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Urgent help needed

So i take a level further maths but its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now?? I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do. I take four a levels currently so there would be a lot less work and i would just do maths instead of further maths. Pls lmk what i should do
Original post by Saisai_
So i take a level further maths but its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now?? I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do. I take four a levels currently so there would be a lot less work and i would just do maths instead of further maths. Pls lmk what i should do

I can't tell you whether to drop the subject or not; it's your decision.

its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now??
Yep, that's why the colleges ask for people with 9s in order to enrol on the course. The thing they forget to tell you is that A Level is nothing like GCSE. In fact, you might even be able to secure an A* with a 7 in GCSE Maths; it's a different ball game.
If you are using the same approach to study FM as you did with GCSE Maths, then you might have a tough time.

I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do
For most jobs (if not all) and most degrees in most subjects, you're fine with just A Level Maths. FM is usually used as a differentiator for the top end unis for their quantitative degrees - some even brag about strongly recommending it.
Typical degrees at top end unis that strongly recommending you to do FM include: physics, maths, economics, finance. Engineering and computer science, I have seen less of, but unis can sometimes consider your application more competitive with it.

Pls lmk what i should do
As I said above, you can only decide for yourself. However, things that I would consider prior to dropping it include:

Which unis do you intend to study at?

What are the entry requirements for the specific degrees that you want to study?

How competitive is your application for the degree that you want to do?


As far as I know, no employer out there would jump up and hire you on the spot for just having FM nor would they consider it a major differentiator in your job application (that would be one weird world that we would be living in if that's the case). As such, the best use of it is for your academics.
Original post by Saisai_
So i take a level further maths but its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now?? I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do. I take four a levels currently so there would be a lot less work and i would just do maths instead of further maths. Pls lmk what i should do

Hi @Saisai_,

I recommend you wait out until Christmas time to fully decide whether you drop FM or not. It's only been a week and you might find that FM become more manageable as you progress through the course. I'm sure many of your other peers are adjusting similarly to you as many have said FM to be a difficult subject.

However, if you find that the subject is not getting any easier and the workload is too overwhelming, dropping your fourth subject that is completely fine as well! Many universities don't require you sit four A-Levels and only look at three subjects. You could use the extra time taking part in extra-curriculars to write in boost in your CV or personal statement.

Could I ask what your other three subjects are? And what you wish to study in Uni?

Hope this helps,
Danish
BCU Student Rep
Original post by Saisai_
So i take a level further maths but its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now?? I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do. I take four a levels currently so there would be a lot less work and i would just do maths instead of further maths. Pls lmk what i should do

It's far too early to drop a subject.

Which topic are you doing? How much time are you working outside the lesson?
Reply 4
Original post by Saisai_
So i take a level further maths but its soooo difficult and ive only done a week and im struggling with the work. I got a nine in gcse maths so i got persuaded to take fm but idk if i should just drop it now?? I want to drop it but i wanna know how useful fm actually is before i do. I take four a levels currently so there would be a lot less work and i would just do maths instead of further maths. Pls lmk what i should do

Fm can be difficult to get used to. I found yr12 easy after 3 months, and then yr 13 was so hard. But if you spend some time focusing on it, you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. A lot of people in my class were in a similar boat.

Fm is harder than maths, as a whole, it is FURTHER, but it isn't impossible to excel at it, trust me.
And fm will make maths a-levels easier. Again, only if you put in the time to study/go over things. It won't be the same as gcse, but you get used to it.

If it genuinely becomes too much, don't be afraid to drop the subject, after half-term or just do it as an AS. I promise you FM does get easier, you really just have to put some work in it. And it can be rewarding. But it's not worth your mental health or sacrificing the grades of your other subjects. I did four subjects during AS (maths, fm, econ and chem) and I found it pretty enjoyable. I loved yr 12 actually, bc I managed my time well. But i knew that if any of those subjects sacrificed my grades, then I would've dropped it. You only need 3 subjects for most courses and Maths is often the most desirable. FM is almost never necessary unless you're doing like a mathematical course at uni.


Tips:

Go over things before hand. I did pearson/edexcel, so I would go over the coming three lessons before-hand using the person book, which is what we learnt out of. I would spend time trying to go over concepts, and give yourself grace if you don't fully understand it, it'll be taught in lesson.

Ask your teachers/peers for help, it was one of my mistakes but sometimes, you won't understand until someone else helps you look at problems with a different way of thinking. And they're around you, as a resource, so don't be afraid.

Practise, maths and fm, it's just a whole bunch of practise. It's the easiest way to memorise formulas and methods, because the more you write things out, or do things a specific way, the more it gets engrained into your memory. And try a whole bunch of questions. Once you've gotten the grasps of things, try harder exam questions, it'll make the schoolwork seem sm easier and again, get you thinking more broadly. Oh and once you understand the concept, only do exam questions, it'll save time and serve as revision.

Make a note of everything you don't understand and keep a checklist. It'll keep you much more organised during exam season, and keep exam qs that you get wrong in a document/take a photo of them, so you can revisit them while revising.

FM is not as much content as it is understanding and practise, so the content you can summarise as a whole and keep it to the side, for ease. I created A3 mind maps, with all the stuff that should be memorised (like formulas and proofs and stuff I get wrong) and I used that consistently with all my hw and revision. It was a good summary sheet and saved a lot of time.

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