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Advice on what maths degree to choose?

Hi! I’m currently a year 12 student and I think I’ve come to the conclusion I’d like to do a maths degree. Out of my 3 A level subjects I find maths the easiest and most enjoyable, it was the only subject I got a 9 in at GCSE. But here’s my problem. From what I’ve heard, maths at degree level is more making up your own stuff, not like GCSE and A level where you’re told the method and simply have to apply it. Also I’m not a fan of mechanical or physics related maths. So what course would be best suited to me? Are there different kinds? Help would really be appreciated because I have absolutely no clue where to start, and it would help knowing what course Id like in advance, not last minute next year when I’m doing ucas applications etc. Thank you! :smile:
Original post by blueberrybowl
Hi! I’m currently a year 12 student and I think I’ve come to the conclusion I’d like to do a maths degree. Out of my 3 A level subjects I find maths the easiest and most enjoyable, it was the only subject I got a 9 in at GCSE. But here’s my problem. From what I’ve heard, maths at degree level is more making up your own stuff, not like GCSE and A level where you’re told the method and simply have to apply it. Also I’m not a fan of mechanical or physics related maths. So what course would be best suited to me? Are there different kinds? Help would really be appreciated because I have absolutely no clue where to start, and it would help knowing what course Id like in advance, not last minute next year when I’m doing ucas applications etc. Thank you! :smile:

I doubt you can go through a maths degree without mechanics tbh.

Computer Science is mainly maths and is very in vogue... have you considered that?
Original post by A Rolling Stone
I doubt you can go through a maths degree without mechanics tbh.

Computer Science is mainly maths and is very in vogue... have you considered that?


No because I’m really not interested in that. I didn’t do any ICT or computing GCSEs or A levels and I can’t understand programming for the life of me

I just absolutely can’t stand mechanics
Original post by blueberrybowl
No because I’m really not interested in that. I didn’t do any ICT or computing GCSEs or A levels and I can’t understand programming for the life of me

I just absolutely can’t stand mechanics

economics is also HEAVILY mathematical (unlike the A level in it).

There is a particular highly prestigious course at Warwick that might be of interest called MORSE (also MMORSE):

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses-2020/morse/
Original post by A Rolling Stone
economics is also HEAVILY mathematical (unlike the A level in it).

There is a particular highly prestigious course at Warwick that might be of interest called MORSE (also MMORSE):

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses-2020/morse/


Thank you very much, I’ll look into it :smile:
Original post by A Rolling Stone
economics is also HEAVILY mathematical (unlike the A level in it).

There is a particular highly prestigious course at Warwick that might be of interest called MORSE (also MMORSE):

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses-2020/morse/


Unfortunately I would not meet the entry requirements as I’m not doing AS nor A level further mathematics
Original post by blueberrybowl
Unfortunately I would not meet the entry requirements as I’m not doing AS nor A level further mathematics

bugger, well Economics then is definitely still something i'd look into if i were you, also Actuarial science
Original post by A Rolling Stone
I doubt you can go through a maths degree without mechanics tbh.

Computer Science is mainly maths and is very in vogue... have you considered that?


I managed it :biggrin:.

In regards to @blueberrybowl 's question, most things you will be taught how to do. You are not doing your own thing alone, there are plenty of resources online that can help you in a maths degree.

In terms of what courses, actually go and look at the modules for each maths degree at universities you are interested in. There will be a variety, choose what you think you'll enjoy most.
Original post by blueberrybowl
Hi! I’m currently a year 12 student and I think I’ve come to the conclusion I’d like to do a maths degree. Out of my 3 A level subjects I find maths the easiest and most enjoyable, it was the only subject I got a 9 in at GCSE. But here’s my problem. From what I’ve heard, maths at degree level is more making up your own stuff, not like GCSE and A level where you’re told the method and simply have to apply it. Also I’m not a fan of mechanical or physics related maths. So what course would be best suited to me? Are there different kinds? Help would really be appreciated because I have absolutely no clue where to start, and it would help knowing what course Id like in advance, not last minute next year when I’m doing ucas applications etc. Thank you! :smile:

Many unis offer Maths and Stats, if you enjoy stats, or perhaps data science.
I'm in Year 13 and I detested Mechanics in Year 12, but it's gotten a lot better now, it may grow on you a little. Perhaps consider taking just straight-up maths, and make sure you check course content for university, to see how much choice and if there is opportunity to avoid Mechanics.

Just a warning, as I'm sure you already know - if you haven't taken further maths at A-level, you'll have a harder time at the start of first year, as many people will have an advantage over you. Even buying a few textbooks for the further maths A-Level and learning some content will help - areas such as complex numbers aren't even touched on in Maths, and I feel like they're the kind of thing which could be really beneficial to learn.
Original post by DoNotMove
Many unis offer Maths and Stats, if you enjoy stats, or perhaps data science.
I'm in Year 13 and I detested Mechanics in Year 12, but it's gotten a lot better now, it may grow on you a little. Perhaps consider taking just straight-up maths, and make sure you check course content for university, to see how much choice and if there is opportunity to avoid Mechanics.

Just a warning, as I'm sure you already know - if you haven't taken further maths at A-level, you'll have a harder time at the start of first year, as many people will have an advantage over you. Even buying a few textbooks for the further maths A-Level and learning some content will help - areas such as complex numbers aren't even touched on in Maths, and I feel like they're the kind of thing which could be really beneficial to learn.


Is there a lot of further maths A level content in a maths degree? I started doing further maths A level but dropped out due to the mechanics and discrete. It was too hard for me to understand, so maybe a maths degree wouldn’t be for me?
if it’s any help, i don’t believe the edinburgh maths degree makes you do mechanics. it’s my favourite area of maths and i asked a student when i was still intending on doing a maths degree and their course had no mechanics in it. the entry requirements are A*AA. however, if you don’t have further maths you’d likely struggle on a maths degree for the first year, so i agree with others that economics may be more suited.
Original post by blueberrybowl
Is there a lot of further maths A level content in a maths degree? I started doing further maths A level but dropped out due to the mechanics and discrete. It was too hard for me to understand, so maybe a maths degree wouldn’t be for me?

I would've thought it would be obvious, but the content covered in university is harder than Maths A-Level and Further Maths A-Level. I wouldn't do a maths degree if I were you, if you don't understand the pure content in FMaths. I honestly wouldn't recommend for anyone to take Maths at degree level if they don't have a passion for it, and love it (and that goes for pretty much every degree). Just think you're going to be studying this, all day, every day, for 3 years? Do you really want to do that?
Original post by DoNotMove
I would've thought it would be obvious, but the content covered in university is harder than Maths A-Level and Further Maths A-Level. I wouldn't do a maths degree if I were you, if you don't understand the pure content in FMaths. I honestly wouldn't recommend for anyone to take Maths at degree level if they don't have a passion for it, and love it (and that goes for pretty much every degree). Just think you're going to be studying this, all day, every day, for 3 years? Do you really want to do that?


Pure further maths was fine. I am quite passionate about it, I do a lot of it in my spare time. While I might not be as passionate as others I do think I could do it all day every day for 3 years. So do you think I’m suited?
Lancaster has no mechanics modules from what I believe and is a top 10 uni.
Original post by blueberrybowl
Pure further maths was fine. I am quite passionate about it, I do a lot of it in my spare time. While I might not be as passionate as others I do think I could do it all day every day for 3 years. So do you think I’m suited?


I reckon you'd be pretty suited then, though it may be helpful to your application and also just for when you go to uni to learn the pure content before you go.
Original post by blueberrybowl
Hi! I’m currently a year 12 student and I think I’ve come to the conclusion I’d like to do a maths degree. Out of my 3 A level subjects I find maths the easiest and most enjoyable, it was the only subject I got a 9 in at GCSE. But here’s my problem. From what I’ve heard, maths at degree level is more making up your own stuff, not like GCSE and A level where you’re told the method and simply have to apply it. Also I’m not a fan of mechanical or physics related maths. So what course would be best suited to me? Are there different kinds? Help would really be appreciated because I have absolutely no clue where to start, and it would help knowing what course Id like in advance, not last minute next year when I’m doing ucas applications etc. Thank you! :smile:

You do not make your own stuff up at degree level, maybe a bit on a dissertation or an investigative project, but there would be resources to facilitate your writing and this doesn't come until fourth and third year.

There is a lot of applying the method, but it's done in a different way. For example in A level statistics you may learn different types of probability distribution functions, at uni they will be derived, but they will assume no knowledge of probability, so that it can be taught properly.
But being told a method and applying it is not maths, even though there are lots of questions at uni of this nature, you have to understand it more, for example you have to recognise if the method applies due to particular conditions which aren't obvious. It's likely that in your first year you don't have much choice and will have to do a bit of pure (not what they call pure at A level, for some reason they made up they're own definition for A level), stats, Applied maths and mathematical methods in first year (which is what all of A level maths is really) and mechanics.
But It is much different at degree level so you can't be certain that you don't like mechanics yet. The main difference is the amount of reading; at A level I could get through a chapter in about an hour and then just practise questions, but I find it difficult to get practise in at uni because of the amount of reading of the material I have to do and the amount of time it takes to understand.

I don't think I've come across mechanics since first year and I've done mostly applied maths modules. It gets more interesting.

Apparently there is no correlation between grades achieved and those who took further maths or not, but I will say that a maths degree is far harder than anything taught in A level further maths.

Going with a straight maths degree will be fine, you can completely avoid some pathways if you wish.

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