First or Second year entry to Scottish Universities for rest of UK students

[mushroom3]

We have visited a few universities with DS and he is interested to apply to Edinburgh for Maths. He is doing further Maths and with the predicted grades he has, could apply for second year entry, for an MMath it would be either 4 or 5 years. It appears that many rest of the UK students do this for Maths (I'm not sure about other subjects). Have you or your DC done this? Any academic people in the Scottish University system have thought on this? Advantages and disadvantages?

DC could have gone straight into year 2 with his grades but didn’t, however, he sat A Levels at 17, so younger end of cohort. Obviously an extra year of fees, but I think it worked well in terms of enjoying a rounded university experience. MFL not maths.

I could have done but didn't (and I'm glad I didn't). Ended up going straight into second year for some subjects and not others (it was a joint degree and I had to take extra subjects anyway). For the maths part, I went into 1st year and was glad I did - it was a useful refresher after I'd had a year out and the Scottish syllabus was different to the one I'd done anyway, so the lecturers assumed that we knew different things. Some topics I did in that year were pretty new to me.

Do you still get your MA if you only do 3 years?

My daughter does maths at Edinburgh, going into 2nd year. She's Scottish but lots of English friends. She has said the course is as challenging to English students and lots of them have struggled. Has she had a detailed look at the curriculum? Socially, doing a first year always seems like a good idea.

Sorry, your son not daughter

Most of the Scottish students on courses like that will have done SQA Advanced Higher Maths, which is harder than A level maths and FM . And they will go into first year at Edinburgh, not second year.

So they will be way ahead of your Ds by second year of uni.

Id say go into first year, he will have a much better experience socially and academically. First year won’t be too hard and he will have a chance to find his feet , enjoy the uni experience and get used to living away from home etc.