feeling lost and unsure of the future

so i've loved maths since i can remember and i was vibing doing gcse maths. i was so sure that i was going to do maths at uni and go on to do a maths related job. however my hope evaporated 5 minutes into my first a level maths lesson :smile:

and since then i have not been prospering as much as i was at gcse and im p sure im like the lowest in my class. note im in a further maths class. we did the senior maths challenge this year and i was one of two people who did not even get bronze which was disheartening because i thought i was going to get bronze. a levels are not a vibe but how else am i going to get to the good prestigious uni that my parents want me to go to coughs oxbridge coughs. so i dont really know how this whole a level business is going to go and im kind of worried :/ tbh i dont even know if anyone can help me but it's worth a try ig...

Reply 1

username5398004

Hey. I'm really sorry to hear this; it's not the best way to start A levels. My best tip to you- and it is the only thing that works for me to be any good at maths-is to prelearn. I am doing my second year of maths A level and struggled so much last year. So, I started prelearning not long before lockdown and am doing it now too. It has helped me so much! You can use Khan Academy for tutorials and always feel free to drop me a PM if ever you need any help.

You really need to talk to someone though, either a teacher or parent, so that they can orgnise some sort of help for you

Good luck!! :smile:

Reply 2

Shadow~

Firstly, UKMT competitions aren't a good indicator of your mathematical knowledge- they're more like problem-solving
There are a lots of helpful resources, whether it be videos or question banks for maths and further maths online. I'd suggest working through these until you feel more confident- after all, a little bit of positivity makes all the difference!
Good luck! (:

Reply 3

CyclinZH1

Original post by Shadow~

But I would say they are a good indicator of getting into Oxbridge for maths. The interviews are problem-solving.

@OP set yourself realistic goals, otherwise you will crash and burn. What do you even want to do after uni? You want to study maths because it is fun but what do you want to work as? You can always choose a related course that has flexibility and choose maths modules you will enjoy.

In terms of your immediate problem, find as many problems as you can and go over the answers. Understand them. Take your time to know why they work and how they relate to the theory. And just practice practice practice. However, if you continue to struggle, going back to the above, maybe consider something other than a straight maths degree. I honestly can't see you enjoying uni in a subject you struggle at at A-Levels. Especially maths, which if anything, is a much bigger jump from school to uni given you will need to not just learn more advanced maths but understand how proofs work.