Gap year - Further Maths A level? Or something else?

[IsItThough]

Very specific question! TIA!

DC had decided to take a gap year this year as (even now) still not sure exactly what they want to study.

Got better grades than predicted. Not stellar, but with a chance of a place on a decent course at a decent uni (but that ship had long sailed, had had a tough time during Covid and not happy at 6th form for a bunch of reasons.)

Is now looking at courses and thinking they would like/need to keep their maths skills sharp. Is it worth doing A level Further Maths somewhere, as a private candidate or evening classes? Or would something else be better?

Which courses are they considering? Would they need further maths to meet grade requirements or would this be as an extra thing to study?

Extra thing to study. Has an A in Maths (and Physics). (and very realistic about where might be achievable - ie its not about tariff points so much as keeping skills fresh)

Interested in either engineering, or economics or data/quants type things with social sciences. Maths seems to be the common denominator.

Also thinking about voluntary work/work experience, EPQ, OU modules.

Currently working in a pub!

Coding courses might be useful- loads free on line.

Hi, OP - Former Russell Group STEM admissions tutor here.

I don’t think the RG+ (Bath, Lancaster, possibly a couple of others) is the be all and end all. But they do house the majority of the highly ranked STEM degree programmes in the UK, and employers know this. (By no means all of them!). Those As in Maths and Physics have opened this world to your DS.

For many Engineering programmes Further Maths is not required. But it is always helpful. More importantly, a myth (IMO) persists amongst many admissions tutors that STEM applicants should not take a gap year, because they will lose their Maths. By taking FM during his gap year your DS will be addressing this concern and gaining some useful knowledge to boot.

At my place none of our Engineering programmes require FM but over half of our entrants have it. Each Y1 Engineering cohort has a Year of Maths, but the pace is so fast that the FM students have a big advantage.

I suspect this line of reasoning would be broadly valid in a mathematically orientated Economics degree programme also. For a BA in Economics or Social Science, perhaps not so much.

Best wishes to your DS

PS Is an EPQ still an option? I always think it’s a great idea. It teaches a different, very useful skill set. But only if DS can stay on top of time management in whatever his circumstances will be

Thanks all and @poetryandwine especially.

I think could manage either independent EPQ or Further Maths A level (with tuition), both might be a stretch? Depending if he taps some hitherto unaccessed motivation......

And perhaps which is better rests on whether its the engineering route (possibly sound/acoustics) or the more social sciency type route. Am aware he needs to get skates on either way.

Is your son musical? With Maths, Physics A levels and an interest in sound engineering this is a really prestigious course:

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/music-and-sound-recording-tonmeister#entry

@IsItThough Just a thought, but if he wanted to do further Maths, he could also repeat Maths A level too to try and get an A* as many Mathsy courses (including Econ at many places), require it.

Thanks @Theworried2 I think he's at one with the idea that Economics or Maths at top RG is out. I'll float that with him but I think its more that he wants to improve chances rather than upgrade IYKWIM. He has also said he doesn't want to be in a cohort of superbrains, and feel that he is the least able.

That course looks amazing @Aslockton, but he decided not to take A Level Music (got a 9 at GCSE) so it rules him out of some things.

Actually Acoustics is a good example of a respected specialist degree that it might be easier to find outside the RG. OTOH if you get a more generalist degree you can often specialise on the job, whereas if your knowledge base is smaller, you only have the qualifications for a smaller subset of initial jobs. Yet to some employers your qualifications will seem more relevant. This dichotomy is currently at play in the generalist Computer Science and Computer Engineering Degrees offered by RG+ vs the specialist degrees in the computing field offered by a number of post 1992 universities.

I don’t know if there is a generalist degree incorporating Acoustics or Sound Engineering. There might not be. That is a very interesting question.

There are a couple @poetryandwine Edinburgh and York that seem to be linked between Music and Engineering. A lot of the others veer more into Music production. Seem to be options at Salford and Huddersfield too.