What A levels for physics?

Hi I’m currently going into year eleven and will be choosing my A levels soon. I have a real passion for physics (specifically cosmology) and I’ve had my sights set on Oxford for a little while. I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about further maths as borderline necessary for a physics application, but I’m not sure about doing four A levels, since at my school students are only allowed to do further maths as a 4th option. Would my application be equally strong with my third subject on top of physics and maths being a related subject like Chemistry, or would not having further maths make the process a lot harder for me/significantly reduce my chances?

Reply 1

sound-famous-

Chemistry is not a related subject for Physics at Oxford. And yes, not having further maths when your school offers it would significantly reduce your chances.

Reply 2

danny_ddd

Original post by sound-famous-

Chemistry is not a related subject for Physics at Oxford. And yes, not having further maths when your school offers it would significantly reduce your chances.

Thanks so much for this. Would physics, maths, philosophy and further maths be a good combination for my application?

Reply 3

McGinger

For some Unis, FM isnt going to make any difference, for others it may be the decider.
Its worth emailing some Unis and asking how important FM actually is, especially where this isnt obvious from their entry requirements. Examples :
Physics with Astrophysics (BSc) - Undergraduate, University of York - Maths and Physics
Physics with Astrophysics BSc (UCAS F3F5) (warwick.ac.uk) - Mathematics (or Further Mathematics) and Physics
Physics with Astrophysics BSc (Hons) with professional placement or study abroad (bath.ac.uk) - Mathematics or Physics (or Further Mathematics

Reply 4

sound-famous-

Original post by danny_ddd

Thanks so much for this. Would physics, maths, philosophy and further maths be a good combination for my application?

Yeah that sounds like a good combination. You've probably already heard of it, but if not, check out Physics and Philosophy at Oxford: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/physics-and-philosophy

Reply 5

danny_ddd

Original post by sound-famous-

Thanks I’ll definitely look into it. I’d heard of it but until recently dismissed it since I didn’t see the connection between the 2 subjects. Looks very interesting though thanks for the link