Best unis for maths

[Dangermouse999]

DS is in y12 and we’re looking at going to some uni open days.

He’s planning to apply for Maths and is probably on track to get 4 A stars in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Comp Sci.

He's considering the following:

1st tier: Cambridge/Oxford, Warwick
2nd tier: Bath, St Andrews, Durham, maybe Edinburgh and Bristol
3rd tier: Exeter, Lancaster, Southampton, Loughborough.

He prefers a smaller to medium size town, definitely not London and he's not a big partying kind of person.

Does anyone have any experience of these unis / other suggestions / any advice in general for Maths degrees?

Eh? Who is off topic? The chat seems friendly enough.

We hire mostly maths and physics grads and we'd be happy with any uni that you've listed. One thing would be to check out the courses as someone suggested. I personally was/am into applied areas so would have been a bit put out at some places where I had to study pure maths until 3rd year. But the course break down and description should be read carefully, what I do now would be considered applied in most universities but to a 6th former it would seem like it would be pure.

Whilst Higher ed is about college courses, t-levels, A levels etc, this thread is talking about choosing Universities which is done at Higher Ed level, but also talking about Further Ed, so it isn't always so black and white

The quotation is about WHO the threads are for, not what they should or shouldn't be about.

Are you saying only people with students "preparing for university" should be commenting here? If so, who would they seek advice from if parents with DC already at university aren't "allowed"?

More importantly, it seems to have brought what was an interesting thread screeching to a halt.

imo The comments from posters whose children are currently at university or who may have attended x university in the post are both valid and helpful.
if you personally don’t find a comment helpful, keep scrolling. No need to police the thread.

I’ve seen numerous comments here and elsewhere about just how hard the STEP test is, even for A* students.

It seems that the biggest hurdle is the amount of specific prep required and a lot of state schools don’t have enough resources to coach their pupils to a sufficient degree.

Luckily DS’s school put a lot of emphasis on developing the skills for STEP, TMUA etc but it’s obviously not a gimme, hence also looking at uni options one or two tiers below Cambridge.

Absolutely, the OP literally asks for people who may have experience of certain universities.

Thanks, looking at the different maths modules in the later years is good advice.

From the little I’ve seen, it seems some unis have a fairly rigid structure with less breadth of optional modules.

@clary Bristol is NOT full of private school Oxbridge rejects 😂. It's 78% state school. And many of their courses and not even offered at Oxbridge. It is a bit pricey but a really great place to be a student (mine just finished 5 fantastic years - comp educated).

Let me repeat, I didn't say it is. I said it was when I was there. 40 years ago. It was as well. I'm glad it's changed now. It was another poster who said it was still full if public school types.

Or he could look at the part of the website that gives the research interests of the staff. It's tricky with maths though. When I was applying I wouldn't have had a clue what algebraic geometry or stochastic processes or inference really meant! Still, some courses (in my day) were focused more on pure maths or statistics or applied maths or applicable maths (if that term still exists) and he might have an idea now which areas he prefers. And whether he wants a course that's focused on the fundamental theories or on real-world applications. Even statistics can be very mathematical and abstract or very practical.

Edit to add: bottom line is that different maths degrees can have very different focuses. While Camb, Oxford, Warwick, Imperial are always going to focus on the fundamental knowledge needed to go on to research, other schools may be more business (or whatever) oriented.

We encouraged dc to really consider the cultural benefits of university life as well as the degree, and what they could learn beyond the academic element. To stretch themselves. It’s a once in a life time experience.

Dc were bored at Warwick, there isn’t much to do. Bath although better has limited options. The city based contingent offer far more than just academics. Edinburgh etc is massively popular for that reason. London as well.

The academics are important, but so is having a well rounded, employable young adult with a wealth of life experience and knowledge at the end.

As the OP has St A and Durham on the list, they are obviously not worried about private vs state numbers. What universities looked like 40 years ago isn’t now or relevant. Look at Oxbridge. Changes are happening to many but not all.

@Nestingbirds Personality of student matters. My 2 would have disliked Warwick too. A friend’s DS loved it but was a room hermit. My DDs are the opposite. So students need to know what personality they are. They can work in the holidays but many do just see uni as study and not much else. Some employers want rounded grads others don’t expect this and employ grads for other attributes. Takes all sorts.

Yes I appreciate that, I have a very studious reserved dd and she has thrived at Edinburgh as it is so exciting. Culturally incredibly diverse and eclectic.

Other dd found Warwick really one dimensional, she got great grades ( there was nothing else to do) and is very very international - but with just one nightclub and a very limited cultural/social scene it is a little barren.

Just because dc think small is best, maybe expanding horizons should be considered, certainly dd has blossomed with confidence. Travels extensively now and has grown as person. Far more prepared for the real world in our view. Some unis are bubbles, and the scope of experience can be limited.

@clary sorry ! I knew you didn't say it. Just didn't want you to think Bristol was full of posh people.

I agree. I do not like threads where there's a very persistent poster who is very old (70) whose kids graduated 15 yrs ago and who talks mostly about the 1970s. I find it unhelpful and the information is so out of date to be misleading.
Its also a strange thing to do.

You could pick Leeds and commute in from the outskirts. No time for anything else but study on a Maths course! Follow the Otley Road out and bus in, or pick somewhere accessible for the train station, it isn't a million miles away, but it's a walk up the hill once you get into Leeds and can be busy in the early eves.

Everyone I agree for sure that my experience of Bristol uni 40 years ago is not super relevant today. I did have a good time haha! I mean I guess the geography is similar and the place itself but agree, not much else.

My uni DC are one who graduated three years ago and one who is in their last year. I think their experience, and that of their friends and other uni DC I know, is very relevant and I hope most posters agree, or I better stop posting on H Ed. And sec Ed too :)

@clary I think your posts are entirely relevant.

Even at this early stage, DS is thinking of PG as an option. However, I don't think it will influence his choices much because a) PG is five years away and so much can change before then and b) all his teachers have said he has the ability to go to one of the best unis for maths, so in his mind, he wants to at least give it a shot first time round for undergrad.

LOL, when I applied to uni 40 years ago, Bristol was considered the classic Oxbridge reject uni so it seems to have struggled to have shaken off that tag!

To be fair, many of the unis that were full of private school kids a generation ago have done a lot to try and improve the balance v state schools.

I totally agree that looking at a uni location holistically is ideal but DS is so utterly obsessed with Maths that I don't think any other non-academic criteria will have much weight on his choices.

He's a very talented musician but he'll probably barely glance at the opportunities for music at any particularly university. Similarly he's not into partying so nightlife is of no interest.

DD is the complete opposite. She much less academic but loves partying and sport so these were big factors in her choice of uni and she's really enjoying it.

My worry is that DS ends up somewhere where eventually he gets to 18/19 years old and he'll suddenly realise life has got a bit dull and uni becomes a bit of a slog.

@ButterPiesAreGreatwhat year is your daughter in? My DS is going into his second year at Sheffield studying Maths - I wonder if they know each other?

He really enjoys living in Sheffield and living costs are better there!

Yes, she’s the same year. 😂 She’s doing the course with placement next year (assuming she finds one). She’s quite reserved but has got to know some people. Has probably got to know fewer people by not living in uni halls first year.

She was there for a term before she was introduced to a girl doing Maths who recognised her from her A level college.