EPQ or AS further maths?

soo basically I am stuck between the two. For reference, I study bio chem maths and am hoping to do either bioengineering or chemical engineering at university. I was accepted on both (hoping a rejection from one im ngl) and now I have to decide. I can't tell if further maths will be too difficult as well. Here are the pros and cons so far:
pros of further maths:
-very related to engineering
-did some tasters and I quite enjoy it
-small class so I know quite a few people doing it so I'd be with my friends
-would force me to revise maths more which is my weakest subject (I get mostly As and rarely A*s)
cons of further maths:
-extra 4 hours a week on my timetable which is alr quite ****
-extra load in exam season
-quite risky if it ends up being ****
-admittedly hard
pros of epq:
-only one extra hour a week
-can do epq on something a bit more niche
-gives me a bit of experience with uni style work
-a bit more well known than AS further maths I feel like if that makes sense
cons of epq:
-if I end up going one way with my epq and another way in my uni application, it would end up in the production log that I changed my topic
-a bit less guidance than AS further maths
-admittedly not the most enjoyable experience i'm not a very essay liking person

anyone who can give me advice please do I actually need it I need to decide very soon and I am actually stressing it thank you :smile:

also if anyone who has done AS further maths can tell me their experience with it please please share it thank youu

Reply 1

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by alevelsarenotfun

soo basically I am stuck between the two. For reference, I study bio chem maths and am hoping to do either bioengineering or chemical engineering at university. I was accepted on both (hoping a rejection from one im ngl) and now I have to decide. I can't tell if further maths will be too difficult as well. Here are the pros and cons so far:
pros of further maths:
-very related to engineering
-did some tasters and I quite enjoy it
-small class so I know quite a few people doing it so I'd be with my friends
-would force me to revise maths more which is my weakest subject (I get mostly As and rarely A*s)
cons of further maths:
-extra 4 hours a week on my timetable which is alr quite ****
-extra load in exam season
-quite risky if it ends up being ****
-admittedly hard
pros of epq:
-only one extra hour a week
-can do epq on something a bit more niche
-gives me a bit of experience with uni style work
-a bit more well known than AS further maths I feel like if that makes sense
cons of epq:
-if I end up going one way with my epq and another way in my uni application, it would end up in the production log that I changed my topic
-a bit less guidance than AS further maths
-admittedly not the most enjoyable experience i'm not a very essay liking person

anyone who can give me advice please do I actually need it I need to decide very soon and I am actually stressing it thank you :smile:

also if anyone who has done AS further maths can tell me their experience with it please please share it thank youu

I’d say AS Further Maths >>> EPQ (admittedly I’m very biased as I did the full A level in my gap year and have attempted the EPQ on two occasions, dropping it both times).

You have said you find further maths more enjoyable based off of the taster and it would encourage you to work more on your ordinary mathematics course. I’d also say the fact it is more relevant as you have pointed out is a definite advantage.

I’d need to know which exam board you are with before recommending any resources, but I can promise you that if you are with Edexcel, there are tonnes of resources out there.

Reply 2

alevelsarenotfun

OP

7

Original post by TypicalNerd

I’d say AS Further Maths >>> EPQ (admittedly I’m very biased as I did the full A level in my gap year and have attempted the EPQ on two occasions, dropping it both times).

You have said you find further maths more enjoyable based off of the taster and it would encourage you to work more on your ordinary mathematics course. I’d also say the fact it is more relevant as you have pointed out is a definite advantage.

I’d need to know which exam board you are with before recommending any resources, but I can promise you that if you are with Edexcel, there are tonnes of resources out there.

omg I am actually with edexcel for further maths. this actually helped thank you

Reply 3

arch17

Universities Forum Helper

14

maybe look at a past paper and decide if thats something you can do, i personally ignored epq until the last 3 weeks and got an a* its just about getting your head down and completing it as it can be on anything you like but preferably related to ur uni courses but yknow reduced grades are very motivating

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 4

PixiePresents

14

Im a bit biased but I would highly recommend you do further maths AS level, it’s very enjoyable and also will aid you in getting the top grades in maths A Level as it makes it seem trivial.

However, doing an EPQ on something more related to your areas of interest gives you a lot to talk about in your personal statement, but there’s not much use for it other than that to be honest.

AS Further Maths ties in well with your A Levels, especially if you were to take the mechanics module.

Reply 5

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by alevelsarenotfun

omg I am actually with edexcel for further maths. this actually helped thank you

Which elective papers are you doing?

BicenMaths will cover your core pure and has resources for FP1, FM1 and FS1

Physics and maths tutor covers all the elective papers and has additional resources such as lists of formulae you need to remember and cheat sheets.

Reply 6

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by TypicalNerd

Which elective papers are you doing?

BicenMaths will cover your core pure and has resources for FP1, FM1 and FS1

Physics and maths tutor covers all the elective papers and has additional resources such as lists of formulae you need to remember and cheat sheets.