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best mathematics universities?

meaning universities that arent oxford or cambridge because bleh, and i am avoiding universities in london because im not rich, but i have thought of places like lancaster, newcastle and exeter, maybe bristol too, any other suggestions?

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Bristol and Exeter would both be solid severrrns from Len, I'd definitely recommend those two. It's a definite no-no for Lancaster though, and Newcastle isn't as good as most others in the Russel Group. I'd suggest Warwick if you're confident you can get the top grades. Take a look at Bath, Nottingham, and Edinburgh too.
If your missing out Oxbridge and London that takes 4 of the big hitters out right away.

The next best is Warwick and St Andrews I would say.

Durham Bath and Bristol are all very strong for maths as well.

Edinburgh and Nottingham are next and strong choices too.

After that if you want to go for good Careers service Surrey are excellent for that.

Loughborough are on the rise

However your passing up Cambridge Oxford Imperial and UCL?????????
Reply 3
COWI

So aside from oxbridge, its warwick and imperial. Then the others- UCL/LSE/St Andrews etc.

Basically the top 4 unis ask for STEP or 3A* for entry. The rest you can get in with just A-Levels.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Luke7456
If your missing out Oxbridge and London that takes 4 of the big hitters out right away.

The next best is Warwick and St Andrews I would say.

Durham Bath and Bristol are all very strong for maths as well.

Edinburgh and Nottingham are next and strong choices too.

After that if you want to go for good Careers service Surrey are excellent for that.

Loughborough are on the rise

However your passing up Cambridge Oxford Imperial and UCL?????????


Still Andrews?? Waat.

Best departments I think are:

COWI

UCL/Bristol/Bath/Durham

Manchester/Edinburgh/Notts

Roughly, anyway.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Princepieman
Still Andrews?? Waat.

Best departments I think are:

COWI

UCL/Bristol/Bath/Durham

Manchester/Edinburgh/Notts

Roughly, anyway.


Posted from TSR Mobile


Yeah it seems their is never a consensus on this. Is maths like a really popular course on here or something? its just the mods all seem to know a lot about maths. I think its because of me, I attract attention and that might sound like an ego thing but its not because this is not a good thing. I tend to become Infamous often rather then famous.

its an aura of rooting against me.

Original post by Foxab77
COWI

So aside from oxbridge, its warwick and imperial. Then the others- UCL/LSE/St Andrews etc.

Basically the top 4 unis ask for STEP or 3A* for entry. The rest you can get in with just A-Levels.


Well Durham used to be A*AA when I first checked but now they ask for A*A*A

the others may ask for lower but your likely to need higher to actually get an offer. I think of the top of my head LSE and UCL ask for A*AA. st Andrews ask for AAA but they tend to not make offers for AAA and you need higher to get offers. pretty much A*A*A min according to the ucas thing anyway.

LSE as far as I am aware do not do pure maths you have to do it with economics, which is fine if you want to do economics as well but can be an issue otherwise.
In the world (other than Cambridge),

Princeton and Harvard
Manchester, Nottingham, St Andrews, UCL, Durham, bristol, Warwick.(not in a specific order)
Original post by Luke7456

However your passing up Cambridge Oxford Imperial and UCL?????????


And I am once again passing up Scarlet Johansson.

But only going to a fancypants university sometimes doesn't make best sense.

Look at http://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/impe...de-2013-14.pdf

Scroll about two thirds down to the table headed 'Degrees awarded' and notice that 30% of the graduating maths students got a 2.2 or 3rd. They all had A*A*A and STEP. And if any one of these had said on TSR during the choosing process "thinking of passing up Imperial for Lancaster" he'd have been chased out of town for it.
If we're excluding London and Oxbridge, then Durham, St Andrews, Warwick, Bristol and Bath (in no order)
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by cambio wechsel
And I am once again passing up Scarlet Johansson.

But only going to a fancypants university sometimes doesn't make best sense.

Look at http://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/impe...de-2013-14.pdf

Scroll about two thirds down to the table headed 'Degrees awarded' and notice that 30% of the graduating maths students got a 2.2 or 3rd. They all had A*A*A and STEP. And if any one of these had said on TSR during the choosing process "thinking of passing up Imperial for Lancaster" he'd have been chased out of town for it.


Well Lancaster is not high up on my list they are kind of in my reserve list for if things go south etc.

I have heard that the teaching at Imperial is not great but I am not sure on the merits of that.

hard degrees though are obviously harder to do well on.

From what I have heard of typical complaints a lot of it seems to be the students own fault to large extent, unless I am missing something.

for example quite a few of the complains I have read go along the lines of "they cover stuff we already know and leave the stuff we don't until to late and then it is all rushed and not covered properly."

I am aware the top universities are meant to have tough degree programs so if I found they were covering something I was already comfortable with due to covering in the past or I found the material relatively easy and quick to get through at first I would think strategically.

is it really worth going to the bar just because I have time? sure I can afford to have a night out etc as things currently stand not to much pressure.

However this is a golden opportunity to gain ground, find out what the next material is and read ahead practice ahead so that by the time the class gets their it is a lot easier for me because I have already done it.

If you are going to go to a university which is in the top (15 or 20 in the world) or so for a subject as well as been in that category as a university in general then you need to realize a few things.

You are competing at a world class level, sure I know world class is really PHD but its in stages and for your current level of study your competing at world class level.

You can't be world class with the same lax attitude that everyone else has otherwise you will fall down. You need to raise the game. put up or shut up compete and fight or die by the wayside.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Luke7456

You can't be world class with the same lax attitude that everyone else has otherwise you will fall down. You need to raise the game. put up or shut up compete and fight or die by the wayside.


But that is you. This lass wants to get the Newcastle or Exeter 2.1 that will qualify her for the graduate scheme at Aviva or the Civil Service fast track. Only appearing on threads and telling people that they should be applying to 'world class universities' perhaps doesn't always help them, and still less when you talk with what could be taken (mistaken) for authority.
Original post by Princepieman
"COWI"


if that's not Wolverhampton then I need to make a phonecall.
Original post by cambio wechsel
But that is you. This lass wants to get the Newcastle or Exeter 2.1 that will qualify her for the graduate scheme at Aviva or the Civil Service fast track. Only appearing on threads and telling people that they should be applying to 'world class universities' perhaps doesn't always help them, and still less when you talk with what could be taken (mistaken) for authority.


How do you define authority? is it a teacher? is it university staff columnists? Researchers? think tanks?

People should always think for themselves and make their decisions in life. I offer my opinion here, many will agree with me just as many will disagree.

Its up to you to make up your own mind if your just going to listen to anyone without thinking critically then should you be going to university?

I believe one should strife to be the best they possibly can to go to the best university they can.

However I don't recall saying that it is Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial or Warwick or nothing.

If your hitting the grades with your current work ethic then your selling yourself short for not choosing those. If you maintain the same work ethic it took to attain those grades and apply yourself properly then really you should be hitting a 2:1 if not you have to ask yourself questions.

70% getting a 2:1 or better is perfectly acceptable if something like 95% got a 2:1 or better would that not devalue the whole degree.

I think 70% getting 2:1 or better is actually to high and devalues the whole thing as it is.

standards have dropped it should be something like 5-10% get a first 20-30% get 2:1 60-70% get a 2:2 and the rest get a third or fail I am serious.

However I am not saying go to the big four (in uk) or don't bother their are still plenty of good opportunities in other places which are worth pursuing. However if your good enough for the top four why the hell not?
I know there is a lot of hate for Lancaster on TSR but my mum went there to do maths and absolutely loved it, got a first, and now has a job with some of her coworkers having maths degrees from oxbridge. She didn't go to Lancaster because she wasn't capable of going to places like Imperial (or even Oxbridge, she is one of the cleverest people I know), she just loved the maths department at Lancaster, it's really small and cosy. You can still get great jobs by going to Lancaster, my mum certainly did, anyone with a first in maths isn't going to have a problem really. Lancaster is consistently in the top 10 for most university league rankings, it's 10th for maths (above LSE and UCL). So if you're excluding Oxbridge, London Unis etc then Lancaster is definitely worth considering. But it should just come down to you and if you'd be happy there; you're never going to do well if you don't like the university, the course, etc. No one can tell you the best place for you to go - only you can decide what's best for you.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ThePancake
I know there is a lot of hate for Lancaster on TSR but my mum went there to do maths and absolutely loved it, got a first, and now has a job with some of her coworkers having maths degrees from oxbridge. She didn't go to Lancaster because she wasn't capable of going to places like Imperial (or even Oxbridge, she is one of the cleverest people I know), she just loved the maths department at Lancaster, it's really small and cosy. You can still get great jobs by going to Lancaster, my mum certainly did, anyone with a first in maths isn't going to have a problem really. Lancaster is consistently in the top 10 for most university league rankings, it's 10th for maths (above LSE and UCL). So if you're excluding Oxbridge, London Unis etc then Lancaster is definitely worth considering. But it should just come down to you and if you'd be happy there; you're never going to do well if you don't like the university, the course, etc. No one can tell you the best place for you to go - only you can decide what's best for you.


But I'm guessing that was back in the good old days when the job market wasn't oversaturated with graduates and you didn't need to stand out.

These days first class degrees from mediocre universities such as Lancaster are a dime a dozen, and you really need to aim higher. The only exception is if you have a vast wealth of work experience, internships, and extra-curriculars, which will partly make up for the below-par university.
Despite Lancaster scoring high on certain league tables their graduate salary expectation is not high.

I would be concerned about this.
Original post by Luke7456
Despite Lancaster scoring high on certain league tables their graduate salary expectation is not high.

I would be concerned about this.


Salary expectations are not a great proxy for anything - especially because you most likely haven't accounted for the variables that go into the numbers you see.

In Lancs case, location.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by cambio wechsel
But only going to a fancypants university sometimes doesn't make best sense.

Look at http://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/impe...de-2013-14.pdf

Scroll about two thirds down to the table headed 'Degrees awarded' and notice that 30% of the graduating maths students got a 2.2 or 3rd. They all had A*A*A and STEP. And if any one of these had said on TSR during the choosing process "thinking of passing up Imperial for Lancaster" he'd have been chased out of town for it.

What evidence do you have that they would have done 'better' at Lancaster? Some might with less pressure, but, without knowing what wasn't working, I don't think that it's reasonable to assume that they would have.

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