Should I drop further maths

I'm considering dropping FM since I hear it does get quite hard in the future, I don't really need it for medicine, pharmaceuticals or biochem which are the uni courses I'm considering.
I feel like it might affect my performance in other subjects as well, so if I'm going to drop it I probably want to make that decision early into the term (now basically).

If I want to do medicine (which is my ideal course) how essential is FM? I'm not really aiming for oxbridge since I hear it doesn't really matter which medical school you go to.

Reply 1

shinyduck21

9

Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking Further Maths (or any subject, but especially FM as it's usually taken as a 4th) unless you genuinely enjoy it and are willing to put in the work to get a decent grade. I'm taking FM (year 13) because I love maths and want to do it at uni, but for medicine / biochem / anything of that genre it's absolutely not necessary, and if you think it will negatively affect your other grades it's not worth it.

With that being said, it is very early on in the term, so I would recommend sticking with FM for at least 2 more weeks just to see if you do start to enjoy it more. In terms of difficulty, FM itself only gets noticeably more difficult in year 2, so if you're interested in the maths but don't want to sacrifice your other subjects, you might want to look into AS FM, which shouldn't be too much more work on top of 3 other subjects. AS FM is intended to be able to be studied alongside AS maths, so it isn't too complex at all, and doesn't build on anything from A2 maths.

Reply 2

Screamingcacti

OP

10

Original post by shinyduck21

Personally, I wouldn't recommend taking Further Maths (or any subject, but especially FM as it's usually taken as a 4th) unless you genuinely enjoy it and are willing to put in the work to get a decent grade. I'm taking FM (year 13) because I love maths and want to do it at uni, but for medicine / biochem / anything of that genre it's absolutely not necessary, and if you think it will negatively affect your other grades it's not worth it.
With that being said, it is very early on in the term, so I would recommend sticking with FM for at least 2 more weeks just to see if you do start to enjoy it more. In terms of difficulty, FM itself only gets noticeably more difficult in year 2, so if you're interested in the maths but don't want to sacrifice your other subjects, you might want to look into AS FM, which shouldn't be too much more work on top of 3 other subjects. AS FM is intended to be able to be studied alongside AS maths, so it isn't too complex at all, and doesn't build on anything from A2 maths.

Thanks for the reply! This was super helpful, I might ask about AS further math since I've been considering that option as well. I do enjoy FM but just not enough to sacrifice my other more important subjects I think XD

Reply 3

shinyduck21

9

Original post by Screamingcacti

Thanks for the reply! This was super helpful, I might ask about AS further math since I've been considering that option as well. I do enjoy FM but just not enough to sacrifice my other more important subjects I think XD

Of course! I do think AS fm might be right for you - it's more interesting and satisfying than regular a level maths, but isn't so ridiculously hard that it will take up all of your time. Good luck with everything! :smile:

Reply 4

AkhilaK

8

I'm in the same position as you, and I've decided to wait until I get my first set of results for all my subjects and then to decide from there. If its unmanageable, I'm planning to drop it, but I hope more than anything that it will be alright.

Reply 5

Screamingcacti

OP

10

Just as an update to anyone still reading this: I dropped FM because it was faaar too much homework and my other subjects were suffering as a result. So far it's been a lot less hectic and I think it was probably for the best even if I'm still adjusting to the slower lessons XD

Reply 6

shinyduck21

9

Original post by Screamingcacti

Just as an update to anyone still reading this: I dropped FM because it was faaar too much homework and my other subjects were suffering as a result. So far it's been a lot less hectic and I think it was probably for the best even if I'm still adjusting to the slower lessons XD

It sounds like that might be for the best - there's no point taking a subject just for the sake of it, especially if it's having a negative impact on your other subject. If you're good enough at maths, taking maths a level can be an easy A, and you can spend more time on your other subjects. Good luck with everything! :smile:

Reply 7

Screamingcacti

OP

10

Original post by shinyduck21

It sounds like that might be for the best - there's no point taking a subject just for the sake of it, especially if it's having a negative impact on your other subject. If you're good enough at maths, taking maths a level can be an easy A, and you can spend more time on your other subjects. Good luck with everything! :smile:

Thank you! Good luck to you to!

Reply 8

Muttley79

20

Original post by Screamingcacti

Thanks for the reply! This was super helpful, I might ask about AS further math since I've been considering that option as well. I do enjoy FM but just not enough to sacrifice my other more important subjects I think XD

FMaths is not needed for Medicine in any uni - [I teach Maths btw]

Should I drop further maths

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