Starting to think i'm not good enough for maths...

So i've been looking around this forum for a while and finally decided to create an account. Heres a bit of background abit my grades and where i have applied:

All for Maths (4year)

Manchester
Nottingham
King's College London
Queen Mary College London
York University

My AS grades and predictions:

AAAA (Maths, Chemistry, Biology Economics)

Predicted A*A*Aa (Maths, chemistry, biology and further maths AS).

Now after a week or so looking around this forum, i feel like an idiot. It seems to me everyone has further maths to A2 (I wasn't allowed to take it due to a B grade in GCSE maths), everyone is applying to oxbridge universities, or imperial or UCL, all better universities than me. Now i'm thinking that i'm going to compete with all of these people in a few years time, and right now it just seems like they're better than me at maths, and will probably be able to cope with it more at university, which is just questioning weather i'm able to cope with mathematics at all at university.

Anyway, should i take a year out and somehow do A2 FM, or perhaps do step papers also, or should i just go with the offers i get this year? Sorry for my rant but it just seems like i'm not cut out for mathematics at degree level compared to the people at cambridge etc.

Thanks for reading.

Reply 1

ktylntn

2

Seriously, TSR is usually a poor representation of the population of a whole - I had the same feeling, everyone seemed to be so much better than me, and yet I've managed to get offers from my top 2 choices already. Your grades and predictions are really good. You've also chosen some top universities (pretty much secondary only to Oxbridge) so really, I wouldn't sweat it. If it's what you want to do go for it! If you work hard you can get a degree equal to what most other people will be getting from Cambridge anyway. :smile:

Reply 2

crocker710

14

Original post by ktylntn

Seriously, TSR is usually a poor representation of the population of a whole - I had the same feeling, everyone seemed to be so much better than me, and yet I've managed to get offers from my top 2 choices already. Your grades and predictions are really good. You've also chosen some top universities (pretty much secondary only to Oxbridge) so really, I wouldn't sweat it. If it's what you want to do go for it! If you work hard you can get a degree equal to what most other people will be getting from Cambridge anyway. :smile:

Exactly what ktylntn said; TSR provides a warped view on students abilities ... you've applied to well respected universities and have great predicted grades :smile:

Reply 3

rayore

I think you can make it, you probably are just feeling down and stressed up.Had a similar problem, was struggling with Higher Maths during the first half of the term, but now, I'm doing better than those who were far ahead of me and enjoying Higher Maths.Some have been kicked out of the class.

If you enjoy Maths and are willing and ready to work hard, you will be fine. You don't have to study at Oxbridge, Imperial or UCL to prove your brilliant, not all brilliant guys go to Oxbridge. They may get into Oxbridge and fail out.

Everyone is applying to Oxbridge and others, doesn't mean they'll get in. It's more stressful and nerve-racking at such unis.

What offers did you get this year ? Don't forget even if you take a year out and study A2 FM, it's not a guarantee you'll get into uni.

Reply 4

rayore

Original post by crocker710

Exactly what ktylntn said; TSR provides a warped view on students abilities ... you've applied to well respected universities and have great predicted grades :smile:

Spot on !

Reply 5

Simplicity

17

Original post by Whizzkid1

So i've been looking around this forum for a while and finally decided to create an account. Heres a bit of background abit my grades and where i have applied:

All for Maths (4year)

Manchester
Nottingham
King's College London
Queen Mary College London
York University

My AS grades and predictions:

AAAA (Maths, Chemistry, Biology Economics)

Predicted A*A*Aa (Maths, chemistry, biology and further maths AS).

Now after a week or so looking around this forum, i feel like an idiot. It seems to me everyone has further maths to A2 (I wasn't allowed to take it due to a B grade in GCSE maths), everyone is applying to oxbridge universities, or imperial or UCL, all better universities than me. Now i'm thinking that i'm going to compete with all of these people in a few years time, and right now it just seems like they're better than me at maths, and will probably be able to cope with it more at university, which is just questioning weather i'm able to cope with mathematics at all at university.

Anyway, should i take a year out and somehow do A2 FM, or perhaps do step papers also, or should i just go with the offers i get this year? Sorry for my rant but it just seems like i'm not cut out for mathematics at degree level compared to the people at cambridge etc.

Thanks for reading.

Come to Manchester. It's the best uni on that list. London is crap and KCL is overrated with a crappy department in Maths.

Lol, FM is irrelevant. At Manchester uni it was like the first week of one course, the other three courses I studied was totally diferent to anything I've done before(I did do full FM A level). Literally, the only advantage A2 Further Maths is in the first two weeks.

Mathematics is not that hard. Also, degree level and A levels is vastly different. So in a sense the autistic kid who is good at STEP and A level fancy stuff might not be good at degree level Maths. Vice versa someone who sucked at A level stuff might be a god at the higher level Maths.

In third/fourth year being able to understand definitions and work through proofs is probably all you need to get a first. Trust me it's not that hard.

Certainly, first year is easy so don't worry. It's actually really fun see the term 1 we had a course called sets, numbers and function. The point of sets, numbers and functions is to prove that there are more than 1 infinity. The point of first year Maths is to get students used to proving stuff. The tricky thing about first year is getting used to proofs and that won't take that long.

P.S. Don't worry. Also, don't judge yourself by people on here. Trust me degree level is so different that it's impossible to judge your talent at Maths. Personally, I feel will power and not giving up is more important in the long run.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

Computerised

The unis you applied to are still all great so dont feel like a faliure. But yeah they arent top like Imperial/UCL/Oxbridge

Reply 7

Computerised

Original post by Simplicity

Come to Manchester. It's the best uni on that list. London is crap and KCL is overrated with a crappy department in Maths.

Lol, FM is irrelevant. At Manchester uni it was like the first week of one course, the other three courses I studied was totally diferent to anything I've done before(I did do full FM A level). Literally, the only advantage A2 Further Maths is in the first two weeks.

Mathematics is not that hard. Also, degree level and A levels is vastly different. So in a sense the autistic kid who is good at STEP and A level fancy stuff might not be good at degree level Maths. Vice versa someone who sucked at A level stuff might be a god at the higher level Maths.

In third/fourth year being able to understand definitions and work through proofs is probably all you need to get a first. Trust me it's not that hard.

P.S. Don't worry. Also, don't judge yourself by people on here. Trust me degree level is so different that it's impossible to judge your talent at Maths. Personally, I feel will power and not giving up is more important in the long run.

Never been to Manchester so can't comment on whether it's beter than London

and lol why pick on the autistic kid?

Reply 8

kerily

15

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said: Oxbridge, UCL and ICL are not the only universities in the world that are good (in fact, if you don't like London and you don't fancy the pressured Oxbridge environment, they'd be an awful choice :tongue:

) and your grades and ability are fine :smile:

TSR is a scary, scary place academically, which is totally non-representative of ordinary life and ordinary applicants. I liked and used it originally because it gave me a view into an academic environment which was totally different to the one I saw at school - it's nothing like actual real life, which is why I found it useful. Don't compare yourself to people on here, because half of them are lying and the other half are relatively anomalous in terms of ability. At the end of the day, in my book, even going to university is an achievement in itself, and any improvement on that is something to be exceptionally proud of indeed.

Original post by Simplicity

So in a sense the autistic kid who is good at STEP and A level fancy stuff might not be good at degree level Maths.

Reply 9

MrShifty

9

Original post by Simplicity

Come to Manchester. It's the best uni on that list. London is crap and KCL is overrated with a crappy department in Maths.

What exactly do you actually know about KCL, or any of the other departments listed for that matter - never mind the content or quality of their degrees?

So in a sense the autistic kid who is good at STEP and A level fancy stuff might not be good at degree level Maths

Plumbing new depths of stupidity for Chistmas, I see.

OP: I doubt it really needs to be said, but don't pay too much attention to Simplicity. The universities you list are all excellent institutions, with little to really differentiate between them in any meaningful way.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 10

davros

16

Original post by Whizzkid1

So i've been looking around this forum for a while and finally decided to create an account. Heres a bit of background abit my grades and where i have applied:

All for Maths (4year)

Manchester
Nottingham
King's College London
Queen Mary College London
York University

All perfectly respectable Unis! Choose the course / location that suits you, don't judge yourself against other people's ambitions and abilities. Oxbridge is an incredibly stressful environment and doesn't suit everyone.

Good luck :smile:

Reply 11

najinaji

18

You got a B at GCSE and are now planning to read Maths at university? You make me feel a lot better, OP.

Reply 12

james22

16

Was there a good reason for the B at GCSE? I don't want to sound harsh but if you are considering taking maths further a B at GCSE is very bad.

Reply 13

Whizzkid1

OP

Original post by james22

Was there a good reason for the B at GCSE? I don't want to sound harsh but if you are considering taking maths further a B at GCSE is very bad.

Nope, no good reason, was predicted an A* in almost every subject, got lazy and then i didn't get the A*s :smile:

.

Why would GCSEs be relevant?

Thank you for everyone who responded.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 14

funkydee

7

Original post by ktylntn

Seriously, TSR is usually a poor representation of the population of a whole - I had the same feeling, everyone seemed to be so much better than me, and yet I've managed to get offers from my top 2 choices already. Your grades and predictions are really good. You've also chosen some top universities (pretty much secondary only to Oxbridge) so really, I wouldn't sweat it. If it's what you want to do go for it! If you work hard you can get a degree equal to what most other people will be getting from Cambridge anyway. :smile:

You had the same feeling as the OP even though you have amazing academics?

Spoiler

Reply 15

Ree69

14

I feel a bit out of place here but I'm going to go against what everyone has said above.

If you're really concerned of the prestige/reputation of the university then I suppose all you can do is take a gap year and reapply. Everyone has already said the universities you've applied to are indeed very good - but it seems you don't feel they're good enough, otherwise you wouldn't have started this thread?

To be honest, the difference between say, Nottingham and Imperial is subjective and will perhaps seem larger to some than others. A lot of people hate London though, just sayin' :rolleyes:

. But I mean, if it really matters to you then go for it.

A few things to bear in mind if you do decide to do this:

•

Be cautious. Wait till results day. If you get grades that are considerably lower than what you were predicted then a reapplication may not be such a good idea after all. It probably wouldn't be worth it if you got below A*AAa (A* in Maths).

•

Even if you do get the (predicted) grades, you're not guaranteed entry for one of the universities you applied to for 2013 entry. You could get very unlucky and Nottingham, for example, may decide that they want A2 FM. In which case your application may be no stronger than others a year below you with A2 FM. Although, generally, I would have to say that if you do meet your predicted grades - you'd be very likely of receiving an unconditional offer for 2013 entry from one of those universities.

•

Do some research on some of the universities you'd like to perhaps apply for. You may find out that some universities (and this can be quite common when applying for maths) are very reluctant to take in applicants on a gap year. To be honest, I think this is the case for about 90% of Oxbridge colleges. But you'll find exceptions - I think Queens' College Cambridge, for example, actually prefer applicants who take a gap year :s-smilie: .

•

Conside taking a STEP paper this year (in June). A good grade in STEP I or II (or both) can make your application for the following cycle very strong indeed. Having said that, a poor grade could work against you.

Original post by Simplicity

So in a sense the autistic kid who is good at STEP and A level fancy stuff might not be good at degree level Maths.

Well...no. People who do well in STEP are generally good at degree level mathematics.

Reply 16

Simplicity

17

Original post by MrShifty

What exactly do you actually know about KCL, or any of the other departments listed for that matter - never mind the content or quality of their degrees?

Plumbing new depths of stupidity for Chistmas, I see.

OP: I doubt it really needs to be said, but don't pay too much attention to Simplicity. The universities you list are all excellent institutions, with little to really differentiate between them in any meaningful way.

Well, KCL is in london. Have you lived in london? It's the worst place ever. Plus it's like 1.5x more expensive than everywhere else.

Also, I don't see how STEP guarantee success at Degree level. What on STEP do you really do in uni Maths?

Reply 17

MrShifty

9

Original post by Simplicity

Well, KCL is in london. Have you lived in london? It's the worst place ever. Plus it's like 1.5x more expensive than everywhere else.

Stick to the position you've established. According to you, King's has a "crappy" department: justify.

Also, I don't see how STEP guarantee success at Degree level. What on STEP do you really do in uni Maths?

It wasn't really the credibility of STEP being called into question that was so objectionable :rolleyes:

Reply 18

Whizzkid1

OP

Original post by Ree69

I feel a bit out of place here but I'm going to go against what everyone has said above.

If you're really concerned of the prestige/reputation of the university then I suppose all you can do is take a gap year and reapply. Everyone has already said the universities you've applied to are indeed very good - but it seems you don't feel they're good enough, otherwise you wouldn't have started this thread?

To be honest, the difference between say, Nottingham and Imperial is subjective and will perhaps seem larger to some than others. A lot of people hate London though, just sayin' :rolleyes:

. But I mean, if it really matters to you then go for it.

A few things to bear in mind if you do decide to do this:

•

Be cautious. Wait till results day. If you get grades that are considerably lower than what you were predicted then a reapplication may not be such a good idea after all. It probably wouldn't be worth it if you got below A*AAa (A* in Maths).

•

Even if you do get the (predicted) grades, you're not guaranteed entry for one of the universities you applied to for 2013 entry. You could get very unlucky and Nottingham, for example, may decide that they want A2 FM. In which case your application may be no stronger than others a year below you with A2 FM. Although, generally, I would have to say that if you do meet your predicted grades - you'd be very likely of receiving an unconditional offer for 2013 entry from one of those universities.

•

Do some research on some of the universities you'd like to perhaps apply for. You may find out that some universities (and this can be quite common when applying for maths) are very reluctant to take in applicants on a gap year. To be honest, I think this is the case for about 90% of Oxbridge colleges. But you'll find exceptions - I think Queens' College Cambridge, for example, actually prefer applicants who take a gap year :s-smilie: .

•

Conside taking a STEP paper this year (in June). A good grade in STEP I or II (or both) can make your application for the following cycle very strong indeed. Having said that, a poor grade could work against you.

Well...no. People who do well in STEP are generally good at degree level mathematics.

To be honest, I wouldn't really want to go to oxbridge, the only university that is not on my list that I do want to go to is UCL, or perhaps imperial. The main reason for that being it has good links to the industry for investment banking and that's a possible career choice for me (though not sure).