Original post by InnuendoI per chance happened to come across this thread, and I barely even use TSR.
I could have been a prick and just ignored your post but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE listen to me:
DO NOT PICK FURTHER MATHS. I REPEAT, DO NOT PICK FURTHER MATHS.
If you are not comfortably getting A*'s in past exam papers for GCSE maths, forget about Further Maths. Why am I saying this? I was in your position a couple of years ago, getting strong A's so I thought hey I really want to go to a top top uni to study engineering I'll work harder and just get that A*, and I'll pick Further Maths.
It ****ED ME UP
I had pretty good GCSE's, and although I'd say I'm slightly above average in maths that is definitely not enough. Don't listen to what the people on TSR who have done FM and succeeded tell you, with all due respect they are all extremely talented at maths and when they say 'it isn't that hard' they don't get that even for those who are above average at maths it is.
I ****ed up Year 12 because of that one subject, even though I studied my ass off. I then panicked and chose a very different set of subjects when re-taking Year 12 this year, but I'm not going to do great and am probably going to apply to study a science based subject anyway w/ a foundation year.
And if you still think you're some bigman who's just going to work his ass off and pull it through, you don't have to prove a point to anyone. I wanted to prove a point to my family etc. that I was smarter than they thought I was but trust me you don't need to do that ****. It's better to end up with AABb or better in A-levels by chosing subjects like 3 sciences and maths than doing further maths, doing ****, then ending up with like ACD (or worse) like I'm probably going to get).
Oh and this is my most important point: All those unis saying 'Any third subject, but we prefer further maths' or 'further maths strongly desired' etc. are chatting ****. Typical elitist scare, trying to get all the genius students to apply to their specific course.I know a guy who just did 3 sciences and maths and has an offer from Cambridge. I have many friends who got like ABB without FM but got into top courses at top London unis (like Physics at KCL). From a guy who has been through this and knows from experience the kind of kids who will be in your FM class, as well as kids who didn't do FM and are going to bigman unis TRUST ME, just choose something else and work hard instead of entering into some shoddy as f*** territory.
Why am I bothering telling you this? I mean it's not my life, right? Well man.. I guess everything happens for a reason. And bro, if I didn't tell you how it really is then I'd feel like I was doing the wrong thing. I was exactly like you man, you may not want to believe it, but I was.
Most of my friends did way worse than me in GCSEs and now they're going to finish with way better A levels and probably go to better unis. I'm not afraid to admit the truth.
Pick something else, preferably a light subject, work towards getting As then apply to top unis and see the offers come in.
tl;dr: If you aren't A* material in GCSE maths easily and comfortably, with recognition as such from teachers, don't even think about thinking about studying FM. Pick another science subject or something else instead.
It's your choice.
EDIT: Reading all of the posts, I see you've been getting some very standard and simple questions incorrect. I'm guessing you are capable at maths, otherwise you wouldn't even consider FM. However, I'm also (guessing) you go to a crap school? Crap teachers? That was the case for me, I thought maybe if I had gone to a good school I would have been stronger in maths at this age so I deserve to study a more 'prestigious' subject etc. etc. and told myself I was gonna' work my ass off in year 12. Well I did work my ass off, but it doesn't work that way. Your final exam result may say A or even A*, but you know truly how weak or strong your grounding in GCSE maths REALLY is. You don't need FM to impress anyone.
If you want, just study AS FM in year 13. I'll admit it isn't anywhere as messed up as A2 FM (I know some of the content of that too). But I strongly recommend you don't go near FM in year 12. Once again, it's your choice.