BB (A* in maths) they are more likely to accept you than if you got B A* A* (B in maths).

Even unis that accepts BTEC and ask for DDD, you are likely to get away with DMM assuming you have achieved an A in A level mathematics. Not saying you should aim for DMM of-course. My point is that maths for computer science is regarded highly, an A in maths is regarded higher than D*D*D* in BTEC computing, even an A* in A level IT. This is apparent as most university don't require you to have IT knowledge/background all they really care is that you got a strong maths background.

I would suggest that maybe instead of doing another 2 years of BTEC, finish A2 and do a foundation year at uni? There are some universities that offer foundation years (notably Southampton) for computer science. You will have to research into this yourself if you are interested as I don't know much about it. I know that it is usually £9000 a year (covered in your tuition fees). In this foundation year you are likely to learn about maths and other scientific subjects such as physics.

Finally, here are some tips to help with maths:
Maths is a subject that requires a lot of practice. If you do about 2-3 hours a day (which isn't a lot to be honest) you are very likely to achieve an A in maths. One of the biggest misconception is that you need to be a genius to do well in maths, but most mathematician will tell you that it is not that they're geniuses, it is just that they spend a lot of time on the subject. Someone with an average IQ can get an A in A level maths. I might sound naive here but it is actually quite easy to achieve an A in A level maths, all you need to do is make a commitment and stick with it. Practice, practice and practice. If you aren't doing well you probably just don't know how to study efficiently and is not that you are "dumb" or "inadequate". I would recommend the book "How to Ace Your A levels" by Anshul Raja. The book gives a lot of tips on how to revise effectively. Remember revising effectively is not about doing 6 hours of revision, it is about using the least amount of time to absorb the most amount of information, things such as regular breaks really help. If you read a whole page of text and did not understand any of it, don't carry on, take a step back and go do something fun for 10-15 min and when you come back you will think to yourself "this was so easy" "why didn't I understand this before". There are so many tips and advice out there on how to study efficiently. Oh and just an interesting fact: people who get an B in A level maths will only score an E 50 years ago, take that as you will. I'm not trying to make you feel bad I am trying to tell you that it is doable as long as you put the work into it, plain and simple.

Do what ever is best for you, spend some time finding out what is best for you, don't spend too long though cause exams are coming up! Good luck with your future.

Reply 5

Miljee

Thanks, have read your reply on my other thread too.

I appreciate the time and thought you've put into your replies! Really helpful, ta.

Reply 6

YumCha

Just would like to add additional options you might not be aware off.

You can take A level exams without having studied it in school. You will have to apply to a college that accepts external candidate and there are additional fees involved. Have you considered doing a BTEC computing that is worth 2 A levels (12 units instead of 18) and teach your self the A level maths you need and sit the exam, this might be more easier to manage and certainly more beneficial. You will have to apply pretty early to get an examination spot at these institutions though as early as September for that academic year. There are benefits for teaching yourself, for example you can learn at your own pace.
I know that some university such as Durham accepts people with DD in BTEC and A in A level maths.

Since you will be doing the BTEC for 2 years you would have plenty of time to teach yourself. Lets look at the mathematics behind it... You need to do 6 modules, each module will have about 8 chapters, each chapter will have 6 exercise set. That sums up to a total of 288 exercise set you need to do over the period of 2 years. So if you did about 1 exercise set every 2 days you would have taught yourself all you need to know. You will then just need to refresh your memory before the exam.

Doing A level maths might seem stressful now but it saves you a lot of stress when you need to apply and choose a university. You don't want to be in the situation I was in, applying to university and thinking to myself "dam I should of looked at the requirements sooner" and "I wish I have studied A levels".

Saying all that you can still go to very decent university assuming you would get the minimum of DMM. But my advice would be to aim for D*D*D* as this is easily doable. King's college accepts BTEC DDD and B in GCSE maths, Bath accepts D*D*D* and A in GCSE maths. If those are the types of university you aim for then just do the BTEC. Some other university that accepts BTEC are Royal Holloway, Kent, Essex and East Anglia and these are the type of university you are most likely to apply for if you are just doing BTEC. Universities such as Imperial, Oxbridge, Durham, Birmingham, Southampton, Warwick, Bristol (majority of the Russell group) will be out of the equation.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

Miljee

Thanks so much for your detailed reply; I'm going to take a bit of time to look it over properly, now I have a better idea of what I need to be looking at.

Reply 8

Axlerod

Original post by YumCha

Yeah best to do maths a level alongside an extended diploma in computing alongside a maths A level then he could go Oxford (unlikely tbh), Durham, bristol and Warwick for computer science. That's what I'm planning on doing anyways