good combo for maths at uni??

hiyaa i want to study pure maths at university but im scared my a level combo will be seen as weak - i take maths further maths and psychology (+epq maths related) ik its random 😭 but i also do a ton of extracurricular stuff for maths and im planning on sitting the STEP and maths AEA as well as self studying additional option modules for further maths (further pure one and two as my school does further mechanics one and two) im scared that unis will think that maths and further maths count as one a level or that psychology is a weak third subject

so far ive got 100% in every single test ive ever sat in maths during sixth form so im sure i can get A*s in maths and further maths but idk if I will compare at all to people who take 4 subjects including subjects like physics

my dream is cambridge but idk if they will even consider me im also really interested in ucl

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Reply 1

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper

19

Original post by annabel whittle

hiyaa i want to study pure maths at university but im scared my a level combo will be seen as weak - i take maths further maths and psychology (+epq maths related) ik its random 😭 but i also do a ton of extracurricular stuff for maths and im planning on sitting the STEP and maths AEA as well as self studying additional option modules for further maths (further pure one and two as my school does further mechanics one and two) im scared that unis will think that maths and further maths count as one a level or that psychology is a weak third subject

so far ive got 100% in every single test ive ever sat in maths during sixth form so im sure i can get A*s in maths and further maths but idk if I will compare at all to people who take 4 subjects including subjects like physics

my dream is cambridge but idk if they will even consider me im also really interested in ucl

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Check the requirements of the course you are after on some of the unis websites. They will specify what subjects/grades they require.
If you are wanting to study maths, then id imagine that maths and further maths will be the main 2 they are after.

Reply 2

annabel whittle

OP

13

Original post by Emma:-)

Check the requirements of the course you are after on some of the unis websites. They will specify what subjects/grades they require.
If you are wanting to study maths, then id imagine that maths and further maths will be the main 2 they are after.

they require A* in maths and further maths along with A* in one other subject but since these unis are very competitive especially for this course im worried that they will disregard me amongst other candidates who get 4-5 A*s

Reply 3

eveningprimrose

7

Original post by annabel whittle

they require A* in maths and further maths along with A* in one other subject but since these unis are very competitive especially for this course im worried that they will disregard me amongst other candidates who get 4-5 A*s

honestly it also depends on contextual information from your school — and if you can get three a* with one of them being psychology, i expect that's still better than getting A*A*BB for example!! especially with all the super-curricular stuff you seem to have going on AND taking step etc. i would talk to your head of sixth form & maths teachers about it to see how maths applicants from your school have done in the past — what subjects did they take, how many, and where did they get offers from?

Reply 4

nutz99

19

Original post by annabel whittle

they require A* in maths and further maths along with A* in one other subject but since these unis are very competitive especially for this course im worried that they will disregard me amongst other candidates who get 4-5 A*s

There is a myth that has been around for many years that applicants with 4 or 5 A levels will be looked upon more favourably than those that only have 3. They are not. It is effectively the required A levels that are looked at first, in this case Maths & Further Maths, and then your best A level and that's it. They don't even consider the rest. If you get A*A* in Maths & Further Maths and an A in Psychology and the required grade in STEP then you will likely get an interview.

Obviously the more extracurricular examples you have the better but it is all about impressing in the interview.

Reply 5

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

18

Just to clarify that 'Pure Maths' means something quite different at university to at A-Level. Whereas at A-Level, all that isn't Statistics, Mechanics and Decision is lumped under 'Pure', at university, almost all of the 'Pure' section of A-Level would be considered as Applied Maths, with a few exceptions like some proofs.

I'd advise making sure that you're definitely happy with the course content before narrowing it down to just a Pure Maths degree as it may be different to what you'd expect given the A-Level module names. (Obviously if that's what you're aiming for then you can ignore this advice).

good combo for maths at uni??

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