Any advantage in taking A2 Maths a year early in application to medicine?

[Gigimama]

Dd is now in Year 11 doing her GCSEs. She took Maths GCSE in Year 10 & is doing additional Maths this year. Her teacher is encouraging her to do AS & A2 together next year with the view of doing Further Maths A level in Year 13. She is aiming for medicine and will take up Physics, Biology and Chemistry on top of Maths. She can of course drop one of the sciences after AS & and do Further Maths but she can also carry on with the 3 sciences and not do Further Maths. Just wonder whether there is an advantage, or disadvantage in doing A2 Maths a year early? Some universities state that they prefer all the A levels in one sitting but surely they are frowning upon retakes rather than doing a subject early! Anyone with any advice please.

xRavenx. I agree with your views re Maths. DD took it and struggled to get a good grade as AS to the detriment of her other subjects too, as the teaching was below standard and she was focusing on just understanding mechanics.

How is your first year going?

Tressy, it's going well thanks :) Really enjoying it, and ever so glad I chose Medicine, but struggling to get down to revision for first exam (in just over a week)!

I got cold feet after I finished my exams and waited for results, and even colder feet after getting them! After a couple of years of focussing almost entirely on getting into medical school, I was smacked in the face by fear and a big sense of 'oh my god, I'm not even sure I want to do this any more'. I don't think my mum was expecting that, I think she was thinking that it was time to celebrate my results, not be comforting miserable daughter who was talking about dropping and changing to another subject. I knew i had to go and see how it worked out, but it's been another repeat of the A level chemistry thing - after a week, I was completely loving it!

Our maths teaching was fine, but I am just not that good at it, and I also didn't work all that much on it at first. I disliked it, so I wasn't at all motivated to do the homework and go over things till I got it. I would rather read a history book and hope it will go away if i ignore it. It wasn't a clever idea really!

Pleased to hear it's all going well. I know what you mean about 2 years being all about getting in. Good luck with the course and it will be worth it in the end.

For the person who asked about other careers in science and Mary's the futuremoprh website is a great place to start www.futuremorph.org/ and the institute of physics also provides careers information including medical physics which is a good option for would-be medics who don't get in to med school www.physics.org/careers
Good luck!