We've all seen this, haven't we? "Informed Choices"

[Tansie]

here

In a discussion with some other Y11 parents with hopefully uni-heading DC, I discovered that many didn't know about this booklet, so I thought it might be useful to put it here in case you haven't but might find it useful.

You find places where the comps have no 6th form tend to be less concerned about A level choice guidance!

It's a good document. I'd draw people's attention to the list of facilitating subjects on p. 25. Serious A levels for people who want to get into a top university. Later on it does some subject-specific stuff - I'd only quibble with its understatement of the importance of doing full A2 Further Maths for both admission to and survival at top mini courses in maths, physics and engineering. I regard it as rather more essential than desirable.

I think they often underplay the importance of FMaths in order to not put off potential engineers and scientists who are at schools that don't offer it. I second the suggestion that that it's pretty important for survival in a uni physics course :) To my mind it's like triple science - if you want to do science subjects and your schools offers it, you should do it, no-brainer. If your school doesn't offer it, it's not the end of the world, you can still take science Alevels.

That's a good point. It's very important that the top unis recruit bright kids from weaker schools. If a such a pupil is successful getting and receiving an offer from a tough quantitative course it's a good idea to take advantage of any bridging courses in maths that they might offer. Oxford both points kids to the Further Maths Support Programme and runs extra classes in the first term for single maths folk. www.fmnetwork.org.uk

roguedad Further maths is very helpful for a Physics degree, and I would advise an A-level student wanting to do Physics at university to take Further maths if they can. However the vast majority of physics undergraduates at Russell group (and similar) universities haven't done Futher maths, and our degrees (in particular first year 'maths for physics' courses) are structured taking this into account.