Oxford chemistry

3

I'm in year 13 doing maths, fm and chem at a level predicted 3A* . I'm thinking of taking a gap year and applying to oxford for chem. In my gap year should I also sit a level physics (I dropped it after year 12) so I am already familiar with the As content or am I fine with 3A* achieved?

Reply 1

thegeek888

18

Original post

by gunnersmad231

I'm in year 13 doing maths, fm and chem at a level predicted 3A* . I'm thinking of taking a gap year and applying to oxford for chem. In my gap year should I also sit a level physics (I dropped it after year 12) so I am already familiar with the As content or am I fine with 3A* achieved?

@TypicalNerd is a second year undergraduate student at St. John's College, Oxford studying Chemistry. He did Maths, Physics and Chemistry but also A-Level Further Maths and AS Biology in his gap year. He was rejected the first time and re-applied the following year and was allocated to St. John's College, Oxford. 🙂

Reply 2

TypicalNerd

18

Original post

by gunnersmad231

I'm in year 13 doing maths, fm and chem at a level predicted 3A* . I'm thinking of taking a gap year and applying to oxford for chem. In my gap year should I also sit a level physics (I dropped it after year 12) so I am already familiar with the As content or am I fine with 3A* achieved?

Whilst all above by thegeek888 is true, I honestly reckon that if you manage 3A* grades or even 2A* + 1A in your A levels, you don’t really need to take a fourth A level in your gap year. Realistically, you only need to take extra (STEM) subjects (or resit) if you get less than 2A* + 1A. I managed 2A* + 1A myself in year 13, but only took extra subjects in my gap year because I recognised that not taking FM was a bad decision given how mathematical many aspects of the course are. In hindsight, perhaps this wasn’t necessary, though.

A level physics has come in handy with certain aspects of the course - particularly with the first year physical basis of chemistry lecture courses (e.g role of charge I and role of charge II, properties of gases and classical mechanics) and Balliol college (if you intend to apply there) has stated a preference for A level physics as one of your subjects. That said, I’d actually argue that A level further maths is more useful than A level physics overall (especially since the fourth prelims paper is basically a further maths paper with a bit of extra stuff) and so your subject combination is already excellent as it stands.

Reply 3

Camer0nR

11

In y12 so just guessing, but surely if you've done y12 physics and have loads of time on your hands then doing the A level is the best option as it would give you useful knowledge and skills and show your continued desire to learn and go above and beyond, especially if you pair it with work experience placements/jobs in labs etc.

Oxford chemistry

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated