The Student Room Group

Deciding what to do at uni? Physics, Chemistry or Engineering

I'm taking Maths, Physics,Chemistry & History at A-level. History is my red herring bu I love the subject, find it gives me breadth as an individual & I gain analytical skills.
To set the scene I got all A* at GCSE except an A in English Language; although i know GCSEs are nothing compared to A-level & aren't indicators of my attainment now.
But I guess to give you an idea, I needed predicted grades for a physical sciences taster day at Oxford, and got A*A*A*A (maths teacher said too premature to predict any A*s since the content gets progressively harder throughout the year) Of course I know these should only be taken with a pinch of salt!
Anyway, for the last few months I've imagined myself doing Physics at uni. But I went to a physics masterclass at Cambridge last weekend where we were given taster lectures etc and I realised just HOW MUCH was maths;I've always known physics is mathematical & I have no trouble atoll in mechanics(I've gotten 80-100% in all physics/maths tests this year - while the average in my class would be around 50-70%)
It seems like the course must be at least 70% maths,of a very theoretical nature; which I doubt i would be happy studying for 4yrs.
I know if i worked hard and practiced a lot it could be alright, but I just don't know if i like just how theoretical it is.
Now i'm very conflicted; I still LOVE A-level physics (both less mathematical topics & mechanics) because I love problem solving etc, but I don't know if it would translate into a physics degree, since the concepts are more theoretical than applied. Do you think I should rule physics out as an option because of the nature of maths in the course?
Now my options are either chemistry or engineering (or I guess History, but I think I'm more interested in science)
I like Chemistry & do well in it, but my interests lie on the more physical end of the spectrum (i.e. much prefer physical chemistry over organic) which led me to think maybe material science could be nice.
I also like the idea of how the maths in engineering would be much more applied than in pure physics, leading me to believe I could enjoy 4yrs of that over 4yrs of Physics...
Does anyone know much about the maths involved in an engineering degree - especially materials science?
If you were in my shoes, what would you recommend.
Feeling a bit confused right now so any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Original post by koala789
I'm taking Maths, Physics,Chemistry & History at A-level. History is my red herring bu I love the subject, find it gives me breadth as an individual & I gain analytical skills.
To set the scene I got all A* at GCSE except an A in English Language; although i know GCSEs are nothing compared to A-level & aren't indicators of my attainment now.
But I guess to give you an idea, I needed predicted grades for a physical sciences taster day at Oxford, and got A*A*A*A (maths teacher said too premature to predict any A*s since the content gets progressively harder throughout the year) Of course I know these should only be taken with a pinch of salt!
Anyway, for the last few months I've imagined myself doing Physics at uni. But I went to a physics masterclass at Cambridge last weekend where we were given taster lectures etc and I realised just HOW MUCH was maths;I've always known physics is mathematical & I have no trouble atoll in mechanics(I've gotten 80-100% in all physics/maths tests this year - while the average in my class would be around 50-70%)
It seems like the course must be at least 70% maths,of a very theoretical nature; which I doubt i would be happy studying for 4yrs.
I know if i worked hard and practiced a lot it could be alright, but I just don't know if i like just how theoretical it is.
Now i'm very conflicted; I still LOVE A-level physics (both less mathematical topics & mechanics) because I love problem solving etc, but I don't know if it would translate into a physics degree, since the concepts are more theoretical than applied. Do you think I should rule physics out as an option because of the nature of maths in the course?
Now my options are either chemistry or engineering (or I guess History, but I think I'm more interested in science)
I like Chemistry & do well in it, but my interests lie on the more physical end of the spectrum (i.e. much prefer physical chemistry over organic) which led me to think maybe material science could be nice.
I also like the idea of how the maths in engineering would be much more applied than in pure physics, leading me to believe I could enjoy 4yrs of that over 4yrs of Physics...
Does anyone know much about the maths involved in an engineering degree - especially materials science?
If you were in my shoes, what would you recommend.
Feeling a bit confused right now so any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks


The maths in an engineering degree is typically less than in a physics one but probably more than in chemistry.

Although, more importantly I think when considering studying engineering, is do you actually envisage a career in engineering?

Also, materials science isn't necessarily the same as materials engineering, although lots of degrees will combine the two.

Quick Reply