Is it recommended to do computer science at university if I've not done the A-level?

I'm currently in year 13 doing physics, maths and further maths. I deeply regret not picking computer science as a 4th or instead of physics.
Are you still allowed to apply for computer science, and is it a good/bad idea to do so?
I'm predicted 3 A* so hopefully it's still possible

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Kt_123

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Original post by WasForcedToJoin

I'm currently in year 13 doing physics, maths and further maths. I deeply regret not picking computer science as a 4th or instead of physics.
Are you still allowed to apply for computer science, and is it a good/bad idea to do so?
I'm predicted 3 A* so hopefully it's still possible

You usually don’t need computer science to apply, some of the more tricky to get into unis (e.g. Oxford/Russel Group) require further maths, so your options will likely still get you into the course! Often the requirements say something like an A in maths and an A* in either computer science, further maths or maths. Something like that anyway, I’d recommend checking the requirements for any specific unis you’re looking at but you should be fine for them all!!

In terms of is it recommended, I do computer science at A-level and did it at GCSE. In my A-levels, there really isn’t all that much that has been added since GCSEs and we went over everything again anyway. In uni it seems similar, as long as the entry requirements don’t specifically state that you need computer science, they should assume no prior knowledge. After looking at these courses myself, it looks like the first year on most of the courses is recapping A-level stuff anyway so you would be fine!

Good luck with ur uni application!!! :smile:

Original post by WasForcedToJoin

I'm currently in year 13 doing physics, maths and further maths. I deeply regret not picking computer science as a 4th or instead of physics.
Are you still allowed to apply for computer science, and is it a good/bad idea to do so?
I'm predicted 3 A* so hopefully it's still possible

Hi!

You can definitely still do a computer science degree, it may be a little bit more of a steep learning curve but doing a little work over the summer and having a good work ethic will really help (and with 3 A* predictions I'm sure you've got the work ethic thing down already). For the summer work, if you do decide to do it, I would recommend looking at what the main language is that you are going to be doing in your first year and learn the fundamentals of it, there's no need to be an expert but being able to look at the code and figure out what's going on will help SO much! If you have any universities in mind already I'd check their entry requirements but most want strong math's more than computer science.

I'm in my second year at Heriot-Watt University doing Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) and quite a few people on my course hadn't done computer science before and they're doing great! Most courses do teach from the fundamentals so you won't miss out on anything but they do go through those quite fast.

I hope this helps a little and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

- Jessica

Is it recommended to do computer science at university if I've not done the A-level?

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