Maths degree, where to look, not very top tier

[3sthemagicnumber]

DS is in Y12. Studying Maths, Biology and Geography A Levels. I think he/we had all been expecting him to lean towards Geography/Environmental Science etc, but actually he's really enjoying the Maths and that's what he's leaning towards at university.
He's a pretty smart kid, but his work ethic is definitely a work in progress, and it's therefore hard to predict what sort of grades he'll get. I think the very best case is AAB (A in Maths), but could easily be more like ABC.
He has no real sense of if he wants campus or city etc. Not a big drinker, plays and watches a lot of sport. Very (too!) laid back (but my other kids are extremely driven and focused which I think skews my perspective a bit). I'd like to show him a range of different places so he can start to work out what he likes, but I'm not really sure where to start. Any thoughts?

Surely HE should be working this out ...
It shouldn't be beyond a year 12 kid - with aims of uni - to do this research himself? Why would you be showing him a range of places? (I say this as a parent of 3 kids - 2 at uni, one year 12) of varying levels of drive etc.

Yes, obviously you are right. It is his decision and something he will have to drive himself. Show him was a poor choice of words. Nonetheless, I would be interested in any views.

If he has Unifrog you can do a search on there with predicted grades & it throws up aspirational, safe & back up. You can also see things like average grade offered last year, ranking, cost of accommodation etc.

Bear in mind that not taking FM means he is cutting out a number of unis (tho these are top tier anyway so maybe he would not be considering them).

Unis don’t ask for FM as not all settings offer it but it’s worth finding out the % at possible unis that have it.

A Astar B are great grades and will open lots of places to him. Top tier for maths COWI plus Bath will probably want FM.

Considrr visiting a few different unis like campus (Nottingham Lboro Lancaster) and city ((Sheffield Manchester Leeds) to see what appeals. But the FM is worth checking even with the ones I mention.

How about Stirling. University has big focus on sports, also allied courses like economics and accounting

I think he should do joint honors so can reduce the hard maths if needed

There is a thread at the moment about someone who has chosen maths as a degree and is really struggling because it’s such a big jump theoretically from A level and hard if it doesn’t just “click” for you. Worth a read. Sorry not what you asked!

Years back Bath University had a reputation for being good for maths - don't know if it's still the case, however.

Just seen he likes sport @3sthemagicnumber - Loughborough obvs but also Lancaster, Birmingham, Leeds, Leeds Beckett and Manchester all spring to mind there. Depending on the sport tho (I know a lot about two specific sports at uni!)

Where do you want to look? In London Queen Mary (City) or Royal Holloway (Campus) come to mind. It is a buyer's market at the moment. Last year some established Russel Group universities like Southampton accepted a B in maths in clearing. Some universities increased there offering as if there is no tomorrow and I don't think it will be a good experience for somone who is not driven to make the best out of it.

Bath is highly sought after and would be higher grades than abc for maths

Thank you; this is all very good advice. I think if it had been apparent that Maths was going to be his favourite/best subject he would have taken FM, but I'm hoping it won't matter as much as he's not going to be looking at the top tier anyway.
I aced Maths at GCSE and smashed into the wall at A Level, so I am very aware that people struggle with Maths as it gets harder, as in the other thread. It's pure maths he really likes - if I were the boss of him (and it's rightly already been pointed out that I'm not!) I'd suggest combining with accounting or something.
Sports are football and cricket @clary, if either of those are your areas of knowledge. He's decent at both, but not e.g. county level. Also a fan of bar sports and chess.
We live miles from almost everywhere so open days require an overnight stay (and possibly looking at two nights for northern cities/Scotland). Otherwise I'd be suggesting he visits lots of different places, but our location means we need to try to be a bit targeted.

I enjoyed taking my DC to their Uni open days - visited places I'd never been or considered going to which proved very interesting - Lincoln and Dundee, for instance.

Ideally not London for cost reasons (we will have three kids at university at the same time for three to four years and he hasn't yet expressed any interest in living there). He'd prefer to be in the South/South West/Midlands/South Wales in terms of distance from home, but wouldn't rule out further afield (he won't rule out anything!!).
Totally agree @Gluedtogether; I've really enjoyed the open days I've done with my other kids - interesting going to new places and great to spend that kind of time one on one with your kids.

Look at the complete university guide, Times/Guardian guides, Unifrog. School should also be advising. A maths degree will be hard, I think it’s a good idea to do a joint honours with those grades. He could combine maths with his interest in environmental science for example. I might have missed where you are based but places like Southampton, Reading, Swansea, Liverpool, ie; good, solid universities that are mid tier. He’s unlikely to get on a maths degree at a top tier or RG uni (and it might prove too challenging/comoetitive)?

A campus university might suit with regard to sport but most large towns and cities have local cricket/other sports teams if the uni offering isn’t strong.

Hahaha no not those two sorry @3sthemagicnumber, DS plays American football (posts passim) and I officiate at athletics inc BUCS every year. So footy at Lboro is very competitive to get to play (DS experience); not sure about cricket but it has great facilities. Friend’s DS at Lancaster had a great time playing for their footy team.

If he is really interested in the sport he or you can look on the BUCS website to see which unis did well last year in specific sports. It’s a bit random – for example Ox and Cambs (obvs two top unis) not strong in general IME. Ditto St A and Bristol. OTOH Durham fields a strong Am footy team (won the top table this year) and Bath is strong in athletics.

Southampton and Swansea are good shouts from @PinterandPirandello. Swansea in partic is underrated in general - lovely setting and another good sporting uni.

Pure maths at A-level is actually more like applied maths at degree level. E.g. degree-level statistics is essentially multivariate calculus, vectors and matrices. Degree level maths is abstract proofs, which is not really covered at A-level at all. However, he might turn out to really enjoy abstract maths at degree level (some people do) so I definitely wouldn't rule it out at this point. I would recommend a university which also offers applied degrees so he can switch if necessary. What about Leicester? It offers maths but also data science, actuarial science and finance degrees. Offer is ABB for maths.

Has he considered an apprenticeship with someone like KPMG?
https://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/apprentice

UEA (Norwich) - AAB standard offer, but known to be flexible on results day, if they are the firm choice.

Sheffield may be worth a punt - the standard offer is AAA, but AAB if you have an EPQ or fourth AS. So they appear flexible and may accept A*AB?

They also offer Data Science at AAB and Financial Mathematics at AAB. And it is a great place to live! (And cheap, I think.)

Excellent advice from @clary regarding FM.

The reality is that when the large majority if students have had FM the teaching will be geared to them for pragmatic reasons. Most students who haven’t taken it will be better suited to a programme where they are more typical.

FWIW, in addition to being sporty Loughborough in internationally known for innovative STEM Teaching and Learning. DS may have the PGs for some Scottish unis with strong Maths programmes, and although there is an extra year of uni this can be an advantage for students who aren’t super elite. I don’t know whether he will have the PGs for Glasgow but it has excellent Maths and a number of MumsNetters have commented on this board that their DC have enjoyed the School. DH visits the School and thinks the vibe is good and the students seem happy. Aberdeen etc may also work.

I agree with PP that DS might wish to consider whether some Joint Hons programmes would appeal. Maths has some great ones.

Also agree with PP Sheffield could be a great choice, for similar reasons to Glasgow. I am the one who visits (though not Maths) and love the vibe, think the students look happy, etc.

Thank you, this is all really helpful, especially the explanation from @SoftIce about what degree level maths is like. Lots to think about.
My own instinct is that he would like a smallish city like Swansea or Sheffield, with good access to nature/outdoor spaces, but I think he needs to figure it out and possibly explore a range of options. He's visited relatives at unis in Oxford, Edinburgh, Plymouth and Cardiff and is equally enthusiastic about all of them! (Obvs not aspiring to some of those places though.)
I'll suggest he looks at some joint honours stuff - that is a helpful suggestion which I don't think he has considered.

https://www.ucas.com/applying/before-you-apply/what-and-where-to-study/ucas-events/ucas-discovery-events

He might find booking onto one of these helpful?

Thanks @KidsDoBetter! Coincidentally, I got an email this afternoon from school about a trip to our nearest one of these. DS is keen and it sounds like it might be really helpful.