do i need to do m3 in further maths for engineering?

I've seen some Cambridge colleges recommend 3 mechanics modules, for engineering and physics, and I think I emailed oxford or cambridge to ask the same question and they also said M3 is a good advantage.

So you're not at a disadvantage, but if you lack in terms of other qualifications, M3 could make you stand out.

thanks! if i were to do M3 it'd have to be self-taught. have you done it? is it much harder than m2? i've heard m2 is quite similar in content to M1 and M1 was my best applied module (secured 99 ums) so i'm relatively confident about m2 but less so about self-teaching m3!!

having said that i'll probably just end up doing m2 d2 and s2. hopefully they won't mind too much.

thanks! if i were to do M3 it'd have to be self-taught. have you done it? is it much harder than m2? i've heard m2 is quite similar in content to M1 and M1 was my best applied module (secured 99 ums) so i'm relatively confident about m2 but less so about self-teaching m3!!

having said that i'll probably just end up doing m2 d2 and s2. hopefully they won't mind too much.

I self taught M3,M4 and M5 and would say that M3 is the longest and takes more time to learn. But it is definitely worth for engineering. Its what you may do in your first year especially M4 and M5. Your scores are fantastic so go ahead and if you have a ohysics teacher at your school he/she may be able to help you out.Otherwise post it on TSR, there are tons of benevolent members ready to help you(incld me).I scored almost the same to you in M1 and M2(99,100) and got 98 in M3 so i belive you have a great shot at it. Just remember to practice alot of past papers and dont get discouraged if you dont get full mark the first time. Keep practicing and get used to the type of question. And remember in M3 you tend to make careless mistakes so becareful. Its not the same type of carelessness that appears in other modules but its because of lack of practice. All the best !

this was so helpful, thank you! unfortunately i don't think it is within my capabilities to even attempt M4 or M5, but i'm seriously considering M3 instead of D2 or S2 next year! as long as i have good resources to help me practice (similar to the kinds i had at AS) then hopefully i will be alright.

my school doesn't offer it. for further maths A2 (this year) i'm planning on doing M2 D2 and FP2 (it's the normal combination that my school offers and teaches). am i at a disadvantage if i've only done M1 and M2? i want to apply to places like oxford and imperial for engineering, by the way.

in normal maths i'm doing C3 C4 and S2, btw. obviously

Thats what i thought first but nothing is impossible. Do you have any dream uni you wanna go to ?

currently i'm planning on applying to:
oxford
imperial
ucl
bristol
manchester

oxford's a bit of a long-shot and imperial would be the absolute dream, but i'd be immensely happy going to any of the universities i'm applying to apart from manchester (it's more of a back-up )

No. They might "recommend" that you take it but they won't disadvantage you for not taking it since it's not your fault. There are people who aren't even able to take Further Maths so comparatively, you're in a pretty good position.

You may want to consider looking through it though as practice (possibly after your A2 exams) because M3 is a lot harder than M1 and M2.

thanks. the modules i deem myself fundamentaly incapable of getting high As in are FP3, FP4, M3, M4 and M5. i'm not expecting to do well in M3 if i take it but i enjoyed M1 and have looked through the content of M2 (which i also think i'll enjoy) so maybe it's worth a shot.

what do you mean by 'after A2 exams'? wouldn't i already have done my M3 exam by then?

I thought you said that you can't take M3? I meant that if you don't take M3, after all your exams are over and the stress is gone, you can go through some stuff from M3 in your own time to make sure that your mechanics skills are up to scratch.

ah, sorry for the confusion; my school doesn't offer it but i could teach it to myself and sit the exam as a private candidate if i wanted to. i think i'll stick with M2 - hopefully it won't be too difficult and i'll go over M3 during the summer like you said. i'm already doing 4 a-levels so i might not be able to cope with M3, especially if it's as difficult as you say it is.