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Should I take further maths?

I’m choosing my subjects for GCSE soon. I want to study med in the future and I am wondering if I should take further maths. I’m average at maths, I’m worry that I won’t get a good grade and will drag the average down.
I’m aiming for Ivy League or Oxbridge
Reply 1
i wont tell you what to do but ill give you reasons for both

yes:
its a good gcse in general, theres nothing wrong with it per se
will help if you take a level maths
it might be good when applying to 6th form/college but i dont think so

no:
most, if not none, 6th forms/colleges actaully require it
unis wont look at your gcses other than maths and english - its your a levels they want
you may struggle in it as you said which you dont want
Hello there, I also want to do medicine at Oxbridge. I did not take Further Maths at GCSE or A Level - it's additional stress and pressure that will not improve your application. Especially if you are already worried about it - I would advise you to focus more on improving your maths score so you feel confident in this subject, rather than thinking about Further Maths. I hope this helps!
Reply 3
I took further maths gcse and am now taking it for a level, I'm also a med applicant. You don't need it for medicine, if you can get a good grade in it then it helps but not needed at all. Try and get 9/8/7s in every gcse for oxford since they only take people with great gcses, if further maths will bring you down don't do it. But if you are good at maths and can get a good grade then it will be another 9 to your name
Reply 4
Original post by SC01234
I’m choosing my subjects for GCSE soon. I want to study med in the future and I am wondering if I should take further maths. I’m average at maths, I’m worry that I won’t get a good grade and will drag the average down.
I’m aiming for Ivy League or Oxbridge

Yeah if you're solid at maths (and your teacher is good) its an extra GCSE. I dropped it because I was too lazy (1hr after skl and I lived 2 hours away wasn't fun) but I know people who didn't have to really do anything for Y12 Maths since they've done nearly all of the content. However It's not required and you should really only do it if you know for a fact you can get a minimum of 7 in it
Reply 5
Original post by SC01234
I’m choosing my subjects for GCSE soon. I want to study med in the future and I am wondering if I should take further maths. I’m average at maths, I’m worry that I won’t get a good grade and will drag the average down.
I’m aiming for Ivy League or Oxbridge


i’ll be real with you don’t take it if you’re average at maths. i’m doing it now and even though i’m predicted a 9 it’s still quite challenging for me. you could spend the other time focussing on other subjects instead.

i mean it’s your decision so if you’re planning on putting in extra work practising maths skills go ahead. like i spend 30-45 minutes each doing maths just so i’m not behind in my class because it is challenging and grade boundaries are crazy high

good luck with your decision tho
Reply 6
it’s better to focus on gcse maths and get the best grade you can, there’s no point in doing fm if you’re not guaranteed to get an 8/9 in both maths and fm
Reply 7
Original post by SC01234
I’m choosing my subjects for GCSE soon. I want to study med in the future and I am wondering if I should take further maths. I’m average at maths, I’m worry that I won’t get a good grade and will drag the average down.
I’m aiming for Ivy League or Oxbridge

Yes, I'd strongly recommend taking it for GCSEs.

I did AQA Level 2 Further Maths, and for me that syllabus was far easier than Edexcel IGCSE A Mathematics. Like, significantly easier.

Of course it depends on the exam board you're doing. If it's Edexcel, although I don't know much about their Further Maths syllabus, I have seen that its pretty damn hard compared to the one I did.

I'd say take it, and if you find time management or the subject difficult then you can drop it. But I'd say it's worth the experience nevertheless.

It also looks pretty cool on your applications to Sixth Form or College.

Hope that helps :smile:

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