Do i need to do further maths to get into cambridge physical nat sci

Hi, second year cambridge natsci here
A level maths is definitely sufficient. Many many people did not do further maths, particularly the bio natscis. but if you're aiming to do phys natsci as I assume from your subjects they would probably want to know why you didn't also do further maths if it was an option at your school

yeah the main reason was that i didnt get a 9 in maths, only getting an 8 (2 off a 9 🥲), so they didnt let me take it : (

That's crazy! My school lets anyone with grade 8 or 9 take A level Further Maths.

yeah i was gutted

if you dont mind me asking, do you think as further maths would be of any help? (as in helping to get into physical nat sci)

AS Further Maths is much easier than Year 2 Maths in my opinion. Our school did Year 1 and Year 2 of A level Maths in Year 12 and now we are doing Further Maths in its entirety in Year 13. It felt much easier when we started the stuff in Year 13 so I think it's doable but rather than pursuing a formal qualification where I don't think you will get that much credit for it, I would probably self-teach the content to yourself and it's a talking point on your personal statement. I would recommend looking at FM1 and FM2 modules (the mechanics modules). I think you'll find there is a massive overlap with A level Physics and there's a bit more stuff I think.

But if you get an interview, a talking point will definitely be about whether Further Maths is available at your school and if so, why you didn't take it.

ok thank you sm

No problem! Also, this is something I didn't know at the time of applying. After you apply to Cambridge and you have done the admissions test, there is a shorter supplementary application questionnaire that you can fill in. It offers you 1200 characters to add to your personal statement (but your personal statement and this questionnaire will be viewed separately) so when the time comes to writing your personal statement, I would break down what achievements you want to mention where. The supplementary questionnaire is also an opportunity for you to talk about why you applied to Cambridge since it;s only viewed by the Cambridge admissions tutors. Search up Cambridge undergrad SAQ and see what comes up.

Just to add that I think they've changed it's name now to My Cambridge Application. I assume most of the SAQ stuff is still relevant but just in case you're looking for more recent information.

Yeah it's called the My Cambridge Application when I did it this year but I remember it as the SAQ because that's what my school called it and loads of people on YouTube called it when I was doing some research for it while I was writing it with the deadline fast approaching.