further maths as a fourth A-level- any issues?

My other options are physics chemitry and maths and i just dont know if i do it or not! ive looked at some of the stuff they do in there and its interesting butbim unsure if the workload would be too much to bear.

Reply 1

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

start with 4 and then drop fm if it gets too much

Reply 2

jeyles

Here's my reasoning...
Pros:

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FM and Maths overlap quite a bit which relieves a lot of the work load.

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You have a lot of free time in A-levels. I did 4, and I still felt that I had quite a bit of time spare to revise / do extra curricular activities.

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My school required anyone with three A-levels to take an extra curricular subject. Because I did FM as my fourth subject, I avoided this and spent my time more effectively.

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There is so much revision material for FM online. I highly recommend watching videos and looking at the PhysicsMathsTutor website for specific subject questions and past papers!! (It's free)

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FM gets you ahead in university if your thinking of doing any course that has a maths module e.g... engineering. (It helps a lot)

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FM lowers the grade requirement to a lot of universities too, dependant on course.

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You'll regret not trying! (My thought process at the time) You can always drop out of the subject / do only one year to get the AS-level grade - but it's honestly much easier than they make it out to be.

Cons:

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FM is the hardest at the start and end of A-levels, when you're first adjusting and preparing for exams.

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Depending on course, many of the top unis are looking for an A* in maths regardless of your FM grade. They will drop the total requirement because of FM, but the A* in maths may still be required.

To be clear, I did further maths, maths, physics and product design as well as an extra curricular activity, now studying robotics engineering at uni.

As long as you enjoy your subjects, you won't get burnt out!

Reply 3

st4rgirlz

I was doing the exact same subjects and dropped chemistry at the end of year 12 so i recommend trying 4 subjects first and see how you like it. For my school, we finish maths a level in year 12 and start further maths in year 13 so the workload was manageable if you actually enjoy maths (it will be the worst during mock so i recommend frequently revise every subject), plus fm kinda helps me understand normal maths better🥲

Reply 4

McGinger

Do you actually need to be doing FM.
Do you have any ideas about a potential degree subject or career, however vague?

Reply 5

anusanprea

Original post

by st4rgirlz

The last stmt, espcially, FM helps understand Maths better - 100 pc true. I find FM hard too. but eod, it helps with better chances of admissions for Engg at Bachelors

Reply 6

insidemyhome

Original post

by McGinger

Do you actually need to be doing FM.
Do you have any ideas about a potential degree subject or career, however vague?

well for degrees atm im looking towards astrophysics/quantum physics stuff, maybe chemistry?

Reply 7

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

Original post

by insidemyhome

well for degrees atm im looking towards astrophysics/quantum physics stuff, maybe chemistry?

Fm will be very helpful for physics-related degrees and some top unis will prefer you to have studied it.

Reply 8

McGinger

Original post

by insidemyhome

well for degrees atm im looking towards astrophysics/quantum physics stuff, maybe chemistry?

Check the stated entry requirements for all these degree subjects at a range of different Universities. FM will not be required for Chem and even for Astro etc it isnt necessarily going to be 'preferred' everywhere, and if taking it compromises your other grades, is it really worth it?

Also, if you are undecided about Chem or Physics, have a look at 'Natural Sciences', a multi-science program where you could study both, and importantly, the connections between sciences. Grads are attractive to employers because they speak more than one science 'language' and have a much wider focus than having studied only one science - one example Natural Sciences BSc | Prospective Students Undergraduate - UCL – University College London