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Maths with Physics or NatSci

MC REN

Yer that's right, you aren't doing 1 and a half degree courses - you're doing 1, like 75% of the maths (presumably, it might be closer to 67% or whatever for all I know) and then 25% of natsci

You take 75% of the maths exams and then the physics paper, but some colleges make you do 100% of the maths throughout the year (I guess it's so you don't miss out on anything if you decide to stick with maths after a year)

Reply 21

Adjective

12

I'm applying this year for Maths with Physics - Clare College. Let's see how this pans out. My interviews are on the 6th, so I'll probably be online the next day crying about it all.

Reply 22

shunter7634

9

I'll add my two cents. I applied for pure maths, got an offer, got in despite just missing it on STEP, decided to switch to maths with physics before arriving (which was fine with my DoS). By the way, only one mechanics question across two interviews (and it was the same for those doing maths with physics).
In my first term, I took all 5 courses as I was unsure which way I wanted to go. Since I was getting behind with the workload, my DoS kept pushing me for a decision. So, at the end of the first term, having not enjoyed the pure courses, I chose physics.
Honestly, I'd say maths with physics is the better option if you're sure you want to do either maths or physics. I mean, you can take a very physics-based degree in the maths tripos if you don't mind a couple of pure modules. Alternatively, the IB Physics Natsci modules are fairly mathematical in parts whilst being more contextual, and the first year maths makes the maths module very easy.
However, I know at least 2 people at my college who came with the intention of doing physics (being natscis) and are now doing Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. So you are excluding all those choices (which I sometimes wish I'd had the chance to have a go at) by choosing maths. It's a tough choice...

Reply 23

Adjective

12

The only real option I would have if I had applied for Natsci would be to take Physics, Maths, Materials, and CompSci - because I'm not doing Chemistry. I'm pretty certain I wouldn't enjoy materials science, and I'm pretty certain I would enjoy taking IA Maths as well as IA Physics. And I'd quite like to 'get ahead' with the maths so that I can get the most out of the theoretical physics options later on in the tripos.

Reply 24

Eye

I personally can not see much point in the Maths with Physics route and it looks like to me it would just lead to a more stressful admissions and first year with diminishing returns in later years. After a much more mathematically intense first year you'll be starting your second year on the same course as people who have done a lot less Maths a lot less rigourously. But then again it still probably helps more than any of the 1st year Natsci options.

I'm not very familiar with the Maths tripos but I don't know how much of a direct advantage you would get from the first year material without it being built on in the rest of the Maths tripos.

But then again this is coming from someone who probably couldn't cope with the normal Maths tripos. And if you are good enough you will probably find it more straightforward than doing other NatSci options. And people who do come from Maths with Physics do tend to dominate the top of the NatSci rankings. But they would probably have done as well if they had gone along the NatSci route.

Reply 25

shunter7634

9

Eye

I'm not very familiar with the Maths tripos but I don't know how much of a direct advantage you would get from the first year material without it being built on in the rest of the Maths tripos.

I've done everything in this term's maths course with the exception of 2 fairly small topics. And it also gives a very nice, rather broad mathematical background which can be applied at a later stage.
We also have a lot more background with vector calculus, which is useful for the first IB Physics B course.

Reply 26

TableChair

1

Adje

The only real option I would have if I had applied for Natsci would be to take Physics, Maths, Materials, and CompSci - because I'm not doing Chemistry. I'm pretty certain I wouldn't enjoy materials science, and I'm pretty certain I would enjoy taking IA Maths as well as IA Physics. And I'd quite like to 'get ahead' with the maths so that I can get the most out of the theoretical physics options later on in the tripos.

Pretty much everything I did in materials I've covered in subsequent years in physics. So I'm not sure why you don't think you'd like it.

Reply 27

KwungSun

13

TableChair

Pretty much everything I did in materials I've covered in subsequent years in physics.

In the sense that materials was a bit of a waste of time or in the sense that it provided a good basis for later physics courses?

Reply 28

TableChair

1

KwungSun

In the sense that materials was a bit of a waste of time or in the sense that it provided a good basis for later physics courses?

It's a good basis and it links in well with all the other subjects.

Oh, and it's pretty easy and the question sheets don't take very long.

Reply 29

Supermerp

2

KwungSun

In the sense that materials was a bit of a waste of time or in the sense that it provided a good basis for later physics courses?

It's a good basis. It also covers stuff that's useful if you actually end up doing any physics that involves anything to do with materials because quite a lot of that stuff isn't discussed anywhere in the physics course (anything to do with crystals, their planes, etc.)

That said, I didn't like doing Materials because (when I did it) it was pretty boring and I didn't really have a knack for it anyway. But I think they've spent quite a lot of time re-jigging the teaching since I did it.

Reply 30

TableChair

1

Supermerp

It's a good basis. It also covers stuff that's useful if you actually end up doing any physics that involves anything to do with materials because quite a lot of that stuff isn't discussed anywhere in the physics course (anything to do with crystals, their planes, etc.)

That said, I didn't like doing Materials because (when I did it) it was pretty boring and I didn't really have a knack for it anyway. But I think they've spent quite a lot of time re-jigging the teaching since I did it.