Am I better off not taking Further Maths

I've heard about people saying doing further maths can put you at a disadvantage when applying to uni... I'm self-teaching myself the whole course in a year (whole summer for AS, then A2 once school starts)...I'm good at maths, I think 0.o, but I might get a B since it is self-teaching and it is a tough course... So am I better off not doing it at all and just sticking to 3 subjects in A2 (econ,Maths,Physics)? would Econ A/A*, Physics A/A*, Maths A/A* without further maths look better or would the same grades with a B in further maths look better? Just weighing out the risk lol

I've heard about people saying doing further maths can put you at a disadvantage when applying to uni... I'm self-teaching myself the whole course in a year (whole summer for AS, then A2 once school starts)...I'm good at maths, I think 0.o, but I might get a B since it is self-teaching and it is a tough course... So am I better off not doing it at all and just sticking to 3 subjects in A2 (econ,Maths,Physics)? would Econ A/A*, Physics A/A*, Maths A/A* without further maths look better or would the same grades with a B in further maths look better? Just weighing out the risk lol

Doing Further Maths and getting the same grade in everything else will certainly not harm your application - however I would say that you will find it a lot tougher to achieve those grades, and putting your As and A*s at risk isn't worth it.
I've taught myself F. Maths alongside four A levels in school, and believe me, it does take up what free time you have. That was over two years, so I doubt I could have done both AS and A level in one year without either giving up hobbies or dying of stress. And I've found when you're teaching yourself it takes a long time to get used to the idea of setting targets and sticking to them - it's extremely easy to think that there's no consequences for letting things slide, as there's no teacher breathing down your neck.
So I would be extremely cautious about going down that route unless you really need to; three A*s would be enough for any uni. If you really want the extra knowledge of F. Maths (and it is handy) I would recommend just doing the AS, and seeing how you go. An A in the AS would show your willingness and ability, and is much more achievable.

Hello.

Here is my opinion. It depends on the course that you want to study at uni. From your three choices, it seems that you aim to take on Economics.

I think that Further Mathematics is very useful in Economics and Engineering because they are highly numerate subjects. For Oxbridge (yes, I know ), Further Mathematics is very useful. However, if you think that you will gain only a B from all the hard work, then I do not think that you should gamble with it.

Your three combination of Econ/Phys/Pure Maths at A or A* seems to show a strong profile for an applicant. Yes, in some universities, they may prefer Further Maths to Physics (for Economics degree), but they may be flexible because Physics show another dimension of learning (I think).

If you are really worried about your choices, then contact your prospective unis and explain the realities and also stress the B in F/Maths than the A/A* in another subject.

Good luck and I hope that it goes well.

If you are applying for economics, further maths would look really good. You said you would get a B because you are self teaching but why don't you ask your school if you can self teach the AS but do the A2 in school? That way you are only self teaching the modules that are easier in FM. Then you can definitely aim for a better grade such as an A

I've heard about people saying doing further maths can put you at a disadvantage when applying to uni... I'm self-teaching myself the whole course in a year (whole summer for AS, then A2 once school starts)...I'm good at maths, I think 0.o, but I might get a B since it is self-teaching and it is a tough course... So am I better off not doing it at all and just sticking to 3 subjects in A2 (econ,Maths,Physics)? would Econ A/A*, Physics A/A*, Maths A/A* without further maths look better or would the same grades with a B in further maths look better? Just weighing out the risk lol

I did exactly the same as you (self-taught myself in a year) and I'd say do it as long as:
1) You're prepared for a lot of stress
2) You have a good teacher who can go through it all with you
3) You can be sure it won't adversely affect your other subjects.

It certainly won't hurt if you can pull it off, but you have to really think about it. I just about pulled it off (got a C in further maths, but I think my high B could've Been an A* if I'd just done AS further maths), but I almost had several breakdowns, and had to accept that I was going to fail FP3 the night before the exam. I'm not trying to put you off, I just think it's a very hard thing to do.

Thanks for the advice lol... I think I'll stay away from fp3 lol... But what I'm planning on doing (at least trying to do)is to finish at least 4 modules over the summer (summer vacation here is 2.5 months) then leave 2 for during the school year - might do d1,s3 then ... If I don't finish the 4 modules in summer while being confident with them I doubt it'll be manageable and I'll probably stick to just AS FM.
Posted from TSR Mobile

I've heard about people saying doing further maths can put you at a disadvantage when applying to uni... I'm self-teaching myself the whole course in a year (whole summer for AS, then A2 once school starts)...I'm good at maths, I think 0.o, but I might get a B since it is self-teaching and it is a tough course... So am I better off not doing it at all and just sticking to 3 subjects in A2 (econ,Maths,Physics)? would Econ A/A*, Physics A/A*, Maths A/A* without further maths look better or would the same grades with a B in further maths look better? Just weighing out the risk lol

Excellent.

If you do not choose F/Maths in A2. I think that it will still be worth it to mention in your personal statement that you self-taught some topics in F/Maths during your free time. This will show your willingness to learn plus come out of your comfort zone and be a major benefit to your profile for LSE/Oxbridge applications.

One thing that I think top universities look for is your flexibility and willingness to take on tough situations because it will be tough sometimes and they do not want you to crack under pressure.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice lol... I think I'll stay away from fp3 lol... But what I'm planning on doing (at least trying to do)is to finish at least 4 modules over the summer (summer vacation here is 2.5 months) then leave 2 for during the school year - might do d1,s3 then ... If I don't finish the 4 modules in summer while being confident with them I doubt it'll be manageable and I'll probably stick to just AS FM.


Posted from TSR Mobile

That sounds like a pretty good plan. I only managed to get FP1 and M1 (for core maths) out of the way with in the summer, so if you can get more than that done then you'll be off to a great start, you just need to maybe do a past paper for each unit maybe once a month to keep it fresh in your head. I'm sure you won't need any help, but if you feel like you don't get something, feel free to inbox me (although I didn't do S2 and S3 haha).