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The Best Mathematics Courses

Hey guys I'm almost halfway into my A Level courses now and would like to further my studies in a pure mathematics course at university level in 2008. Up 'til now I'm quite confident with my results and I think it would allow me to get into any university I want. I'd like some advise on which universities offer the best and highly acclaimed mathematics courses. The requirements and nightlife don't matter, so if you good people could please compile something like a top ten university list for mathematics, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanx!

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Reply 1
Theres a teaching institution somewhere in morocco where my father taught algebra of the 11 dimensions, its quite a well known uni, go ther.
Otherwise university of malaysia ranks the best in terms of mathematical break through research.
Reply 2
Oh I'm sorry maybe I should have made my question clearer. I meant the best universities in UK for mathematics courses. Thanx for your information though. Can other people please help too?
Reply 3
Along with Oxford and Cambridge, theres Warwick, imperial, Bath, Durham. When choosing ur universities i suggest that you look at the course structure as well as nightlife and the location. coz if you dont like the location/nightlife and way the course is taught, you won't enjoy your experience at uni. plus you wont be able to reach ur full potential in terms of academic performance.
Obviously the places mentioned above, plus Bristol, Loughborough is improving a lot and up there, other London Unis, I would've thought Southampton possibly? The nightlife should matter to an extent, University is not just about being at the best one, it's about enjoying life and finding out who you are, whilst enjoying and doing well in your course.
Reply 5
Cambridge
Oxford
Imperial
Warwick
UCL
Durham
Bath
Bristol
Southampton
Manchester
how good do you think Nottigham is compared with those in the post above? I chose Notts for my firm:p:
Reply 7
8 eugenius
how good do you think Nottigham is compared with those in the post above? I chose Notts for my firm:p:

Ooops i forgot notts, they would be around bath/bristol.
Oxbridge, Warwick and Imperial are considered 1st tier
UCL Bristol Durham Nottingham Bath 2nd tier
Edinburgh, Manchester, St Andrews and Southampton 3rd tier

All our excellent universities and there are others that are really good too.

Get some advice from your maths teacher and/or someone from your family who has studied maths at university level in the UK. Even though you say that you don't care about nightlife, do check out where each university is. What type of university you prefer (campus or city?). Studying in an environment that you don't like is never good, even when you're studying in one of the top departments.
Reply 9
zychan1
Hey guys I'm almost halfway into my A Level courses now and would like to further my studies in a pure mathematics course at university level in 2008. Up 'til now I'm quite confident with my results and I think it would allow me to get into any university I want.As no-one else has done so, I will point out that (barring exceptional circumstances), A-level results by themselves will not get you into Cambridge (and probably not Oxford, Warwick or Imperial, either, although I am not as familiar with their admission procedures).

Exception: I'm told Trinity (Cambridge) will give a matriculation offer (i.e. ask only for 2 grade 'E's to satisfy the matriculation requirements) if you have a Gold IMO medal, but of course those medals are not exactly easy to come by...
DFranklin
As no-one else has done so, I will point out that (barring exceptional circumstances), A-level results by themselves will not get you into Cambridge (and probably not Oxford, Warwick or Imperial, either, although I am not as familiar with their admission procedures).

Exception: I'm told Trinity (Cambridge) will give a matriculation offer (i.e. ask only for 2 grade 'E's to satisfy the matriculation requirements) if you have a Gold IMO medal, but of course those medals are not exactly easy to come by...


Nice to see someone at Trinity has a sense of humour.
Reply 11
DFranklin
As no-one else has done so, I will point out that (barring exceptional circumstances), A-level results by themselves will not get you into Cambridge (and probably not Oxford, Warwick or Imperial, either, although I am not as familiar with their admission procedures).


To my knowledge:

Oxford require you take their admissions test, from what I saw you need to have finished upto C4 at this point so you'd ideally have finished Maths A-level by end of Year 12. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Warwick currently require STEP unless you do Further Maths at A-level, even then you need to get AAAB OR AAB+2/Merit. This may well get harder for 2008.

Imperial only require STEP if you don't have Further Maths to either A/AS-level. For AS-level FM you would receive an AAAa offer. Again, this might change for 2008 given the huge number of applications...

Actually the dark horse here is UCL who, for 2008 entry, have A grade at A-level Further Maths as a general entrance requirement for Maths courses (i.e. if you dont have Further Maths to full A-level you get rejected).

To anyone that may be reading this and considering doing a Maths degree, I URGE you to do Further Maths to A-level. Your offers will be easier to achieve (since Maths will more then likely be your easiest subject) - that's from personal experience of doing the AS-level in Year 13.
Reply 12
Thanx for all the information guys. Is this the general idea or are there any more different suggestions? Btw for those of you who are wondering this is actually for my UCAS application later of the year. I'm taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Eng. Literature for A Levels. Also attempting STEP II at the end of this June. Quite confident for at least 3A's in all my A Levels but for STEP II, we'll just have to wait and see...
Reply 13
aqfrenzy
To my knowledge:
Oxford require you take their admissions test, from what I saw you need to have finished upto C4 at this point so you'd ideally have finished Maths A-level by end of Year 12. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The material for the Oxford test is just C1 and C2 stuff. Anything else would be pretty unfair to those doing A-level over two years.
I think it has C3 in it aswell, no C4.
Reply 15
Freakminer64
I think it has C3 in it aswell, no C4.


It's just C1 and C2 - at least as of this year, because of the earlier date in applicants' schools/colleges.
Reply 16
aqfrenzy
To my knowledge:

Oxford require you take their admissions test, from what I saw you need to have finished upto C4 at this point so you'd ideally have finished Maths A-level by end of Year 12. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Warwick currently require STEP unless you do Further Maths at A-level, even then you need to get AAAB OR AAB+2/Merit. This may well get harder for 2008.

Imperial only require STEP if you don't have Further Maths to either A/AS-level. For AS-level FM you would receive an AAAa offer.
Again, this might change for 2008 given the huge number of applications...

Actually the dark horse here is UCL who, for 2008 entry, have A grade at A-level Further Maths as a general entrance requirement for Maths courses (i.e. if you dont have Further Maths to full A-level you get rejected).

To anyone that may be reading this and considering doing a Maths degree, I URGE you to do Further Maths to A-level. Your offers will be easier to achieve (since Maths will more then likely be your easiest subject) - that's from personal experience of doing the AS-level in Year 13.

You dont need STEP for ICL, my friend got AAAA in maths and 3 sciences, it was physics that got him the place, but then our school didnt give the oppurtunity to take FMaths so that may have been considered
Reply 17
Sasuke!
You dont need STEP for ICL, my friend got AAAA in maths and 3 sciences, it was physics that got him the place, but then our school didnt give the oppurtunity to take FMaths so that may have been considered


Yeah sorry, it's only STEP if you have 3 A-levels as opposed to 4 - I should have mentioned that.
Reply 18
Ok has anybody seen the latest Times University Rankings http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,13429,00.html? Apparently Durham's mathematics department beat everybody else except for Oxbridge... And for the Guardian list http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education?SearchBySubject=&FirstRow=0&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=GuardianTeachingScore&Subject=Mathematics&Institution=&Tariff=6, Southampton came third behind Oxbridge. I know league tables are not an accurate approximation but can somebody give a logical explaination for these irregularities? People who posted here seem to favour Oxbridge, Warwick and Imperial and UCL as the best for maths but the league tables don't reflect that... Even LSE is quite high up in both tables... And for the record I don't really worry about my grades for A Levels and the entrance exams. I'm taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Eng. Lit. and pretty confident of AAAA or at least AAAB. As for entrance exams I'm quite confident of getting through with some practice. So now if we go back to the point, is Durham and Southampton really that good or are they overrated? What about LSE? Tentative choice for UCAS is Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, UCL and two others LOL.
Reply 19

I know league tables are not an accurate approximation but can somebody give a logical explaination for these irregularities?


League tables suck, basically. Especially the Guardian's it has to be said.... And LSE has yet to be mentioned because it's quite specialised and does not offer a straight Maths programme.