Brighton/Reading Uni - Can I get in with my A-levels? Maths?

GregM

I've known I wanted to go into IT/Computers since as long as I can remember.

I'm currently in year 12 studying:

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Biology (Predicted B)

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Geography (Predicted B)

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Business Studies (Predicted A)

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Product Design (Predicted A) - may drop for a2

Can I study CS with these a-levels? It seems everyone applying is usually studying physics/maths etc. etc. I'm OK with maths, I would have got higher than at B at GCSE but unfortunately at GCSE level I was a bad student in general and didn't put much effort in...(regret it a lot).

Also, are Brighton and Reading good universities for CS? They both only require maths at GCSE level.

I also have some programming knowledge already (web development) and am currently learning Python.

Reply 1

VannR

As far as I know (since I am also going for CS at University), Mathematics is a required subject to be accepted onto a Computer Science course. I have looked at the requirements for Oxbridge and University of London, and this is true for both of them.

I am not certain about other universities on the country, but I would imagine that given the strongly mathematical nature of CS theory, that A-level Mathematics will be a requirement for any CS degree.

When it comes to being skilled as a web developer, these are skills that are not the primary focus of a CS degree, although they are important skills that many actually find themselves doing as a job after a CS degree. CS has a deep grounding in discrete mathematics, system architecture and low-level computer concepts that require you to have strong mathematical skills to make sense of.

If you wanted to get further into the field of web development and gaining a mastery of both client-side and server-side technologies (server-side stuff demands higher pay), there are other courses that you could take such as "Computing", or vocational qualifications that will allow you to hone your skills in that particular area.

Reply 2

yodawg321

Basically, top unis ( Top 15 ) will require maths, then there's unis that just want a science subject or two. Thennn, there will be unis that just wants GCSE maths