Schools offers FM but DC didn't take it (block against another subject) - what's their position?

[happyhippiehippo]

I understand that for some courses where FM is 'desirable' etc, unis will look negatively at an applicant who applies without if, if FM was offered at their secondary/senior school.

In DC's case, taking FM was not an option (we checked) as it was blocked against another A-level subject they had chosen.

How do you explain this in an application and would they take it into consideration?

No direct experience, but I would add a sentence to the Personal Statement explaining that due to option blocks he wasn't able to take FM. Does he want to study Maths at uni? My ds applied for CS last year, one of the Uni websites gives the percentage of students who take Maths and FM. If the vast majority have studied FM he might be at a disadvantage even if he does get onto the course.

What was the subject it clashed with and is it necessary for what they want to study?

The subjects chosen are not the traditional i.e. there is Maths plus one science and then Eng Lit. Probably looking at Engineering/Physics rather than pure Maths.

What sort of unis is he considering? DS's friend does physics, he didn't do FM but could have done. He had offers from Bath, Southampton, Birmingham.

Do they plan to study maths at uni? Or comp sci? If neither of those then maths on its own, say as an adjunct to another science, is great.

If they do plan to take maths at uni, unis can’t really demand FM as some schools don’t offer it…but in practice my understanding is that most maths degree students will have it. I think not having is not just a challenge to getting in, but also once there it might be tough? I’m not an expert on that level tho.

If he likes maths enough to study it at uni, why didn’t he want to take FM? Or has his love of it grown with A level?

He had offer from Warwick as well.

Sorry @happyhippiehippo tooktoo long to post! Is the other science physics? If so then probs ok for engineering, def better than if he wanted to do a maths degree. I mean FM would be great for engineering but I don’t think lack of it is a disaster.

Sorry I said ‘he’ but you say they and ofc it might be a dd.

Yes physics is the other A-level!

How would they know? A foundation year might cover any missed curriculum or some unis will offer additional modules in first year.

I have to say, I don’t think I would mention about the FM timetable clash. Tbf if they really wanted to take FM, they could have done, as Eng lit is not needed for physics or engineering degrees. The time to mention it is if school does not offer it so it was not possible. Otherwise I would focus on the positives. Are they yr12?

I agree with this. Your OP says it wasn't possible because of an option block, but it was possible your DC just chose an unrelated subject.

Well I think it's due to the current narrow system, why shouldn't they take Eng Lit? DC still not 100% sure what to do at uni but take your point not to mention.

A very dear, long retired extremely successful friend did Physics/Maths/English Lit and always said the fact they had both the sciences and Eng Lit showed a real breath and was often mentioned when he secured very competitive jobs!

Of course if they want to take English lit they can, but purporting FM wasn't an option isn't true or fair. It was an option, and I imagine would have been timetabled well for those doing maths, physics and other sciences, it's just that FM isn't a priority to your DC. That's different.

Problem is that a lot say you don't have to have further maths, but in practice they don't take many who don't, and those who haven't will tend to be from the schools that don't offer it.
I suspect, even if universities tell you it isn't a problem, he may find, especially for engineering, that they do give preference to people with it.

Could he study it at home? Maths is a subject that if you're good at can lend itself well to studying at home.

So if FM is an option, it's in no way blocked. Your DC is choosing something else instead.

Yeh for sure they can take Eng Lit if they enjoy it and will do well. Did they want to take maths, FM and Eng lit? Tbh they would then be up against "why no physics" for an engineering degree, so not much better off.

A levels are narrow in that it's only really feasible to take three or maybe four; but that's bc study is taken to a relatively high level. Most DC IME know in a general way at least which way their interests lie at age 16. No way would DD have taken maths A level; and DS2 certainly was not interested in Eng lit post-16.

My DC was consistently doing well and enjoying maths, physics and English lit - not one over the other and all equally high at 9s.

...and actually I think, despite what many Mumsnetters state, lots and lots and lots of kids don't actually know for sure what they want to focus on at age 16, unless they're clearly better at e.g. humanities / languages OR sciences. I guess not many that span both which makes it harder in a way.

My son is doing engineering and maths at an RG. He has FM, but lots of kids on his course don’t and it wasn’t a prerequisite.

I did a physics degree without FM, and DC an engineering degree without FM. Both of us found we were in a minority and that it was assumed knowledge -- so I'd agree with those suggesting your son tries to self-teach it before starting his degree.

My son is an engineering student and none of his choices asked for FM, only maths. I do understand your thought regarding taking FM if it is an option but I think this only applies to degrees like Maths, economics etc ... I would not mention it in his personal statement.

Contact the school ucas advisor. They can give you the most up to date information.

We had a slightly different scenario as due to only DS wanting to do FM the school dropped it from their options. We were looking at other schools and so the school said as they didn’t want to lose DS they would put it on for him on a 1-2-1 basis. It was going to include a couple
of afterschool lessons but they have managed to fit it into his timetable.
He is doing maths, FM, physics and Geography. So 4 avelvels. Could you talk to the achoo and see if there is anything they can do to fit further maths in for him?

My DC studied engineering at university and self studied AS level FM in year 13. It was not essential but she said it did help her a lot during the first year. She got an interview at Oxbridge (based on result of aptitude test but turned it down) and got offers from her other 4 choices including their 1st choice.
My other DC had a change of heart over what they wanted to study and changed to maths without A level FM - but did self study some FM modules without taking an exam. They still got offers from decent universities post A level results.