The Student Room Group

Self-taught AS in Year 13

I'm picking up AS Maths for the first time in Year 13, but was wondering if you guys could help me with something.

I'm self-teaching the material and entering the exams through my college. My question is: is there something I have to do with my grade (once I've achieved it) to make it known to my chosen universities? It's only an AS level and so won't be included as part of an offer, but I don't want to be accused of hiding grades from them or anything.

Thanks.
Reply 1
umm don't you have to simply fill it in as part of the UCAS admissions system?
Reply 2
coldfusion
umm don't you have to simply fill it in as part of the UCAS admissions system?


Yeah I'll fill it in as pending when I'm applying. I'm asking if there's anything I need to do to inform chosen universities once I've achieved a grade.
Reply 3
BioSam
Yeah I'll fill it in as pending when I'm applying. I'm asking if there's anything I need to do to inform chosen universities once I've achieved a grade.

Oh right well I dont think so because the universities gets all your grade results straight from UCAS once you achieved the grades and even if it's not part of the offer the universities will still see it I think. Also since you are going to put it down as pending already then noone can accuse you of hiding your grades cos you already told the uni that you're taking this course and that the results will come down at the end of the year so they'll just go look for themselves. I dont think there's anything else you can do to be honest so just sit back and relax :biggrin:
Reply 4
I taught myself biology A2, put it on my UCAS form as pending when applying, and the grade was sent straight to them, so no, I don't think you need to inform the unis yourself.
Reply 5
Thanks you two:smile:
Is it easy to self- teach subjects? i mean, i know its not easy, but does it take up a lot more time and effort?
Reply 7
That's interesting so how will you know the syllabus ?
Reply 8
jstar357
That's interesting so how will you know the syllabus ?


I downloaded the specification from the AQA website, and I'm going through each topic with the textbook, step-by-step.

scraceus - I think it depends on the subject and the individual. I'm pretty self-motivated and Maths is relatively easy to self-teach because it's a case of mastering a few concepts and then perfecting your application of them. But I can't say for sure how easy/hard it is until I've done it, I guess!
Reply 9
That is a realy good idea it has inspired me to think about that now!
if you self teach AS maths then do you choose the exam board your school teaches or anyone you want?
Reply 11
sleekchic
if you self teach AS maths then do you choose the exam board your school teaches or anyone you want?


I chose the one my college teaches. But I suppose you could talk to your school and see if it's possible to enter for other exam boards.
Reply 12
hey,

im in a similar position as im trying to do a self taught AS and potentially an A2 in further maths in my year 13.

Biosam, how many A2 subjects are you doing as well as the AS in maths? I'm a little weary that by taking on the further subject I may be overloaded with work for the next year, which is not what i want because i need to make sure i get the required grades in my other subjects as im applying to medicine.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I am going to get a predicted grade for further maths to stick on my UCAS application? or should I basically just stick FM down on the form, grade pending, to indicate that im doing that as well as the other subjects?

Cheers,

Paul
Reply 13
PaulRus
hey,

im in a similar position as im trying to do a self taught AS and potentially an A2 in further maths in my year 13.

Biosam, how many A2 subjects are you doing as well as the AS in maths? I'm a little weary that by taking on the further subject I may be overloaded with work for the next year, which is not what i want because i need to make sure i get the required grades in my other subjects as im applying to medicine.

Does anyone have any advice as to how I am going to get a predicted grade for further maths to stick on my UCAS application? or should I basically just stick FM down on the form, grade pending, to indicate that im doing that as well as the other subjects?

Cheers,

Paul


I did Maths chemistry, physics, french, and further maths for As level, then realised i wanted to do medicine at uni so i had to pick up and teach myself As biology in year 13. I was also stupid enough to do four A2 levels (i dropped further maths) I found it pretty tough. The work load increases quite a bit in year 13, and my main problem was finding time just to go through the syllabus for biology. I had to learn the entire module of human health and disease a week before the exam because i was so preoccupied with other work and coursework!! woops. Luckily it all paid off and i got my grades and am going to imperial in october :biggrin: You can always just drop the further maths if you find you're struggling.

I suggest that you stick to the subjects you actually require for your offer and then enjoy year 13 :biggrin:
Reply 14
sweet, you're going to imperial! that's my main target. Can i ask, what are the interviews like there and how much do they test you? also, did you have a lot of work experience under your belt and had you done a lot of background reading before you applied?

it's stressing me out a bit leading up to my application because of just how competitive medicine is, it makes me feel like you're only going to get picked if you're near perfect and hit everything on the selection forms.
Reply 15
Trust me you don't have to be perfect to get in. I admit for unis such as imperial kings oxbridge etc you do need good gcse's and A's at As but i really think that somethings are just luck. My BMAT score wasn't particularly high, only 17.1 but i think it was backed up by my gcse's and As results.

The interview was your bog standard med school interview. Couple of ethical questions, traits of a doctor, what would you bring to the college. However the imperial interview is very short. It says in the letter i got, a 15 minute interview, 5 minutes of which will be given to the panel to decide the outcome. (eventhough they don't tell you for 2 weeks :frown: )

I think the point at which i won the panel over and secured my place was when they noticed that i was going to run the london marathon which was a week after my interview, and one of the Dr's on the panel was the chief doctor for the marathon so i think he seemed to like me.

I think long term voluntary work is one of the most important things because although it may not be as interesting as shadowing a consultant on a ward or watching surgery, it shows you have commitment and true grasp of a career in health care. I found it hard to get work experience because of all the health and safety rubbish but i managed to get a couple of placements which is more than enough, provided that you mention what you have learnt from each experience and not simply what your saw.

Can I ask where you are thinking of applying?
Reply 16
cheers for that

I'm going to apply to Imperial, Lincoln College Oxford, Southampton and Manchester. I really want Imperial the most out of those I think because I think I would enjoy London as a place to live the most.
Reply 17
Yeh london is a fantastic place, particularly south kensington, although it is very expensive. You should really ask yourself whether oxford is the place for you. I applied to gonville and cauis college cambridge but am pretty relieved that i didnt get in.

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