Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Should I go for applying for Physics or Maths?

I'm thinking of applying for 2021 and I still have to choose my course, however I've narrowed it down to Physics and/or Maths. How should I choose which one of the two to follow and thus write my PS based on? Are/Were any of you in the same situation? I obviously like both, and have enough to write about each of them, I just don't know which one to pick, and I'd like for it to be just one of the two. Should I look more into the career prospects for each, since I don't yet know what I wanna do after uni?

Reply 1

Sinnoh

What about both? Joint honours?

Undergraduate physics is a lot more like a continuation of A-level maths and further maths than undergraduate maths. However you can't ignore the practical aspect so you should be at least comfortable with the idea of writing lab reports, learning programming and being able to do simulations, working out errors and uncertainties etc.
You could specialise in theoretical physics topics if you did a maths degree, but that's usually only for 3rd and 4th years.

Reply 2

squeakysquirrel

Original post by theJoyfulGeek

Which do you prefer? Do you have a particular favourite? Would you be happy doing joint honours (e.g. physics and maths, or maths with mathematical physics)? Which universities?

Maybe look at the content of the courses and the modules offered - you should find this on the website.

A physics degree has a lot of maths, but a maths degree doesn't (usually) have a lot of physics. Would you miss physics if you did a maths degree? Would you be happy doing maths, maths, and only maths? Would you be happy doing groups, topology, number theory, tensor calculus... and other maths stuff only? Which course feels right?

My son did physics and it contains an awful lot of maths. My daughter did maths and it contains an awful lot of mechanics.

Unless you are doing statistics, I think there is a lot of overlap. Both will get you a brilliant job in the future

Reply 3

username3699586

I guess it nails down to whether you like more mathematical proofs or knowing more about the quirks of nature. In my experience people often regret doing physics if they are of the former kind.

Reply 4

University of Bath

Official Rep

Original post by youlooktimelord

Hi there,

My first piece of advice, since you like both, would be to look at the potential careers for both of them and see what appeals to you the most. Another good tip (in my opinion) would be to do the careers quiz on the Prospects website, as this will ask a bunch of questions about your personality, goals, how you work etc. and then suggest careers that would suit you. Doing the Meyers-Briggs test (i.e. on the 16 Personalities website) is another good one that does basically the same thing. Both of these are good ways to see what sort of careers/jobs suit you, and should help you figure out which subject is better suited to you. You don't need to figure out exactly what career you want to do now, but it's helpful to at least have an idea and some direction.

If that doesn't help, then look at what is taught in mathematics degrees compared to physics degrees. It's best to study a degree that suits your personal interests more, as if you aren't as interested in a topic, you will naturally put less effort in and won't perform as well as you would in a subject you're more interested in. You can find detailed info on what you'd get taught on the course pages or in university unit catalogues.

I can see you've said you only want to choose one, but it may be worth considering a degree such as Mathematics and Physics. You can see info on the different physics courses at the Uni of Bath here - taking a look at the different ones and considering the differences may help you make a decision. That being said, physics courses (at least the one at Bath) will have a fair bit of maths included in your modules, as a high level of mathematical knowledge is obviously essential to understanding physics. Essentially, I would just compared different maths, physics, and physics with maths courses to see what the difference are and what you like the sound of most.

I hope this has helped,
Jessica, a final year NatSci student

Reply 5

akay8

Hi there

I had a similar predicament last year. I started A Levels certain I wanted to do a maths degree, but as I read around university maths and looked at what sort of modules I’d be taught I became less and less keen.

I applied for some joint honours courses and some single honours physics courses for maximum flexibility, but in the end I realised I love maths but mostly to apply it to real life situations. Also I think I’m quite an all rounded person who gets bored of just one type of learning, so physics seemed perfect because as well as lectures and theory there can be as many labs and computing modules as you want as you go into second and third year.

I’d say do a lot of extra reading and see what inspires you most. Personally I came to the decision that using maths to describe how the universe works is much more interesting than asking why maths works. And don’t worry too much about making the right decision before you start - lots of unis are flexible. Some let you start a joint honours course and decide at the end of the first year whether you’d like to switch to either subject, depending on your grades of course.

Hope this helps :smile: