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good a level options for maths at uni ?

hiyaa i want to take maths at uni and im going into year 12 next year and this is what ive picked:
maths
fm (with fp1 and fp2)
biology
psychology
epq (idk what topic tho)

i honestly just picked subjects i like - i think a lot of people who do maths also do physics and i HATE physics so much and i really dont want to take it but i do understand why it would be useful but idk if i will regret taking/not taking it

any advice would be much appriciated <33

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Original post by annabel whittle
hiyaa i want to take maths at uni and im going into year 12 next year and this is what ive picked:
maths
fm (with fp1 and fp2)
biology
psychology
epq (idk what topic tho)

i honestly just picked subjects i like - i think a lot of people who do maths also do physics and i HATE physics so much and i really dont want to take it but i do understand why it would be useful but idk if i will regret taking/not taking it

any advice would be much appriciated <33


Double check the course on unis websites to see what they specify subject wise.
If you want to do maths, im assuming just maths, and possibly further maths would be required. But just double check.
If you just need maths and further maths, then for your other subject- choose whatever subject(s) you enjoy most and are best at.
okay thank you !
Reply 5
Maths and Further Maths are pretty much a must for a Maths degree regardless of whether FM is an entry requirement or not. To get into the best possible uni your target should be A*A*A*. Too many people take a 4th A level and don't realise that it is not needed. A 4th A level also puts extra demands on the time you should be allocating to the other 3 A levels. An EPQ is a waste of time also unless the school is forcing you to do it - if they are try to drop it in year 13.
Original post by annabel whittle
hiyaa i want to take maths at uni and im going into year 12 next year and this is what ive picked:
maths
fm (with fp1 and fp2)
biology
psychology
epq (idk what topic tho)
i honestly just picked subjects i like - i think a lot of people who do maths also do physics and i HATE physics so much and i really dont want to take it but i do understand why it would be useful but idk if i will regret taking/not taking it
any advice would be much appriciated <33


Personally I would advise to only to 3 a levels if you’d like to do an epq as well, especially if one of your a levels is further maths. (Biology and psychology are also both very time consuming and hard to manage). By all means if u are good at time management then go for it but don’t bite off more than u can chew! Alternatively, do the 4 a levels but don’t do an epq, this is dependent on what you do your epq on. If you do it on something maths related then it may be useful if you need to be interviewed or write something similar to a personal statement for uni however for maths I doubt an epq would be an incredibly beneficial use of your time.
Original post by annabel whittle
hiyaa i want to take maths at uni and im going into year 12 next year and this is what ive picked:
maths
fm (with fp1 and fp2)
biology
psychology
epq (idk what topic tho)
i honestly just picked subjects i like - i think a lot of people who do maths also do physics and i HATE physics so much and i really dont want to take it but i do understand why it would be useful but idk if i will regret taking/not taking it
any advice would be much appriciated <33

Agree with R.munnings. Daughter did biology and psychology and they are very meaty subjects. Biology alevel had a lot of content. She also did an EPQ, but quite enjoyed that as it was on animals in zoo's. So if you do find 4 alevels a bit too much, either drop one, or if you cant, at the very least put your efforts into the Maths FM and 1 other. You dont have to take physics just for the maths. They go hand and hand, but only if your studying physics at degree level.
Original post by annabel whittle
hiyaa i want to take maths at uni and im going into year 12 next year and this is what ive picked:
maths
fm (with fp1 and fp2)
biology
psychology
epq (idk what topic tho)
i honestly just picked subjects i like - i think a lot of people who do maths also do physics and i HATE physics so much and i really dont want to take it but i do understand why it would be useful but idk if i will regret taking/not taking it
any advice would be much appriciated <33

4 or 3 plus EPQ not both
Original post by nutz99
Maths and Further Maths are pretty much a must for a Maths degree regardless of whether FM is an entry requirement or not. To get into the best possible uni your target should be A*A*A*. Too many people take a 4th A level and don't realise that it is not needed. A 4th A level also puts extra demands on the time you should be allocating to the other 3 A levels. An EPQ is a waste of time also unless the school is forcing you to do it - if they are try to drop it in year 13.

my school only allows fm as a 4th a level tho and they finish the entire epq in year 12
Original post by Muttley79
4 or 3 plus EPQ not both

is it that bad to do both? my school only allows fm as 4th a level but i obviously need it for maths at uni but i also really want to do epq (finish in year 12)
Original post by annabel whittle
is it that bad to do both? my school only allows fm as 4th a level but i obviously need it for maths at uni but i also really want to do epq (finish in year 12)

As a maths teacher I wouldn't recommend both - do UKMT challenges and some reading around but it is too much otherwise.
Original post by Muttley79
As a maths teacher I wouldn't recommend both - do UKMT challenges and some reading around but it is too much otherwise.


okay thank you is there anything else you would recommend to do in year 12 for maths ? to help prepare for a degree but also stuff i can write about in my personal statement because that’s what I wanted to do epq for
Original post by annabel whittle
okay thank you is there anything else you would recommend to do in year 12 for maths ? to help prepare for a degree but also stuff i can write about in my personal statement because that’s what I wanted to do epq for

Is there a Maths club at your school - start one if not. Ask your teachers for suggested books. What were you going to do your EPQ on?
Reply 14
Original post by annabel whittle
my school only allows fm as a 4th a level tho and they finish the entire epq in year 12

Your school are behind the times if they don't realise how useful FM A level can be for students. For anyone considering a Maths degree the school should be encouraging them to take FM for the simple reason that you have a head start when you get to uni. A lot of what you learn in FM is repeated in the first semester of the degree. The better universities now expect you to have done FM if it's offered....obviously only for certain stem degrees.

But still, 4 A levels and an EPQ. That's too much.
Original post by nutz99
Your school are behind the times if they don't realise how useful FM A level can be for students. For anyone considering a Maths degree the school should be encouraging them to take FM for the simple reason that you have a head start when you get to uni. A lot of what you learn in FM is repeated in the first semester of the degree. The better universities now expect you to have done FM if it's offered....obviously only for certain stem degrees.
But still, 4 A levels and an EPQ. That's too much.

do you think there isnt really a point in doing epq then ? because idk what to do it on but my parents keep pushing me to take it but i dont know how good that would look on a university application for maths but i want to keep my options open becuase im not 100 sure i want to do maths at uni but my school is also making us self learn our fm option modules too due to lack of teaching staff so i feel its a lot of work that could be worth it ?? idkk
Reply 16
Original post by annabel whittle
do you think there isnt really a point in doing epq then ? because idk what to do it on but my parents keep pushing me to take it but i dont know how good that would look on a university application for maths but i want to keep my options open becuase im not 100 sure i want to do maths at uni but my school is also making us self learn our fm option modules too due to lack of teaching staff so i feel its a lot of work that could be worth it ?? idkk

An EPQ is only really there to boost your UCAS points or where you don't have the required grade in your 3rd A level it might be used instead of that. To me EPQs are a lot of work for something that may not even be required. Tell your parents that EPQs take a lot of time and that time likely comes out of the time you should be spending on A levels. A levels are much more important to universities and employers than an EPQ.

So the reason that your school is putting FM as a 4th A level is that they don't really want you to take it and especially if they are not actually teaching it. That is really poor. Again, if you have to self teach that is extra time so even more reason not to do an EPQ.

If you want to get the best possible results I would suggest starting with the 4 A levels but no EPQ. Lots of students drop one A level after the first year as they find four too time consuming. That may be the best option for you. If the self teach FM does not work then drop that asap to just concentrate on the other 3 A levels.
Original post by annabel whittle
do you think there isnt really a point in doing epq then ? because idk what to do it on but my parents keep pushing me to take it but i dont know how good that would look on a university application for maths but i want to keep my options open becuase im not 100 sure i want to do maths at uni but my school is also making us self learn our fm option modules too due to lack of teaching staff so i feel its a lot of work that could be worth it ?? idkk

Are you at a state school in England?
Original post by Muttley79
Are you at a state school in England?

yes
Original post by nutz99
An EPQ is only really there to boost your UCAS points or where you don't have the required grade in your 3rd A level it might be used instead of that. To me EPQs are a lot of work for something that may not even be required. Tell your parents that EPQs take a lot of time and that time likely comes out of the time you should be spending on A levels. A levels are much more important to universities and employers than an EPQ.
So the reason that your school is putting FM as a 4th A level is that they don't really want you to take it and especially if they are not actually teaching it. That is really poor. Again, if you have to self teach that is extra time so even more reason not to do an EPQ.
If you want to get the best possible results I would suggest starting with the 4 A levels but no EPQ. Lots of students drop one A level after the first year as they find four too time consuming. That may be the best option for you. If the self teach FM does not work then drop that asap to just concentrate on the other 3 A levels.

thank you so much for your help ! i think it’s a good idea considering i don’t even know what to do it on anyway

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