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Are four A levels worth it for maths at Trinity?

I know there are a few questions asking the same thing, but I am writing this as I have heard conflicting views on the matter, so I wanted to ask to anybody who has got into Trinity for maths, how many A levels did you study, and if you did four, did it help you at all in the application process? I ask as although I am getting the grades, I would love to spend some more time reading around maths, and it will also let me revise more STEP. I am doing A level maths, further maths, physics and computer science, but is the computer science worth it, or is it better dropping it, just off practicality and also to boost my other subjects?
Reply 1
if you go to a private school then prob stick with 4 (unless you really can't handle it). someone i know dropped chem to focus on his entrance exam for oxford and did ok on the entrance exam. reason for rejection was that he didn't do 4 a levels but he goes to private school
Reply 2
Original post by Anonymous
I know there are a few questions asking the same thing, but I am writing this as I have heard conflicting views on the matter, so I wanted to ask to anybody who has got into Trinity for maths, how many A levels did you study, and if you did four, did it help you at all in the application process? I ask as although I am getting the grades, I would love to spend some more time reading around maths, and it will also let me revise more STEP. I am doing A level maths, further maths, physics and computer science, but is the computer science worth it, or is it better dropping it, just off practicality and also to boost my other subjects?

If you're a selective state school/grammar and especially a private school applicant then ideally you would offer:

Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science to be a 'competitive' applicant as most Trinity applicants have 3A*'s?! :wink:
Original post by thegeek888
If you're a selective state school/grammar and especially a private school applicant then ideally you would offer:

Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science to be a 'competitive' applicant as most Trinity applicants have 3A*'s?! :wink:


Thanks, that is good to hear that most applicants have 3 A stars. I do not go to a private school, I go to a public sixth form, but because from what I have heard it is one of the higher ranked ones in the country, being 7th I think in rankings, the contextual part of the offer could possibly work against me. I know only a select few of the cohort are doing four, which from what I have heard is typically the norm for public school students (I actually spoke to this guy at kings who did 6 which is why I ask about 4) , but because of the higher contextual status of my school, I am worried that although it is a state school/sixth form, because of that context, it might screw me over in the long term if I did make the choice to do three when looking at my final application, but in contrast I am worried that it ultimately could come back to bite me if I were to mess up in any of my exams, so doing 3 would reduce risk but maybe make me less competitive, do you know if they hold public and state schools to the same mark, or if it is more getting the grades, then proving you are an very good mathematician?

Currently I am on about A*A*AA at AS, so I am worried that going into A level, which from what I am told, is way harder, those grades could drop, so I am wondering whether it is worth it to focus on three and get really good grades, or keep doing 4 and get the threshold?
Reply 4
Original post by MathsEnjoyer
Thanks, that is good to hear that most applicants have 3 A stars. I do not go to a private school, I go to a public sixth form, but because from what I have heard it is one of the higher ranked ones in the country, being 7th I think in rankings, the contextual part of the offer could possibly work against me. I know only a select few of the cohort are doing four, which from what I have heard is typically the norm for public school students (I actually spoke to this guy at kings who did 6 which is why I ask about 4) , but because of the higher contextual status of my school, I am worried that although it is a state school/sixth form, because of that context, it might screw me over in the long term if I did make the choice to do three when looking at my final application, but in contrast I am worried that it ultimately could come back to bite me if I were to mess up in any of my exams, so doing 3 would reduce risk but maybe make me less competitive, do you know if they hold public and state schools to the same mark, or if it is more getting the grades, then proving you are an very good mathematician?

Currently I am on about A*A*AA at AS, so I am worried that going into A level, which from what I am told, is way harder, those grades could drop, so I am wondering whether it is worth it to focus on three and get really good grades, or keep doing 4 and get the threshold?

I presume you're taking A-Level Edexcel Pearson Maths and Further Maths? The boundaries are really low, so it is sure to be A*A* and you only need to worry about ideally Physics being an A* and Computer Science A.

Trinity College, Cambridge University will have a lot of applicants with 4, 5, 6 and even 7 A-Levels (especially those who took a gap year and did more A-Levels).

I am also looking to apply for Law Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge University and they typically have 6 applicants per place but give out 16 offers each year. Because I have a German surname, I am doing A-Level German, as well as Maths, Further Maths, French and Spanish. :biggrin: lol It is not too difficult as I had an A* at GCSE German.

I would say to you, your UCAS Personal Statement will matter a lot, as well as the SAQ My Cambridge Application Form Personal Statement, your STEP scores, and of course your Interviews and A-Level grades.

I will be applying post A-Level, with at least 3A* 2A achieved. So I will surpass the A*AA or even A*A*A offers. :wink: lol

Don't drop Computer Science now, it should be an A grade, and the offer for Trinity is usually A*A*A.

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