i URGENTLY require mechanical engineering addmissions advice

i currently do bio,chem, maths but am looking to apply for mechanical engineering. i was wondering if I am at a huge disadvantage for not taking physics as many univeristies specifically state that you require maths and physics. Ive always found maths enjoyable with chem and bio more interesting, but I feel a career with more maths is much more suited to me.

I technically have until January to apply, but the school I go to have had a strict deadline for the end of November and I therefore need some advice in the next week.

Help.

well, option A it is I guess

As above, it depends on the course requirements; in theory a course that doesn't require A-level Physics (e.g. Exeter) won't disadvantage you as far as admissions go. It may well be helpful to have taken it on such a course though (at Exeter the first year mechanics lecturer assumed people had taken it, but the material was still pitched at a level such that it was to be taught ab initio; as a result, it was very easy for those who had done A-level Physics, and sort of averagely difficult otherwise).

Generally speaking though if you only look at universities offering mechanical engineering that don't require A-level Physics, and do not look at those offering foundation years, you are going to be somewhat limited in the range of universities you can apply for. You will also keep yourself out of consideration for several quite well regarded engineering programmes by doing so. I would recommend you broaden your choice of university options by looking at courses that offer a foundation year for their engineering (including mechanical) courses - such as Southampton, Manchester, or Birmingham, among others.

In such a course you will sit a preliminary year 0 where you cover any material you haven't done in A-level (such as relevant physics content) before moving into the first year of the main course and hence as any other student. These courses are designed for those who haven't taken some or any of the required prerequisite courses in A-levels. However do be aware some only consider applicants without any of the relevant subjects, so do check the entry criteria and eligibility for those. Most will probably look favourably on an applicant who has taken and done well in A-level Maths already though, as an indicator of likely success on the foundation year and hence degree.

original person was me (MadyanC1)

I'm not really interested in a foundation year, my local uni is UOB and they require only maths so that's a good thing I guess.

I really wouldn't mind catching up on the physics, even in my own time, I feel the mechanics modules in maths will allow me to get through this especially since I've always found maths enjoyable, but didn't choose physics due to the theory being less interesting as a whole compared to biology,

Do you think that if I put on my personal statement that I have been self teaching some of the physics topics, specifically those that are directly related to the degree, will increase my chance of getting accepted at unis not requiring physics.

No, I don't think writing about studying those topics will really make a difference. If they require A-level Physics, that won't satisfy that requirement, and if they don't, it won't make a difference.

Is there a reason you are disregarding a foundation year, despite being pretty much the exact student they are designed for?

How about with universities that require maths and say that physics is also preferred/beneficial but not required?

I don't really want to take an extra year when I genuinely feel I can do well without the foundation year.

I'm just really confused on what to do, I've accepted that i'm unable to even apply to most top unis, but at the same time, I wouldn't mind if I didn't get in if I was accepted by UOB

I don't know which university "UOB" refers to, since there are multiple universities in the UK with that acronym; off the top of my head, Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bolton, and Bournemouth...

That aside, I would caution you to beware the Dunning-Kruger effect. At the very least you should accept that you will not be able to be successful on a course which requires A-level Physics if you have not taken it. You may be successful on one that does not require it, however, of course. Incidentally I'm not aware of any courses that "prefer" A-level Physics but don't require it, offhand. As someone who was let onto a course without the required prerequisites, and struggled greatly because of it, it is not worth it. Do whatever you can to give yourself as strong a background as possible for the degree you want to be doing now.

The "extra" year is as much if not less time than you would need to take if you decided you did need A-level Physics in the end and took a gap year (or two) to take it. It's also much cheaper, and you will spend an entire year as a member of your university (often, though not always, on campus) becoming familiar with the new environment, so you are already well situated by the time you begin in the first year of the degree. Additionally, as above, it will set you up to do well in the rest of the degree course - getting into a degree programme is just the first step, and the degree is not worth a lot if you get a 3rd in the end.

Sorry, I was so used to calling it UOB where I live that I forget it can be an entirely different uni for others, I was referring to Birmingham.

While you meet the requirements of that university, your options are otherwise severely limited. Hence, you should consider applying to foundation year courses along with that one, as there is no guarantee you will get an offer (or if you do, achieve that offer) from Birmingham. Putting ones eggs all in one basket is usually inadvisable.

original person was me (MadyanC1)

I'm not really interested in a foundation year, my local uni is UOB and they require only maths so that's a good thing I guess.

I really wouldn't mind catching up on the physics, even in my own time, I feel the mechanics modules in maths will allow me to get through this especially since I've always found maths enjoyable, but didn't choose physics due to the theory being less interesting as a whole compared to biology,

Do you think that if I put on my personal statement that I have been self teaching some of the physics topics, specifically those that are directly related to the degree, will increase my chance of getting accepted at unis not requiring physics.

The thing that jumps out here is you prefer biology over physics, the nit-picky bits of physics are worse in an engineering degree...
Fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, propulsion systems, control systems etc. will feel very pure sciencey its a lot of maths.

If u prefer bio then i cant imagine you will enjoy solving the navier-stokes equations or understanding the math manipulations in different CFD turbulence schemes.

Can i ask why mechanical engineering over say Biological sciences?

yes i completely agree, i know of a few other universities higher ranked than birmingham that I can apply for.

i was thinking of applying for optometry too with mechanical at Birmingham as a 5th choice, but i wouldn't be applying to birmingham for optometry so i don't think that would necessarily work.

In regards to the foundation year, I've have always seen that if you want to do one, youo need to have achieved a maximum grade of x and usually not do more than one of the sciences.