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["FMSP?","Grade at GCSE","Why did you choose to study mathematics at A level? ","When did you complete your sixth form study? ","Please give some details regarding your level of mathematics studied during the sixth form ","Describe one aspect of the teaching of the A level Mathematics course which you enjoyed.","Describe one aspect of the teaching that you would change if you could.","In terms of teaching and learning, in your own words, how did sixth form study differ from GCSE?","How would you describe the style of teaching at sixth form level?","Please give details of the nature of the support you received from the Further Maths Support programme FMSP (formerly Further Maths Network FMN)","If you studied F Maths with the FMSP (formerly FMN). How was FMSP material you encountered different from the material you received in your maths lessons?","If you studied F Maths with the FMSP (formerly FMN). Are there any aspects of the delivery of FMSP (FMN) material which gave you skills which have proved particularly useful in your undergraduate studies? Yes / No If Yes, please describe below.","State the university you either study at or your first choice of university you have applied to.","State your undergraduate course. ","Why did you choose to study this course? ","If you are currently studying an undergraduate course, describe the nature of the mathematical content you have received this year at university.","In terms of teaching and learning of mathematical content, in your own words, how does material covered differ from how you learned A level material in mathematics.","Describe one aspect of the delivery of the mathematical content of your course at university which you enjoyed.","Describe one aspect of the delivery of the mathematical content of your course that you would change if you could.","To aid your transition onto the course, did you receive any mathematical support before you began the course?","If so please describe the nature of the support below","While completing the content of your mathematics course, do you know if the university have any specific support mechanisms in place to help students gain an understanding of the material being covered.","If yes, have you taken advantage of this available support?","If you completed the previous question, please explain your answer below","When considering your transition from A level to undergraduate study, do you have any advice for any students about to finish their A levels and embark on their undergraduate studies, to help smooth their transition."]
["FMSP","A","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Solving difficult problems","More emphasis on exam style questions",null,"Above average, not as focused as I would have enoyed","A tutor came in for 2 hours a week","Was more difficult.","No, I am studying medicine, so although the mathematics has come in handy, the further mathematics has not.","Manchester","Medicine","Wanted to be a doctor.","Limited, used in some aspects. e.g. drug calculations.","Is easier, but is supported by my knowledge from A level.","Showing calculations when diluting drugs.","Would put some more online math modules.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Have some extra credit (e.g. volunteer work) for application to university,"]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","We were mostly allowed to study at our own pace with the textbooks and then request assistance when necessary.","I would use more online resources, such as the Khan Academy videos.",null,"Overall it was quite relaxed, which was helpful for focusing on the exams rather than getting caught up with specific problems.","In AS the FMN provided one study day in Crawley, and another at Queen Mary University in London, both were very helpful for exam preparation. In AS we were mostly tutored by a member of the FMN as well.","The common material was similar, although the FMN material had a much greater focus on Pure mathematics than the standard course.","Yes, the use of online resources and the requirement for self-study helped greatly with adapting to the work at university.","University Of Exeter","Physics","Because I think it provides a good compromise between mathematics and the physical reality.","I have had two maths courses, one in the first year and one in the second. In common with A-level we covered basic ODEs and basic calculus. We have covered multiple integration, partial differential equations, second order ordinary differential equations, vectors and vector calculus, Bessel functions, Legendre Polynomials and Fourier series.","There is much less use of textbooks, and fewer exercises, instead there is more focus on understanding the key concepts, as there isn't much time for repeated memorisation.","The new content, especially multiple integration, Fourier series and vector calculus, as these are very useful in a practical way when handling experimental results.","Use more online resources, the FMN's online quizzes were a very good way to quickly test knowledge, and that would still be useful at university.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","We have problems classes to assist with problems similar to the homework problems, run with PhD students from the university.","I would recommend revising some of the mathematics learnt at A-level before beginning, especially the simpler concepts such as partial fractions learnt in AS."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 mathematics and AS further mathematics",null,null,null,"Possibly too spoon-fed, it would be beneficial to people who are going to University if the lessons were slightly more like lectures to prepare people for learning maths at uni.","I was taught my whole AS level further maths course by a teacher working for the FMN.","It was internet based, internet quizzes etc.","We only had 2 hours per week of further maths lessons through the FMN so there wasn't much time for practice in lessons, just taking the notes on the subject - this was very helpful as it is alot more like how you learn in university lectures. This really prepared me more for uni lectures.","University of Sheffield","Aerospace Engineering MEng","To continue to learn about the physics and maths of technology in the aviation industry.","My engineering degree is largely maths based, I have done a pure maths module based around matrices this year, using matrices to solve differential equations, reducing matrices to echelon, hermite and jordan forms, applications of matrices etc. \n\nI've had a lot of control systems modules which are LOTS of applied maths, working in the laplace (s) domain and the digital (z) domain. Laplace transforms, z transforms, how transfer functions are mapped to root locus, bode, nyquist plots etc. Design of compensators in the s and z domains - it's all maths!","It's harder!","I've had three very good pure maths lecturers that were very clear in their lecturing.",null,"No",null,"Yes","Yes","At Sheffield Uni we have a centre called MASH - Maths and Statistics Help, and you can go along with any maths questions and get help from PhD students etc. I've used it once when I couldn't grasp a concept on Jordan form of matrices and they were very good.","Try remember your A level maths in the long summer after A2 exams before uni! Don't forget it all or it'll be difficult first week of lectures!"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Introduction to Calculus","Explain the derivation of calculus, not just a generic technique to compute it",null,"relaxed with a lot of practice questions","Further maths wasn't available from school due to lack of uptake, so wouldn't have been able to study without the FMSP.  Attended an event at Reading University to help prepare for the exams.","Much smaller class size (3) so could proceed at our own pace and tailor the lessons to our needs","Self teaching was very good preparation to studying maths at university where you are left to your own devices","Bristol University","Mathematics and Computer Science","Interested in computing and though maths was a good compliment",null,"Much more in depth, understanding of how the maths is derived rather than simply how to use it. Over emphasis on proofs during university which are never seen during sixth form","Being able to choose modules that interest you","Less emphasis on remembering proofs, particularly in exams","Yes","Maths workbook to show the type of questions we are expected to know how to answer, but no help in how to solve them or answers","No","Yes",null,"I think universities should give more support outside of lectures at least for the first term. It is a very different style of teaching and you are left to learn the maths on your own, which is completely alien to most students coming from sixth form where they have been taught extensively and only practiced with questions on their own"]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","good teacher","Less units as we were always rushed",null,"Open Learning environment but still with compulsory lessons ","1 lesson a week with large amounts of homwork","far less contact time which lead me to leave the FMN","No Not enough contact time ","Brunel","Electronic and Electrical Engineering Beng","Always interested in electronics","Principles of Maths including differential equations that are used in electronics","Slightly more Abstract Maths than normal a level maths","regular question sheets to solve in spare time","Less differential equations ","No",null,"Yes","No","not needed additional help","get hold of reading material as soon as possible"]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Smaller classes than GCSE meaning more support","Even smaller classes for even more support",null,"Different teachers had different styles, but generally quite relaxed and easy going","Textbooks and internet support","Some more in-depth, some easier to understand","Yes, because I learned the A2 course from the book, which helped when independently learning at university","University of Southampton","BSc Mathemetics","i like maths","Number Theory and Cryptography\nDifferential Equations\nLinear Algebra\nCalculus\nMathematical Modelling\nStatistics","Stripped back maths to its components and built up again","Lectures","Smaller and more frequent tutorials","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Extra tutorial groups and personal tutors","Keep all A level books and look through them, as they will be very useful in the first few weeks"]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it",2001,"AS Mathematics","Practical exercises",null,null,null,"small classes and able to receive assistance when required","simpler and easier to understand","no","Kingston University","Civil Engineering","I like Maths and the way you can apply it to projects in civil engineering",{"$nulls":4},"No",null,"No",null,null,"The option to choose Further Mathematics it is something that universities should consider as a requirement for entry."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Mathematics - Use of small individual whiteboards for calculations.","Further Mathematics - Some topics were rushed and not explained very clearly.",null,"It is expected that you undertake private study in order to gain confidence with basic mathematics skills that are used throughout the course.","We were provided with textbooks for each module, along with access to online resources, which included explanations of course material and practice questions. The FMN also ran enrichment days in the lead up to exams, providing an overview of what we needed to know for each exam (basically a recap of the entire module in 1 day).","It often provides clearer explanations, and is useful for making more detail notes and practicing example questions.","Encouragement to engage in private study is a vital skill that has been transferred from FMSP to Undergraduate study.","University of Bath","Mathematics","I enjoyed A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and felt that continuing to study the subject at University would be useful for future job opportunities. ","Modules from my second year cover: Algebra, Analysis, ODE's (Ordinary Differential Equations) and Control Theory, PDE's (Partial Differential Equations) and Continuum Mechanics, Modelling and Dynamical Systems, Statistics and Numerical Analysis, most of which require first year knowledge.","It is crucial that you complete private study. Simply going to lectures will not give you a thorough understanding of the material, and so it is encourage that you make extra notes and complete all of the problem sheets that are set, or as much as you can do. A lot of understanding comes from cramming before exams, which isn't preferable or easy, but often what seems to happen.","Many lecturers make the course more enjoyable by adding humour to their lectures, which does help to keep you interested in the module.","Some lecturers use slides rather than blackboards, and these are sometimes either lacking in detail, or are so full of maths that it's difficult to copy everything before they move on (although slides are usually posted online for reference).","No",null,"Yes","Yes","University of Bath has a support service called MASH (Maths And Statistics Help) which is aimed at first year students. I used this a few times to get advice on a few algebra problems, as the question style is dramatically different to that of A-Level (in all modules, not just algebra).","If you are going on to study Maths, it is helpful to recall some calculus skills in the weeks leading up to the start of your University course. General advice would be to look through relevant A-Level notes and refresh knowledge in areas that you found more difficult. "]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The gradual increase in difficulty","More teaching of Mechanics modules",null,"Relied on independent learning","A teacher came into school once a week to spend 2 hours teaching us","There was more available","Less hours given to each topic","University of Manchester","BSc (Hons) In Mathematics","I would like to be a teacher at secondary level and this was my only academic A Level to achieve a degree in","Calculus and Vectors\nSets, Numbers and Functions\nIntroduction to Probability\nMathematical Workshop\nCalculus and Applications\nLinear Algebra\nIntroduction to Statistics\nSequences and Series","Less one on one time","The delivery of lectures","More time spent on harder topics with relevant examples referred to","No",null,"No",null,null,"Refer back to previous material to simplify new content"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Taught the basic processes clearly, then allowed to progress through questions to whatever level you were at - flexibility in the complexity of problems","None",null,"Very similar to GCSE style, but with a more able class and therefore more complicated problems","Completed AS Further Mathematics over two years, with one hour class after school each week. The website was good, but didn't receive a great deal of support (did not seek support: I treated this subject as less important, as I had already completed 5 AS levels)","Can't remember what this material consists of","Matrices formed a part of my first year maths module, so I was at an advantage through my existing understanding","Cambridge","Natural Sciences","Because Cambridge provides a first-rate education, and because the Natural Sciences course provides a flexibility of study via chosen modules","Mathematical Biology module in the first year. I have not chosen any mathematical modules for second year, but will need to retain my statistics skills","The questions are not near as predictable as at A level. A level exams followed a fairly standard and very consistent pattern, whereas my university paper had much more complex variations on a theme","Having clear lecture handouts was beneficial, and being able to see lecturers work through the questions on the OHP","Lectures are much less personal than lessons - if you get lost, it's harder to get up to speed as the lecturer won't notice as a teacher would. Also, my module was taken by people of varying background - the only prerequisite was AS level maths (I think), so the pace was sometimes a bit slow (although that was definitely not always the case!)","No","NA","Yes","Yes","There were weekly practical classes in which graduate 'demonstrators' were able to help work through any questions with you","If your chosen course includes ANY maths, hold on to some core maths notes - they will come in very handy after a long summer of forgetting exam knowledge!"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Engaging topics that made sense and got increasingly difficult without being impossible.","More flexibility with regards to what we are being taught.",null,"The teaching was excellent throughout with everything properly explained and we were thoroughly prepared for the exam.","We received regular teaching in school as well as interactive lessons on a weekly basis to compensate for the fact that we didn't have as many contact hours.","It was a lot more challenging but it expanded on the topics learned in regular maths.","No","University of York","English Language and Linguistics","I loved English as much as I did mathematics and some aspects of Linguistics, such as Semantics, managed to intertwine my passion for both English and Maths.","N/A","N/A","N/A","N/A","No",null,"Yes","No","N/A","Always make sure to read background knowledge on the subject you have chosen and do all reading thoroughly. As well as just reading the research papers given to you, also skim over the other research papers that are referenced throughout. \n\nAnother important aspect is to relax and not be intimidated by people around you. If you were the best at your subjects in your sixth form at a subject, you might get a shock when you realise that the people around you are equal or even better. Just work at your own pace and concentrate on doing your best."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Maths + AS Further Maths","I really enjoyed the pure core maths modules","We used a lot of interactive whiteboards, I would stick to normal boards for maths. ",null,"Go to lessons, taught some theory, would do questions from a text book on what we learnt at home. ","2 hours of lessons once a week\nRevision days at Leeds University\nEmail contact with tutor\n","Yes, we did decision maths in further maths, we hadnt done this before. ","No. ","Leeds University","Physics","I was interested in Physics and wanted a greater understanding of the Universe. ","Vector calculus\nMatrices\nOrdinary differential equations\nPartial differential equations\nFourier transforms\n","A lot faster paced, a lot more theory covered in lectures etc. ","Extensive lecture notes are provided (with examples) in addition to great lecturing. ","I wouldn't. ","No",null,"Yes","No","In the first year of my course, additional maths help was available to those struggling. ","Nope. "]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics and A2 Further Mathematics","I like the content of which I was studying. Although some topics were harder than others, I wanted to be good at those, so tried my best to understand them properly","For the Mechanics module, I had a good teacher but most of the time, he was long-winded in his methods, and slow - it took us very long to complete work. I had to teach that module most of it by myself.",null,"I am fortunate to have had very good A Level teachers who taught me, and they really help you to understand, they encourage you, you can tell that they themselves really enjoy the subject they are teaching us.","Brian Housden from the FMN taught myself, and two other students at AS Level Further Mathematics. In A2 Further Mathematics, only one student and myself decided to continue studying Further Mathematics. As Mr Housden was not part of our school staff, he had to travel from UCL to our school, so sometimes, but rarely, he did not arrive on time. In Year 12, Mr Housden only taught us, but in Year 13, Mr Housden asked another person, Dean Ives from UCL, to teach us too. Also, we took Further Mathematics in our spare time, as it wasn't a timetabled subject, since our school had not taught it before. This aspect of it was hard, as we had to give a time when we would meet, and since sometimes the classrooms were booked for something else, or other teachers were teaching in them, we had to move around, and that used to waste time. Mr Housden was a very good teacher. He gave us his login details to the FMN website, so in our spare time, we would use the resources for help in our study. ","I thought the resources available were very helpful. Further Mathematics is a more difficult subject than Mathematics and so they used provide detailed notes so you can understand the concepts and methods properly, and then you could do the work yourself. The answers provided were good. I liked the fact that it was self-assessment quizzes, so you can test yourself.","Yes - The resources did help me in the first year of the Mathematics degree, as some of the modules I took, had some Further Mathematics concepts and methods in those.","I studied at Queen Mary, University of London","Mathematics","From GCSE's, I knew I wanted to take A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and once I was in sixth form, I realised that Mathematics is what I want to study at university, because I thought I was good at it, and I did enjoy it.",null,"It's definantly more independent based, although the lecturers do give help, also tutorials really help, and they state if there's any books that can help us further in our study. University content is harder as well, as it is harder to grasp at times.","I liked most of the modules I studied in university, and for those modules, I really liked the way the lecturers taught and how they taught it, and that it why I got good grades in those modules.","Some lecturers did not have control of the lecture hall when it became noisy, and some I don't think helped that much.","Yes","We had an induction in which one of the Mathematics lecturers were introduced, and some technical information was given. We also were told that we had to pass this module which did not count towards our final grade, but we need to pass it, in order to go into the second year - we were given a web-book with all the information to help us, and questions and answers too, to help us study.","Yes","Yes","In the first year, there was this class that helps first-year students with their weekly courseworks, and it's run by students. There are tutorials for every module which I attended so if I needed help in some questions, I could ask for help. Lecturers had office hours, so if you really needed to ask something, you can go and speak to lecturers in their office hours.","When I was going into university, a lot of people who had previously attended university, had told me that university is easier than A Levels. But I found that to be untrue. Although A Levels is hard, and it is a huge transition from GCSEs to A Levels, studying at university is harder. \nI'm not sure, maybe give new students information on what they will be studying, a little taster from the first year, some quizzes to help them get started."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Going through exercises in class.","Use of projector and powerpoint. ",null,"Less stressful as there are less subjects compared to GCSEs.\nMore concentrated on a certain path/subject.","Printed Notes given from FMSP.\nOnline support, educational sites with other useful material.","FMSP material had more details than normal Mathematics material.","No.","University of Reading","BSc Mathematics","It is one of the courses I am good at.",null,"more printed material, more online support such as use of blackboard. shorter lesson/lecture time.","term time coursework given and having deadlines to meet. it motivates us to study more.","longer lesson/lecturer time. Insufficient time to cover all modules.","Yes","Material from my previous school(in a different country).","Yes","No","some material is irrelevant, not particularly helpful."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","ROD BOND",null,null,"relaxed, at exactly the right pace since no one to hold you back. ","1 hour a week in school with Dr Bond + 2 hours a week at Loughborough university with rod bond +2 hours in in school with normal maths teacher.\nAll comprehnsive course notes provided by Dr bond. ","different content otherwise the same (both maths and FM were MEI)","YES- the content taught in FM is the entire of first year engineering maths and allwoed me to teach those ccourses to my friends ina more understandable way (as copied from Dr bond) ","Swansea","Meng Aerospace engineering with year in industry","Life long ambition. ","The entire engineering course apart from material properties requires extensive mathmatics ","First year was identical (probably due to doing MEI maths a levels) 2nd year builds upon skills learned in first year. ","Using MATLAB to make matricies your friend.","Smaller groups - understandable tutors.","No",null,"Yes","No","I didnt need it. ","Go to the lectures. people who go to all the lectures pass people who skip them fail and wonder why. "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Able to choose your own options with regards to studying mechanics/statistics/pure","Smaller class sizes",null,"Classroom based learning, with worked examples and lots of teacher/pupil interaction","I attended wednesday afternoon lectures at Warwick University to study the further mathematics modules, some enrichment events as well. We had email access to lecturers and courseworks to take home, as well as mentors at Castle 6th form whom we could contact if we were having difficulty.","Having now completed university (Engineering) FMSP material was much more typical of that found at university, rather than that which was usual at A-Level. This was much more useful, and gave me a head start compared to my peers at university","The style of teaching is more similar to that which you get at undergraduate level, certainly in lectures, although there was more lecturer/student interaction in the FMN than there was at university, indeed for my first year, maths modules at university were all self taught with tests every other week.","University of Southampton","Electronic Engineering with Power Systems","Enjoyed electronics, Engineering provides excellent career opportunities, and the availability of industrial placements and scholarship schemes in association with the professional bodies such as the IET Power Academy to relieve financial strain.","A grounding in further mathematics for engineers was provided in the 1st and 2nd years of my course, beyond that courses were optional. the grounding explored mostly further pure mathematics, including complex number theory and various transforms such as Laplace and Z-tranforms and other mathematics needed for electronic circuit theory and things such as thermodynamics, off the top of my head (and this was several years back), vectors, poles and zeroes and differential equations were all subjects studied in detail. Numerical Methods was an option for our 3rd year, as well as computational mathematics, however I studied neither.","Further Mathematics was the next step up from A-Level Mathematics, and was comparable to the first year Mathematics taught on the Engineering course I studied. The material was taught in a lecture style format, but with questions and answers regularly raised and answered. In A-Level, the material was taught in a Classroom setting, with various pupils being asked to complete exercises on the board to aid with class learning, and worked examples gone through step by step by the teacher, rather than examples being left for you to work through in your own study time later- as is more typical at university.","using mathematics to solve real life problems rather than those from a textbook.","we were self taught modules in the first year- but I think contact time with lecturers was desired and not given.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Support mechanisms generally relied on email communication with lecturers, as well as worked example questions being made available. This in my view was sufficient.","At university, the emphasis for learning now falls on the student, rather than the teacher or lecturer. Practicing mock exams is no longer sufficient to be able to learn what is necessary in order to pass the exams, as - in my view - was the case for GCSE and A-Level examinations when I sat them in 2005 and 2007. This tends to come as a shock to first years sitting their first set of January Exams- certainly in my case, I had never failed an exam until then. There is much more of an element of self-teaching at university, and throughout university, the amount of contact time with lecturers will tend to decrease as the responsibility for learning transfers from the school to the student. Having finished university, I would now say I understand how to teach myself the various skills I will need for a future career, and this is what university is about- especially important seeing as the job positions I am applying for did not exist when I started at university. I feel that point wasn't made very clear to me when I first started: that the point of university is to teach you how to teach yourself."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Leaving me to get on with reading the textbook. Certainly quicker than having my barely knowledgable teachers tell me exactly what it says.","My teacher, going through things, very slowly, on the board. Insisting that we do nothing but sit there and listen to her explain the same thing for 20 minutes.",null,"Poor.","One online support thing when i was doing an AS Further maths module.","It was online. It answered the few questions i needed answering rather than telling me EVERYTHING.","No.","University of Warwick","Medical Microbiology and Virology","I was very good at Biology and these aspects interested me the most within that field.",null,"We didn't really cover any new material. You don't really need to know any maths as long as you can use excel.\nWe had a refresher course on stats that was just a series of lectures, worked examples on the projector. It was \"examined\" though the instructions were that it was \"open book, the questions are the same every year, last years test is online, you can ask your friends the answers as long as you're not too obvious about it\".","N/a","Smaller \"class\" size. Trying to teach 200 people of varying ability a bunch of stats concepts of varying difficulty was entirely impractical. Those who had done stats before needn't have been there whilst those who hadn't almost certainly gained nothing from it due to the perfunctory manner in which it was addressed.","Yes","A BioStats module.","No",null,null,"For the most part you don't get set any sort of regular work. All well and good having one essay to do per term but that doesn't really encourage you to keep on top of the material in the same way that weekly tasks do.\nThat means that you really have to set yourself tasks, at least to keep up with your reading.\nYou have to bear in mind that at university they are teaching you the minimum you need in lectures not like at school where they teach you every possible question you might be asked and all the answers you need to get an A."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics and AS Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"The FMN provided an AS Further Maths course at my school in the second year of my A-levels","It was fairly similar to the straight maths course, just different modules were chosen which exposed to to more topics within maths.","Many of the topics taught in maths were extremely useful in my physics undergraduate degree. Integration, imaginary numbers, algorithms and many other topics, were all used daily in a physics degree.","University of Southampton","Particle Physics with a Year Abroad","I've had a passion for physics for a long time and particle physics combines my love of computing and physics together perfectly. Also as part of this course I spent a year working at CERN which was a great opportunity to start a career in particle physics.",null,"Mostly just more in depth and more tailored for situations that arise in physics problems.","One lecturer would end each lecture with a joke.",null,"No",null,"Yes","Yes","There were problems classes and in those you could talk one on one to a lecturer or PhD student and ask for help with the problems. Also you could contact the lecturer any time and arrange a meeting to discuss the problems. Additionally there were questionnaires you had to fill out anonymously a few times per term where you could suggest improvements to the lecturing style and things like this.","My university spent the first year making sure everyone had the same background knowledge in maths. I had no problem going from A-levels to University. My advice to new undergraduate students would be not to worry, there will always be another student you can ask for help or even the lecturer."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The small classes meant that I was able to freely talk about any problems I had with the work, rather than just struggle through the work. ","I would've liked to be able to choose between the mechanics and statistics modules.",null,"More relaxed but at the same time more focused.","It didn't really.","It was much more abstract than the material in class, where as class material we built up on over time, FMSP seemed to be \"here, learn this\"","As a lot of the time you did the work yourself, i.e. not in class, this helped a lot at uni, with being more independent and more thoughtful of your work. ","Northumbria","Applied Chemistry","I enjoy it.","Mathematics for Chemists - 1st year\nStatistics - 2nd year","I much preferred A level, as our teacher wasn't at all as good.","As university students, we were able to help each other through the work.","The entirety of it. I believe if I had more A level style teaching, I would've gained a higher classification.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Don't panic! There are so many incredible schemes, people, and fellow students here to help you make the next few years of your life the best."]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Relaxed Atmosphere ","Exam preparations (not enough)",null,"In formal ","Past papers","Not very different","Yes, the amount of self studying.","Cambridge","Natural science","I enjoy science and being able to study more than one discipline, i.e. maths, physics, chemistry and biology of cells.  ","A quater of my course is Mathematics, but it is essentially bringing everyone up to the level of FP3.  ","A lot more rigorously approached, more in depth with derivations etc. ","the origin of everything is explained.","Amount of practice material. ","No",null,"No",null,null,"Recap on most of the maths a level before attending university."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The variety of topics (statistics, mechanics)","More test papers before the exam",null,"Adequate.","Every two weeks a tutor came for an hour to check up on us.","It was unique. Matrices, operations research, complex numbers, all of it was new and never studied in standard maths classes.","Yes, helped learn how to solve issues on my own.","Surrey","Mathematics","I did well in Maths at school and wanted to continue my studies.",null,"It didn't differ much in the first year (or first half of the year), but the subjects became harder very quickly.","A challenge.","More accessible notes, if your own notes were inadequate then it was very hard to study.","No",null,"No","Yes","Any extra help and support is always useful.","The more further maths you do, the easier your first year at university will be."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Enjoyed learning higher level mathematical ideas.","Teaching of the A-level Mathematical material through the school was poor, with the teacher uncertain of some parts of the material and having to ask students.",null,"More independent than previous, especially the study of Further Mathematics, which was a good preparation for undergraduate level study.","FMN provided me with teaching and support for A2 Further Mathematics","Material was taught in a more independent learning style.","Yes. The way that content was taught with the focus on independent study, as well as the content itself, was really useful throughout my undergraduate degree.","University of York","Master of Mathematics in Mathematics","I chose to study this course because it provided a good level of teaching and in small teaching groups. I chose the four-year degree integrated masters course because I felt that through this I would get to study deeper mathematical concepts which I really enjoy.",null,"Unlike A2 Mathematics material is presented and practice and ensuring understanding is left to the individual in their own time. This was however more like the A2 Further Mathematics which I was taught through the FMN.","Enjoyed that we were not spoon-fed material. That we were expected to follow steps by ourselves.","Nothing.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Material understanding is supported by problems classes which test that you understand the material. Further support is also provided regularly through lecturers who are more than happy to take any questions that you may have or direct you to other materials that would help understanding. ","I felt that studying Further Mathematics was a great help to me transfer to Undergraduate mathematics. This meant that many of the concepts were initially familiar meaning that there was more time to get used to the different teaching style and surroundings."]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","It was well structured, following an MEI exercise textbook which progressed logically and stayed close to the exam syllabus.",null,null,"It was very attentive, more individually tailored to the students. Primarily down to smaller class size.","A teacher, came to school for 3 hours a fortnight to teach the Further Maths modules.","It was focused largely on home learning, due to the low hours of contact time with the teacher. However, the content was much the same.","Yes - The emphasis on home study was important to have exposure to, given that the focus of undergrad study leans towards this. However, it would be important to structure this carefully, as it was very easy to fall behind, not being used to this style of learning.","University of Strathclyde","Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering MEng","I have a technical interest in boats and their design, and hope to take it on as a career.","Spectral techniques of wave modelling for probabilities of wave forces on marine structures. \n\nSpectral fatigue analysis of marine structures.\n\nCalculus to manipulate and apply formulae relating to fluid dynamics.","Its less of a step by step approach. You are expected to have the basic concepts (e.g. calculus) to such a standard that you can follow complex mathematical problems without needing to take steps to achieve the answer.","Structured content that aligns with exam questions.","It can be quite disjointed from the application of the maths that we use in other aspects of the course. Pure maths classes often feel like we never use the things we learn in other modules.","No",null,"Yes","No","Our university offers a Maths drop in centre, which is open 9-5 five days a week. Which is staffed by lecturers and Phd students, to help with anything maths related.\n\nI have never felt the need to use this support.","Perhaps the university could send a curriculum for the year to each student, so they might be able to refresh the appropriate maths skills before turning up at the start of the semester."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","My teachers were very passionate and gave us all individual help as well as helping the class as a whole. They were very attentive to our individual needs.","I felt that the volume of the work is too much - there are too many things covered in small modules, particularly at A2 Level, so sometimes it felt like you didn't have time to fully grasp an idea or concept before you moved onto the next one.",null,"Very good, more informal than at school level but this actually helps, as teachers are more able to help you individually.","I don't remember any support from FMSP, although I did only study the AS Further Mathematics for 3 months.","I studied further maths outside of my sixth form at Leeds University on a Wednesday afternoon, one two hour lesson per week. Because of this I felt that the work was too rushed and too many things were crammed in to these two hour sessions so that there wasn't enough time to understand the concepts.","No","University of Oxford","Economics and Management","I chose this course because I wanted a firm footing in management, as I want to be a management consultant when I leave university. Economics also enabled me to process the data side of management, which was very complimentary.","I have studied Quantitative Economics which involves primarily statistical analysis.","There is definitely not as much support at university - because lectures are given to over 100 people, there is no time to ask questions, so if you don't understand something you can fall behind quickly.","There are lots of links given to helpful pages and text books for you to do extra reading if you don't understand something.","I would have classes alongside lectures to reinforce knowledge and give students the opportunity to ask questions and be reassured if they are struggling.","Yes","I had to complete maths worksheets based on a few sheets of explanations and formulae that refreshed my A Level knowledge.","Yes","Yes","There is a university specific \"Maths Workbook\" which contains useful explanations, examples and formulae needed in the course, and also contains problem questions for you to try on your own.","Whilst it is great to have a 3 month summer holiday, I would take the time to refresh your knowledge prior to attending university. I found this extremely helpful and know I would have felt slightly out of my depth had I not done any work beforehand."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Teachers that were prepared to give one-to-one guidance for a few minutes during the class if I was having difficulty.",null,null,"Walk through of questions that were likely to come up on the exam.","FMSP allowed me to study AS Further Maths whilst I was in year 13 alongside the A2 Maths I was studying at my sixth form.","Not hugely different. Slightly smaller classes and longer lessons but the material was taught in a similar manner.","Studying AS Further Maths was useful for the first year of my Electronic Engineering degree as It meant I had less new material to learn as the first year only assumed knowledge of A2 Maths.","University of Durham","Electronic Engineering","I was good at maths and physics and interested in how electronic devices e.g. computers worked.","Laplace Transforms, Z Transforms, Advanced Calculus","You will not be spoon fed anything, you must do work outside of the lectures if you don't understand something or else you will fail the course.",null,null,"Yes","Was forced to take a maths test and passing was a condition of me being made an offer. Also, a couple of weeks before the first term I was sent a booklet of maths problems to complete.","Yes","Yes","For the first term they offered optional mathematics tutorials to allow students that were struggling to get some extra support and bring their knowledge into line with everyone else's.","Hard work and academic success is obviously important but I don't think this can be achieved without strong social ties to other students and participation in extra curricular activities. \n\nYou will spend four years of your life their you may as well enjoy them. "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2006-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Smaller classes with people who enjoyed maths and wanted to study it.","More contact time and specialist further maths teachers.",null,"We were given more responsibility than at GCSE level, it also incorporated more team work and we covered some of the historical aspects of the subject.","Specialist further maths classes in school with FMN tutors. I also attended a 1 or 2 day intense further maths revision course in Oxford.","Greater knowledge of the subject and course. Also increases contact time.","A better understanding behind some of the maths which has also helped in my current studies towards becoming an Actuary.","Notingham University","Mathematics","To purpsue my love of the subject and to enable me to get a mathematical based job afterwards. (Actuarial)",{"$nulls":4},"No",null,"No",null,null,"Make sure you explore all options available to you whether it be module choice, assistance from lecturers/tutors or extra curricular activity."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","In the case of A Level mathematics (not further mathematics), the staff were fantastic and helpful.","Oversized classes/ in the case of further maths, better teaching... Tutors would regularly teach to a higher level than we were at as they were University Academics/Lecturers. This sometimes made the content hard to digest as it was too fast paced/ treated as easy by the tutors (who thought it was elementary for everyone it seemed).",null,"Supportive, constructive and generally friendly.","I received several emails, but never participated in further maths events outside of the course as I felt the ordinary maths course was my priority.","I don't think I used any of the support material.","Further Maths helped me prepare for many aspects of the maths component of being a physics undergraduate by helping me feel more comfortable with certain concepts and techniques such as aspects of complex numbers that regularly come up in my course.","University of York","Physics (MSc)","Very passionate about physics and its implications. I also enjoy the maths content and the way it teaches you to approach problems.","Fully a third of my course is purely mathematical in nature, and the rest is effectively applied mathematics, so I have a large maths content.","The subject content is far more in depth, concepts are more clearly linked together, and there are many alternate techniques that speed up problem solving.","Enjoyed some of the lecturers, and my University provides maths tutorial sessions which were invaluable.","Did not like some of the other lecturers.","Yes","A mathematics refresher problem sheet sent by the university","Yes","Yes","Tutorial classes, and mathematics workshops","Do a little maths every week or so of the summer, nothing big, just a problem or two to keep the maths ticking over, otherwise after a few months off you'll go back and it'll seem like you never knew it to start with!"]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","After school help whenever needed offered by teachers","Smaller classes",null,null,"Most weeks had a tutor come to the school for a one hour lesson as the school had no qualified further mathematics teacher and the qualification was largely studied independently","Extremely different and much more difficult. Longer questions requiring much more working out independently. Much of this may be due to the lesser amount of teaching though","No","University of York","Philosophy, Politics and Economics","Always enjoyed Economics and had an interest in the other two subjects. Wanted a subject that was not too specialised as didn't have a career plan","Mathematical Techniques in Economics module. Also, Microeconomics and Macroeconomic modules include large amount of mathematics. Logic in Philosophy also linked to Mathematics.","Largely similar. More extensive differentiation in Economics and use of specialised techniques for that subject. ",null,"Would like more time with a tutor as maths teaching benefits from hand on approach that university cannot provide.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Need to do university level reading before joining and understand how to work as independently as universities expect you to"]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I really enjoyed all of it but I especially liked C3, I love trig and the trig identities.","We were taught FP1 by a teacher from the further maths network and we were taught FP2 by another teacher at our school who wasn't our normal maths teacher. We had two maths teachers for maths and further maths and I would have liked to be taught FP1 and FP2 by either of them, because they understand how we learn better.  ",null,"I couldn't have asked for better. I went to Edgbarrow sixth form and i think the maths teaching there was brilliant.","We were taught FP1 by a teacher from the Further Maths Network, and we went to the revision days at Reading University.","In the FP1 lessons it was harder material and the style of teaching was slightly different.","No, I wouldn't have said skills I specifically learned through the Further Maths network.","Warwick","MORSE","I wanted to do a maths-based course with lots of variety, that would leave me lots of career choices.","Foundations \nAnalysis 1 and 2\nLinear Algebra\nStochastic Processes\nMathematical Methods\nMaths of Random Events\nMathematical statistics A and B\nStatistical Laboratory\nApplications of Algebra and Analysis\nProbability A and B\n","I found it completely different. ",null,"I think the problem is that Warwick is very research based. It sort of feels like the lecturers are there to research and they lecture because they have to. Sometimes it feels like they are too clever to understand that we don't understand what they are talking about. Also, there are so many theorems and proofs its more like how much you can remember rather than how much do you understand.   ","No",null,"No",null,null,"I found doing maths and further maths at A level a breeze - it was hard work but I was willing to do it because I understood it, found it interesting and didn't want to let my teachers down. \nI didn't find the maths in my university course a step up from A levels, it was like studying a completely different subject. I didn't receive any help from people at Warwick, and I didn't know who to ask. I would without a doubt have failed if it wasn't for the friends I made on my course.  \nMy advice to students would be to keep the maths they learned at A level fresh in their minds over the holidays, and once they get to uni, don't let the things they don't understand build up and up. Make friends with people on your course so you aren't all alone if there are things you don't get. Do lots and lots of revision when it comes to exam time :)"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I can't remember the actual teaching methods that well - I think it involved the teacher showing us some examples and then us working through the exercises in our textbooks on our own or with a partner.. and then discussing any problems we had after with the teacher. I enjoyed the enthusiasm for the subject from the teachers - the fact that they really knew their subject and not just at an A Level level.","Perhaps more time going over things we didn't understand in problem sheets.",null,"It involved a lot of examples given by the teacher, with tips and tricks for remembering formulas etc.","I had weekly sessions with an online tutor to study my Further Maths A Level during my gap year. I was also signed up to the NRICH forums but I did not use them.","It was not different - same syllabus and style of questions, but it was taught online.","Yes. As I only had one weekly session I had to motivate myself to use the rest of the week wisely! It also taught me to review what I have learnt after the lesson and right before the next one.","Royal Holloway","Mathematics BSc","I really enjoyed Mathematics and Further Mathematics A Level and I like how you can go into a wide range of careers with a Mathematics degree, including Accounting, which I am interested in.","Geometry\nCalculus\nNumber Systems\nNumbers and Functions (analysis)\nStatistics\nComputational\nFurther Matrix Algebra\nFunctions of several variables","A Level is learned by rote a fair bit. Degree asks you to understand the reasoning behind concepts such as integration before you use them and analyse your use of them.","Workshops - could get one on one support from lecturers and discuss ideas with other students.","Would be useful if lecturers highlighted the key points of each lecture at the end, or summarise what we should have learnt.","Yes","Recommended reading of How to think like a mathematician : a companion to undergraduate mathematics / by Kevin Houston. This books outlines the differences in A Level and Degree studying and gives you techniques to study effectively.","Yes","Yes","Lecturers had 'office hours' where you can ask any questions about the lecture or course content, one on one with the lecturer or with other students. It was very useful.","My university has workshops alongside the lectures, which give students a chance to speak to their peers and lecturers to help them understand the new material. "]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I particularly had a keen interest in Calculus, and this is developed and progressed throught the course well to a high level.","Nothing\n",null,"Mathematical syllabus content explained thoroughly, usually through a PowerPoint presentation, then various worked examples are given of varying difficulty, then questions are attempted usually from the set textbook, until they all completed and any issues with are resolved. Finally, past exam questions are worked through which directly relate to the topic which has just been completed.","Online support; primarily access to a website with worksheets/past exam papers and answers. Teacher's email address, so we could contact if any help was required.","More challenging, required more thought.","Yes, mainly thinking logically!","Univeristy of Plymouth","Accounting & Finance","Interested in a career in Finance, especially Quantitative Finance.","Time Series\nDCF Analysis\nCorrelation and Regresssion","Much more analysis involved of the results.","Time Series\n","None","No",null,"No","No","Don't feel I need it.","Must learn to work independently effectively."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I really enjoyed the content. It was difficult at times but the support from classmates and my teachers was amazing and I really enjoyed it. Also, we had to do a lot of independent study which I think really helped at uni.","I had only 2 hours a week for the core modules of further maths (FP! , FP2, etc.) It would have been better if there was more contact time.",null,"independent but if you needed help u got it","We had access to the online tutorial sessions which helped a lot. Also, we took part in events against other further maths classes across the county ","online examples walking through them at your own pace was really good","yes. i mentioned previously how we had few contact hours and we used to get a lot of homework. all this i think helped to prepare for the independent study that we have to do at uni","Lancaster University","Biochemistry","Because it would help me to achieve my career goal","Some statistical work: calculations and a little analysis","In school there are fewer students in a class and so it is possible to ask the teacher questions and also ask them to slow down or ask for help during the lesson. At university this is not possible because lecture halls are booked for a certain amount of time in which the lecture has to finish so you can not ask the lecturer to slow down or ask questions during the lecture. ","Seminars were a great help because it feels like a class and there's an opportunity to discuss the work with other students","A better lecturere because our lecturer seemed very confused all the time","No",null,"Yes","Yes","We were able to download a 42 page document that contained everything we needed to learn with examples and it was in great detail.","I think universities need to either hold group meetings or individual maybe 5-10 mins meetings weekly with students throughout freshers and definitely through the first term (maybe longer depending on the students needs)  because it is so very different to school, we're on our own, and have no friends at first and it can get very depressing. Being able to talk to someone who can make sure students are not staying in their rooms alone all the time, because it gets lonely and can lead to severe homesickness."]
["FMSP"]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2007-06-01","A2 Maths + AS Further Maths","It was very stimulating.  Variety of different topics.  Interesting modules - main core modules as well as for example statistics and decision making.  The latter being something I had never experienced before in terms of algorithms etc so was a positive experience.  Within core modules themselves, build up of basic algebra for example started in GCSE, more complex problems, step by step solving of them then application via exercises.",null,null,"More independent as compared to secondary school, more focus on student study needed in students own time in order to consolidate learning.  For example students who did not put in enough hours outside of formal study tended to struggle. However sufficienct support provided in class e.g. topic taught, with examples and then students given support to complete exercises.  So compared university, relatively, more guidance given.","The Further Maths AS I carried out would not have been possible at all without the support of the FMSP.  During normal teaching hours the college I attended has sufficient resources to only teach the standard A level in Mathematics.  Thanks to the FMSP however we had a separate FMSP tutor (not a member of the staff at college) come in and teach the syllabus one day a week in the evening after college hours.","It was similar in terms of having a textbook with a set syllabus to follow.  Extra resources e.g. worksheets etc were provided by the tutor,\n\nWe had a specific revision session with other students from different sixth forms etc all studying the same further mathematics AS under FMSP at a regional centre and this in particular had some amazing teaching to offer with a revision pack containing lots of resources - sheets summarising key topics, worked example of exam questions etc.  This was superb.","The fact that the FMSP AS at our college was taught after school hours in our own time and for just two hours a week taught me great time management and organisational skills which have come in use whilst planning how to spend time organising my learning at university.\n\nWhilst I have not utilised specific aspects of the further mathematics e.g. mechanics, the general skill set I learnt by applying my mind to the problems of further mathematics have definitely helped me have a logical approach and for example with problem based learning in my medicine degree this has been useful.","University of Birmingham","Medicine","I have always enjoyed the sciences and in addition I have always enjoyed learning that stimulates and challenges me.  Why Medicine as opposed to a Mathematics degree then?  I ultimately chose Medicine as it was that combination of complex scientific prinicples, of the body and disease but coupled with the human interaction.  So it was the equivalent of a mathematical problem presenting itself via a person and the element of extracting the history and the exact relevant symptoms from a patient in order to apply the theoretical knowledge to arrive at a diagnosis that is for me, the ultimate challenge. \n\n Finally Medicine is immensely satisfying having solved the challenge, the problem, the clinical scenario as at the end of the day the difference that you can make to a persons life is apparent in front of you.","I am studying a 5 year Medicine Course which involves the first 2 years of university based study so lectures / formal teaching 5 days a week.\n\nThe next 3 years are clinical so hospital based placements mostly seeing patients and applying the basic physiology of the first two years.\n\nDuring the first two years we have a number of modules with a significant mathematical component.  During year 1 we had a module on respiratory medicine which involved lots of equations relating surface area and volume etc.  Another module titled people, patients and populations was a statistics based module looking at lots of graphs and population stats.  In year 2 as a follow on from this module we had a module entitled decision making.\nIn year 3 we studied epidemiological methods so looking at lots of sampling methods.  In year 4 we are required to carry out a public health project, this was heavily maths based as we had lots of clinical data on a population group and then had to extract lots of different measurements and calculate correlations and formulate hypotheses.","A level material in Mathematics was a lot more structured in terms of having a whole textbook to follow whereas at university there is less structure to it.  The sessions are delivered as a lecture so there is a large group (over 400 in my case) and there is not the element of personalised teaching which you get accustomed to at A level.  \n",null,null,"No",null,"No","No",null,"I think the onus is in part on the students to go to open days to attend various events that universities do put on to speak to admissions tutors, tutors in general and especially existing students.  As it is only really the latter who can give an insight into what exactly the course involves.\n\nThe transition from A levels to UG study is a significant event no doubt as university life is very different to A level study.  Many students dont have a realistic idea of how much work can be involved in university study (for example students are commonly told A levels are the hardest thing you will ever do in your life)\n\nStudents can look at the syllabus, take out a book and do some reading in advance.  But in general get to know their campus etc settle in properly before the academic studies study to optimise their learning."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Our teacher was really passionate, and continually tried different methods of teaching that were different from the traditional whiteboard and exercise book questions","Smaller classes",null,"Varied and (positively) informal","They provided more people to ask for help from and good resources","More challenging and made me think more","Better at thinking out of the box and deciphering what questions are really asking","University of Manchester","Maths and History (Combined Honours) ","Many of my friends who did straight Maths ended up hating it or getting really stressed, so I decided to choose 2 polar subjects which compliment each other and mean I don't get bored or frustrated","PDEs and Vector Calculus\nAlgebraic Structures 1 & 2\nMetric Spaces\nReal Analysis\nComplex Analysis","In A Level you learn to pass an exam and you're not 'allowed' to ask questions or develop your knowledge if it's not gonna help you in your examinations. In University it's very different - in a good way. \nYou learn to enjoy it and it's near impossible to learn for the exam in the same sense as every question is different, challenging, and TRULY tests your understanding and intelligence ","Lecturers who don't give out notes which means you HAVE to come to the lectures and tutorials and actually listen and engage","More helpful textbooks but less 'complete online lecture' notes from the lecturers ","No",null,"No",null,null,"I think the jump is necessary. University is not designed to be easy and the only advice I would give would be to the students - make sure there is no area you ignored for your A level exams, and that you are prepared for self study, as there's no spoon feeding anymore!"]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Decision Maths",null,null,"Same as at GCSE, just with harder maths","Did a course at Warwick Uni, but that was about it.","I don't think it was any different.","Not really","Aberystwyth University","Microbiology","I did rubbish in my Maths A level and had really enjoyed the Biology A level stuff we did after I had applied to do Maths & Statistics at Lancaster, I'd changed my mind about maths by then and didn't get the grades anyway!",null,"The \"maths for biologists\" is very basic (most of the time, there are graphs) and not used too often.","Using ANOVA on the computers to do stats work","No it was good, we had computer workshops, more would've been nice I suppose","No",null,"No","No",null,"The stuff you learn at A level is completely different to Uni! But that's for biology.\nI did hear on an open day in Lancaster that the first year of Maths was basically Further Maths As, one reason I then did Further Maths As in my second year of Sixth Form."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","My teacher would make sure everyone was on the same page and able to do the work.",null,null,"It was a lot like the teaching at school but with more focus on individual progress.","There were online tutoring sessions every week for each module. My tutors would set me homework and one arranged a day of revision at UCL.","The material encountered in FMSP was far different to that in my normal maths lessons, it was far more advanced and abstract and in my opinion more interesting.","The style of teaching has definitely helped me adjust to undergraduate studies, the tutoring sessions were more like lectures than lessons and so I had already had experience of lectures before I went to university.","University of east anglea","Pure mathemathics","Because I enjoy maths and wish to do something in research of mathematics and physics.","Pure mathematics, calculus, geometry, IT for mathematicians, multivariable calculus, discrete mathematics, mechanics, Probability, analysis and algebra","The learning process is far more independent, however it is important to converse with friends and piers because it can help you understand a problem.","I enjoy the enthusiasm that everyone on my course and my lecturers have.",null,"No",null,"Yes","No","I don't need the support system that they provide","If the student hasn't done further maths I would suggest that they read up on the material covered in further maths especially FP1-2. The style of teaching was fairly easy to get used to but many of my piers found the material hard because its so different."]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Small class size meant a better teacher:student ratio, I also enjoyed learning something that is useful.","I believe that A level Mathematics was heavily practice based with less understanding and more repeating methods.",null,"Informal but efficient","I started an AS level in Further Mathematics in my second year, this was done at The University of Manchester. I subsequently dropped this course after 1 semester as our 6th form had difficulty providing A-Level Physics teachers and so we had to have out-of-hours lessons for this also.","It was much more detailed and there was more emphasis on the understanding of concepts rather than just methods","Yes. The first module contained complex numbers, and matrices. These were very useful as they were covered in my first maths module to a similar extent (Studied 4-year Physics MPhys at The University of Manchester)","The University of Manchester","Physics","I like to understand things, and thought that Physics was the best way to understand the laws that govern our world. Also Physics can lead to a variety of careers, it is a very useful degree to have","In my final year (10/11)\nIntroduction to non-linear dynamics\nFrontiers of particle physics I & II contain considerable mathematical components (electrodynamics etc)\nMPhys project requires mathematics and computation\nIn general all physics modules that I have studied have contained mathematics, I cannot think of a single module that has not.","Lectures are very different from A-Level classes (in my experience). I found it difficult to do 'homework' without prompting (it was required for the first 3 years of the course but not the last). ","I enjoyed workshops - working with other students to solve problems helps understanding","I would make copious amounts of 'homework' compulsory so that students like myself have a decent level of exposure. In my experience students will study if they are given set questions for which they know there are set answers (which are given with full derivation upon completion)","Yes","We had a maths test in the first week (if I recall correctly) and those who were not at a certain standard of Mathematical understanding were given extra classes to help them. I did not require these so cannot give details","Yes","No","Personally I would feel embarrassed to ask for help at these support classes, I am aware that this is not a useful sentiment however pride can get in the way of asking for help sometimes. This is why tutorials are useful - you have to attend and go through things that you didn't understand - help is given without asking","Personally it was a huge blow for my ego :-). I went from a 6th Form College/Secondary School where I was always the highest achieving student in my year. When I started at University I was no longer the best and this was quite depressing at times, I would go as far as saying that this had a negative impact on my studies as my desire to be the best was motivation before University, but once at University I did not feel this motivation. In terms of academic progression it is very important that A-level students have an idea of what course they wish to study, and thus they should be reminded constantly that the topics that are taught (that are relevant to their degree choice) should be UNDERSTOOD not simply learnt. I had a good understanding of all courses through to A-level but many students simply learnt methods/facts etc to pass exams. It is my personal opinion that exams are not conducive to understanding. Universities should also emphasize that what is being taught should be understood rather than simply remembered as topics will usually be built upon in later years."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Worked examples, before trying problems ourselves","Would have more differentiated teaching depending on ability within the class.",null,"Traditional teacher talking to class before giving them questions to attempt.","Provided all Further Maths teaching - one after school lesson a week and longer sessions at the university before exams. Also online materials.","More difficult, and in larger \"chunks\".","Yes. Having fewer lessons and having to work more or less independently was excellent practice for university. Having a greater volume of work on top of normal schoolwork made the transition easier.","The University of Sheffield","Medicine","Want a career in medicine - this is the most direct route and the programme of study itself is interesting and challenging.","Basic statistics","Lengthy lectures, very little opportunity to practise, but no new content learned.","None of it","Go faster, since almost all students had already covered the material.","No",null,"No","No",null,"For students, be prepared to rely on yourself and receive very little feedback until pretty late on. (Universities do enough induction)"]
["FMSP","A","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The course was interactive, more so than my other A-level courses.","More events such as the revision day at Warwick University, so that students can meet people alike.",null,"Unique, but successful; I thoroughly enjoyed my Further Mathematics AS level more so than my A-level Maths.","The Network provided ample revision material and Adam Boddison(tutor) gave great support to the students.","The FMSP material was much more organised, interactive and generally more enjoyable than the maths materials.","The online revision sessions have improved my computer skills and the logical approach to the learning of FMSP has helped improve my overall ability in my degree.","Bourenmouth University","Law and Taxation","I chose this course through my insight into Law and my accountancy career.","There has only been mathematical components in the extent that I study taxation.","The learning is much more independent.","I enjoyed the challenge of the mathematical elemet of my degree",null,"No",null,"No",null,null,"Universities should provide support for quiet students to interact with other students such as events and opportunities to join social groups."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Applied modules looked more at the \"real-life\" applications of maths","Teaching many different modules all at once was quite confusing.  Would mix the content.",null,"Quite informal.  Teacher would just work through the problems with us instead of teaching theory.","Study packs, past papers and out-of-school lessons","Summary study packs we received were very useful as it helped to collate all of the material for the module.","Helped to promote self study.","University of York","Chemistry (MChem)","Interested in Chemistry, lots of work experience in the pharmaceutical industry and wanted to pursue a career there.","No specific mathematics modules but a large part of physical chemistry is using algebra, differentiation, integration, matrices, group theory..","Very much taught in an applied sort of way.  Just get taught what is relevant for the problem at hand.","Taught step-by-step so everyone, no matter their ability, can follow the algebra / calculations.","More time spent on it as they do seem to assume a lot of prior knowledge.  Also different lecturers will have different ways of tackling the same problem and it can be very confusing learning different methods.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Advice to students would be to keep all their old notes and textbooks as they do come in handy on a degree.  Universities should spend time at the beginning of the course going over writing styles (such as referencing for essays and reports) because not all student may have been taught that before and will have different ways of doing.  Its also a good idea to have refresher courses at uni (like mine did) where they made sure everyone knew the relevant Biology, Physics and Maths for the degree programme (Chemistry)."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Algebra was my favourite topic- because you get to solve and check the answers afterward!it has solving surds which i love so much!\ni enjoyed logrithems and deffernitation especialy at core 2","i hate integration- it gets harder and confusing",null,"it's very deep and hard to explain!","i didn't do furthermaths","i didn't do furthermaths","i didn't do furthermaths","jordan university","medical negeenering","it has physics and maths! you get to solve and fix things which i really enjoy! it doesn't envolve biology and you get good amount of money.",{"$nulls":4},"No",{"$nulls":4},"they should be carful about their uni choices and subjects!pick the one you like most!"]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","the core 1 and core 2 modules and decision maths","more support from tutors",null,"good ","one session a week with tutor","more intense and harder as only saw tutor once a week","no ","wolverhampton university","pharmacy","because i have always been interested in pharmacy and clinical sciences","compunding, dispensing, dose calculations, graphs, dose response curves. ","the level at a level was much more detailed. At degree level this was more tailored. Not enough support given at ubniversity expected to do it ourselves.","The tests are a good indication at the level student are at.","more tutor support and e tests.","No",null,"No",null,null,"the university offered basic maths test to see how everyone was doing. from this the students who were struggling were refered to their personal tutors who provided extra support and classes. This has been extremely effective."]
["FMSP"]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2009-06-01","A2 maths and AS further","--","--",null,"encouraging and more than just following the curriculum.","A lot of revision help,and specific revision days. Using concepts from A2 cements them in your mind.","There was a lot more but generally followed the same format.","yes, further maths puts you further ahead in the first year of a mathematics degree.","Leeds University","Mathematics","I was good at it and it leaves a lot of career options open.","Entirely mathematical content","Mainly depends on independent learning. Lecturers aren't employed because they have good teaching skills.","The enthusiasm of the lecturers.","The lack of teacher training or understanding of how students learn.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"You need to work much harder than at A level and dont expect anything to come naturally to you."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Got plenty of practise of exercises to confirm knowledge.","I didn't like one of my teachers - he treated us like children and narrated things for us to right down - including what punctuation we needed.",null,"Methods were taught on the board followed by time to have a go ourselves. worked well.","very good. the revision sessions online before the exams were useful to go over key information. my teacher, jane west, was great, and emailed back promptly if we ever had any questions.","exams were set out differently.\nother than that similar, text books with explanations and exercises in.","Not particularly.","Newcastle","Combine Honours - maths french and spanish","the variety - i get bored easily and wanted a variety of options. plus i enjoy all these subjects and the modules.","Mathematical Methods -  general algebra, differentiation, integration etc. generally going over A-level stuff and adding to it.\nStatistics & Probability - some similar to Alevel work, some new stuff. ","doesnt","examples done on the board.","struggle to concentrate and copy notes at same time.","No",null,"Yes","No","MathsAid in the library if necessary. haven't needed it yet.","You don't really need to do anything. I found the transition very smooth and easy."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","The variety of topics and modules.","I wouldn't change it.",null,"It depended on who was teaching it but I found that it was structured in the sense of the content but it was taught in a rather relaxed way, where questions could be asked at any point.","I was taught by someone employed by the further maths network who was also a previous maths teacher at my school. But to be honest, I found that the support I got was largely from the maths department within the school/sixth form.","Barely encountered any of the material. Mostly just used the school's resources.","No","Newcastle University","Medicine","Because I wanted to use scientific knowledge and problem solving to directly help people and the variety of things you encounter in medicine makes it extremely interesting.","Drug dose calculations and prescribing fluids.",null,"We learn it through practising prescribing things.",null,"No",null,"No","No"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Enjoyed expanding on maths learnt at GCSE and after struggling to understand integration, felt a sense of achievement at improving in this area.","Overall teaching was good, I wouldn't change it.",null,"Very much based around past papers, textbooks and passing exams.","I was the only student who completed the AS in further maths, and so I had one to one teaching. I was doing five other AS levels and so was very stressed but enjoyed the teaching from FMN, the maths was interesting and challenging. My tutor had a passion for maths and managed to get me interested in the maths beyond the textbook, and helped me grasp concepts by making me think outside the box.","My tutor provided hand written solutions to all the past papers which were very useful, and greatly helped my understanding. I was challenged and found myself actually interested in the maths unlike in normal school maths lessons.","I learnt that it was important to ask why you follow a certain method and to always have an understanding of what you are doing. It is easy at A -level maths and even at uni to just follow a textbook and study for the sake of getting the grade you want.","Kings College London","Dentistry","My favourite subject was always biology, I had interests in medicine and this combined with wanting a job where I could directly help people made me pursue a career in dentistry.","None",null,null,null,"No",{"$nulls":4},"Be prepared to work independently and not be told what to do. At university there are many more students, a higher level of attainment and less teachers than at school. Every course is different but whatever you study, you should be prepared to do your own research, and read around your subject. You might not come top in every exam anymore but university is all about discovering your strengths and weaknesses, unlike A levels which are just designed to get you to university. The material will be much more difficult but as long as you have a passion for what you study you will get through. It is important to discuss work with coursemates since you can help each other alot and learn from each others techniques. I think universities should put first years into study groups so they can support each other and not feel confused which often happens with a new system, this may replicate the feeling of a classroom more until students settle down."]
["FMSP"]
["FMSP"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics",2006,"A2 Further Mathematics","Going to do further maths at Leeds Uni once a week. Only 2.5hrs further maths once a week and doing it along side normal maths so all in the wrong order was hard but a good challenge which I liked as most A levels were just remembering things \"because thats what you need for the exam\" which was really dull.","More choice to do interesting modules (and not just being forced into easy modules that the school will get good grades in), I had to do S1 which was the dullest thing ever because it was an \"easy module\" so I wasn't allowed to do Mechanics2 despite getting 100% in M1 and wanting to do a physics degree.",null,"For further maths because it was at the uni it was lecturing, at school for normal maths it was pretty much the same as always and often very slow and sometimes treated things a little too like they were weird one off special cases when it would just be basic calculus or something and just seemed odd because we'd only be taught bits of it.","Doing further maths at the uni was brilliant, it meant you met other people from other schools and was a good introduction into the lecturing style. The textbooks, online resources and weekly multiple choice problems were really useful as because we had less teaching time it was important we kept on top of it. ","There was probably more of it so we could do more independent learning which was good as it meant we could move at our own pace.","The lecturing style made me more prepared for lectures and keeping up with note taking and because it was half the amount of teaching time to a normal A level it helped me get used to working alone. The content was also very useful, I don't think going to do a physics degree without further maths is a good idea at all, especially as more and more is removed from the syllabus.","Durham University","Masters in Physics (MPhys)","I liked physics and maths but wanted something with possibly more physical applications not just maths. As it is I ended up changing to theoretical physics anyway so slightly wish I'd chosen maths and physics from the start!",null,"It moves a lot quicker - 1.5 lectures on complex numbers and that was pretty much it!\n\nIts much more see it very quickly in lectures and not full understand it but have the notes then work through the problems later using the lecture notes and textbooks until it makes sense or you can at least work out what doesn't make sense!","In 3rd year we have a maths workshop for theoretical physics which basically covered things like different integral transforms, complex analysis and group theory and other things useful for physics. It was done as an hour lecture followed by an hours examples class with postgrads to ask questions to as well as the lecturer and that way we could just sit for an hour and work on problems with our notes straight after the lecture which worked really well.","I'd have them all like the maths workshop. Sometimes when you had lots of lectures back to back by the time you get home you've forgotten what you did in the first lecture.","Yes","I think we had some questions to do to refresh after the summer.","Yes","Yes","We would have examples classes where you work through problems with postgrads around to help. And you could always just email the lecture or go and see them in their office.","It's easy. Because they have to cater for people who haven't done further maths the first year is pretty easy. Unless you didn't do further maths then you might want to stop going to the pub every night."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"I used some resources.","It was in greater detail and presented in a different way.","No","University of Bristol","BSc Physics","I am naturally good at maths, but wanted to be able to apply it. I enjoyed physics at A level.","Modules: Calculus, Mathematical Physics, Maths for Physics\n\nObviously, most of my modules have a large amount of mathematics, such as quantum mechanics, mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal physics","Mathematical knowledge and methods are assumed to be known by students or quickly gone over. It is more about applying the maths you know to different situations, logically.",null,null,"No",null,"Yes","No"]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Much more contact with teachers than at GCSE",null,null,"Explanation of concept and example, then given work and help provided if needed.","Didn't participate in FMSP","Didn't participate in FMSP","Didn't participate in FMSP","Cambridge University","Natural Sciences (Bio)","I enjoy and am interested in biology.","Differential equations (population modelling), statistics, graph plotting","Far more specific and far more intense.","Lectures with plenty of examples, even specific examples lectures","Possibly more revision lectures/seminars and answers to past exam papers","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Supervisions with supervisors specialised in the field of study to help with understanding","A preparation booklet or something similar explaining which skills would be particularly useful/required for the course."]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Trust / Responsibility given, i.e. approach of \"it's for your benefit to listen/comply\"","Given materials of how to do certain tasks to read back over after class rather than relying on notes during class to complete exercises at home.",null,"Very good, friendly and approachable.","Emails, phone calls, extra classes, anything to help me. Examples on each topic. Linking to \"interesting\" ways to apply methods.","More diverse, explained with more clarity and detail. Less repetition rather than explaining (e.g.) 3 different examples which all apply the same method.","Concepts of maths. FM level is less about \"memory\" than normal Maths A-level, and as such relies on better understanding of concepts. This was achieved by FM and it is always surprising when a learned concept rears its head in random unrelated areas of study or life (which is much more often than you would think).","None","None","No university.","No study.","No study","No study","No study","No",{"$nulls":4},"Not at university."]
["FMSP"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"Weekly tutorials\nOccasional study days\nRevision notes supplied","More independent learning","Yes. With only one tutorial per week, I had to do a lot of self study.","University College London","Mathematics BSc","Enjoyed A level maths\nGood career prospects",{"$nulls":4},"Yes","2 week (optional) revision course before starting university course.","Yes","Yes","Problem classes\nOffice hours"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","AS Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"The sixth form college I attended did not offer the further maths course and so I studied it at a local university. However, there was only aprox 2 hours of contact time per week. The resources provided by the FMN ensured that despite the relatively small amount of contact time, it was still possible to study and develop a good understanding of the course. ","I accessed the FMN material through a username supplied by the university, this allowed me to use the online resources. Obviously the topics covered in the online material was the same as that covered in lessons but the material differed in that it offered different/additional examples to test/improve understanding of topics.","I felt that the way I learnt further maths via the FMN was somewhere inbetween college style learning and university. It was good preparation for the more independant study required as an undergraduate.","Cambridge","Natural Science","My main areas of study at A-level were maths and science. I enjoyed these subjects and felt as though I was relatively good at them. I chose the natural sciences course at university because it allowed me to study 3 science subjects further as well as mathematics as a first year undergrad. Specialisation into a single subject takes place in the third year by which time I hoped that the additional exposure to the subjects, particularly at an undergraduate level, would mean I could make a more informed choice on where my strengths lay and as such what to study further. \nEssentially, at the time when I had to decide what course I wanted to study at university I wasnt sure which science to choose- the Natural Science course allowed me to delay this decision and also allowed for study of maths beyond A-level.","I have now specialised in chemistry so the mathematical content is fairly simple. No new mathematical concepts were introduced this year, however concepts that I was not taught at A-level were utilised often- these were taught to us during my first year as an undergrad.","The way that I felt I best learned maths was to have a concept introduced and then to practise lots and lots of different examples to improve my understanding. At college this is what happened. However, at university the emphasis was much more on the concept and although examples and some problems were provided, I sometimes found it difficult to obtain sufficient examples to practise to fully get to grips with the idea.","The concepts being demonstrated were often illustreated in terms of their relevance to the other science subjects I was studying. It was good to see the significance/ possible uses of the ideas we were studying.","More problems avaliable to test understanding and/or more guidance as to which books would contain relevant problems. I dont feel that the books that were reccomended to help with the maths course were in any way helpful.","Yes","A series of mathematical problems were posted in August before the start of term. We were expected to complete these and make note of any problems experienced. There was an opportunity at the start of term to get help with any issues that arose.","Yes","Yes","Compulsory supervisions in which we submitted answers to supplied problem sheets. Opportunity to discuss any issues with supervisor, in a group of 2 or 3 students, 1hr per week. Although useful, I dont feel that for me personally it was enough.","The advice I would give would be to speak to as many people as possible who have already made the transition that you are about to make. I would say that my experience of the transition from A-level to a first year undergrad was not particularly smooth. The style of learning was very different, the material covered was more difficult and the amount of material covered was significantly more. Now that I am accustomed to the learning environment I couldnt imagine learning in any other way but it was definitely a big step up from A level. I feel the transition would have been smoother if I would have been more prepared for it. I think I would have benefitted from a series of 'taster sessions' provided by the university, maybe over the summer between end of college and start of uni (or during college) to gradually introduce me to the university style of learning. I think I would have benefitted from the opportunity to 'learn how to learn at university' before I actually got there. "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","A-level maths at school - Lots of practice questions\n\nAS maths with Lancaster Uni - Good problems, indepth knowledge, interesting, smaller groups so more discussion","A-level maths at school - didn't move fast enough for me, would spend a lot of time covering things we had done for homework when I had completed it find.\n\nAS Maths with MEI - don't think I would change anything, perhaps allocate more teaching time as we only had about 80mins per week for 2 modules.",null,"Lots of practice questions.","I had AS Further Maths lesson with a lecturer from Lancaster Uni, went into more detail of the maths, more challenging. ","More detailed and complex, didn't just parrot feed for the exams but actually helped you understand the principles behind maths.","No (can't really remember!), I didn't study maths at University.","Aston University","Pharmacy","Wanted to chose a science based subject, but that was vocational and would offer me more options in future careers.",null,null,"Didn't","I had to teach a lot of my friends maths because the lecturing was terrible. Integration was one of the subjects, that is quite complicated for those who haven't done a-level maths, and no consideration was made of that.","No","Not to begin, but there was maths support offered if needed.","Yes","No","Felt no need to.","Usually the first year is a basic refresher of a-levels, just make sure you go to all your lectures else you'll have no chance! It'd be good to assess peoples ability so that you don't feel out of your depth/bored."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Close individual contact with a teacher who enjoyed maths and would often detoured and teach you harder level maths purely for the enjoyment- making you remember the sylabus more easily","Less statistics!",null,"Informal, treated like equals","I did an additional maths qualification at Warwick uni during gcse which I came to appreciate a lot during a levels as it gave me a big headstart","A lot more tailored to my level rather than the least competant person in the class- I like that I had to really work to understand it rather than being bored, and even though it didn't count for anythng it made me want to study all the more (and made my gcse maths ridiculously easy).","No, I don't think it would be suitable. I wouldn't have appreciated it at A level let alone degree.  ","Nottingham","Natural sciences","Allowed me to continue all the sciences and maths","A third of my course was maths in the first year, with modules in probabiliy, statistics and linear algebra. ","A lot more theory rather than just teaching you how to use the results practically, which you were left to teach yourself (and do in tutorials).","Tutorials in a small group","More group contact so you got to know the teacher- something I missed from a level. More informal lectures- but again that relies on knowng the lecturer which is impractical with a large group. ","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"I found the first semester very slow at first as they went over deriving things I had been using since gcse- mainly to train your brain to approach maths from the theory rather than the easiest explanation, so it didn't panic at the harder maths. So I don't think much preparation would be needed. As long as you know your a level stuff pretty well."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","As it was a small class i enjoyed how the teacher was always able to spend time helping us all out individually which would in turn would also benefit other members of the class if they were stuck.","I would ask for more example questions set by the teacher that were not taken from a book.",null,"Helpful but allowing for a lot of independent study which are skills needed for university.","I recieved weekly online tests that would test how well i had understood a topic. As well as full day revision sessions in which a useful pack outlining the main points from each module would be given. Also useful online information on each topic was available extra to that in the books. ","It was more in depth and detailed.","Yes, it allowed me to gain more independant study skills. ","University of Bristol","Aeronautical Engineering","As i was good at both maths and physics, and i did not want to study just one as a pure subject at university i wanted one that would use a balance of both of these subjects. I was also interested in joining the RAF, at a careers fair i found that 'engineering officer' would be a good job in the RAF and that an aeronautical engineering degree would be beneficial.","I take 'Enginerring maths with Maple'. This involved, Matrices, Partial Differentiation, Vectors, complex numbers and differential equations.","the material is very similar to that at A level, with the exception of a few things that would have had to have been taken in an extra module at A level. It is also more in depth at uni explaining in a more theoretical manner how the concepts work. Teaching is far less hands on and is simply delivered in lectures. ","I enjoyed the independant study.","I would change the speed of the course, lectures were delivered at an extremely fast pace. With some sections that was ok but attempting to learn differential equations in week was difficult.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","There are three 'drop-in' sessions a week in which post grads are available to help you with any problems that you dont understand and to help with any questions you may have attempted.","I think a recap/ constant use of maths over the summer is useful as when the course began my maths, even of the simplest C1/C2 was rusty and so the first few weeks were quite difficult as i had forgotten a few things. Also i would keep a few of the books used in my alevels as in the first year it was mainly all the maths from C3/C4 and my further maths A2. However the university books go into extreme depths and sometimes confuse the simplest things so for basic understanding A level books are helpful."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed the competitive but yet relaxed atmosphere, we all tried to get to the solution first but would still help eachother out along the way.","I would involve more Analysis in the course, and a lot more abstract Algebra. I believe there is too little in the A-Level Mathematics course and some Further Mathematics should be moved to Mathematics and some Analaysis and Algebra added to the Further maths. Possibly more modeling in the Differential Equations module.",null,"The style is more relaxed, it is lectured but with plenty of examples along the way. Homework was marked and gone through the following lesson which helped highlight any problems anyone ran into.","I was given access to many resources, such as free books and online material which helped a lot. Especially the online collection of past papers.","FMSP was a lot more hands on and problem solving, which made it a very interesting course. Maths lessons consisted of some theory and and then application and that is all.","Yes, my FMN teacher chose our modules carefully to help us ease into university. The optional modules he chose were D1, D2, NM and DE. I found DE especially useful.","University Of Warwick","Mathematics And Physics","I enjoy learning about the logic of Maths and the laws of Physics. The two subjects give me a very diverse set of modules to choose form and allow me to still enjoy the two subjects I alwasy loved.","This year we covered mainly Vector analysis and advanced linear Algebra, as well as Modeling biological systems and more Advanced Analysis and Partial differential equations.","Lectures are harder to follow and require a lot of work at home to understand the content.","I enjoyed how lecturers would wait at the end to allow students to ask them questions.","I would make lectures smaller, and have more seminar classes.","Yes","The modules that we chose to take as well as an overview of what undergarduate Mathematics is liek to study. My teach tried to explain the basic outline of what my first year modules would cover, for my own interest.","Yes","Yes","There are some seminars for some lectures which go through how to approach example questions but not their solutions.","Do not panic, and take each lecture one step at a time because the notation is the hardest thing to grasp, the faster you grasp it the easier you will find it to study :)"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"2 hour tutoring session from personal tutor every fortnight.\nFurther maths days at university every month or so ","a lot more detailed, required a great understanding of a level maths","having to study topics more in depth by myself assisted with the my studies at university as I already had the necessary skills for me to work independently ","Manchester Metropolitan","Computer Games Technology","I have a great love for computers and technology and also for how games are produced for computers. In addition i enjoyed the various maths involved such as matrices, vectors and physics","Various work on matrices, vectors, physics, computational algorithms for line drawing, curve drawing, lighting etc","a level maths was taught in a lot more detail and a lot slower and required little extra curricular work","seeing the application of various mathematical algorithms being used in game presentations and examples.",null,"No",null,"Yes","No","I was already confident enough with my level of mathematical knowledge required of me for my course"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Additional further mathematics","Since I self-taught the majority of modules, I enjoyed the flexibility to be able to teach myself in a style and order which suited me, and in most cases to leave learning the material until a few weeks before each exam.","I would make teachers more willing to support modules other than the strict 'list' which the school offers. This is probably more the fault of the general structure of schools than that of the teachers themselves, though, since I appreciate that it is not easy for a school to provide for a module like DC (Decision-computational mathematics) - especially when the teachers have not come into contact with the material therein anyway.",null,"From the \"straight maths\" lessons I went to, I would say that it was unnecessarily intense. I do not understand why the structure was so rigid, with time divided up into board work and copying notes, and repeated drilling with far more exercises than would ever be necessary for mastering a concept.\nAn extension of this was the lack of faith in students, in that (particularly in the C1 and S1 units, most of the material of which is on the GCSE specification), in that teachers felt that they had to teach the material again, rather than trusting their students to do the very simplest of things, which is just to remember what they were taught just 6 months ago! Why they didn't just lightly refresh students about the material is beyond me.","Being honest, I can't remember.\nI did have access to a website, but I recall that my password changed and acquired a three-letter prefix or something, and from then on it didn't work.\nI can't remember what was on the site, but I can't say that I will have accessed it more than once or twice.","In view of my previous response, I really can't say - sorry.","Again, I cannot comment.","University of Warwick","MMORSE - master's in maths, operational research, statistics and economics.","The mix of subjects appealed to me, while I was/am still not sure which field - if any - I will end up in.\nThe reputation of the course is very good.\nIt also seems structured in a way that I like, since you are very much free to choose your own path, even to the extent of taking modules in other subjects occasionally - and I found myself taking up philosophy and archaeology this year, because of this.\nI also chose this course for the university which it was at: I could not stand to be in the middle of a city, like most of the highest-scoring English universities are.\nI liked that it was a four-year degree course - the right length, I think.\nAnd also that it is an 'integrated master's', since paying normal rates for a separate master's would not be great or indeed possible (though if some can stomach Â£9000 per year for 4-years ...)\nOh and, of course, I like the acronym MORSE.","I have studied linear algebra, analysis, differential equations and geometry.\nIf I include the statistics modules as well, I have also studied probability, game and decision theory, and discrete dynamical systems.\nIf I include the 'decision maths' (i.e. operational research) module, I have also studied mathematical programming.","Rigour. It's only when you get to university that you actually start defining what you're talking about!\nAt A-Level, it was very much routine work: you learn a concept, you answer questions about it, and then ... well, you just keep on answering questions about it.\nWhen you get to degree level, it's much more about scouring everything for a road into a problem, finding inspiration and working away feverishly, still getting nowhere, and of course staring into space.\nThough I was actually surprised that there is still a bit of routine calculation of things, and I suppose that with some things part of their beauty is that they can be reduced to a simple algorithm that works every time.","I love the fact that most of our lecturers typeset notes, and either put them online, or print them off and sell them. I now own loads of maths 'books' of these notes, all of them precisely relevant to the courses which I am studying. What more could one want!","I would have preferred having a supervisor from my own department (statistics) and preferably doing my own course (our supervisors are just our seniors), rather than someone from the maths department - though I can see advantages in having either version of the system.","Yes","We were informed that, on arrival, there would be 'diagnostic tests' for fundamental mathematical skills (which have been scrapped for this year's cohort). With this email came a pack containing material to help students revise for these tests, and to allow them an attempt at sample papers.","Yes","Yes","I'm not entirely sure what this question is getting at, but if it's things like tutorials and supervisions, then yes, both have been provided.\nSince I am in the stats department, for the analysis unit (which is the main maths one), I have had three lectures per week, plus one supervision per week to go through marked work, and one tutorial every two weeks to chat through additional problems - but oddly enough the mathematics department provided just one lecture per week, two 'classes' (like A-Level classes) to go through specially produced 'workbooks' and one supervision - for the same unit!","Read some maths books!\nI don't care what, but so long as it is a maths book and it's not a 'popular maths book' then it's good!\nHere I would place the emphasis not on understanding the content of such books, for which true university education might well be required, but rather on getting to grips with the language, in which the reader must to think.\nYes, you can leave it until you get to university, but by that time, you'll have to learn both this strange language and also rather a lot of 'course content' at the same time!\nI would also say, try looking through your future university's maths pages: you will often be able to gain access to lecture notes, problem sets and other resources. It really makes your life easier if you can nail one or two modules during the summer, and then only have say 80% of the workload for the rest of the year."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",null,"More freedom to study on my own",null,null,"Attended day long events, one hour a week with a teacher to go over things I didn't understand","More variety, and more interesting","The ability to study on my own, without the need for encouragement","University of Bristol","Computer Science and Electronics MEng","I enjoy both of these areas of engineering, and am good at them","Set theory, theory of algorithms, time complexity, calculus, transfer function analysis.",null,null,"More practical examples","No",null,"No","No"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","using computer softwares when plotting functions. you could enter different functions and see them in real time! it really helped me understand some more complex concepts , like 'modules'  for example ","my further maths teaching was pretty unorganised. but then again we were an experimental class (it was the first yr that my school launched Further maths teaching) I would have liked for it to take place at the same venue all the time, and be able to get in touch with my teacher easily. (my teacher was a university professor..therefore a pretty busy man) we only saw him once a week.",null,"fast and concise. very 'evidence' based. every new topic was quickly demonstrated and then we were given lots and lots of exercises to practice with!","i dont believe I was given any support of this kind? or probably just dont remember about it, im sorry.","as above.","I am studying medicine at the moment. there isnt a very big mathematical component to it. the module that has proven most useful so far has been statistics.  when I read thorugh medical papers I have to critically appraise the data and my statistics module comes very handy, as it's really easy to understand things like correlations, normal distribution, mean, standard errors, absolute and relative errors.. honestly, either everyone in my course is dumb or my A level maths has really helped! :D","university of aberdeen","medicine and surgery","because it's been my passion since I can remember and ive always been very good at science and with people. also,  I like the idea of helping people in a significant way while at the same time using my understanding of the innermost processes and reactions that happen in our bodies ","I havent received any mathematical teaching as such, but for some modules undertaken I was expected to have a medium-high understanding of statistics.",null,null,null,"No",null,"No",null,null,"depending on how well you want to do in your undergraduate degree , I would advise to look up which modules you are gonna be studying in your first months of uni, and if you feel there are any gaps in your current knowledge, then go over those things. I assure, it won't hurt ;) \n\nhonestly though, I would just enjoy the summer and roll my sleeves up when september comes :)"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","My teacher was very enthusiastic which I felt greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the course.","Unsure.",null,"More relaxed than GCSE, though for me  I felt there was less of a difference than for others. As I was always a very strong pupil, I was often allowed to work independently at my own pace, and this continued from GCSE to A Level.","The online notes were printed out for me every week by my Further Maths teacher. As I was taught Further Maths on a limited schedule (only 2 hours a week), I felt this extra support helped me to find my own mistakes when a teacher wasn't around to aid me.","It was much more detail","It encouraged self study, so that I now feel I am much more proficient at teaching myself various concepts. ","University of Manchester","MPhys Physics with Theoretical Physics","I find Physical concepts fascinating.","I have studied two mathematical modules this year, creatively named Mathematics 1 and 2. The first course mostly recapped what I had learned in Further Mathematics at A Level, the second went further and included more complex integrals. It also included the gradient function. ","See above.","My mathematics course was taught through lectures, workshops and tutorial sheets. I enjoyed the workshops: a classroom of around 60 pupils doing problem sheets with the help of some Phd students.","None. ","No",null,"Yes","No"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","It was quite interactive, rather than simply talking at the front of the class for 15 minutes then making us get on with work we were encouraged to share ideas and different approaches to problems and occasionally present on the board ourselves.","Sometimes was a bit slow, spent too long on certain topics.",null,"Structured but also quite interactive.","Received tuition via e-learning from Richard Lissaman in Warwick for the Differential Equations module and also had a revision session at the university for the same module. Received additional tuition for Further Pure 2 at school, and also support while I taught Mechanics 3 to myself. Also attended a number of extra curricular days 'Take Maths to the Limit' and higher education lectures etc.","For the most part the teaching was a lot faster. We only ever covered each topic once (not counting revision lectures) and exercises and even some of the shorter chapters were left to ourselves to work on, with support available if we needed it.","The e-learning lectures proved a good introduction to university lecturing styles (I suppose since they were given by a university lecturer) and to some extent the extra modules I did helped me get used to self-motivated learning that is essential for uni.","University of Bath","Mmath Mathematics (4-year)","During GCSEs and earlier I always did well in maths but never really found it all that interesting most of the time. I took it for A-level mostly because it was a strong subject for me. But it was during A-levels that a combination of great teachers and interesting new concepts inspired me to take the subject further at uni.","I am specialising mostly in pure maths with some applied modules, limited probability/statistics and some computer science type modules. Mostly my interests are in Analysis and Differential Equations, specifically Control Theory, but also some abstract topics such as Topology and Algebra. In the last year I studied the following modules:\nMetric Spaces, Mathematical Methods (x2, essentially PDE Theory, covered Sturm-Liouville Theory, Fourier Transforms, Heat and Potential equations, Calculus of Variations), Algebraic Structures, Real and Abstract Analysis, Viscous Fluid Mechanics, Introduction to Topology, Complex Analysis, Ordinary Differential Equations (Existence and Uniqueness of Solutions, Dynamical Systems, Lyapunov Theory), Galois Theory.","Very much focused on proof rather than solely methods and results. Harder to pass test just by remembering key facts, try to encourage you to understand the material also. Unseen content on tests was rare at A-level.","Some of the lecturers are very eccentric and entertaining.","Not all of the lecturer's lecture in the same way, some prefer to whizz through slides rather than the traditional 'chalk and talk' and it means it can become hard to keep up.","Yes","A booklet of basic uni-level maths material + 1 mandatory homework sheet of about 10 questions on graph sketching, integration and initial value problems etc.","Yes","Yes","The university runs a drop-in center for (mostly first years) anyone on any course who needs help with maths. While I only attended this once myself, I did become a tutor in my third year and worked in these sessions providing the help myself.","Pay close attention to all the sections on proof and logic at A-level and at the start of your course, as these are fundamental to almost everything throughout the rest of the course and a poor understanding at the outset will hinder your development later on. Also, once you get to uni, just because nobody is checking whether you are doing work outside the lectures or not, doesn't mean you shouldn't! If you get behind it is extremely difficult to catch up again."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2006-06-01","A2 Maths, Further Maths, Additional Further Maths",{"$nulls":4},"Was taught FP3, NC and another module I don't remember, by a PhD student from Warwick. He had the wrong textbooks for NC and the other module so I failed those.","FP3 was harder just because FP3 is harder. Otherwise not really different.","No","University of Cambridge","Mathematics","I thought it would be fun.",null,"We had to actually do some maths, instead of being able to pass the exams by learning a lot of methods.",null,null,"Yes","Cambridge hosted a STEP study school, which was very helpful since my A level maths teacher told me she wasn't good enough at maths to mark my STEP practice papers","Yes","Yes","Cambridge offers one-on-two supervision to all their students","If you're going to Cambridge and you didn't do FP3, learn about group theory now"]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",null,"The questions in books and exams are too straight forward and cannot fully test the understanding of the concept in different situation. I think more problem solving techniques should be required in A level mathematics course rather only ask student to do straight forward questions. ",null,"Free, self discipline but lack of challenge.","n/a","n/a","n/a","the University of Edingburgh","architectural studies","Being a successful architect is my goal.",{"$nulls":4},"No"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"Being given the chance/ experience of using my mathematics skills in the work place and able to see how it helps in everyday life and what changes it makes.","more interactive / practical than just working out equations","no ","Nottingham Trent University","BSc (hons) Mathematics","I enjoy mathematics, and there are many aspects of mathematics that inspire me to learn more and I wanted to take my educations and knowledge further in this subject. ",null,"there is a larger range of areas that are cover at university which opens your mind in many ways and it can lead to potentially different careers. ","I enjoy group work, Working at a team makes and especially with your friends make the work more enjoyable and when work is fun you are more likely to remember the work. ","Lectures where it is just one slide show after another.. student get bored looking at the same screen.. Something different such as the lecturer goes through an example question on a white board etc ","No",null,"No",null,null,"The transition from A level to University is hard but what made it easier for me was that my university and course held and lunch buffet meet and greet for all the students to meet each other and get to know the lecturers which makes first year more comfortable and enjoyable. "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Enjoyed small class sizes in Further Maths A2","Less than 7 teachers over the course of the qualification!",null,"Informal and disjointed by most teachers. ","revision materials and revision days off site.","Sometimes gave a different approach to the material, which helped.","No","University of Birmingham","Physics Msci (4yrs)","I enjoy mathematics but prefer the more applied side of things. I also greatly enjoyed of physics at A level.","Some more advanced mathematics used in physics;\n\nVector Calculus, Matrices, Linear Algebra (inner products, matrix algebra, vector spaces, orthogonality of functions etc), fourier analysis, delta and heaviside functions, partial differential equations.","More emphasis on application, A level maths had more focus on pure maths (although mechanics modules were similar to degree)","New stuff is introduced as a logical progression from old stuff. Everything starts to relate to one another.","Sometimes speed of delivery is a bit off.","No",null,"Yes","No","I've usually used textbooks and the internet to help me understand material, I've not yet come across something I can't solve myself with these resources.","Try not to forget some of the more common skills, such as integration and differentiation, over the long summer between exams and university. I got out of practice and wish I hadn't."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","All the different modules available","None ",null,"Relaxed yet helping students individually when needed","Pre exam events at Cambridge university plus study materials","Exam focused, more detailed yet easy to follow","No","University of Surrey","Law","Something I was interested in studying","None",null,null,null,"No","My course did not require mathematical knowledge",null,null,null,"Not to underestimate the amount of work to be done. Never leave your deadlines going. Keep organised and start revising early for exams and keep good notes to go back to. Mostly relax and try to enjoy the degree university is the best experience so never overwork yourself."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The teacher's enthusiasm.","None.",null,"Great. Teachers are friendly and enthusiastic.","The FMSP provided teaching for AS Further Maths.","It was very different; there was a different exam board (OCR MEI as opposed to Edexcel), and the teaching style was different (past exam papers from the start as opposed to exercises from a book).","No.","The University of Manchester","Medicine","To help people whilst having a mental challenge involved.","Statistical tests in scientific research.","We learn ourselves.","None.","None - it's useful in medicine and there aren't many ways to deliver it.","No",null,"No","No",null,"Nope!"]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","A2 Mathematics: the textbook was understandable, the teachers were there to help AS Further Mathematics: the huge amount of exercises and materials ","A2 Mathematics: less copying directly out of the textbook by the teacher; just wastes lesson time, would rather have a slightly different approach to the book, so that the two compliment but don't exactly repeat\n\nAS Further Mathematics: with the timetabling restraints, couldn't improve",null,"A2 Mathematics: at worst, repeating the textbooks explanations without adding much, possibly taking up as much as half the lesson, then doing the book's exercises. At best, a better explanation of how the teacher would solve such problems, then the book's exercises.\n\nAS Further Mathematics: two hours on a Tuesday after school, 4 to 6 hours or more homework, much more independence.","tons of resources, extra lessons during the holiday period, revision workshops closer to exam times, timetabled revision plan","material from maths lessons was minimal, teaching was better, subjects were more interesting","Yes, by learning to cope with such a large workload and harder subjects at AS, A2 maths was easy to pick up in comparison. In my uni course, exposure to harder material reduced the intimidation factor when trying to pick up new methods, especially under the greater time pressure and lack of resources.","University of Bristol","Computer Science MEng","By attending as many talks on different engineering subjects at different unis as possible, the computer science lecture at Bristol stood out the most","Everything from mathematics A2, matrices, Taylor series, Fourier series, everything from Statistics 1, numerical methods","barely any time spent on each subject, no exercise sheets given, just a booklet describing (in most cases badly) each subject, with lectures regurgitating the material","virtually none","more exercises handed out, better explanations","No",null,"Yes","No","If you did not achieve an A in Maths but got onto the course, you had to take a different maths unit.","Provide a lot more material and of a better quality, especially more exercise sheets with answers. Provide a list before uni of mathematical subjects that you're expected to know, because once you start the course if you don't already know them inside out you're not well placed."]
["FMSP","A","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","differentiation","vectors",null,"they teach the topic once only and you pretty much have to figure it out from there","it tough me the practical applications of maths","it was slightly simplified but good introduction to the concepts, very useful","being introduced to the lecture environment was helpful, useful and taught me the note taking skills that are valuable in uni","lancaster university","economics","passionate about it, particularly enjoyed it at a level","n/a","its more applied to economics filtering out topics that have little economic application","group projects","not being able to ask questions or further elaboration because of the size of the class","No","n/a","No","No",null,"read some books on the reading list to ease you into the course"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed being able to step away from the class and work at my own pace. Taking modules early and moving on to further ones.","It was very much geared towards passing exams and really put no work into making you understand anything that was considered superfluous to those exams. You would learn 'how' to differentiate, but not what differentiation was actually doing. ",null,"Teaching you the tricks of exams and the syllabus. Teaching you exactly what you needed to know to pass your exams.","The Further Maths Network basically ended up taking over my entire maths teaching. My school did not understand the order in which modules needed to be learned, they did not teach further maths at all and did not give any preparation for the STEP. My further maths teacher worked with me ceaselessly to teach me the further maths modules, to teach me the original maths modules when my school was lacking, and to prepare me for the STEP.","In the end I dropped out of my school maths lessons. It was pointless continuing in them, they were going to go at a much slower pace to cover Core 1-4 over two years, whereas I needed to learn these all in the first year. I eventually only had my further maths lessons.","My further maths teacher recommended general books I could read for mathematics and greatly broadened my knowledge of the subject. She also focused a lot on proofs in our teaching which I found very helpful at university.","Warwick","Mathematics","I enjoyed mathematics and wished to continue my study of it.","n/a","They were like completely different subjects, mathematics at university was much more philosophical and a whole lot less number churning.","None.","I think lectures are a very poor way to teach, I just found I couldn't learn from them. I needed to be taught by someone, perhaps in a classroom or tutorial style lesson.","Yes","My further maths tutor provided me with past STEP papers.","Yes","Yes","I had a tutor but upon telling him I didn't understand he was able to offer me no help. I also had a supervisor, but she was just an older student and had a very bad grasp of English and was an awful teacher.","I feel some element of logic should be considered within sixth form, and a much greater stress put on looking at proofs. I found the lack of numerical work at university shocking because it had been such a focus at A level."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Closer relationship with teachers","More flexibility with courses- ie, I wish I could have done D2 instead of S2, but nobody at my school could teach it.",null,"Fairly relaxed- brief explanation of material, with a few examples, then casually going through a few excerises, and discussing them with other students.","STEP lessons at Leeds University (I think FMN organised these...?)","Much, much more difficult.","Learning how to deal with more difficult material. Nothing in the A-Level course challenged me, but FMN made me get used to seeing problems which I had literally no idea how to start.","Oxford","Mathematics","Because I enjoy it, I'm good at it, and I'm a bit rubbish at almost everything else.","Core Algebra, Differential Equations and Complex Analysis.\n\nGroup Theory, Number Theory, Topology, Integration, Multivariable Calculus, Numerical Analysis","You need to learn it yourself. At A level, you were expected to understand everything the first time you heard it. At university, you don't understand most things in lectures- instead, you need to go over the whole course again, after developing a vague familiarity with it, and then start to develop your own understanding.","One on one tutorials with working research staff.","More basic examples on problem sheets. My current workload consists mostly of difficult, complicated examples, which are usually intimidating and make me feel like I have a far worse understanding than I actually do.","Yes","Suggested reading list from college","Yes","Yes","I've emailed my tutor when I've been struggling, and they posted me a full solution to my question.","Read popular maths books, by writers like Ian Stewart or Marcus Du Sautoy, to get a general idea of how higher maths works."]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","AS Mathematics","The independence","More effort into going through problems, not throwing you head first into it!",null,"Not in depth enough","It went nicely with AS maths and allowed a greater understanding in some topics.","It was more relaxed and enjoyable.","Yes. Greater independence into solving sums and a wider lateral view of problems.","Queen Mary University","Zoology","Because I love Biology and all living creatures, so a combination of this was perfect for me!","Essential Skills for Biologists focused upon mathematics involving molarity equations, standard problems, medical formulas, BMI and a large component of Statistics was involved.","The mathematics material learnt in my course is more practical and therefore seems relevant to learn.","I love Statistics.","I would advise the lecturer to work through problems and at least show some worked through examples for further practice.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Definitely do some further reading on the course and the first year modules. If you can, start browsing through text books for the modules so you know what to expect and can perhaps learn something before you start! "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Pure maths, calculus and mechanics",null,null,"Further maths wasnt helpful as there isn't enough teachers and we have to teach ourselves","Senior maths team challenge? I didn't receive much other help","N/A","N/A","Imperial college London ","Chemical engineering ","I want to study a combined science and maths course",null,"More in real life scenario","Fluid mechanics",null,"No",null,"Yes","No",null,"A level maths is too easy for university engineering degree, you should learn more such as divergence theory and others"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Faster pace than GCSE.","Do A2 Maths in the first year and A2 Further Maths in the second year.",null,"Didactic approach. Very much taught to the exam.","Tim Honeywill and John Fitter visited our school to give two lessons per week. This was a reduced timetable but they set questions for us to do over the week and they were very prompt with marking and gave useful feedback. The revision days at Warwick University and at schools were very useful. Tim also helped me prepare for taking the AEA paper.","The FMN material was much more organised and the revision sheets were brilliant. ","Because FM was taught on a reduced timetable, a lot of private study was required and this prepared me well for university. The way in which FM was taught was much more intuitive than in sixth form. I understood the reason behind certain methods, which was something I appreciated when studying Maths at university.","Warwick","Mathematics and Economics","I was good at Maths and Economics at A level and I thought it was a solid degree to have that would guarantee me a job at the end. I also looked forward to haveing the variety of doing a mixture of qualitative and quantitative study.",null,"At university, it has all been about proof. This was something that I had been interested in at A level but at university it's much more abstract. Very little quantitative work. There was a set method for answering questions at A level but not at university.","Having support classes.","More emphasis on general approaches you can take to questions.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","There were support classes for some modules and we met with a postgraduate student every week who could ask questions. My tutor was not around very much but I felt tutorials would have been helpful.","If you're going to study Maths, do lots of STEP papers in preparation but don't look at the answers! When you start at university, work hard to get an understanding of the methodology rather than concentrating on getting the correct answer."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","All of the new material covered over the two years proved to be interesting and I was just enjoying the process of extending my previous mathematical knowledge.","Sometimes it didn't feel that different from being taught at GCSE. I don't feel like I was encouraged to go out and expand on anything I was taught in the classroom.",null,"More interesting than at GCSE but still feeling restricted.","Through the FMSP I travelled to Keele University for one afternoon every week during the Sixth Form terms and was taught the complete further mathematics A level in this time and by lecturers working at the university rather than by my sixth form staff. I was also encouraged by these lecturers to complete an AS level in additional further mathematics  - The network was able to provide me with all of the necessary textbooks but I carried out all of the teaching for these modules myself.","The modules we studied in Further Mathematics covered a much wider range of topics which greatly broadened my mathematical knowledge and also improved my appreciation of all the different branches of mathematics that exist. Some of the material was also much more challenging than that received during my normal A level lessons.","Yes, the fact that we only had further maths lessons for only one afternoon a week meant that I had to do a lot of independent study to fully understand the topics covered. As the mathematics taught at university is taught in a much more condensed way with a much quicker pace of teaching and only the basics shown then it has proved very useful that I am able to study independently to understand the concepts thoroughly. It has also helped me that I self taught the whole additional further maths AS level as again this has meant that I haven't depended on being given all of the necessary information  - I am able to go and research it for myself.","Durham University","Mathematics (MMath)","I always knew that I wanted to study a pure mathematics degree as my main interest has always been the core areas of the courses studied.","Core Mathematics A (double module)\n- Calculus and Probablulty\n- Linear Algebra\nCore Mathematics B1\n - Analysis \nCore Mathematics B2\n- Problem Solving and Dynamics\nDiscrete Mathematics\nDAMS ( Data Analysis, Modelling and Simulation)","The material we have covered is a lot broader than that covered at A level and the teaching is all done at a much quicker pace. It seems that in the one year I have now spent at university I have learnt more that I ever thought I would.","I really enjoyed the lectures as my favourite way of learning is to sit and listen to explanations and then making the relevant notes.","I found that some of the tutorials that we had over the year didn't feel very useful especially if you were already very happy with the course content at that point.","Yes","We received a booklet of mathematical exercises to complete before we arrived and also had a small online test to complete so that they had some idea of our existing mathematical knowlege","No",null,null,"To continue looking over the A level material that you covered because the 3 month gap between finishing your exams and then starting at university is a long time and a lot can be forgotten in it. They definitely don't give you the time to go over it all again when you get there so it is useful to just keep looking at some maths over the summer to keep it fresh in your mind."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Worked problems with the whole class","More choice in courses",null,"Relaxed","None","N/A","No","University of Manchester","MMaths&Physics","I enjoy both Maths and physics","Calculus and vectors\nLogic \nLinear algebra\nCalculus and applications\nDynamics","Different teaching style, no worked examples.","Online lecture notes and email help","More worked examples","No",null,"Yes","Yes",null,"Try and make friends with people on your course quickly, with socials and other events, to make lectures and work less daunting."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics and AS Further Mathematics","The Level of mathematics, we more interesting","More hours in class",null,"more independent","Very independent, maybe too independent","much higher level, having had completed mathematics As first would have been beneficially.","Yes, most of the first year was similar so I helped to get through the first year.  ","Oxford Brookes","Mathematics","I enjoy mathematics and feel it is a good degree to have","Llinear Algebra and Analysis, Linear regression modules, Numerical Analysis 1, Further Discrete Mathematics, Geometry, Ordinary Differential Equations and Quantitavive research methods","Most advanced and independent, help is there but you have to ask","Lectures are better than sitting and doing questions","More questions for independent practice","No",null,"No",null,null,"Don't give in to the temptation to skip class because there is noone there telling you to go! Courses move fast and just missing one lecture may mean you will miss something key and this will hurt you when it comes to coursework and exams.  It's not the same as school they only teach you what you need to know, if it isn't on the exam it will be on the coursework.  Get into a habbit of doing your work when you get it rather than leaving it in your first year and this will help you in the future years.  It is worth working hard for 3 years and getting a decent degree, party hard before and after term and work hard during term!"]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Individual attention.",null,null,"Slightly less formal than in lower school, lots of self study, easy stuff was covered more quickly than in lower school.","We had provided a teacher from the FMN who covered all the further pure and decision with just the students who wanted to do further maths.","Lots of materials in addition to the course text book. Additional exercises etc, to extend further.","Self study. Also, the FMSP materials often covered the higher end of the course, which helped massively with first year university, as it was mainly a rehash of A2 further maths.","University of Keele","Mathematics","I like maths, I would like a job that involves lots of maths, I wanted to do a degree that best demonstrates my intellect.","Standard 1st year mathematics degree, i.e. matrices, complex number, 2 variable calculus, basic analysis, mathematical software, mechanics with a higher calculus content.","More advanced, covered much more quickly.","Individual attention even at a large university, from your personal tutor.","Large lectures are no good for learning, unless you have a really good lecturer.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","I regularly see my personal tutor for him to check how I am doing, and help me individually where possible.","Keep all the notes and materials you made/were provided with over the second year of A level, and read them everyday over the summer before uni. Otherwise you will forget lot."]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed learning new concepts. Additionally in the further maths I enjoyed learning the maths that most people had never experienced before","Nothing really. If anything maybe they should force me to do my homework a bit more because I never handed in any of my homework",null,"Very much hands on, we would be taught the theory and then jump straight into maths problems so that we could apply and practice","Small classes which meant that there was a lot of focus on each of us specifically. The teachers were very enthusiastic which made it a very enjoyable experience.","It was totally new concepts such as matrices, which we had never even dreamed of before. So it was nice to try something new instead of just learning new things about old stuff","It helped me to teach myself and to revise effectively. These skills I have used throughout my degree in physics. The self-learning process is a very important one","Bristol","Physics","It involved not just using common sense, but helped me to understand the world around me. I could apply my mathematical ability to real life situations. It would provide me with a skill set that was broad and unlike any other degree could offer. Effectively you become a jack of all trades with a physics degree. I could easily do the job of an engineer or at the other end of the spectrum I could work easily in an investment bank. It left my opportunities wide open.","There is a high level of maths. In my specific non-mathematical modules there is still a large amount of maths, however it's maths that is just second nature to me now. There are a variety of advanced modules such as general relativity that require a strong knowledge of tensors. ","There is no specific hands on teaching. You are essentially told what material you need to know, and then you go away and teach yourself about it. In physics 3rd and 4th year they don't bother wasting a lecture on telling you how to do the maths behind something... They are more focused on teaching you the fundamental principles of the physics","They would often just throw you into a situation where you need to use things such as fourier series. You hate it at first, but then when it clicks and you actually understand why you are using it then you never forget how to use that mathematical tool. ","More feedback on the maths problems","Yes","The gave us some videos to watch that were regarding vectors and scalars. This was an important concept to understand before starting a physics degree. It wasn't touched on very much in A-Level however.","No","No","No specific support mechanisms that i personally know of. ","Make sure you learn that material in your first year. I know it doesn't count towards your degree, but there are so many important concepts that you will learn that you will need for the following years!"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed learning about different aspects of maths and taking a wide range of modules","Less students per class",null,null,"I had limited contact time with teachers at college to gain the full knowledge needed to take the Further Maths exams","It was delivered in a different way and the material was an extension of what I learnt in my maths lessons","The material helped with my undergraduate studies as I had knowledge of a wider range of maths and the teaching style helped me to learn different ways of learning which helped with the different style of lecturing to teaching in college","University of Liverpool","Pure Mathematics","I love studying maths and I realised I was getting good grades in my individual modules so I thought I would study Mathematics as I wasn't sure what else I would want to study at a higher level","Foundation Maths\nNumbers, Groups and Codes\nDynamic Modelling","The teaching style of 1-150 in a lecture hall is very different from the classes at college\nThe range of material is more or less the same, some parts are extended or more material but others were covering the same material covered in my Further Mathematics A2 Level","I enjoyed that we were being taught from the front and then there was the opportunity for tutorials in smaller groups where we could gets answers to more specific questions","Have more tutorials available","No",null,"Yes","Yes","There were tutorials available for some modules but not all of them and lecturers were available to see at some points during the week","Try to visit the uni and find your way around it a little first. Go to the Fresher's Fair and find some social things to go to. Remember that every first year is in the same boat but don't worry just go to uni prepared and you'll soon get the hang of it "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics",{"$error":"#NAME?"},null,null,{"$error":"#NAME?"},"Fellow classmates spanning from years 12 and 13 had the privilege of a etcher from another school (D1 module) whom was of great help with understanding the methods involved.","Of the modules taken:\n\nS1 - taught through a text book in my own time; fortnightly one hour lessons with a teacher from my school.\n\nD1 - taught through a text book in my own time; weekly one hour lessons with teacher from another school.\n\nFP1- weekly one hour lessons with a teacher from my school; text book used for questions.","Yes, although my enthusiasm for the subject may have helped, I have gained a precious ability to understand mathematical methods through text book alone.\n\nI am currently studying a Physics degree and encountered medical problems to which I could not attend lectures; if it was not for this ability I would have not got the grades I have.","Royal Holloway, University of London","Physics","For the challenge of understanding how to apply maths to real world systems. ","PH2130 - Mathematical methods\n- Separation of variable to solve partial differential equations.\n- The Bessel function and it's uses.\n- Fourier theory/Fourier Transforms.\n- Factorials: Stirling's approximation, Gamma function, etc.","Not much difference. A simple approach to teaching works best.","Putting every method in context of a real life situation, along with graphical representation of any functions involved.","More emphasise on checking working for any very simple mistakes.\n\n(Mathematical methods are often executed better than the simple methods).","No",null,"Yes","No","A foundation year is in place for those with little or even no mathematical experience at all.","The transition from GSCE to 6th form: begin understanding the importance of \"working under your own steam\"\n\nThe transition from 6th form to university: you must \"work under your own steam\"; do not depend on lecturers to pass your course as a GSCE student depends on their teacher to pass their exams, but think of lecturers as a guide to what the course requires."]
["FMSP","B"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","small  class size and availability of teacher after lessons","none",null,"methodical","exam style questions and further notes ","not very different","no","swansea","Beng, chemical and bio-process engineering","maths and chemistry based course ","matrix, higher derivatives, imaginary numbers, further integrals, vectors . . . ","lecture note are condensed. we have tutorial classes and additional classes  for further maths support. indiscipline and independent learning are also essential.","tutorial classes, this is because it a smaller group compared to seminar (<200 students) so its easier ask questions and get some help.","just have tutorial classes rather than seminars and tutorial classes.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","we have drop in day when you meet your lecture and discuss any issues you are facing. we have additional one to one with an expect once on twice a week. this is to help those struggling with few aspects engineering mathematics ","be confident with most aspects a level maths as it helps during the first semester. "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I found the content really interesting especially the new ideas of calculus which are taught!","I wouldn't change any aspects of teaching.",null,"Intense but approachable. The pace of teaching was good, and the work was taught in a way that made it fun and interesting.","Weekly lessons were very useful, and also I had on-line lessons too, which were just as effective as having classroom lessons. Resources (on-line and text books etc) were easily available, ensuring the needs of my studies were met.","The FMSP material was more useful I believe, because it there were many resources available. the on-line resources were most useful. ","Yes - it made me better at independent learning, because I took AS and A2 Further Mathematics within one academic year, so I was required to do a lot of the work by myself. Also by having on-line lessons, this gave me experience of learning in a new way, which was helpful in becoming more organised.","Queen Mary University of London","BSc Mathematics, Statistics and Financial Economics","I really enjoy mathematics, which is down to the new stuff I learnt in a-level. So I was set on studying mathematics at Uni. Also I have an interest in economics, so this course appealed a lot to me. ","Calculus I\nCalculus II\nIntro to Statistics\nGeometry I\nIntro to Probability","In uni, the material for the first semester was mainly going over a-level, but at a much quicker pace. After that, the work was new and although the pace was quicker than a-level, we were used to this pace.","I enjoyed lectures on how to prove theories in mathematics.","I wouldn't change anything.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","A lot of the work content was available on the internet, such as the lectures and assignments.This allowed  me to work independently and effectively, especially if I didn't understand something in a lecture.","Personally I found the transition from a-level to Uni easier than the transition from GCSE to A-level, in terms of the work content. At uni, there was plenty of support to seek, such as the mathematics society, and mathematics staff. Special events were organised for maths students by the societies which were a great way to meet people and find out more about the course, from students in higher years of university. "]
["FMSP","B","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","Both A2 Mathematics and Further Mathematics","Decision and Logic Mathematics in Further Maths.","N/A",null,"We learnt by looking at basic examples and learning the methods, then trying increasingly difficult questions, by ourselves, or in groups, until we had covered the whole area of said examples.","Online revision sessions were very helpful, as well as email support if needed.","It was much more advanced, but as class sizes were smaller, teachers could help/further explain if needed better.","Yes, as in both university and further maths, a lot of independant learning is needed to fully understand and grasp difficult core concepts, so you can then advance your own knowledge.","Coventry University","Games Technology","I've always been interested in programming, and how AI works, and by doing this course, it gives me good knowledge and hopefully a way to enter the games industry.","We did a module called 'Fundamental Engineering Mathematics' which involved standard maths, such as addition, but quickly went to topics such as imagenrary numbers, matrices, and differental equations. By doing further maths, it make it easy for me to complete said module with 85%, as I had covered the topics before.","Much more independant learning/revision needed at this level.","Being able to, resource wise, to research such topics further, via the university library.","N/A","No",null,"Yes","No","I felt it was not needed, as I did Maths and Further Maths at A Level, but a lot, if not the majority of the students on my course did as they hadn't done maths in years.","Make sure to attend all lectures, take notes whilst listening, and feel free to research your lectures further."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The teaching of a few key formulas and how to manipulate them in order to find what you require.","I feel i never had a solid understandings of graphs and co-ordinates at an advanced level. Learning this type of maths in terms of formulas did not work for me, so maybe learning it in a more visual/physical way may have helped me with more advanced techniques.",null,"Relaxed, more self teaching with teachers being there for support and to suggest methods and shortcuts. Very good.","The MEI website provided was excellent, with a variety of teaching techniques used. Found this very useful despite becoming disillusioned with the course in general due to my personal attitude.","Not very different. More scenario based, for example using a map with town names as apposed to a graph with A, B and C as points. But then after this initial visual help it became quiet wordy.","No","Leeds Metropolitan","Economics for Business","Included mathematics and I have a great interest in both economics and business.",{"$nulls":4},"No",null,"No",null,null,"Universities focus on the students pushing themselves and seeking out there own support. This is good as when you acquire knowledge in this way, through your own means, it is often more easily stored and applied. At the age you go to university I believe you should be more than capable of providing this for yourself. "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","being permitted to work adhead of the rest of the class when necessary","The desire for staff to have us complete 2 modules prior to examination in january. thus resulting in the entire class resitting (a2 maths).  The assumption when the mechanics module was taught that the entire class were also studying physics so had covered some of the work previously.",null,"Allowed for much independent work.","Conference type event help at university at telford where much of the work was covered for a second time. really useful","considerably more material, better organised. simplified and explained great detail where necessary.","yes.  I used further maths more than the standard maths whe at university.  The ability to use detailed written explanations to complete problems without teacher aid was a fantastic skill learnt through FMN","Aberystwyth","enviromental earth science","Person interest.  academic notoriety. future prospects",null,"The processes/methods are explained, but the application is much more independent.  the problems are more often real case scenarios.\n\neg. using iteration to calculate decay rates of radioactive isotopes.","real application of problems.",null,"No",null,"No",null,null,"Prior detailed information on the skills required for each of the modules to be studied.\n"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I really enjoyed the new topics and methods we learned as it was way beyond anything I had done in GCSE and completely new to me. I enjoyed the problems we were given as it really helped me to understand a particular theorem or formula.","It should have been more interactive as I felt a lot of the lessons were individual study and not so much group work.",null,"The teaching uses more of the text book, however I felt that powerpoints were not a very interesting way to teach maths and I liked it better when the teacher explained the problems on the board.","I enjoyed the support given from my teachers in preperation for the maths challenges, as it was a different form of maths and very exciting to study.","It was more to do with general knowledge of maths and critical thinking. They are very different to exam questions in the sense that they are more to do with problem solving. It was more difficult to revise however as each question is different and I guess it is more to do with physics and science aswell, and not specifically maths.","Yes, especially in my discrete maths modules and probability. ","University of Nottingham","Mmath 4 years","I wanted to get the best out of maths as possible before launching into a career, hence the reason I opted for straight maths and not a joint course. I took advantage of the fact this course is a 4 year undergraduate course as I have always wanted to study a Masters, and to do it all at once makes it much easier than having to re-apply after 3 years. ","I got the option to study 2 modules out of Mathematics which were Introducion to finance and Quantitative decision making from the Nottingham business school. The modules I studied were:\nStatistical models and methods\nProbability models and methods\nIntroduction to numerical methods\nModelling with differential equations\nVector calculus\nDifferential equations and fourier analysis\n\n","I felt that it is a lot more diverse and more of the modules include maths that can be applied to real life, so you really get a feel for the importance of mathematics. I felt the teaching is very different as it is more independant at uni, the lectures are so big that more individual work has to be done, so there is a lot more responsiility as a student to meet deadlines and fit in revision to do well in exams.","I really enjoy the problem classes and example classes where we discuss answers to questions so we can really understand the topic, and I'm really happy with the range of questions we get as they cover the important parts of the syllabus.",null,"No","After having completed my A-levels I hadn't really been told what to expect. Only when I got to Uni I recieved an information pack with the modules I would be taking and what they consist of.","Yes","Yes","In first year we were given various problem classes and tutorials to attend and I found them really useful. There were also some lectures where the lecturer focuses mainly on an example and works through the answer which is particularly useful.","A-levels do contribute to first year of University but most of the work at Uni is very different to anything at school, but very fun. I was offered a textbook into the transition from A-levels to Uni so I would recommend buying books similar to these, and also talking to reps in other years. I did this and found it very useful as I got an honest insight into what was to come."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Solving problems with little guidance","Teaching speed was quite slow",null,"Principle explained â†’ do questions â†’ check answers â†’ do more questions.....","lessons - brilliant teachers!\nmoodle - excellent resources","a lot more of self-directed learning"," Yes: self-directed learning skill was essential in my first year of study","St George's, University of London","MBBS Medicine 5yr","Family event and work experience","Drug dosage calculation (GCSE level)\nNumeracy DSL (Directed Self Learning)","A-level, especially A2 FM is 100 times harder than what I do at university","small group teaching/discussion","n/a","No",null,"No",null,null,"University is a different world to sixth form. \nThe most important thing is to get the right attitude - realise that you are no longer the top of the class, and NO SLACKING BACK (just because you did well for A-levels). Also be prepared to work outside lecture times."]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The teacher clearly going through a few examples","For the teachers to be less reliant on the textbook",null,"Good, thorough and went at a good pace. But again should have demonstrated different types of teaching rather than relying on the textbook.","I only received two hours of tuition a week which i felt wasn't enough. Revision days were held for the different modules that were really helpful and well worth going to.","Many online questions were multiple choice and marked instantly, which is a good idea. There was also a separate textbook for each module, which i didn't encounter with C3 and C4 of my mathematics studies.","Yes\nHaving little tuition encouraged me to do considerably more independent learning, although i felt it added more unnecessary pressure.","University ok Kent","Physics MPHYS","I felt this course would lead on to a wide variety of potential jobs, unlike with some other courses.","Mechanics\nStatistics\nDifferentials \nMatrices\nVectors\nDifferentiation\nIntegration","I found that textbooks are used a lot less. Generally, in lectures you just make notes, it isn't until you have an assignment when the textbook is used, except for background reading.","The lecturer being enthuastic and asking questions that really got the students thinking.","Lecturers going over a couple more examples.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Going over all of your A level maths notes will be helpful and fill the gap between school and university a bit more.\n\nAlso, i would suggest hanging on to your old maths textbooks, as they come in handy when referencing, and allow you to check things quickly."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","AS Further Mathematics",{"$error":"#NAME?"},null,null,{"$error":"#NAME?"},"Fellow classmates spanning from years 12 and 13 had the privilege of a etcher from another school (D1 module) whom was of great help with understanding the methods involved.","Of the modules taken:\n\nS1 - taught through a text book in my own time; fortnightly one hour lessons with a teacher from my school.\n\nD1 - taught through a text book in my own time; weekly one hour lessons with teacher from another school.\n\nFP1- weekly one hour lessons with a teacher from my school; text book used for questions.","Yes, although my enthusiasm for the subject may have helped, I have gained a precious ability to understand mathematical methods through text book alone.\n\nI am currently studying a Physics degree and encountered medical problems to which I could not attend lectures; if it was not for this ability I would have not got the grades I have.","Royal Holloway, University of London","Physics","For the challenge of understanding how to apply maths to real world systems. ","PH2130 - Mathematical methods\n- Separation of variable to solve partial differential equations.\n- The Bessel function and it's uses.\n- Fourier theory/Fourier Transforms.\n- Factorials: Stirling's approximation, Gamma function, etc.","Not much difference. A simple approach to teaching works best.","Putting every method in context of a real life situation, along with graphical representation of any functions involved.","More emphasise on checking working for any very simple mistakes.\n\n(Mathematical methods are often executed better than the simple methods).","No",null,"Yes","No","A foundation year is in place for those with little or even no mathematical experience at all.","The transition from GSCE to 6th form: begin understanding the importance of \"working under your own steam\"\n\nThe transition from 6th form to university: you must \"work under your own steam\"; do not depend on lecturers to pass your course as a GSCE student depends on their teacher to pass their exams, but think of lecturers as a guide to what the course requires."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","all above","i enjoyed all of it because it was challenging","NA",null,"Very good","One day Further maths event with some other colleges","not that different","no","Portsmouth","Petroleum Engineering","I love Engineering and this gives me the chance to work on practical situations.","Some aspect of Dynamics\nEngineering Maths 2","A-Level: given a lot of information\nUni: given a reasonable amount of info. but you have to do more to get to a better position. Mostly Engineering related topics covered","In-class trail questions","NA","Yes","Preparatory maths test to determine each students' level and option to visit a maths cafe.","Yes","No","I didn't need it as I have that knowledge from A-Level Maths and Further Maths","A lot of things done during A-level would be re-visited at undergraduate level so try not to forget them and loose focus. Practice during your summer break to keep you fresh and updated."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Independance to work at own pace, but only after thorough teaching","Split the classes according to ability",null,"Structured with some independant learning - it depended on the teacher.","I did a further maths AS level through the university of Manchester. A tutor came to our school for an hour every 2 weeks and then once or twice a term we went to the university of manchester for a day of teaching. ","It was thorough, but I didn't like the textbook so when I was stuck, I had to email for help which always delayed getting an answer.","Yes, the statistics that I learnt as part of my further maths have been very useful in my course ( I study medicine). ","Leeds","Medicine","Interest in science.\nWanted a varied career\nWanted a job after university!","Basic medical statistics \nIntroduction to SPSS","it uses the statistical tests I had learnt before but applies it only to medical examples","interesting to see maths in application as opposed to theory","There isn't much, so there's nothing I would change.","No",null,"Yes","No","I understand the maths on my course sufficiently to carry out the tasks I need to do without extra support on understanding the statistics.","I think it depends on what you study. I would say, don't panic it's a jump that cannnot be avoided and everyone is in the same situation. "]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","Both A2 maths and AS further maths","teachers were happy and nice, went through everything if didn't understand it.","nothing",null,"excellent, very personal and one to one.","We had these excellent study days which clarified certain aspects and the small class of 5 of us made the teachings more enjoyable.","more interesting and interactive.","helped me think outside the box","Reading Uni","Pharmacy","Mixed my favourite subjects - maths, chemistry and biology.","-","A level teaching was much better and much more interesting as they made lessons more exciting. Teachers had personality.","big screens for presentations.","more personal tuition.","No",null,"Yes","No","I was aware of thei services for mathematicians but i did not need them dur to my A level knowledge","Be organised with your work (except first year) and get a good understanding of the material as it will be easier to learn for exams."]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I studied the mathematics A-level at school, when I was in year 12. I then had to move to college, to allow more flexible studying, and studied further mathematics on my own, with the help of the Further Maths Network, in year 13. It was good to come across new topics that were challenging and be able to grasp them. ",null,null,"In year 12, when I did maths A-level at my school sixth form, the class sizes were quite large and there was not much individual support. In year 13, at college, the further maths network gave me one-to-one tuition, which provided lots of individual support. ","In year 13, the further maths network allocated some tutors, which came to croydon college a few times a week to give me one-to-one tuition on the further maths modules. I then went away and continued to study the topics on my own during the week. ","I did not receive any help from college for further maths - I was taught entirely by the further maths network. ","Yes, the one-to-one tuition ensured that I understood the topics extremely well. In particular, the statistics modules, taught my Laurie Prescott, were very useful in my university degree. This helped when I studied maths in my first year at university, and gave me the confidence to continue to excel in subsequent years at university. ","London School of Economics","BSc Mathematics and Economics","I wanted to combine mathematics with a field that I felt would be relevant in my future career. I was also interested in economics in its own right. ","In my third year, I studied Algebra and its applicatons (MA315), which included cryptography and coding. I also studied game theory (MA300). Also EC319, Economic Theory and its applications (formerly mathematical economics), which was very mathematical in content. ","The material is a lot more difficult, but also a lot more interesting! ","the lectures were interesting, and towards the end of my degree I got to do modules that had applications to fields such as security (eg cryptography). ",null,"No",null,"Yes","Yes","Office hours - the lecturers and class teachers each held one office hour a week, which students could attend to ask questions about the material being covered.","If students have studied Further Mathematics, then most first year university mathematics courses should be ok - the pace of study will be incredibly difficult at first, but students should try to make sure they dont fall behind. The actual content will overlap quite significantly with further maths modules, in particular the further pure modules. If students havent studied further mathematics, then it is very easy to fall behind and come across topics that seem bewildering - in this case as they come across new topics they must make sure they understand it very well, and get help if they do not. because it will only get harder as university progresses! "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Further mathematics was taught via distant learning-one of the modules were taught using 'illuminate' online. I preferred this over after school sessions in a class room.","I began As further mathematics at the same time as As mathematics, and therefore did not have the required knowledge. I therefore found the work harder to grasp and did not get the support I needed from the teacher.",null,"Different teachers had different styles of teaching, so this is hard to comment on, but I do prefer the traditional classroom teaching style over distant learning.","The online worksheets were pretty useful. Also appreciated the fact that a recording pf the online sessions were sent to me for future reference. ","Most of the material was taken from the website rather than handed to us. ","Yes, made me realise I needed to take responsibility for my own learning.","The University of Bradford","Optometry","I was interested in this field and required this course in order to work as an optometrist. ","Basic mathematics- simple non-calculator mathematics used in the medical profession ","The maths I learned was equivelent to GCSE mathematics, which obviously is not as advanced as A level mathematics. ","There were online worksheets to aid our study.  ","NA. ","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Manage your time effectively and the rest will fall into place itself!"]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Easy to understand","More one-to-one",null,"Half way between spoon-fed for GCSE and university level","Revision days at the University of Warwick","More detail","More of an independent learning style","Birmingham","Chemical and Energy Engineering","Enjoyed maths, chemistry, physics and geography (especially sustainability)",null,"Less explaination, they expect you to already know the basic and if you don't you MUST do your own catch up","Not much, though I enjoyed the end of week tests at first year!","More maths would have been better","No",null,"Yes","No","They had help classes during our \"half-days\" though I didn't need ","Read around the subject and try to read ahead and always approach the teacher for more detail"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","all of the above",null,null,null,"For maths, no different to GCSE, however we were shown proofs.","The FMN came into my school to teach further maths, as the school did not run that particular course. As there were only 4 people in AS and 2 people in A2 the teaching was very good, and the resources and opportunities such as summer schools offered were valuable.","It wasn't particularly, obviously more challenging modules, different teaching styles etc. Material itself basically the same.","No.","University of Edinburgh","Mathematics","This was the subject I was best at at school, and the one I felt would provide the best career opportunities","modules studied include: probability, statistics, calculus, and various others covering pure and applied mathematics.","much more proofs and being talked at. Much less set exercise to help understanding, you must take it upon yourself to do what was mandatory in school.",null,null,"No",null,"Yes","Yes","Various tutor hours and help centres when any maths students can ask questions.","What was taught in Further mathematics is incredibly helpful. The study itslef is similar as to that in school, everything is built up, however much faster than at school. Further pure modules were particularly helpful.\n\nDoing set questions will be very helpful as unlike school, you do not get constant practice at questions."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Learning Calculus.\n","Make it more challenging for those who find it relatively easy.",null,"Very spoon-fed. ","I was happy with the level of support. Bob Harper used to visit school often and was a very good teacher.\n\nThe sessions at the University were less helpful; they were very rushed.","More challenging. I had to try and understand the concepts myself rather than being spoon-fed in my other maths lessons.","Yes. University learning was all self-driven; It helped that I had experienced similar learning before.","University of Warwick.","MMORSE","It was mathematical, but also involved other good quality subjects: Operational Research, Statistics and Economics.",null,"It is completely different. Pure mathematics is all about proof. A level mathematics teaches you nothing about proofs.","I didn't enjoy any of the mathematical content.","The way it is first introduced to you. If the understanding was better at the beginning of your degree then you wouldn't fall behind and the following three years would be considerably better. \n\nWe were just thrown into Analysis...I didn't understand a single word for the first few months.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","The help was a support group. I went every week and they did not help. The lecturer found it very difficult to explain in a way we would understand. ","The mathematics at university is completely different to anything seen in A2 Maths. The only similarity is proofs...I would advise students to study proofs and the understanding behind them."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","The rapport that was built up between the pupils and the teachers. By being in such a small class it meant that the teachers got to know your specific abilities and needs better which meant they were better placed to help you out.","I think mathematics suffers greatly from a lack of deviation from the standard methods of teaching. It is very much a subject in which you read a textbook and do some examples. The use of more technology or different forms of assessment would increase knowledge retention.",null,"The teachers relied heavily on powerpoint and on textbooks. They would be stood at the front of the class and after a brief introduction to the topic, the remainder of the lesson would be spent working independently through textbook examples.","The lessons I received from the FMN were very similar to those I received at sixth form. Although they did rely more heavily on powerpoint.\n\nI communicated with my tutors via email, which was a new way of liaising with tutors for me.","It was presented more formally, and was colour coded for better reference,","Yes, they were presented in a much more lecture-esque manner as opposed to a classroom style presentation.","Exeter University","MMath","I enjoy mathematics, it gave me the opportunity to study abroad and I believe a maths degree has good career prospects.","Challenging. Modules; Advanced Statistical Modelling, Cryptography, Complex Analysis, Stochastic Processed and Semester of Mathematical Studies Abroad.","There is much more material and it is up to the individual to practice and consolidate their learning. The course does not slow down, you must keep up.","n/a","Try different methods. Lecturer's stand at the board and talk for 60 minutes. They do not show any attempt to alter their delivery in order to aid comprehension. The style of delivery that I have experienced seems to be very stagnant and there is no urgency to change it.","No",null,"Yes","No","If I ever felt as though I was particularly struggling and that my normal means of help weren't working I would have used their support network.","Advice from current undergraduates is invaluable. They have been through the same situation and are best placed to not only offer crucial advice but to relate to problems that new undergraduates may face."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed the Further Maths course much more than Maths because I did that using MEI internet based resources with lessons every so often in school with just the two of us who were doing it. Being able to go at my own speed and choose the modules I was most interested in was great. ","In normal maths A-level we had huge classes- at the start of each lesson the teacher would write up an example for us to copy down and a coulple of lines of notes then we'd spend the rest of the hour doing questions from the text book, most of which turned out to be pretty irrelevant to the exam. This was repetitive and boring and we spent one hour on each part of each topic no matter how easy (or difficult) it was- I would introduce 4 or 5 subjects at a time then allow a week's worth of lessons for everybody to spend as much or as little time as they needed on each of those topics, with the teacher available to answer questions as you work through exam style questions.",null,"Very rigid with no room for flexibility in time spent on each subject or variation in presentation of topics","I used the MEI text books and internet based resources for the modules I studied for Further Maths, and attended several revision days hosted by the FMN at local universities before the exams","It was much more straightforward to use when teaching myself, and built up from first priniples in logical steps.The online tests provided were a useful check that you had understood everything.","Self motivation and the ability to break problems down in to the relevant components, allowing me to get much further with problems by myself without needing to ask for help. The ability to estimate how long problems will take and allow sufficient time for the completion of problem sheets was very useful. (I studied chemistry at university).","Oxford","Chemistry","the mixture of the problem solving side with the practical lab-based work appealed, as i thought doing just maths might be a bit boring","The whole of physical chemistry is very mathematical. This year i have done a lot of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, group theory and used things like matrices in other areas such as valence.","In the first year at university we had a separate mathematics for chemistry course which was very useful- it didnt cover anything much beyond further maths a-level but applied it to much more relevant and useful chemical concepts. It was all taught by lectures with a problem sheet set each week which we attempted, then discussed in groups, then had a class on with 6 of us to go through it and anything we hadnt understood from the lectures- a much more efficient and straightforward was of learning than the unnecessarily time-consuming A-level course","I enjoyed being given all the material then being able to use my own time to choose which bits to spend more time on then having the opportunity to ask questions AFTER having attempted the problems so you know exactly what it is you dont understand. In A-level you only had 1-lesson on each subject of a topic during which time it was very difficult to realise whether or not you understood something as you had not had time to really digest what you were doing.","A lot of the maths lectures covered material which I had done before to bring everybody up to the same level. The opportunity to attend more advanced lectures would have been good","Yes","We were given a list of texts for pre-reading before we started the course and a list of maths problems we should ensure we were able to do before we started","Yes","Yes","We had classes every week to go over material, additional tutorials were available any time you needed extra help or time to go over anything","A booklet with how the topics from A-level relate to subjects that you'll be studying at university would be useful- that way you know which are relevant and can take the relevant notes with you (especially useful when they call topics etc by different names at university than at school). A booklet containing a short self taught course progressing some A-level topics to degree level to do over the summer between school and university would be useful- it's  a much more difficult start to university if you've done nothing academic for 3 months over the summer before hand."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The independence but also having guidance. Going to a different school was also good- to have teachers with different teaching styles- this is good preparation for university. ","More lessons",null,"More relaxed than lower down the school but it was still very informative and I was able to understand fairly easily.","I went to Dr Challoner's Grammar School for AS Further Maths once a week as it is a centre for FMSP. It was good! I also received emails. I would like to have had more lessons as there was a lot of independent study.","The on-line sessions were good- they gave a good summary of the modules. It was a good additional resource for learning. In lessons we received booklets of passed exam questions.","It has helped my independent study and my ability to understand things without having things to be explained fully- this will be very useful at university where more self study is needed.","University of Birmingham","Natural Sciences","It combines many of the areas of Science that I like with flexibility. I can study Maths as a major part of my degree. ",{"$nulls":4},"No"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","The interesting different pure mathematics topics, and the satisfaction of solving problems.","The manner and styling of the statistics courses was very easy, but extremely dull, there should be a better range of challenging and easy topics.",null,"Large teaching groups, but very good teachers. I was able to study further modules outside of school hours.","Very little.","See previous","No","University of Cambridge","Natural Sciences (physics)","I was good at mathematics at school, and enjoy applying it to the real world.","I have studied maths as a component of physics, including such things as tensor calculus and extensive work on differential equations","A lot harder, and more focused on solving real world mathematical problems, a much greater emphasis on approximations.","Solving differential equations.",null,"No",null,"No","No",null,"It will be a very big leap up, try and do as many modules of core mathematics and statistics as possible."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","More challenging mathematics (new concepts)","Further Mathematics was squeezed in around other subjects. Would have preferred it to be timetabled and less of an \"add-on\".",null,"More personal approach. We got to know the teachers an interacted in a better manner.","Lessons for Further Mathematics Core 2.","More advanced, different module, different way of teaching.","Yes - we did a lot of integral work which proved useful in the first term.","Imperial College","Joint Mathematics and Computer Science","I enjoyed mathematics and computer science and especially applying the two together. The university is well know for it's excellence and this was one of the few places that you could study the two subjects together in the same level of detail to the individual degrees.",null,"Not really any content on methods: more on proof, logic and axioms. A-level mathematics was radically different to my University Mathematics course.","We had a lot of content thrown at us from the beginning. You were never wanting for something to understand or a problem sheet to complete.","It was a very large class (200+) and this meant that we were talked at rather than being an interactive discussion.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Personal Tutors, Problem classes and study groups were available.","Mathematics at university is radically different to mathematics at A-level. It would be good for A-level courses to include aspects of Proof, Logic and Axioms so that students could better understand what a University Mathematics course is like."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics and AS Further Mathematics","very interactive with extra classes nearing exams.","For the AS Further mathematics, I did one classes after school a week so I would have more classes and advise my sixth form to have it as a subject.\n ",null,"very intense and a lot of self learning","FMN help me get an AS in Further mathematics, by providing teachers for one lesson a week as my sixth form did not do Further mathematics","I was the FMSP who help me to get a AS in Further  mathematics as well as providing a online service","Yes a lot of the content of FMSP has appeared in my undergraduate studies which gave me a basic understanding of the content in my undergraduate studies","Loughborough University","Civil Engineering *MEng)","I have always been interested in engineering and would like to put my name to some big unique buildings and because the A levels I did supported this degree.","Very mathematical; matrices, statistics, vectors and algebra","Some of the material being very similar, but It is a lot more self learning and you need a lot more motivation. ","The support given by the lecturers and the mathematics help centre.","Some of the lecturers are hard to understand or get there method of lecturing.","Yes","There is a open maths help centre.","Yes","No","Due to the FMN giving me the chance to do a AS in Further mathematics I understood a lot of the content and did not need help.","If students are stuck they should ask for help and the lecturers should be willing to help, But there should also be a number of lecturers willing to help in case a student does not understand a method or logic of the lecturer whom is teaching them. "]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","The course","Use same terminology as university ",null,"Exampled","No teaching for FM at my school so the FM Network helped me learn the whole course!","No maths lessons ","Yes: Encouraged individual learning","Warwick","MORSE","Good range of topics with applied areas. \nMORSE stands for Maths, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics",{"$nulls":4},"No",null,"Yes","Yes",null,"Learn the University blackboard shorthand"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"Helped teach Further Maths. Support was very good and helped me out a lot.","Cant' quite remember but the material given was very good and more to the point.","Yes as it helped me out during my first year at uni as i aready knew what was being taught due to having studied it in FMSP.","Loughborough","Automotive Engineering","I like engineering.",{"$nulls":4},"No"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Practical mechanics demonstrations","Less use of PowerPoint",null,"Introduction, learning, example question, self-study, review.","Brilliant teaching in very small group (max of 3)\nRevision days at Warwick Uni\nAdditional help with STEP papers conducted by Richard Lissaman online","The textbooks were better designed.  The course seemed more organised and structured (this was likely down to the organisation of the teacher Richard Lissaman)","Some aspects of proof were useful in first year.\nAlso my self study skills were developed during Further Maths","University of Warwick","MMORSE","The variety and choice of material and content.\nThe recognition of the university and course.","N/A","The teaching is in my opinion worse.  Some lecturers are poor communicators, others try to cover too much/too little.  There are some excellent lecturers but, for me, the average quality of teaching at uni is far below that which I received in sixth form (I attribute a majority of this to the superb teaching of Richard Lissaman).\n\nIn terms of material covered at uni, worked examples are rarely given which makes the usefullness of certain content/techniques hard to appreciate.","In first year for some modules we had lectures combined with small group supervisions.","Better lecturers who explain the relevance of certain topics and provide relevant (and, if possible, interesting!) examples","Yes","Brief materials on integration, differentiation etc which were testing in the first few weeks","Yes","No","The maths society offered a drop in session (run by students).","Don't forget about maths from June till October. Keep refreshing yourself, even if this just means reading stats articles. Challenge yourself to do a few exam questions from random modules"]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Seeing the way the various aspects of maths converged and complemented each other.","I would have preferred the option to do more pure mathematics",null,"More relaxed than earlier on","Conferences' at a local university to go through past papers - giving worked answers which we could take home but also working through them so we could see how it happened.","More substantial worked answers","Yes; better introduction to how lectures work than standard lessons","Royal Holloway, University of London","Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)","The more I looked at it the more interesting I found it, and I wanted to learn as much as possible about it. I had been thinking about Computer Science before but the idea of the specialism grabbed me.","Graphics\nAlgorithms and Complexity I\nAlgorithms and Complexity II","Less individual contact time with the lecturers","If we understood it, it was much easier to read on ahead - you did not have to finish a set number of exercises","Some lecturers did not ask if the majority of the class was following and consequently left a lot of people behind","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Make sure you know how to contact your adviser and your lecturers - they're an invaluable source of help if you get stuck on any of the course materials or have problems otherwise."]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2008-06-01","A2 maths and AS futher maths","teacher delieved lesson, then class was set on task to work through relating exercise questions.  The teacher was always on hand to provide help.","Ran short on time preparing for C4 before the exam so didnt really have much time to practice comprehension part of paper. (MEI OCR has comprehension in C4 paper).",null,"Lots of interaction between class and teacher, engaging.","Further maths course delivered to 4 students every tuesday evenin after school hours. Class ran for 1.5 hours.  ","Materail was covered at a lot higher pace, had lot less teacher support. ","Yes, learnt how to study maths independantly, skill was vitial when came to study maths at degree level.  ","University of York ","Mathematics","Felt that it lead to many career options, enjoyed subject at A level, all had a strength in the subject, enjoyed the challenging but rewarding aspect to the subject, saw degree as a challenge. ",null,"materail is at a higher level, material in lecture is delivered, sometimes you leave the lecture hall having understood verly little, its then you're responsibilty to teach yourself that material. ","the material delivered was engaging and interesting.  The lecturers were very passionate about their subject.  ","Sometimes the lecturers were not very clear in their presentaion.   ","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Be prepared to have a lot less teacher lead studying, no one is telling you to practice, you choose how much practice you do in own time, its hard work, but rewarding.  "]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I enjoyed the logic side of Decision in further maths.","I would recommend spending more time on the trigonometric identities as these are quite important, I felt they were brushed over relatively quickly.",null,"There was one teacher per module - this worked well, meaning it was a lot simpler and each module had specific days/lessons. This meant that there was no confusion between modules as none were being taught by the same person, this method i felt works well.","The FMN allowed me to study further maths at AS level.","The actual material did not differ at all - the textbooks i used were by the same publishers as the ones I used in school. the subject was the only difference. ","As I was studying further maths a lot of what i was taught helped me to settle into the lessons easier","university of brighton","maths","i thought that i would do well in this subject","applied maths, applied statistics, skills for the mathematician, core maths, algebra and analysis, statistics","Its harder, and covered a lot quicker","I enjoy the applied side, to see how maths is used in everyday places","the hardest mathematical content is all in the one module. I would try to spread this around.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Take your notes, make sure you read them in summer before going. "]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Especially enjoyed Algerbra. It was very fun and came naturally to me which might have been one reason I enjoyed that part.","N/A",null,"The style was perfect by our teachers. I wouldnt change a thing.","N/A","n/a","n/a","Aston University","Computing Science","It was a tough decision. I love Mathematics but have always loved computing and feel stronger in this area. I also felt it would be better for my future. I did try to switch to Mathematics with Computing but it was too late, I slightly regret not choosing it first. ","In first year I covered Algerbra etc in 1 module part of my course.","n/a","n/a","n/a","No",null,"No","No",null,"I think keep your brain refreshed and practice areas of maths so you do not forget them like I have!! "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Mathematics: I enjoyed the variety of mathematics that was learnt. On top of the core we studied mechanics 1 and decision making maths. \n\nFurther Mathematics: The enthusiastic teacher encouraged learning to learn as opposed to learning for an exam. \n\n","Mathematics: Less textbook learning (although difficult)\n\nFurther Mathematics: Nothing!",null,"Mathematics: TEXTBOOK!!\n\nFurther Mathematics: Enthusiastic","The lessons were better\n\nThere were a couple of talks that were interesting, it was good to see people who enjoyed maths instead of the generic \"hating\" of maths that is often apparent ","More interesting as it wasn't exam-specific","Yes! All of the content of my further mathematics course was present within my first and second year of undergraduate study. I study chemical engineering and so I wasn't expecting this. Also, I learnt a lot of problem solving skills from the course and it developed a \"can-do\" attitude. Thank-you very much :) ","University of Nottingham","Chemical Engineering with Environmental Engineering","Because it combined my A-level choices (maths, physics and chemistry) and it has good career prospects at the end. ","All the content within the further mathematics course some topics in a little more depth. ","It wasn't really taught with the same time frame. A-level was taught slowly in comparison and so I learnt it as opposed to being told what was happening. ","Some of the graphical interpretations from Matlab. ",null,"No",null,"No","No",null,"Not really, if you have done further mathematics at A-level, it will make your first year at university a lot easier :)"]
["FMSP","B"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed the smaller class size I had when I was being taught further maths as it allowed me to learn at my pace as opposed to the average of 30. I thought the lecturer could teach the class of 8-10 with their individual abilities in mind but could not see the same happening in a class of a greater amount of students.","I would now after completing my first year of my maths degree prefer to be taught more about the underlying structure of mathematics (ie groups, fields etc) as opposed to other areas of maths. I understand that this is not quite an aspect of teaching but other than smaller class size I believe the subject was taught very well.",null,"I believe it was a good style to encourage thinking for yourself especially regarding problem solving. I wouldn't say however that it encouraged me to learn outside of the class however as all the work and required information was given in class and was very upfront, I'm not entirely convinced this is a good idea however as it may lead to the students becoming lazy although maybe between 16-18 that level of responsibility is too much to ask. Catch 22 perhaps.","At my college, further maths was going to be canceled due to lack of interest but thankfully the FMN stepped in and supplied a great teacher to teach further maths as/a2 which was superb. When I was practising for STEP style questions for my Cambridge interview, my lecturer used his own time to meet me up for a coffee and to help me with potential questions which was a great benefit and an incredibly selfless thing to do and for which I'm still very grateful for today.","I found it allowed me to be more flexible in my thoughts. I found further maths allow ed me to use what I learnt as tools to solve problems as opposed to simply learning the solution to a certain style of problems. I found this mainly in the calculus and trigonometry subjects. ","I believe all skill sets I learnt have let me have an incredible easy first year as most of the concepts I had learnt before. I studied FP1-FP4 and found most of the material was used in my first year although with a slightly different approach. I found it very useful.","Bath Uni","Mathematics(Masters)","I'm looking to find a career in maths and I believe that this course will be the best to achieve my goal. I also enjoy maths so I'm looking forward to continuing my studies at university","Methods and Application, Algebra, Analysis, Programming and Discrete, Statistics and Probability.","Its based more on independent study and it's all about being precise. ","The workload increases!","I would have more 1-1 time with lecturers ","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"I would recommend keeping up with your maths over the summer as most of the calculus heavily features in first year and it will make it so keep your mind fresh!!"]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","I am a mature student so it's difficult to say.","maths and further maths before AS & A2","I had a brilliant female teacher at Solihull FE College (~1996)who taught us mechanics in a very practical way which helped me to understand forces and energy much better than I ever had before.","I've had teachers that teach you subjects, such as vectors very theoretically. I just didn't get it.  Once I started the MEI course and was working on questions about vectors in planes to do with ski slopes, etc,it all clicked into place. It was a combination of really good teaching (the teacher used knitting needles to stand for the lines and other materials to stand for the planes) and the MEI textbooks being written in a style I could understand. So theoretical work, without examples I can relate to, just doesn't work for me.",null,"I did statistics with a different college and different exam body (AQA) and texts.  The teacher followed the text and didn't give us concrete examples. I got an A but I still don't understand statistics, or perhaps I just don't feel confident that I understand statistics. Anyway, I can remember the basic principles of pure maths and of mechanics. But with stats I have to start again from the beginning each time.","I attended a few sessions at Leeds University but I had to work at home so I was sent materials and submitted work to be marked by the tutor Lionel. It helped me so much I went on to do OU MS221 (I think that's its number) and got the equivalent of a 2:1 in that particular course. I intend to do the next level course when I can.","The material was good and seemed geared to real understanding rather than just learning rules. I enjoyed working through it. ","I believe a lot of the work is self-checking now. That gives you autonomy and confidence to work on your own. However, I still really got a boost from getting marked work back from Lionel. I think this FMSP course helps you to think for your self more. It was a much better experience than the one I had with statistics.","Open University","B Sc Open","Because I started when I had a young family and had to work at home. I still love the OU and will continue with it.","Calculus, algebra, coordinate geometry, trigonometrical formulae and identities, elementary number theory and very basic logic.","It's as good as the MEI courses I did.","I enjoyed the tutorials with my MS221 tutor.  She didn't pretend to 'know it all' and the sessions were very collaborative. She was happy for everyone to chip in but was skillfull in making sure everyone had a chance to contribute.\n\nI really enjoyed the number theory content because it was very practical. The booklet explained about computer security and I found that fascinating.","Sometimes I didn't feel I was sure I had learnt everything I was going to encounter in the examination and I was proved right or I would have got a grade 1. There were several integration methods to learn and I hadn't learnt all the ones I needed, especially when trigonometrical functions were involved. This may have been my fault for not revising all the correct things.","Yes","The FMSP course gave me that.","Yes","Yes","Yes and no. I went to all the regular tutorials but I didn't apply for additional help as I felt it was for people who were struggling. I didn't feel I was in that position but I knew how to ask for it if I needed it.","I tried university at 18 in 1970.  I found all of us in our group had very different maths backgrounds and this meant we could understand one part but maybe not another. I never understood statistics and my friend never understood mechanics. So what was needed was some way to even up the gaps that people have in their knowledge. This was a long time ago though. Perhaps it's improved now.  The only subject I really loved and could do was elementary analysis as my pure maths must have been strong enough for that."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2006-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Problem solving in class where we could work on problems with other students or ask for help from teachers.","Lack of structure with some of my teachers, made it difficult to know exactly what the module consisted of and what was expected. ",null,"Fairly traditional- examples followed by problems and lots of extra questions for homework.","FMN organised my AS further maths at Blackpool Sixth Form, my school didn't teach it and so myself and a couple of others from my sixth form and other sixth forms in the area went to Blackpool Sixth Form every Wednesday to be taught further maths. The tutors were from Lancaster university and they also organised a couple of days at the university to work on coursework or just for longer days of tuition. Without FMN I wouldn't have been able to do this course and I have found the extra confidence and knowledge I had to be very useful when studying physics at university. ","More advanced, covering topics we didn't do at all. ","We did coursework in numerical methods which was particularly useful when I started university, it was useful when writing computer programs in particular.","University of Leicester","MPhys Physics","I enjoy physics and wanted to do a subject which would incorporate maths, but didn't feel like a full maths degree. This particular course offered a lot of flexibility in the options available too.",null,"The material is delivered in lecture form, with examples included but no actual problems to complete there and then. The onus is placed on the student to read the texts and practise the maths, although workshops are available to do practise questions with staff help. ","Seminars after a piece of work was handed in. These were run by PhD students and would go through the questions you did, highlighting errors or better ways to do something. They were small groups so allowed for more tailored tutoring. ","The textbook, if it had contained more examples and worked examples that would help. ","No",null,"Yes","Yes","We were free to go and ask for help from lecturers on the course, which I did do occasionally. ","For physics, the first few weeks of maths served to try and level out everyone's knowledge. Coupled with everything being new and new physics a lot of people in my year struggled at first, so perhaps maths materials beforehand or even a week of maths revision before starting the course would help. Feeling confident in maths was very useful. "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I liked that everyone in the class could participate.","More pupils helping each other out.",null,"More relaxed everyone is doing sixth form as they all want to be there.","After school classes to study further maths as in the first year of 6th form I did 5 AS levels","It was more challenging and better, it was more like university maths.","Yes, As it helped independent study in which you could share your solution in a small group. It was also good to see how other people tackled the same problem.","University of Birmingham","Mathematics","I enjoy maths, its a great subject to be doing.","Calculus and Algebra, Statistics, Discrete Maths, Vector Algebra, Mechanics, Computational Maths, Impact of Maths, Developing Mathematical Reasoning, Foundation and Abstraction","Lecturers just cover the basic sylabus and don't go through as many examples that is left for independent study.","I liked one module where we just went through problems based on euclidean geometry.","Smaller lectures.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","We had to solve problems in our weekly tutor meetings","Don't be affraid if it takes you a little while to settle into university learning, it took me a little while. Also make sure you have a holiday before Uni and relax, A-levels are tiring you need a break once in a while!"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Relaxed, friendly manner of teaching","less repetitive homework and classwork",null,"Relaxed, friendly manner of teaching","Only access the maths challanges","No","The fact that FMSP is very independent based learning","Warwick","Maths","Because I enjoyed A level maths","None, graduated over a year ago.","Lots more proofs and proving the fundamentals and axioms of maths.","Honestly, none.","The content should be taught at a slower clearer rate and have a lot more examples of the content","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Be Prepared to stop being spoon fed learning and have to start independently learning the material."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I really enjoyed studying statistics and a lot of the algebra in Core 4. I also enjoyed learning the Further Maths course, despite my poor grade.","More work on exam skills, as the MEI board is a very different exam board to other maths boards such as Edexcel.",null,"In Maths, the teaching was a little too relaxed. In Further Maths, the teacher was lively and enthusiastic: better than a lot of my university lecturers now.","I did not take A2 Further Maths, but in AS Further Maths, I had a very good teacher who was very enthusiastic and inspiring.","It was a lot more complex, and because it was SO new, it was difficult to remember just from one lesson a week. However, it was very interesting, and helped me when I go onto harder maths within the Economics that I study at university.","Yes. Lots of the maths we studied in Further Maths comes up in my Economics regularly.","York","Philosophy, Politics and Economics","It is a brilliant and very broad degree course. Whilst is covers three different subjects, York is very good at integrating the three, and allowing us to tailor our course to suit our interests and talents. I am able to study Political Philosophy, War and Peace, Ethics, in addition to Maths modules that I enjoy, and are helped by my Further Maths studies at AS level","In the economics modules, maths is an important part. Last year we studied 'Mathematical Techniques in Economics', which included calculus, three-dimensional mapping, advanced algebra and matrices. In Year 2, we expect a large jump up to harder level maths.","Because my course is not a maths course, it is more basic than the maths that other students may study. However, it is more intense, and left to us as independent study as to getting the correct answers. University is about how well you work alone, not how well you work when you are spoon-fed.","The maths was fairly simple for those of us who had done maths before.","There needed to be more examples and better presentations so that we could solve our own answers - this is particularly applicable to the harder maths questions/","No",null,"Yes","No","There is a Maths Centre, but I achieved a good result in my maths modules so did not require the assistance.","Maths and Further Maths are subjects that are undoubtedly going to be useful in later life, no matter what degree you choose to take. On my course, there is a split between those who took Maths to A-Level (or equivalent), and those who did not; and those who did not definitely suffer when they encounter mathematical problems, which seem simple to those of us who had studied it before, because of their limited maths background. I definitely encourage students to take their work seriously from the start, as rushing undergraduate studies at the end of the first year is difficult and inadvisable. There is a considerable difference between A-level and Degree level studies, and it is important that students are aware of this from the beginning."]
["FMSP","A","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I took A level maths early and taught myself from the text books. However I did attend STEP classes in year 13 which I enjoyed because they were challenging, and the teacher was very good at explaining thought processes and general strategies to problem solving (rather than pure memorisable content).","More 'relevant deviation' from the syllabus; it may not be of direct importance for the exams, but I feel it is a great way to motivate the class.",null,"Can't really comment about A level maths, but the STEP classes involved the teacher explaining and writing proofs of homework questions up on the board, with suggestions from the class, and no independent or group work - we were expected to tackle the relevant questions at home. I think this is an effective style of teaching, at least for STEP and probably for A level too.","Year 12 - attended weekly further maths (MEI) lessons at Leeds University\nYear 13 - attended weekly STEP classes at Leeds University","The MEI maths was a little more applied than, but still largely similar to, the Edexcel text books I studied privately for my exams. STEP was very different, requiring far more thought to understand questions and how to tackle them.","For me, STEP is the best preparation for university level maths, since it requires a mindset and general approach which are similar to those needed at undergraduate level. I would strongly recommend anyone planning on doing maths at university to look at STEP, even if their chosen institution does not require it. They needn't even take the exams - just looking at some STEP questions even over the summer would be a great help in the transition to higher study.","Cambridge","Mathematics","I love maths and am good at it. I chose Cambridge mainly for the reputation of its maths course.","Linear Algebra\nAnalysis II\nMethods\nQuantum Mechanics\nMarkov Chains\nGroups, Rings and Modules\nGeometry\nComplex Analysis\nStatistics\nElectromagnetism\nFluid Mechanics\nMetric and Topological Spaces\nVariational Principles\nOptimization\nRepresentation Theory","A better question might be: how are they similar? The material is so much harder, and so different, and requires a so much deeper level of understanding and thought, that it is rather difficult to compare the two. Perhaps I exaggerate, but it seems to me that the only real link is the fact that it is (and still feels like) maths, and is susceptible to the same kinds of approach (especially if you have experience with STEP).","No shortage of extra challenging material.","The only real problem is that the supervisions (see next question) are sometimes out of kilter with the lectures.","Yes","Was sent a booklet of problems to attempt over the summer. These weren't especially relevant to the maths course, but were a good way of keeping the mathematical juices flowing (so to speak) in the long break. Had a week long series of introductory lectures before freshers' week, which were very relevant. In fact, they were pitched at a slightly higher level, and very much faster pace, than the first year lectures. I think that introductory lectures are a good idea, but that perhaps those were a little too fast, and some may have been put off.","Yes","Yes","The so-called supervision system: for every lecture course taken, we have bi-weekly hour-long meetings in pairs with PhD students or fellows to discuss lecture material, problem sheets handed out in lectures, and sometimes further material on the subject.","I would strongly recommend keeping up with maths over the summer. It doesn't have to be a lot, but the holidays are long and it is easy to get out of practice. As I've mentioned, looking at some STEP questions may be useful. If the course has any recommended books or online resources, it would be a good idea to have a look at them. I'm not saying you should aim to understand the whole course before you go to university, but it would be genuinely helpful to have some idea of what sort of material you're going to come u[ against."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Lots of problems on material with ranging difficulty - so it was easy to start with the easier questions and build your understanding until you could attempt the exam style questions. So essentially, a good sense of progression.","Increase emphasis on proving statements rather than using standard formulae for 'plug-in-the-numbers' type questions.",null,"Largely concerned with application and methodology for solving standard questions. eg focus on technique and memorisation of key results","I was tutored online, on a one-to-one basis, for three modules which made up my A2 Further Mathematics. For each module, I had 9 one hour sessions held over elluminate and numerous homeworks which consisted of completing an exam style questions sheet.\n\nI also attended a FMSP Enrichment Day at the University of Bath where I got to speak to university students about their experience which I found to be useful.","It was a lot harder which I suppose was because having fewer sessions, there was less time available for solving 'easier' questions and we usually went straight for exam standard ones.","Yes, it encouraged me to place more of an emphasis on learning to prove things from first principles rather than memorise a large amount of results","Imperial College London","Msc Mathematics","I felt I wanted to do a degree and continue an academic path at least for a little longer, and maths is the subject I enjoy most.","8 first year examined modules:\nFoundations of Analysis, Analysis, Geometry & Linear Algebra, Algebra, Methods I, Methods II, Probability & Statistics, Mechanics \n\nPlus a computing module involving Maple and Matlab software.","You are expected to prove most results you know, so there is very little memorisation of things you don't understand and the material is understood on a much deeper level.","Notes and problem sheets were easily accessible online, for those who prefer to learn things independently outside of lecture theatres.","Too difficult to keep up with the stream of problem sheets - they were too frequent.","Yes","An sheet of all the results we were required to know before beginning the course, and an examination sheet (entirely optional) to help us self assess our use of these results.","Yes","Yes","There are problems classes to receive help from lecturers and phd students on questions that you might have difficulty with. It is also a chance to directly approach a lecturer.","Read 'A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics' by Martin Liebeck, largely because analysis is most difficult and foreign to A-level students/first years."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2011-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I liked my maths teacher, he was a nice person, not the most amazing teacher in terms of intellect, but I've always learnt good habits from my teachers. This would include certain methods for calculations, short cuts for calculations, laying out your working out - things like that.\nI just like maths to be honest, I'm quite sad that I'll never have a maths lesson ever again! :(","Even in sixth form classes, there's still a range of mathematical ability, so it's quite frustrating when I've finished all the work required in the lesson and other people are lagging behind - the teacher has to help them, and so the lesson can't move on. It becomes boring after a while.\nHowever, I did enjoy helping some of my friends sometimes because it helped me to understand maths better.",null,"More relaxed, the teachers are less patronising but still like to help you a lot.\nIt's nicer.","I absolutely LOVE the online revision sessions that become available - I only get 2 or 2:30 hours of further maths each week, so the online support is immensely helpful, and I'm actually really grateful. thanks :)","Just more condensed, which made it much easier for me to register in my mind, and to remember.\nEspecially as textbooks can contain a lot of waffle.\nOnline revision sessions are particularly interesting as they're so different to lessons at school, there are no distractions as it's only me on the computer. ","Yes - it's taught me the importance of being concise and succinct.","Leicester","Medicine","I wanted a course that would exploit my high grades by challenging me and keeping me interested in my work for the rest of my life. I also like helping people - not just physically, but with other problems they may have, including being stuck on a maths question in class for example! \n","n/a - I'm studying Medicine!","-","-","-","No",null,"No",null,null,"I hope to prepare slightly for the course beforehand, and keep on top of my work throughout the course! There's really nothing else I can think of - just hope for the best as we've all worked so hard for A-levels, so take it as it goes."]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Excellent teacher who knew strengths and weaknesses of the class and helped individually.","none",null,"More mature, more responsibility with different attitude to teaching. More relaxed as the teachers can concentrate on the students who want to learn.","No support. We Recieved one lesson a week for 3 hours from a teacher at a different school. This was not enough. The teacher sometimes late or didn't turn up at all. We didn't really have contact from the further maths network. When doing A2 we emailed our lessons to the further maths network and recieved a reply but the support was generally none existant. ","We received our text books from our teacher who worked in another school. We also had the print out version of a textbook frm FMSP.","Studying further maths made me feel that I was well prepared for when I started university. However, I do not believe this to be due to the further maths network. FMN were not as helpful, interactive or accessible as they should have been.","University of Glasgow","Maths","Always liked maths and wanted to continue.",null,"More challenging, faster pace.","its your responsibility.","Impersonal teaching.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Lecturers open their office hours for questions","Brush up on simple things you forget. Don't throw away your old books."]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","AS Further Additional Mathematics","Problem solving","More theory",null,"Broad","Very little, went to a university for a revision session that could have been done in school.","No help given","No","Warwick","Mathematics MMath","I love maths, also the Warwick course gives a lot of flexibility with module choice.","Geometry\nODEs \nMultivariable Calculus\nLinear Algebra\nAnalysis\nMechanics\nRelativity\nAstrophysics\nQuantum Mechanics\nProbability","Harder and faster","Supervisions, 5 to 1 teaching with a PHD student.","More support classes","Yes","Preparation book sent out over the summer.","Yes","No",null,"Learn vectors and matrices well before you go"]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","more independent study.","can't think of anything.",null,"FM was very much independent study.\nRest of A levels done at school was very much 'spoon fed'.","Whole further maths A2 was taught by FMN.","More interactive, more independent.",{"$error":"#NAME?"},"University of Southampton","BSc Audiology","I wanted to train as an Audiologist.","only one mathematics module in my degree.","it didn't.","i didn't - the teaching was not good. if I had not previously studied maths A2 it would have been very difficult. ","they could have got a better teacher!!",null,null,"Yes","No","you could go and get help from the lecturer.","recap of a2 stuff."]
["FMSP","A*","It is an important qualification for future job opportunities","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The structure of the lessons. At the beginning we would always be taught by using a presentation on the interactive board. The class would then work from our textbooks and often share ideas with each other. ","I would include a more varied approach to teaching new material. I believe it would have also been better if we took part in more activities to put our learning into practice in different ways. ",null,"Serious, very direct","Emails, revision booklets, online resources, online lessons","The FMSP material was much more of a 'we'll teach you then you do it in your own time' approach. ","As I am about to start my undergraduate course I believe it will help me to work independently without struggling. ","University of Worcester","Accounting","Because I took work experience in an Accountants several years ago and I really enjoyed myself. I gained an insight into how these businesses work and became really fond of the idea that I would like to do something very similar in the future. As I have progressed through education I have not considered any other career path and I think therefore the course has to be the one that is right for me. ",{"$nulls":4},"No",{"$nulls":4},"I would say to research your future course by looking at what modules the university are asking you to study in your first year. There is no harm in becoming familiar with some of the content before you arrive. "]
["FMSP","A"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Algebra","Make the questions more challenging. ",null,"Very relaxed.","Revision sessions before the exam.",0,"No.","University of Birmingham","BSc Accounting and Finance","I am good at it.","Tax\nAccounting Theory","It has a lot more detail.","It was clear.","A bit less theory would be appreciate. More applied maths may be more useful.","No",null,"No",null,null,"No."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Doing past papers","-",null,"Personal","Textbooks for lessons after school to start Further Mathematics in year 12, whilst still studying A2 Mathematics.","More concise but with a similar level of detail.\n","FMSP material enabled self-teaching, which was helpful as the nature of undergraduate studies involves a lot of individual study.","University of Cambridge","Mathematics","Enjoyed A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, as well as the STEP paper.","Groups\nDifferential Equations\nDynamics\nNumbers and Sets\nProbability\nVectors and Matrices\nAnalysis I\nVector Calculus","Much harder.","Supervisions- small lessons in partners to discuss exercises.","Speed of lectures","No","-","No",null,null,"If there are any modules in the course which have not been studied before (for example, Groups), it may be beneficial to read an introductory book on the topic, especially if it is a large part of the course."]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","The dependence on a higher degree of independence in the study of the further maths","More choice for individuals to choose (or have more influence over) which modules are studied.  I understand with low numbers, shortage of teachers etc this could never have been a reality.",null,"Generally of a high level.  More facilitating than instructive which I think important as the level gets higher and higher.  Quite focused on the goals beng aimed for.","For me, the online tests were a good way of self evaluating as well as a clear goal to aim for when attempting to complete a chapter or section of a chapter.  I remember enjoying printing them off, completing them at a leisurely pace and entering my results online.  The teachers provided were also obviously very helpful.","Much more 'industry focused'.  I remember feeling a huge difference in the style of the MEI courses compared to the Excel (which I took for the normal A-level).  By 'industry focused'  don't mean the maths was watered down at all rather than it was just a little hidden among the background material (for example there would often be a good few pages on the context and application of the maths in a pure mathematics textbook (the FP's) which seems a bit of a contradiction in logic to me!)","The high dependence on self study","Cambridge","Natural Sciences (Physics)","I have always wanted to study Physics to a high level.  I don't know if it is possible to rationalize this so I will simple say that I'm studying it out of 'curiosity'.","Physics degrees stop teaching maths as a separate subject after the second year so during the past year (3rd) I have not been taught maths per se.  There is however a relatively high level of mathematical techniques taught within certain courses that have to be studied (eg tensor calculus in General Relativity)","Less straight-forward.  More philosophical and much more rewarding.","One on one supervisions (I do not know if this happens at every university)","lectures to be slightly slower paced","No",null,"No","No",null,"This is a difficult question because if I am honest it is hugely advantageous to have studied the double maths A-level before going off to Cambridge to study Physics.  The university is not allowed to put it as a requirement though because it would be viewed as excluding to those from schools that do not offer it.  Now it has been three years since i completed the further maths a-level on the online network so i don't know how widespread it is these days.  My general advice would be for anyone ambitious wanting to pursue a course similar to one stated above would be to expose themselves to as much mathematics as possible.  If that means simple studying a 7th module in addition to the usual A-level then it is still definitely worth it; the piece of paper that is a qualification becomes redundant after so long but the skills obtained whilst studying for it will stay for you forever."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Maths & AS FM",null,"Smaller classes or classes grouped by predicted grades.",null,"A concept was taught to us, and then we had to pick it up by doing exercises from the book.","As I started AS Further Mathematics in year 13, I couldn't study it through my school, so a teacher through the FMN taught us after school. ","More material, and as a smaller class (6 people) we were able to get our queries answered. ","No","University of Southampton","Economics","I enjoy Economics and Mathematics, and this course allowed me to do both. I didn't think I would enjoy a Mathematics degree, but I still have Maths integrated into this course. ","I haven't had any mathematics modules, but some alegbra and graphs when solving demand and supply equations. ","There is a lot less learning different concepts. More learning one difficult concept, and applying it in different situations. ",null,"They should give us more examples, as whatever we do in class is much easier than what is expected from us in coursework. ","No",null,"No",null,null,"I found the transition was ok, however I feel it started to easy, especially in my Mathematics module, as the first few weeks were teaching us how to read graphs, (ie along the corridor is x and up the stairs is y) and then suddenly got harder. Considering to do the course we had to have done Mathematics, this wasn't thought through enough. "]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2007-06-01","AS further maths, A2 maths","Small classes so teaching was interactive.","I was part of a distance learning course for my further maths AS run at a different sixth form by a local university.  This was challenging as we had less contact time and less support outside of this classroom teaching.  How ever we were given good resources and the tutors would always be helpful assisting us vis email. ",null,"Didactic, interactive.","Im not sure. This may have been who was behind offering the further AS maths in our area.","-","It helped me to be a more independant learner as I was not always directly given the answers but shown how to go about finding the answer.","Keele University","Medicine","Although I always enjoyed Maths as a pure subject, I thought medicine would allow me to work practically and with a greater range of people whilst using the logic and problem solving skills mathmatics had taught me.","None.  I did one stats module in my 2nd year but I covered very little statistics in either of my Alevels (I opted for mechanics).","-","-","-","No",{"$nulls":4},"This isn't particularly relevant to me as there was not so much of a link between medicine and maths.  I did no particular preparation for starting my course and found that I got on fine.  I could suggest running study skills sessions for new students so they can adjust to the new way of learning and on my course we were not given a core book list so it took a while to find the best books to suit my course."]
["FMSP","A*"," I wanted to study a  course at university that required it","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Very interactive - spent a lot of time at the whiteboard experimenting with drawing graphs and making loads of mistakes, but learning a lot.","More worked examples in the text books would have been much appreciated!",null,"Interactive, more engaging than at high school, with more independence, but with plenty of guidance.","Study days before exams were always really useful, and the online support was extensive. The Further Maths A level I actually found easier than the (General) Maths, because the support given through worksheets and email correspondence was excellent.","It was much more guided, with more examples to work through and check answers against - maths lessons often just used textbook questions with numerical answers which, although useful in their own way, are less easy to use if the concept hasn't been fully understood to start with.","Yes - Self evaluation is a useful skill that isn't usually tested in the same way in other subjects. Also motivation to complete work when having only one lesson per week is something that is very useful for later study at university.","Oxford University","Chemistry","I enjoy the subject and wanted to pursue a rigorous course which would give me good employment/research prospects and be academically challenging.","Vectors, Differential Equations, Integration (multiple), Differentiation (partial), Series and Sums, Matrices,","Some of the material was very similar, and just an extension from what we had previously done, but the pace was much quicker and we were expected to pick up the concepts with much less guidance. We had maths tutorials once per week and were expected to have familiarised ourselves with the concepts and completed the problem sheet, which was not always easy!","The content we covered was quite interesting, and seeing the applications of the techniques we were learning was very enjoyable.","It was sometimes very dry in its delivery, which didn't help concentration at all. More worked examples and support would have been useful for those who didn't understand everything the first time through.","No",null,"No","No",null,"More work from 'reading lists' would be really useful - it was a shock when we weren't told where to look more specifically than 'this textbook' or 'this lecture course'."]
["FMSP","B"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2012-06-01","AS Mathematics","expanding on the GCSE work we did was good, finally understanding some of the parts which didnt really make sense at GCSE","there is alot of content so we didnt have alot of time to learn each part meaning lessons were usually rushed ",null,"alot of independent work is done and the teachers give you help when needed but not alot as they want you to be able to do it for yourself","we were given websites to go on and do tasks to help us further our knowledge ","it was more indepth and a wider variety ","No ","Aberystwyth","Psychology","found the course interesting at A Level and need it for my future career",{"$nulls":4},"No",{"$nulls":4},"be excited, its a new chapter of your life. meeting new people and furthering your knowledge are all part of growing as a person."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Being tought in a lecture style for further maths was very enjoyable and good preparation for university","Having to do an hour round trip to do the further maths lessons",null,"Maths: Classroom style, fairly close to GCSE\nFurther Maths: Lecture style, more like a univeristy course","Resources provided for the course, especially the short course notes provided were very useful. The teaching was very good as well.","It was more structured towards individual learning rather than the 'spoon feeding' style adopted during A2 maths","Yes, as mentioned previously the lecture style delivery and emphasis on self learning made it easier to transfer to university.","Bath","Mechanical engineering","I want to become an engineer.","Mostly numerical methods, used in simulations etc.\nSolid mechanics in a large proportion.\nDifferential equations in vibrations etc.","More applied to an engineering perspective, less focussed on stats and pure concepts.","The lecturer was very enthusiastic and taught the content well","Smaller lectures (we were taught in a group of 200+)","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Taking notes quickly is a real skill-possibly learning shorthand?\nIntroduction into some topics such as complex numbers and matrices would be useful if they've not been encountered before."]
["FMSP","B"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","AS Further Mathematics","Good Teachers, helped a lot with tough questions and homework and communicated through email.\n","Better structured homework",null,"Excellent","Email support, on-line materials and past papers, questions, tutorials.","Little difference, slightly more material received in Further Maths.","Yes, organisational skills.","Sheffield Hallum","Psychology","Good at psychology, keen interest.","None","None","None","None","No",null,"No","No",null,"Join a club, any, to meet people,gym to get fit and as many other clubs to add to CV and have fun. Try to keep it simple and calm at first and gradually join clubs, not all at once."]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Caludon Castle school, Coventry made use of interactive smartboards, small whiteboards and group activity. Each lesson was interesting (varied).","Grace Academy Coventry (formerly Woodway Park School) had little funding, did not make use of multimedia and had 25 year old textbooks. I would prioritise the funding of STEM activities.",null,"Caludon Castle School, Coventry had professional, ordered teaching. Woodway Park school, Coventry had disordered lessons without clear aims or demonstration of applications.","We received Further Maths classes once a week at University of Warwick. We had access to past papers and examiner's material.\n\nDr Tim Honeywill, the Coventry and Warwickshire Further Mathematics Centre Manager and FP1 teacher, visited me for a revision session at my school. A 1:1 teacher to student ratio shows that the staff have an interest in students' progress.","We were allowed to keep a couple of our textbooks, which were up to date and have been useful for reference a few times during university.","My current course is MENG Mechanical Engineering. \n\nYes, I have used complex numbers and calculus extensively. I have used some decision mathematics and mechanics.\n\nYes, Teaching from the staff who have an interest and extensive knowledge on the subject that gives an intuitive understanding of the topic, and not just an algorithm for solving questions, has proven useful to me.\n\nI wish I had the opportunity to learn more about subjects before reaching university. I would have liked the opportunity to look at M2, M3, M4 modules. I now wish I had taken Differential Equations, as I struggled at this at university. If career or university pathways demand certain skills that are available in certain modules, students should know about them so they can choose these modules and don't miss the chance to learn something important to them.\n\nFMN could boost interest and students' ongoing motivation by being involved in educational talks, days out, industry visits, perhaps.","University of Warwick","MSc Mechanical Engineering","I originally chose Engineering Business Management although after year 2 enjoyed it and wanted to learn more engineering, physics and mathematics. I was set on attending Warwick as I enjoyed taking FM there. I originally chose Management but did not get an offer (I was retaking exams and was entered into wrong exam board, so they didn't have AS results to go on). I did not know what Engineering was. I thought it was learning to be a machine operator. My family and friends didn't actually know what Engineering was (some thought it may involve fixing washing machines) and I wasn't happy about accepting it.","Sequences, series, limits\nFourier Series\nPartial differentiation\nMatrices\n\nApplied Linear Algebra (involved remembering the way to answer matrix related question, without understanding for what is going on)\n\nFluid Mechanics (involved some calculus and dimensional analysis)\n\nEnergy Methods, Linear Motion and Vibration (involved Classical Mechanics)\n\nElectro-mechanical systems (involved basics of electromagnetism, AC and DC, actuators and gearing, with some basic formula)\n\nEnergy and environment (involved using some thermodynamics and graphs)","The pure maths (Sequences, series, limits, Fourier Series, Partial differentiation\nMatrices) was rushed through at a stupendous speed. A level is more personal. University assumes everyone keeps up with the work always. A lot of the topics seem self taught and many of my peers left the learning until the month before (or of) the exam.\n\nIn first year, for those that had already seen the material during A-level (Those that had done all three of maths, f maths, physics as well as being private schooled) they needed to learn almost nothing all year.","I enjoyed seeing the common applications.","The pure mathematical pen on paper method of teaching must change. It gave no actual understanding of what was going on, where it had come from, what the purpose of it all was and no intuitive understanding. The only emphasis was on how to answer the particular yet seemingly arbitrary question on the OHP. This=>bad","No",null,"No",null,null,"I think, as reading is an important part of university experience, reading assignments could be given by personal tutors to go over in weekly sessions. My advice to students would be to get the textbooks from the library that they plan to use STRAIGHT AWAY, renew them when necessary and save hundreds of pounds. As that can't work for everybody, I would tell them to have more interest in their topic, go above and beyond, watch related TV programmes and listen to related audiobooks. \n\nIf appropriate, join professional institutions as a student early, and benefit from the resources and included magazine subscription. Students should know about the professional institutions and their benefits.\n\nStatistics are good. I know that ~10% may receive a first, and so I should aim to learn more than 90% of my peers. That kind of stuff is motivating for me."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics",{"$nulls":4},"Being taught from home, via online learning, the majority of my study was spent through live sessions with FMSP teachers and directed learning away from these sessions involved MEI resources.","Because of described circumstances, no comparison is applicable.","Yes. Content and quality of deliver was exceptional and gave me an excellent grounding in a subject which I would continue to University level.","University of Liverpool","MMath Mathematics","I enjoyed Mathematics at all levels of study (GCSE, A Level, etc.) and combined with my ability of the subject it was the obvious choice for myself, personally.","During Year 1, I felt that a lot of the content was familiar to me, having studied Further Mathematics at A Level. As the course requires all students to be at a certain level after Year 1, they must go over these topics as not all students will have studied FM. Due to this, I felt comfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings of the University environment.","Largely self-directed learning at University Level. Lectures providing the core material of specific modules and students having to understand and grasp these concepts largely by themselves.",null,null,"No",null,"Yes","Yes","In addition to lectures, weekly tutorials are provided for Year 1 modules, to aid the transition to a more self-directed approach.","Be prepared for alternate delivery style: mainly the fact that a lot of University study is self-directed learning, outside of the lecture theatres."]
["FMSP","A*"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Challenges, problem solving, the staff to student ratio! ","I would have the class put into sets, dependant on ability, because some of my fellow students where a hindrance. ",null,"Laid back, relaxed, friendly, more involved. ","Not sure it did give much support?","More difficult, much more independent working, it would have the answers along with it which are very helpful for understanding.","I became a lot more comfortable with working independently and not being spoon fed info ","Durham","MMath","I enjoyed maths and was good at it. ","More difficult, a lot of lecture notes, more problem solving activities, more outside reading around topics.","You are not spoon fed like at A level, more difficult and abstract. ","The availability of online resources! including answers.   ","More involved discussion like I used to have in A level classes","Yes","A small booklet of revision material which was largely ignored.","Yes","No","I am not confident enough to go and talk to my lecturers ","Don't panic, believe in your ability, don't expect to be at the top of the class, don't expect to be able to understand everything that you are given."]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I enjoyed the abstract ideas covered and the logical method of teaching.","There was too much time spent on allowing people to practice a particular area on their own, instead there should be classes split into ability so the faster people aren't getting hindered.",null,"Very similar to classroom based teaching at school but with less homework.","I was given weekly lessons at another school. Every year there was a day where we received lectures at the local university to revise the topics covered.","It was more in a university lecture style, where the teacher covered the topics and it was the students responsibility to revise topics at home. ","The lecture style improved my ability to take notes.\n\nThe teacher was a university doctor which allowed the mathematics to be taught in more of an university style way.","The University of Warwick","Physics","I want to be a physics researcher.","The core maths is covered in maths modules and then assumed for the subsequent physics modules.\nTopics include:\n(1st year):\nVector Algebra\nComplex Numbers\nDifferential Equations\nTaylor Series\nMultiple Integration\nFourier Series\n\n(2nd Year):\nVector Analysis\nPDE's\nFourier Transforms\nMathematical Optics\nTensors\n","More focus on proofs.","Lecture style.","More maths modules.","Yes","We were given a list of topics to revise for our first week test. If people failed the test they were given additional support to pass the test again.","No"]
["FMSP","A*","I enjoy mathematics","2008-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","I had a particularly good teacher who had a lot of time for individuals and taught in a 'chalk and talk' style. Everyone in the class found it easy for them to learn as she made very good notes and then spent a lot of time getting us to do examples.","I had a certain teacher that insisted on limited interaction between students in lessons. This really frustrated me as I tended to help other students once I had finished my work.",null,"Teaching my repartition and example. It is a very good way to learn things as you get a lot of practice. ","I was provided with transport to a nearby school to do the pure modules of Further Maths and received occasional lessons from a university lecturer to help me with the applied modules.","I didn't have any specific material from FMSP. The university lecturer taught me mainly from a text book.","Yes the one on one teaching gave me a lot of useful experience for supervisions at university. The teaching also really helped me to learn to phrase questions of a more technical nature.","Cambridge University","Natural Sciences","Because I find sciences in general fascinating and this course allowed me to study a wide variety (including maths).","All of my course contain applied mathematical content. I have not yet started this years courses but any maths required specifically for a course will be taught in that course if not yet covered by the specialist maths courses in earlier years.","Teaching is obviously in lectures but content wise it seems just to be a continuation.","Supervisions, one on two with a professor. This really allows you to solve the problems you have and to get the intuition you need.","The quality of lectures has on the whole been a little poor. More attention to feedback and more training for lectures would be good.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Supervisions.","Do some simple problems before starting university as your mind will have gone to sleep over the summer and a little bit of practice will aid the transition."]
["FMSP","A"," I felt I was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","Travel to Warwick University and use of university lecture theatres gave me an enjoyable insight into what a university is like. ","We only had 2 hours a week further mathematics including time between classes, taking seats etc., with 30 minutes travel each way. There was much less teaching time than my other subjects. A higher teaching time/travel time ratio would be desirable.",null,"At the university, further mathematics was taught very well. My FP2 class was very small (4 or 5 people), and I'd think the ideal size would be around 10-20 people.\nCore mathematics at Caludon Castle was taught with use of the interactive whiteboard, small boards and markers, occasional group activities, about 10-15minutes attempting a set of questions from the textbook, and regular homework.","I had access to many past papers, handwritten homework answers, lesson powerpoints etc. I had a 1 to 1 tutor session with my teacher Tim Honeywill in preparation for an exam which was very encouraging, to see that the teachers care about my exam performance and understanding.","In core mathematics, the teaching and facilities were extremely poor and the textbooks were decades old and broken. FMN allowed us to keep a few new textbooks which I have on a few occasions refereed back to after A level. Online resources were available (including regular emailed resources) and important for my revision.","Yes. I am pursuing MEng Mechanical Engineering, and 95% of the A-level material has been encountered at university. In further maths, I studied very hard for only a month before the exams and got 98 in FP2, 100 in C4. Boasting can be a useful skill, but I also learnt how to organise my studying to deadlines, and how best to stay focussed. Learning how to self learn should be stressed much much more at A-level, before entering university.","University of Warwick","MEng Mechanical Engineering","I transferred from a business related degree after I found I was good at mathematics, interested in concepts I met in first year, and finding that many of the world's richest people started out in engineering.","It's only week 6 but so far:\nFluid mechanics, including Buckingham Pi Theorem (basically dimensional analysis), mass continuity, momentum and energy continuity (Reynold's Transport Theorem), using Navier-Stokes equations, use of Bernoulli's equation, use of stream functions and potential lines, definition of Vorticity and circulation.\nPlanar Structures and Mechanisms: It uses matrices to model deflections, and extensively uses vectors and some classical mechanics.\n\nAutomation and robotics (very cool) uses some matrices and vectors, and some robot programming, including logical functions (if, and, for, 'while loops' etc.)\n\nMechanical Design: Use of vectors, general algebraic manipulation, some classical mechanics, relating torque, speed, forces etc.","It's now more applied. Seeing videos and demonstrations of the practical uses for the maths is crucial in keeping me interested.","Crazy fluid mechanics lecturer always bringing in little helicopters and things to demonstrate principles. Same thing with mechanical design lecturer, who brings in gearboxes and things to pass around.","The teaching of Linear Algebra (year 2) which used only black and white handwritten notes on an OHP, no demonstration or suggestion of practical uses and all who left afterwards lacked any intuitive understanding. It was not interestingly presented, no enthusiasm shown by the lecturer and examination only involved rote memorisation of previous paper answers.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","There are online resources for lectures, including past exam papers, lecture slides when they have been used, and examples sheets.","Learn more about how to study. The course needs to start with a considerable amount of focus on long term goals (What careers graduates get, what the job opportunities of an [engineer] are, and what the industry is like). \n\nUnderstand that you should not copy your peers efforts, and do not put off work because your mates are. Understand that many people are only at university because their parents told them to, and so only really want to pass. Have a goal and do MORE THAN what it takes to reach it. The goal should include becoming a society exec and to get good at your course to get where you want to be. Know that normative assessment requires you be in the top ~10percentile to receive a first, so pick 9 people and try harder than them. Watch loads of programmes related to your course (watching How It's Made got me an 85 in one module's exam). "]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The work was challenged and the ideas provoked me to thinking on my own about the individual ideas and questions.","One aspect of the teaching I would change is initially I came from a non-selective school to a selective school, I found that basic ideas that we supposed to have known we did not cover in GCSE. This was not covered as I and one of my colleges were a minority and immediately put us at a disadvantage.","The pace and quantity of work covered increased in speed and volume dramatically. This was great for me as I found it immediately more challenging and I enjoyed that. Teaching was less one to one, idea were covered quicker but there was always time towards the end of a term to cover material.","Similar to university, lecturing and then left to work through a exercise books.",null,null,null,"University of Greenwich","BSc Mathematics","The subject I have always been most successful at throughout school and one that has always given me the desire to continue to learn regards of the difficulty of the mathematics. I have passed my first year with great grades ( 88 in calculus, 79 in statistics, 79 in MaTT and 72 in discrete mathematics ) which I hope to continue and I feel like i have achieved a lot as my grades at A-level i do not feel reflect the hard work and understanding I have.","One topic which was a step up from A-level was Calculus with many of the ideas carried through in the first semester, and then more advanced in the second. Statistics, discrete and mathematical computing I had no prior experiance of these subjects so the content covered gave me a firm platform to continue my studies into the future.","The lectures are more motivated and they want you to learn the ideas behind each individual topic rather than to just simply pass the exams. ","Lecture notes available before the classes to see and get a basic understanding of the class ahead, which I found very beneficial.","More lectures and tutorials, although I did plenty of work at home I did prefer doing it around like minded students in the maths environment.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Make sure that they are happy with the choice and will give it one hundred percent of the concentration as you will get more out of it. \n\nGo to the university that make you most confortable.\n\nI had a bad experience, I studied mechanical engineering at Queens Marys University, I did not like the university, the subject was not right and the commuting into london was dreadful (2.5 hours a day). I would recommend research as many avenues as possible!"]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","AS F Mathematics","the statistics part and the teacher I had wouldexplain and work amongst us and make sure we st our work out in a certain way.","I would want that certain teacher whos teaching technique is bang on to teach all modules and wouldnt suggest a change in teachers half way through as it interupts and can put you off.","the teachers at GCSE help more and allow you and others to teach other pupils at a level you get less help.","the teaching is extremely fast moving, you miss one lesson and your very behind.",null,null,null,"University of greenwich","mathematics with business","I enjoyed business alot at college and wanted to persue further and also mathematics.","Statistics\nMathematical technology and thinking\ncalculus","Extrememly faster moving thn college and specially with calculus the teaching needs to be more focused and interactiv rather than just words as this can create boredom. they expect you to have knowledge from collgege and remember most from college with all modules, but what if like me you had ubforseen  circumstances and had missed alot of college lessons due to health issues, it can be a great deal to take on and very overwhelming.","I enjoyed statistics but most probably because I had knowledge on it, not because of how it was taught.","calculus just needs to be more invovled with the students and interact with them, thats how enjoyment is raised.","No",null,"No",null,null,"find out as much detail as possible about your course."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Reviewing methods for questions with teacher rather than just being given the answers.","Consistency in teaching methods amoungst the department.","I personally didn't experience a difference; I am aware that Sixth Form promoted independant work more but I did this at GCSE anyway.","I experienced different teaching styles from the different teachers I had, some better than others.",null,null,null,"University of Greenwich","BSc Mathematics","I chose this course because I enjoy Mathematics and to keep my options open for careers as I was not set on a career path and maths is useful in many roles.","Calculus and Mathematical Methods\nMathematical Technology and Thinking (Including PDP)\nDiscrete Mathematics and Combinatorics\nProbability and Statistics","There is a less personal delivery of the content than at A-level due to the difference in class sizes. Generally questions have to be asked in tutorials rather than lectures.","I enjoy when my lecturers show their passion for the subject","When some lecturers just read the powerpoint they are delivering without interest for what they are reading or whether it is at a suitable pace etc","Yes","Refresher booklets were available in the first week for people who wanted them","Yes","No",null,"Refresh your knowledge over the summer especially by reading up on statistics as it is a topic many people struggle with"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2005-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I enjoyed the core maths modules, they were well taught and clearly explained.\nI LOVED trig.","I found the Mechanics side boring, i didn't think much of the teacher and the easy bits were not challenging, and was frustrated by some of the things that I failed to understand.","The 6th form teaching was worse than the GCSE and the foundation concepts were delivered too fast, whereas the GCSE teaching was excellent but too slow.  The learning as a result was inefficient.  the jump from GCSE to AS was big and the teaching did not successfully cater for this.","Dry.",null,null,null,"University of Sheffield","BA Architecture (Hons)","I wanted to be an architect. ","This year, at Masters level, I have only used my trig.  I use it all the time to calculate angles and dimensions of buildings and working out design alternatives.  \nHowever, in my first degree, I also required a fair bit of Mechanics, for calculating structures and forces, I have also used the postman's route finder from Decision Maths.  Core and algebra, other than the odd equation, has been irrelevant.  ","There is little or no teaching, it is mostly self study at university.  At school we wee lucky enough to be spoon fed most things, albeit not very well sometimes.","The self study meant that you often had a better understanding of concepts, because you had to work it out by yourself.","I think optional small seminar groups should be arranged for when you just don't understand.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Learning the importance of self motivation and study is key.  Getting to grips with the core is essential in order to understand the practical maths, and never be afraid to ask for help before it is too late!\n\nAlso take a gap year."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2006-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Small class sizes, jovial atmosphere","lack of teacher knowledge in certain classes (mechanics)","more in depth and more learning due to interest in the subject rather than just how to pass an exam","a good bridge to uni",null,null,null,"Oxford","maths","interest in the pure side of the subject","(final year) - mathematical ecology, martingales and levy processess, graph theory and probabilistic combinatorics","its up to you to learn rather than be taught. More substance to learn","being taught by top academics who knew almost everything about their fields","some academics obviously knew the subject but weren't too good a delivering lectures.","Yes","mock interviews","Yes","Yes","tutorials and classes","go to lectures"]
["NON fmsp","A*","My Maths Teacher thought it was a good idea","2007-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Smaller Classes were fantastic",null,"Only difference was smaller class","Interactive",null,null,null,"Warwick","Maths & Physics","I couldn't choose between Maths and Physics- so did both.","N/A Graduated a year ago.",null,null,null,"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A","I enjoyed Mathematics at school so it felt an obvious choice","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The one to one help which allowed me to understand difficult subjects better.","The unavailability of notes before the class, this made it harder to have an underlined understanding before the class so the learning was harder.","Was harder and more time consuming with more independent learning.","Good, advise was give when needed, challenging work was set which forced you to work to understand the class. ",null,null,null,"Greenwich","Mathematics","I enjoy Mathematics and fell that it will serve me well in later life.","History of mathematics, an overview of practical mathematics eg. physics, using mathematics technology, calculus, graph theory, sets.","Its more independent learning, less help offered if needed, cannot really ask questions during the class as they go very fast.","The examples of the use and application of the formula.","The incomplete note examples, I find it difficult to learn without a worked example.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Be prepared with background knowledge of the subjects that are new and revise integration and differentiation "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Course considered applications of material in the wider world and was not completely focused on academic exercises.","Due to lack of time teaching felt slightly rushed towards the end of the course meaning there was less time to spend on the more difficult material in the course. Would have been nice to spend more time on this to improve understanding.","GCSE level teaching was very focused towards passing the exam, which meant a very narrow set of topics and skills were focused on, in the last year of study for GCSE it seemed that no new topics were really taught. Where as in sixth form teaching had a more relaxed feel to it and was much more about teaching new material / extending previous material in preparation for exams and then in later modules bringing a number of these skills together.","Style of teaching was quite relaxed, despite the large amount of material that need to be covered. In some ways the method of teaching (explaining new material and then going through examples) was similar to the lecture and tutorial method of teaching used in some of my maths based modules at university.",null,null,null,"University of Southampton","MEng Electromechanical Engineering","I felt that this course offered a good mix of electronic, electrical, mechanical and software engineering skills that I would find interesting and useful in a career. It also matched my then intention of working in robotics. Although since starting the course this has now changed to an intention of working in power distribution. ","1 mechanics module\n1 circuit theory module (mostly mathematical in content)\n1 control module (I think its more a mathematical modelling module personally)\n2 self taught maths modules (was required to teach self material from textbook and then attend short tests for each topic)\n\nIn addition a number of other modules had maths content in them","Much less interaction with teaching staff / less support.\nThe self taught maths modules are most notably different (which I personally believe came about due to staff not wishing to lecture ie staff less willing to help then at A level) where you had to teach yourself the material from the textbook which a few sheets of A4 directing you to read certain pages and providing some clarification. I personally felt that the book often overcomplicated topics and as the topics were covered not in the order in the book the book would often assume knowledge that you did not necessarily have, where as at A level this problem would be avoided by staff explaining the bits needed in order for the topics to make sense.","Self taught nature means you can work through the topics at your own rate (down side of this is that you can easily get a number of weeks behind)","I would have lectures instead of the self taught course or at the least provide on-line lectures of the topics / better notes to explain the topics.","No",null,"No","No",null,"Go to all lectures / tutorials regardless of if there are good notes on-line, particularly ones focused on revision as you cannot see any \"nervous twitches\" lectures may develop when talking about certain topics that could be in the exam from notes.\n\nAlso sometimes you may find it easier to ignore some comments made by lectures as they are just confusing, often as the lecturer is talking about minor details that are factually correct but are not very helpful when trying to learn a topic for the first time. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","The staff made the whole process fun!  They used fun ways of teaching the material which made it all the more interesting.  ","Only that it would have been good to do all my exams in June since revision time for January exams was always at a premium.  ","Much fewer people meant much smaller classes, and the students involved had chosen to do it which made the classes less disruptive and made learning quicker and easier.  The content was also much more challenging which made it all the better when I succeeded in solving problems!","Motivated, fun, and exceptional.  All the material was covered, while there was still plenty of time for practice, which enabled me to achieve the grades I did.  ",null,null,null,"The University of Manchester","Chemical Engineering (BEng)","It seemed a good combination of chemistry and mathematics, and also chemical engineering opens many paths into the job market which other courses cannot.  ","Engineering Mathematics 1,\nEngineering Mathematics 2,\nEngineering Mathematics 3.  ","The teaching was poor, much less connected, and the lecturers had much less time for me.  Also, the lecturers were vastly inexperienced, in particular in my first year.  The content covered was much easier than at A level, in fact in three years of mathematics, the only new material was in my third year.  ",null,"More practice sessions and tutorials and fewer lectures would be better.  ","No",null,"No",null,null,"Do some work before the beginning of the course, especially if you have had a gap year, because the knowledge gained at A level is easily forgotten in the summer!"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Teaching was very interactive, getting everyone involved and using clear notes.","made it slightly more independent in order to prepare for university","more practice is needed as problems are not so standard, ","intensive, with great personal support for each persons problems",null,null,null,"University of Warwick","Mathematics BSc","i enjoy maths the most,\ni believed it would be of great benefit to applying for jobs,\nthe course at warwicks offered a large variety of module choicess to give me variety across all areas of maths.","Foundations\nAnalysis I & II\nLinear Algebra\nDifferential Equations\nGeometry and Motion\nProbability\nIntroduction to Geometry\nQuantitative Economics\nVectors and Matrices","large emphasis on self teaching\nless time for a huge amount of practice.\nthere is a higher emphasis on pure maths, proving thing rigorously","a variety of methods of delivery and help","less teaching by lectures, i find it difficult to keep up with the speed of delivery\n","No",null,"Yes","Yes","provided with support classes for assignments for each module, and supervisors for support for all assignments","mentally prepare themselves for a massive increase in difficultly of topic matter and prepare to have to put in the hours to teach themselves,\npractice proving things"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 F Mathematics",null,null,"Obviously more material, and much less time for messing about not learning stuff and then sailing through because of its simplicity.",{"$nulls":4},"Oxford University","Mathematics","I was good at it at school, and the aspect of 'correctness' had always appealed to me, as well as being able to find solutions to real world problems.","Fluid Mechanics\nQuantum Mechanics\nApplied Partial Differential Equations\nApplied Probability\nMathematical Biology\nNonlinear Systems","Much more emphasis on going away and learning for yourself, less overall contact time. The courses are less prescribed and there is much less scope for learning the entire syllabus.","Solving more complicated problems you are aware of and have encountered in real life.","More opportunity for contact time with professors to discuss aspects you don't understand (especially in terms of revision).","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Attended revision classes and lectures, with models solutions given to past papers.","Get back up to scratch before university starts - mathematics is like fitness: if you've had it before, you can get there again, but it requires a bit of work."]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","developping my mathematical skills","the coursework aspect","sixth form was a lot more independant learning than GCSEs and I found it a lot better","My teachers were very approachable so I was able to ask questions when I was stuck",null,null,null,"University of Greenwich","Bsc Mathematics","I felt as if it was the most interesting course I could do also, I have a 'natural' talent for maths so I felt it good to study it further","I have study four main topics this year with statistics being my most challanging one as I am not overly keen on this area of maths. The rest of the course has gone very well I feel with the correct amount of assignements, test, and courseworks","it is a lot more specific in a way that one studies what one has enjoyed and chose to do therefore making it more interesting. Also the number of people in the class hasn increaded which I don't find a problem.","The different lectureres I had have different teaching styles whcih kept the learning of the different areas of maths interesting","Maybe use more example and put them online with the other example that are there","No",null,"Yes","Yes","my university had set up some revision classes for exams also we were able to contact our lectures and tutors if we needed help","Once you have the grades/requirements for your choice of uni make sure that you get a good balance between social life and study life, also enjoy yourself to an extent"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I found the material very stimulating. The teachers were always on hand to help. I especially enjoyed the D1 and S1 as these modules were often worked into real life problems and the relevance could be seen.","I remember at the time very little more could be asked for.","More enjoyable as those studying around you shared a passion for the subject. I felt the classes ran much more smoothly and the combined interest enhanced the atmosphere in which to learn.","Engaging",null,null,null,"Manchester","Finance and Economics","I believed I had a high mathematical ability and wanted to combine this with my interest in Finance and Economics. I thought it would open up a wide variety of career paths.","All of my Finance and Economics courses have had some varying degree of mathematical content ranging from a high level in Financial Statistics and Foundations of Finance to a lower level of Corporate Finance and Managerial Economics.","The teaching I have received at University is no where close to the standard of teaching that I feel I received at school. The lecturers (often PhD students) seem a lot more disinterested in their subject and seem to be far less inspiring to learn from. I have often found that the lack of English as a first language has led to lectures surrounding Mathematics harder to follow and less en-captivating.","You are left a lot more to your own devices to learn the mathematical content which I find significantly harder when compared to other theory.","Smaller classes so the ability to question becomes more prevalent. I lectures with over 400 people, if you miss something or do not quite understand you rarely get the chance to go over it again.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Ensure you buy all the books and material so that you can go over the subjects covered in the lectures. If not you can easily fall behind."]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","STATISTIC","Wording of the questions in the statistic modules","There was a massive jump between GCSE and A level. There was far more independent learning and more information to grasp in short time.","Understanding the theory and doing enough practise to get the hang of it. ","There were extra sessions given by the teachers for students who were doing A level Further Mathematics. \nAlso visiting other schools who were organising open sessions in the area for further support. ","The teaching style wasnt different to how Maths was taught. However there was definately far more independent learning than before because the teacher's were also not too familiar with the Further Maths Module. ",null,"University of Greenwich","BSC Mathematics","Because I felt that I was far too confident in this subject than any other subjects I have taken. ","MATT\nStatistic\nCalculus\nDiscrete","I enjoy learning about Mathematics now than before. \nI have started to become familiar with the theories behind what we have learnt in A level Mathematics. Usually A level does not give you enough background information. \nHowever at university we have become in depth with theories and how they are formed. ","Learning the history of Mathematics- it was very interactive leaving the lecture wanting to search even more about it in my own time. \n","Struggled with Matt Coursework. It was very new to as I havent done anything like this in the past. I would like to take more time exploring MATT","No",null,"Yes","Yes","All the lecture Notes and further information on the lecture is put on the school system for every student to have access to...","If you enjoy mathematics overall in A level, you will love it when you study it at university. \n\nThere is more of Mathematics than what they have limited in the A level for sure. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","teachers used daily life examples during teaching which made us getting more interested in that subject","teachers can teach us more exams skills, how to gain marks during exams","the stuffs in sixth form were more difficult than in GCSE, different level.","fun..enjoyable",null,null,null,"University of Manchester","Actuarial Science and Maths","Actuarial science is becoming popular in these few years. Nowadays, being an actuary is a highly-professional job and everywhere in the world needs these kinds of talented people. An actuary can assess and manage risks mathematically. They look at what has happened in the past, then they can predict about the future and try to design a plan that can solve the problems for their clients. The process involves a huge amount of knowledge in mathematics and as a further mathematician, this has led me to choose actuary science as my subject in university.","Real and Complex Analysis \nPartial Differential Equations and Vector Calculus B \nProbability and Statistics \nFinancial Mathematics for Actuarial Science 2\nStatistical Methods  \nContingencies 1\nActuarial Insurance\nPractical Statistics 1 \nIntroduction to Financial Mathematics \nFundamentals of Financial Reporting \nIntroduction to Corporate Finance and Financial Instruments \n","uni maths r more difficult than AL maths...",null,null,"No",null,"No","No",null,"maths is a fun subject, ppl who study maths would really enjoy doing maths as their uni degree program."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","I enjoyed the non-curricular maths that we were taught; the maths/philosophy were fascinating and stimulated a genuine interest in those fields. ","I would prefer the course to be less structured, there was a consistent feeling that we were only studying in order to pass the exams. A more practical course would be an improvement, one which includes practical applications of the maths we study in engineering/science. ","The pace of sixth form teaching was faster but generally I didn't notice a sudden jump in difficulty between GCSEs and A-levels. Class sizes were smaller and the teachers were more personable. ","Interactive. In maths at least we were constantly asked questions and expected to ask them ourselves. ","I think we might have used some of their online material for revision. Not totally sure. ",null,null,"Imperial College London","Physics with a Year in Europe","It gave me good employment prospects, a chance to travel and is a very broad course with plenty of interesting specialisations to go into after graduating. ","This year I haven't had any maths modules. I have been writing my dissertation and learnt fluid mechanics and computing.  ","Everything is applied and the depth of study of each subject is a lot greater. You are not tested on your mathematical ability as the course goes along but are required to learn the course in your own time to get through the final exam.  ","I enjoy the computing. Using iterative mathematical methods to solve a problem is probably my favourite topic. ","Some of the lecturers were very poor. Obviously clever people but can't convey anything to the students. ","No",null,"Yes","No","There was a remedial maths course at the beginning of the degree that I didn't need to do. ","Don't try to just learn the equations. There are far too many of them. It's much more advisable to actually understand what's going on so that you can reproduce the thought process. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2004-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Small class sizes - ability to ask questions of the teacher in a small group, which allowed interruption to lessons (i.e. ask questions as you go along, rather than at the end).","Ability to alter the pace of the lessons for students that did not follow as quickly as others","Much more intense, however somewhat more ability to talk around the subject, as opposed to learn just for the exam","Fast paced teaching, mostly clear however occasional tendency to get caught in the intricacies and not able to describe complex concepts in a higher lever and easy-to-approach way",null,null,null,"University of Leicester","Physics with Space Science and Technology","Interest in Space Physics and best course in the country for the course","N/A - have graduated. However received training in high level mathematics for Physics Masters level.","More paced approach and more directed at requirements for understanding Physics - i.e. more applied mathematics rather than pure.","Clear application to physical events","Less reliance on textbooks - mostly discuss a small aspect of the text then allow the student to learn at home, which does not enable students to easily question the lecturer on complicated topics/","No",null,"No",null,null,"No, A Level, if anything, provides a higher level of mathematics than the starting point for University. I found most of the first year to be a recap of A2 level mathematics."]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","the increased variety of the modules in comparison to GCSE","perhaps more real world examples of decision maths","the people in the class wanted to be there (had chosen to study it) and therefore there was a more studious atmosphere","smaller class size helped a lot, this ment more 1 to 1 time",null,null,null,"UCL","electrical and electronic engineering","not many general engineering courses around and EEE fitted my interests. ",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Discussion - as a group we were allowed and, at times, encouraged to discuss approaches to various problems.  If anyone in the group didn't understand things then those who did were often the ones to explain it to them, which was very beneficial for all.  Occasionally, particularly difficult or interesting problems were posed that we could work on together as a class.  Not only does this make for a much more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere in the class, it also seemed to improved understanding and enthuse us all.","At times I felt that some of the teachers were unable to explain the maths clearly - either because they couldn't understand it themselves (which I think was the case occasionally) or because they just couldn't find a helpful way of explaining it.  It certainly wasn't true of all teachers, but it would have been great if all of them had been as good as the best.  The other issue I found was that the material at A level is pretty dry, and for good students, is not particularly challenging.","It was more collaborative and less 'led' - the teaching was much more focused on asking questions to lead you to the correct method or answer, rather than giving you a list of steps to follow.  I suppose the style of questions in the exams echoes that.","Inclusive and collaborative.",null,null,null,"University of Cambridge","Mathematics","NOTE:  I complete my first two years in maths (Part I) and then specialised in Astrophysics (Part II and Part III).\n\nI chose to study maths because I had always loved it.  I was good at most subjects and could have studied any of them, but I adored the logic and the problem solving elements of mathematics.  One of the reason I veered away from pure maths at university was because I missed the clear problem solving element and felt it was too abstract.  The logical approach that I loved at school is still what I love about maths.  I moved into Astrophysics because I wanted to take the maths I was best at (applied) and actually apply it to something!  I also had a bit of a fascination with space and the fact that it is largely not understood...","Advanced Quantum Mechanics General Relativity Fluid Dynamics Cosmology Statistical Physics Stellar Dynamics Structure of Galaxies Stellar Structure Cosmology  The first three are clearly mathematical areas in their own right.  The others employ mathematical methods, particularly the solving of complex differential equations.  Statistical physics also employs many statistical methods as well.","The vast majority of what we learn if effectively self-taught - there is no \"hand-holding\".  We have an initial introduction to a subject and are informed of the content that we need to know through lectures - we then go away and attempt to understand it by ourselves, complete problem sheets on it, and then have our understanding checked by a supervisor.  It is very independent.  Ironically, this would have been fine at A level as the understanding element wasn't particularly challenging, but is a bit more of a problem at uni where understanding can be problematic!  ","Supervisions (which are 1 hour sessions, two students to one supervisor going over a problem sheet) are vital and incredibly useful, particularly if you have a good supervisor.  They really highlight what you do and don't understand, and allow you to fill the gaps in your knowledge.  The only problem with them is the dependence on the skill of the supervisor.  A good or bad supervisor can really make a huge difference to your view and understanding of that subject.","Lectures!  So much time is spent with lecturers writing up their notes on a blackboard - complex algebra is tedious to follow at the best of times, but when it's being read out at the same time as being copied up on a blackboard that you can barely read, it becomes impossible to take it in.  Additionally, writing things out (though it is sometimes argued makes you remember it) does also take a huge amount of time that could probably be better spent explaining.  I also think that you can only really absorb an algebraic proof or method by doing it yourself.  It would be much better spending the time in lectures going over the particularly complex points, and using the time to actually explain some of the content and missing out the multiple lines of algebra and waffle that take hours to reproduce in your notes and don't really give you any useful insight.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Only in the form of supervisions, as previously mentioned, which are compulsory. ","Get hold of some lecture notes online, or some good textbooks, that cover your first term's courses, but don't be daunted by the complexity of it!  When you start, you will have to work independently and it's good to have some experience of this before you start.  Take some time to understand the beginnings and the basics of your first courses - it will make the first few weeks much much easier and give you an idea of how you should be working.  I really wish I had done this - I got as far as getting hold of books etc. but was so confused by the first few pages I gave up.  You should be confused, but just having a bit of familiarity will be useful."]
["NON fmsp","A","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics",null,"My teachers, who I considered quite poor.","I had to put far more effort into revision and independant study.","Quite work intensive, but not too hard if you put the work in.",null,null,null,"Greenwich","Bsc Mathematics","Because I'm good at maths, it's good for future job opertunities and I actually enjoy it, unlike English literature.","Probability and Statistics\nCalculus and mathematical methods\nMathematical Technology and thinking\nDiscrete Mathematics and combinatorics","It covers a much wider scope of the world of maths.","I enjoy the depth they go into the history of the subject.","For them to control loud people in the theatre better.","No",null,"Yes","No","I was coping well on my own.","Be ready to put a large amount of time into personal study outside of yours hours actually in lectures. You will need to prectice to do well."]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Very supportive teaching methods with constant appraisal. Relevant and interesting material adapted into the syllabus to give a more rounded understanding. ","The teaching was the best I have ever had. My only negative was that I came in with a much lower level of understanding and very limited background knowledge of the subject.","Sixth form was a much more personalised learning experience. At GCSE the classes were larger and access to extra help very limited.","Hands on, creative, challenging, very positive environment. At the same time attention was paid to all learning styles, (Kinasthetic, auditory etc)","Not to my knowledge",null,null,"Queen Mary University","Economics","Interested in a city career - seems obvious! ","Mathematical level covered in year 1 was similar to the A level mathematics program and not exceeding it in difficulty. ","Lack of identity within course. Totally dependent on personal learning and self study. Very limited access to help and a very 'one size fits all' approach. ","I enjoyed none whatsoever!! ","List is endless. However, i would try to incorporate relevant materials into the course that have a background in the news and other topics of interest. I would teach less directly from a standardised textbook and perhaps from a more specified and personalised course.","No","N/A","No",null,null,"Pick a course that you have genuine interest in, not always what seems smart to do at the time. That is of course unless it is a vocational course and you require said degree to proceed on to your chosen career path (Obviously don't pick a career you have no interest in!)"]
["NON fmsp","B","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The enthusiasm of the teaching","The long blocks of lessons we had in the timetable, it wasn't all spread out, it was 4 lessons in a row, which left students burnt out towards the end wasting tme at the end.","It was a lot more intense, but as it was a subject you have chosen to do, rather than it being mandatory, the students in the class were a lot more receptive, making it easier to learn in a positive environment, and knowing that at the end, you are doing it because you like the subject and the benefits, rather than because you're doing it because your teacher wants you to.","Formal in the sense that the a lot of teaching and hard work went on, and the teacher pushed us to get the best possible grades we could have, yet there was a slight blur between the lines of students and teachers which makes it easier to interact and learn in a fun environment.",null,null,null,"University of Greenwich","Mathematics, Statistics and Computing","Because after doing the A Level, i gained a lot of interest in the subject, and realised it would be a great asset if i did further study.","This year I have studied Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics, Probability & Statstics, Calculus and Mathematical Methods and Mathematical Thinking and Technology. The mathematical content was very interesting and kept you wanting to get to the next lecture to see what was being taught the next week.","It is a lot more detailed and also shows you different routes to solving problems rather than just learning one method and way to do things.","The enthusiasm of the lecturers and the interesting material being delivered.","I would try to get the material more filled with mathematics that one doesn't come across in everyday life, like for example, cryptology and the likes.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Don't be scared/feel overwhelmed at the material and information you find out about the course, it looks scary, but it is really funand enjoyable."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Further Pure modules in A2 Further Mathematics","Statistics- more real world examples instead of lots of number crunching.","Volume of work increased. Range of topics decreased but were studied in more detail. More individual attention due to smaller class sizes.\n","Faster pace than GCSE. More structured.","-","-",null,"University College London","Mathematics with Mathematical Physics","Always wanted to study maths at uni, subject I enjoyed most. ","modules learned this year:\ncomplex analysis\nmathematical methods 3\nfluid dynamics\nquantum physics\ncomputational methods\nmathematical methods 4\nanalytical dynamics\nprobability and statistics","A level mathematics is very focused on mathematical methods. There is no exposure to pure maths like theorems and the structuring of proofs, which plays a big part of uni maths.","-","Lecture sizes are too big. Don't get any personal help, often feeling lost.","Yes","one week bridging course offered by UCL","Yes","Yes","Problem classes are offered but these are often too large to be of any use.","Don't panic when it seems overwhelming. When topics are new they will always appear impossible, but once you get accustomed to them they soon make much more sense."]
["NON fmsp","A*","A Mixture, It's an Important door opening qualification to have which is useful everywhere, plus, I felt I was good at it","2010-06-01","A2 Maths & F Maths","I greatly enjoyed feeling a part of the class, being able to make contributions to the class learning, get and give help to others.",null,"GCSE is a ridiculous qualification which is nowhere near on par with foreign maths teaching in asian or eastern european schools. A Level however is starting to look at useful aspects of mathematics and demonstrating the breadth of study available in the field of mathematics","At my school it was very good. as well as just jumping through hoops to pass exams there was extension and interest topics giving greater depth to study and giving interest and extra knowledge, some of which has been useful at university","I don't think that we did directly, however, we were exposed to extra STEP mathematics sessions, we looked at UKMT questions and were encouraged to further our interest and knowledge beyond the GCE Maths and Further Maths syllabus.",null,null,"Imperial College London","ISE, Information Systems Engineering","I have an interest in computing and passion for mathematics. I thought that this course was an excellent way to join the two","(i) manipulate complex numbers in both standard and polar forms ; apply de Moivreâ€™s theorem;   (ii) apply the techniques of the differential calculus to determine the maxima and minima of functions and to curve sketching ; (iii) integrate simple functions using the methods of substitution and integration by parts; (iv) find analytic solutions of certain first order ordinary differential equations ; find the general solution of linear constant coefficient second order ODEâ€™s ; (v) carry out calculations involving the differentiation of functions of two variables ; determine Taylorâ€™s power series expansion for a function of two variables ; determine stationary points ; sketch contour maps ; (vi) become familiar with statements using quantifiers, some standard proof techniques and the logical framework ; (vii) be able to manipulate sets, functions and relations ; (viii) determine the Maclaurin series expansions of the standard functions and to apply the ratio test to check for convergence; (ix) carry out calculations involving hyperbolic functions and relate these functions to the trigonometric functions ; (x) determine the Fourier series expansions of simple functions ; (xi) carry out simple calculations in vector algebra , vector geometry and matrix algebra ; (xii) find the inverse of matrices by the Gauss-Jordan method and the solution of systems of linear algebraic equations by Gaussian elimination ; (xiii) compute eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices, and use matrices to solve linear numerical and differential equations.\n\n\nSyllabus:\nComplex Numbers: the complex plane, polar coordinates, polar representation, de Moivreâ€™s theorem, and trigonometric formulae.\n\n\n\nFunctions of one variable/Differentiation: odd even, composition of functions, inverse functions; Limits, definition, continuous, discontinuous functions, and intermediate values theorem, continuity, differentiability; implicit, derivatives, derivatives of the composition of two functions, logarithmic differentiation, Leibnizâ€™s formula, stationary points, inflection points, curve sketching, Rolleâ€™s and Mean value theorems, and lâ€™Hopitalâ€™s rule.\n\n\n\n\nIntegration: integrability, fundamental theorem, improper integrals, change of variable, integration by part, and integration of fractions.\n\n\n\nOrdinary Differential Equations: first order equations (separable, homogeneous, exact), second order equations with constant coefficients.\n\n\n\nIntroduction to Partial Differentiation: functions of more than one variable, partial differentiation, total differentials, change of variables, Taylorâ€™s theorem of a function of two variables, introduction to PDEs.\n\n\n\nIntroduction to discrete mathematics: logical connectives, quantifiers (existential and universal), subsets, Cartesian products, power sets, operations on sets, logical equivalence, converse statement, contrapositive statement, functions, domain, image, injection, surjection, bijection, inverse of a function, relations (transitive, reflexive, symmetric, antisymmetric, orders, functions as relations, graphical representation).\n\n\n\nSequences and Series: recurrence definitions, numerical sequences, limits of sequences, principle of induction, numerical series, Taylor and MacLaurin series, convergence of power series, radius of convergence, alternating series, hyperbolic functions, and trigonometric functions.\n\n\n\nFourier series: Standard formulae, periodic functions, even and odd functions, half- range series; complex form, differentiation and integration of Fourier series, Parsevalâ€™s theorem, Introduction to Fourier transforms.\n\n\n\nLinear algebra: coordinates, scalar and vector products, applications to geometry, equations of lines and planes, triple products, linear dependence, double suffix notation, sums and products, transpose, inverse, special matrices (symmetric, diagonal, unit, triangular and orthogonal matrices), determinant, Cramerâ€™s rule, linear equations, row and column operations, Gauss-Jordan method, Jordan elimination, characteristic polynomials, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalisation, application to linear sequences and systems of linear differential equations.","Completely different. No longer am I sat in a class of 20, able to contribute and participate. I am in a room of 200 being talked at for an hour at a time. We must teach ourselves the course, test ourselves and establish whether we feel ready for the examinations in the summer.","The best thing is the feeling at the end of the year that YOU have achieved something independent of adult oversight. They cover the basics in lectures but leave it up to us to really go and learn it.","I would like to have more tutorial group sessions, more availability of exemplar questions and more information on what basic these skills we are learning are useful for.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Really polish up your calculus, read around different aspects of mathematics and what will be studied. I would also suggest distancing themselves from the idea of teacher-pupil and used to the thought of DIY learning"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2004-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The personal touch of some of the teachers motivating and encouraging me","Keeping one teacher for all modules, I think I had 4 different maths teachers over my A levels!","Smaller classes were better, everyone there wanted to be studying it and had a higher aptitude for mathematics, so the classes moved at a lot faster pace. I felt that if I got behind, it was harder to catch up again. ","It varied more from teacher to teacher, but it felt like the teachers listened and understood the pupils better and catered better to their needs and learning styles.",null,null,null,"Manchester","BSc Mathematics and Management (Joint Honours)","Combined the two areas I had studied at A level and was varied enough to leave me plenty of career choices open afterwards.",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Group involvement and discussion made the classes more interesting, and provided means of peer support and learning consolidation through discussion of uncertainties. ","Some lessons involved just working through practice questions individually, which i feel could have been completed as a preparatory/ homework task, allowing more time for teaching or problem-solving in the lessons.","I find this hard to gauge as I changed schools from GCSE to 6th form, but general perceptions include 6th form classes being smaller than GCSE groups; 6th form presenting more time pressure to cover all the curriculum material; odd sense of complacency in AS year of 6th form in that you had the reassuring option to retake in your A2 year any modules for which you obtained a disappointing AS grade, whereas in the two years of GCSE study it wasn't commomplace to redo coursework or module exams. ","All topics were introduced with a short lecture on the facts and prescribed methods involved, followed by group discussion and activity involving a communal attempt at a few questions, followed by individual attempts at further questions. \n\nTeaching was generally relaxed and staff were often considerate to the unavoidable division of our time and attention between other A level subjects and extracurricular activities.",null,null,null,"University of Exeter - Peninsula Medical School","Medicine","Medicine has always been a career that appeals to me, so I pursued the direct route of undergraduate medical studies with the aim to progress to foundation doctor following graduation.\n\nOther degree courses that i considered did include maths, but they would only have been a 'filler' between school and medicine.",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics",null,null,"teaching was done quite similarly although it was done at a faster pace at A-level compared to GCSE. During my time at sixth form I found that more input was needed from students. Studying had changed from a chore or something which had to be done to more of a responsibility in the sense that you decided your work rate and in turn your grade. ",null,"We attended lectures, where we would get booster work packs. Some of the sessions were similar to classroom lessons as we went through exam questions and answers. ",null,null,"university of greenwich","BSCmathematics","I have enjoyed maths from a very young age. I did not want to study towards only one specific career path.","Calculus, Discrete maths, mathematical models\nApart from the calculus module most of the content was new ",null,null,null,"No",{"$nulls":4},"try to do some research on the course you will be studying , the different modules, books that you can read that will aid your understanding. Look at different learning styles and find out which one best suits you. This will help as university study is all about independent work."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2005-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","- Small class size\n- Class interaction with teacher\n- Engaging teachers who I could have a frank conversation with and always had the time\n- The 'others' in the class were very strong academically, which helped to inspire and to support others where they ",{"$error":"#NAME?"},{"$error":"#NAME?"},{"$error":"#NAME?"},null,null,null,"Imperial College","Chemical Engineering",{"$error":"#NAME?"},"- In the 4 years of my degree, the university syllabus was quite thorough, and doing the A level Further Maths syllabus was definitely a big plus. I would encourage anyone applying to Imperial Chemical Engineering to take Further Maths.","- Almost entirely self-taught\n- Less interactions and explanations with teachers\n- Less/ no teaching aids used (as it was primarliy self-taught), more thropugh using a textbook",{"$error":"#NAME?"},{"$error":"#NAME?"},"No",null,"Yes","No",{"$error":"#NAME?"},{"$error":"#NAME?"}]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The time to learn each topic!","Less repetitive learning, more creative exam questions.","It was real maths. ","A lot of book work with teacher and peer help, some homework (which I never did), teacher led 'new topic'sessions every week or so.",null,null,null,"Bristol","Physics and Philosophy","I was indecisive.  ","Maths 2, (second year): advanced diff, stats, diff eqns, the Fourier fandango.  ","Much less time spent going through each topic, and more of a focus on the general techniques.  Less support. ","Problems you can get your teeth stuck into.","More support when your teeth get a little too stuck, and on the basics, which some of us missed through laziness. ","No",null,"No",null,null,"Don't take a gap yah.  They don't like it for a reason. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","The fact that you could pick and choose modules depending on what you want to do at university was nice.","More independent thinking and less sticking to a standard question layout. The main difficulty in coming to university to do a maths based subject after A-level was that suddenly you had to think and approach maths in an extremely different way to what you were used to.","the skills and questions in A-level were much, much more multi-staged and elaborate. GCSE questions would involve a few very simple steps at most. The transition from GCSE to A-level was still much easier than the A-level to university transition, though.","It was mainly taught as learning by patterns and learning similar types of question and how to solve them as opposed to university where each question is a bit different and a lot more intuition is required.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Mathematics and Physics","I had initially planned on only taking straight Physics as I really enjoyed it and was fairly competent with it at school but once getting to university realised that I really loved maths as well but didn't want to drop physics.","Analysis 1, Linear Algebra and Geometry, Calculus 1, Computing, and use of mathematics within the physics modules (first year). Calculus 2, Partial Applied Differential Equations, Ordinary Differential Equations, and maths within physics modules (second year).","It involves a much higher level of intuition and independent thinking.","They assume that you're following exactly what they are saying and move on quickly, so you learn to understand things very quickly. It's a nice challenge.","When doing proofs, for example, it would be helpful for the lecturer to explain why they are doing each step in a bit more detail.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","We had small group tutorials in the first year and we have problems classes in the second year.","Don't expect the same thing that you did at A-level and try to take a look at the material that you'll be covering in first year and gain some understanding of the basic concepts. Apart from that, just stay on top of your work as soon as you get to university and it will soon become routine."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Working through problems","Just giving answers to questions is useless, they must be properly derived in order for students to learn","6th form was a lot more maths that was enjoyable and applicable to areas of study. Most of GCSE felt very pointless and made me forget i actually enjoy maths.","I had 2 teachers who were very different. One was awful. The good one focused on derivations and practising exercises in class.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Physics and Philosophy MSci","6th form made me realise i really loved maths and physics but as this was a new discovery i wasn't prepared to do a straight physics course so i choose philosophy as well","None (4th Year)","All of it has been maths that i will use in my phyiscs classes which is very different from A-Level where it all had no use","Problem classes where we work through problems/homework with the lecturers.","Lectures where they just speak for a whole hour without any oppurunity for you to practise steps along the way. Maths tution should always be interactive","No",null,"No",null,null,"Keep your old mathas work becuase you never know what will be usefull at university level (eg trigonometric identities). Keep up the practice of doing many evercises to hone your skills"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I really enjoyed it and was good at it.","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I enjoy the pure maths more than the optional modules that were taken.  In particular I enjoyed differentiation which I have carried through to university and use regularly.","I didn't enjoy the coursework and didn't feel that it furthered my understanding of mathematics.","I don't think there was a huge difference, just more independent study, homework  and practice questions in sixth form.","Lessons and then homework, pretty much the same as through the rest of school but with more independent work.  ",null,null,null,"Bristol","Chemical Physics","Chemical Physics is a combination of Chemistry, Maths and Physics, the subjects that I took at A2 level.  I enjoyed all of these subjects and didn't want to choose between them at university.","I have just started my fourth year, last year I had no mathematical units, but did study Quantum mechanics through physics.  The maths that I do is applied to Physics and Chemistry.","This maths is much more difficult so is not always understood straight away like in school.  So there is more independent study and much more time is needed to cement new ideas.","I enjoy being taught in lectures and then going away and doing practice questions and going over everything by myself or discussing with friends.","It sometimes feels as though we are really thrown in in the deep end so more teaching would be good.  ","No",null,"No","No",null,"Be prepared for a shock, there is a huge jump from A levels to university study but as long as you keep on top of everything and ask for help when you need it you should be fine.  And don't just think you can do your exams and then forget about everything you've learnt just because you have taken the exam, that's not how university works."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Working on interesting problems.","More challenging problems.","Not overly different, sixth form study required a little more practice.","Very good overall.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Mathematics and Physics Bsc","Because I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to do in my career, and I knew I enjoyed and was good at Mathematics and Physics.","Calculus at level 5,\nApplied Partial Differential Equations at level 5,\nOrdinary Differential Equations at level 5.","Very different. University is much more self-taught, and this can be difficult to get the hang of if you're used to not having to work very hard to do well.","The mathematics lectures often do very good notes for the courses.","More contact time.","No",null,"Yes","No","There was an optional \"Maths Cafe\", in which people could go to the lecturer at a set time and ask questions about the course or problem sheets. ","If you are going to do an analysis unit, buy and read an analysis book, and practice proving theorems. "]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","I like calculus, so the calculus part of maths was interesting to me.",null,"I didn't work hard for GCSE's at all, as I wasn't motivated because I didn't know what I wanted to do. When I got to A level, I was more motivated to work as I had a specific goal; getting into university.","More relaxed, more of what you learn is up to you.","A tutor came into my school and gave a 1 hour tutorial every week. It was mainly based around STEP maths, and for those not taking the STEP exam, sometimes other more interesting ideas were placed infront of us. It was extremely helpful.","Much more interesting. As I'm doing physics at university, the teacher would tailor maths problems towards a physics side, so I would find the problems suited me better.",null,"Bristol","MSci Physics","Because physics is the only academic subject I find interesting. I enjoy working on problems about the phenomena of the universe. ","I took the extra maths option within the mathematics department, so I studied analysis, linear algebra & geometry and calculus.","Much less material covered in the lectures. Often I would go back to look over notes and find massive chunks of information missing from the lectures, so a lot more personal reading is needed.",null,"Less or no foreign lecturers, often people struggle to understand lecturers who can't speak clear english. Which at a university level teaching course, can be disastrous.\nMore information about the courses given before the option to change courses arises.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Tutorial groups once a week were made in the first year.","Make sure you read up thoroughly on the course you are going to take. If there are any parts of it that don't seem to suit you, read up on these as much as you can, as it could make the difference between a pass or fail of the year.\n\nMaths at university is completely different to that at A level, it is a lot more abstract and challenging. Nothing is spoon fed to you like at A level so you have to love what you're doing to get a good grade."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","I really enjoyed the interaction you could have with the teachers. Since the classes were generally small it was easy for each member of the class to get to know the teacher, and vice versa. This made the classes very personal as you could talk easily with the teacher. It was thoroughly more enjoyable in comparison to the large lectures at University.","I would not change any aspect of the actual teaching I received during Sixth Form. The only thing I would change is to provide more resources (much like the online resources offered at University, such as course booklets, problem booklets etc).","A lot more enjoyable - you got to know the teachers a lot better and thus built relationships with them which made lessons a lot more interesting and fun. Furthermore, the teachers actually treated you as adults in Sixth Form as it was your choice to be there, and you were respected if you took an interest in your own learning and strived to excel in the subject.","Hands-on, personal, interesting and fun. It focused heavily on introducing a new concept each lesson, discussing it with the class (including asking the class to complete examples in front of the class and to answer questions throughout the explanation), and then using the remainder of the lesson and homework to reinforce the introduced concept with examples and problems. These would then be marked and discussed at the beginning of the following lesson.","N/A","N/A",null,"University of Bristol","BSc Physics","I originally decided to study an MSci in Mathematics. However during the first term I decided to switch to an MSci in Physics, and deferred the year. This was mainly because I found University level Mathematics very different to the Mathematics I had studied at A Level. For me, it was very dull, involving many proofs and lots of abstract mathematics with little practical use. The teaching was also extremely different and I found I did not enjoy it. This combined with not enjoying the University Halls I was living in, and personal problems, led to my decision to defer the year and work until the beginning of the next academic year, and felt ready to tackle University again.\n\nUpon returning to University on an MSci Physics, I completed the first year enjoying it a lot more than my previous year. This was due to a combination of the content of the course having practical applications, a better teaching style, me having more interest in the modules studied, a much more enjoyable time in different University Halls, and generally feeling ready for living independently at University (as opposed to the year before).\n\nUpon entering second year, I fell ill and was forced to defer another year due to medical reasons. This allowed me to explore some career options and complete a summer internship, however. I have now started back into my second year and feel a lot more grown up, mature, and ready to achieve my full potential in my course, in comparison to how I felt about the course previously. I decided to switch down to a BSc from an MSci as I do not feel the additional year will help me much in the career path I am likely to pursue (finance) and I am eager to complete my degree and graduate - after all I will be completing a 3 year course in 5 years.\n\nOverall, my choice of studying Physics was based on my interest in Science as a whole, and this combined with my strength lying in  Mathematics led me to believe that I could build upon my knowledge from A Level Physics in a course I found interesting and stimulating.","There was a lot of Mathematics in the first year of my Physics Course.\n\nI completed a Mathematics module called Calculus Methods, and a Physics Unit called Mathematics in Physics.\n\nSome of the topics covered included vectors, calculus, Fourier series, advanced integration and differentiation.","It is a lot more independent and the material is generally less \"user-friendly\". The content is explained rather quickly during lectures and not always that clearly. You are then required to complete problems throughout the year - and there are tutorials to discuss these problems. The format generally works okay but it is not as personal as during A Levels.\n\nHowever, I find the actual problems are not always that relevant and are not as useful as the could be in preparing you for exams. At A Level, the problems always started out with the basics in the first few, and then always geared towards exam style questions, ending with a couple of past exam questions to complete your understanding fully. I feel this would be a much better format at University.","I generally find the lectures quite dull and uninspiring. However, the notes provided are really good and compliment the lectures very well. The problems are okay but I feel they would benefit from being more \"exam-style oriented\". I enjoyed the multiple choice problems which had to be completed online each week - as these were useful in reinforcing the basics.","I would introduce classes/workshops with fewer students per class. This would allow a much more personal interaction. I would prefer these classes/workshops to NOT just be used for tackling problems and discussing the answers, but actually to deliver new material and go over older material - as similar to A Level as possible.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","The available support consisted of lectures, tutorials, online problem sessions, problem sheets, detailed notes, past exam papers and general help from teachers if requested.","Yes. I personally found a degree in Mathematics VERY different to A Level Mathematics - both in content and teaching style. I would advise any potential undergraduate to fully research their degree choices beforehand to ensure it is what they expect/wish to study.\n\nAs for mathematical preparation, I would advised students to keep their maths up to speed over the summer, and try to buy the books required for the course beforehand, so you can do some preparation. If the mathematics is not on form when beginning University, it can be a very big jump up depending on what previous maths knowledge you are building on."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","The introduction of more problem based learning","I would prefer to have a bit more material covered at A level. When I got to university I found a few modules quite hard (particularly Analysis and Linear Algebra & Geometry), because it was the first time I was being introduced to them and the pace was quick right from the beginning.","The learning rate is SO much faster at A level. GCSE maths is a bit of a joke in comparison.",{"$nulls":4},"University of Bristol","Physics MSci","I enjoy it and it's a highly employable degree.","Analysis\nLinear Algebra & Geometry\nCalculus\nComputational Mathematics","Obviously the teaching is completely different at university, being lecture based. The content is also completely different, being a lot more pure than at A level. I've really enjoyed learning it though.","The quick pace keeps you on your toes and means you don't ever really get bored of a particular subject because you don't have time!","I would like there to be sets of non-compulsory practise questions available alongside the homework so that it would be easier to practise the things I'm not so good at.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","In the first year, everyone has a tutorial with a PHD student for each module of maths.","I'd advise them to find out what modules they'll be taking in the first year, pick up a couple of text books and work through some questions. That would have made it a hell of a lot easier, because at university if you're slightly behind you don't often have time to catch up."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","It was challenging","nothing","It wasn't all laid out for you to follow you had to work things out on your own","Almost lecture like with the teacher writing on the board and then be there to ask questions",null,null,null,"Bristol university ","Chemical physics with an Industrial Placement","I enjoyed both Chemistry and Physics and it had the option to have a year in industry which is important experience","Maths for physics:vector calculus, integrating a surface area\nCalculus: differentiation, integration, binomial expansion, hyperbolic functions","More self study","The work at a good speed encouraging me to work all the time to keep up","Have more exercises to work through","No",null,"No",null,null,"Look for what the textbook is that you need and start working a bit during the summer"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I enjoyed maths at GCSE (as well as being good at it)","2007-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Enjoyed a wider scope of mathematics, such as statistics as well as the core subjects.",null,"Sixth form study was much more relaxed, but focused rather on your own desire to work rather than being made to study the subject. Much more emphasis was given on personal study time.","More relaxed, as the teachers understood you wanted to study the subject. Teaching was much more about being treated as young adults with responsibilities rather than children that had to do what you were told.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Physics MSci","Because I wanted to learn more about the world around us, and enjoyed logical thinking found in mathematics but wanted a more physical interpretation of it.","This year has only just begun, but in my previous three years there was a dedicated mathematics module for physicists teaching the necessary topics needed such as statistics, complex manipulations, integration in all forms (line, space, volume) ","Lectures are just stated, and it is up to yourself to ask questions if youdo not understand or to seek further help personally.","It is very thorough and the mathematical concepts taught are very well learnt when refreshed in a physical context.","Style of teaching differs from course to course and sometimes the content can be much to overwhelming to understand in the short time frame involved.","Yes","There were some video lectures available for Mechanics","Yes","No",null,"It is advisable to not forget skills learnt at A level, especially if you are to take a gap year as it is a long time to recall previous knowledge over."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","The teachers were lenient enough for everyone to have a laugh whilst at the same time being very informative.","Can't think of any.","Not very much.  I did IGCSE in year 10 and then did Additional Maths, so the teaching was always quite intense.","Lots of information given and then plenty of time spent allowing us to do problems on our own.",null,null,null,"Bristol","Physics with Astrophysics","I was good at Physics and unsure of my career path.","The year just started.  Last year involved Dirac Delta Functions, Fourier Series and Transforms, Statistics and Probability, Differential Equations (Partial, First and Second Order).","Now we just receive the information, and are left to practise and do problems on our own without guidance during.","It's quite efficient.","Our progress can't be routinely checked up on as we are not handing in problems sheets etc.","No",null,"No",null,null,"If you're doing an engineering or physics degree, make sure you have as much mechanics experience as possible.  Statistics is useful to know in any scientific or technical degree and a knowledge of core maths is expected."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Well structured lessons","I wouldnt, i loved my teacher","More in depth and better structure to lessons","more personal",null,null,null,"Bristol","Physics","I enjoy physics","Basically further maths and a little beyond","More difficult and impersonal","straightforward note taking system, useful for revision","better tutorials","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Not really, just relax and it'll be fine"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Neither teacher used slide shows to teach maths, which I found very helpful.",null,"There were less people who were just messing about in the lessons, which was nice.\nAt 6th form it became more about the actual maths rather than just getting people to pass with grades that would make the school look good.","A bit like lecturing, the teacher would speak and we would copy what they wrote while listening.\nIt was a bit different from lecturing as questions during an explaination didn't really disrupt and seemed more acceptable.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Chemical Physics BSc","I liked the fact that it would combine 3 of my favourite subjects, while removing the parts of the course I found troublesome (e.g. organic chemistry wasn't part of my timetable after 1st year)","This year I do not undertake any specific mathematical modules, rather I use techniques learnt in my subjects","Less questions were asked, and the workshops where we went over problem sheets weren't as helpful as they were in college.","I liked the lack of slideshows in 1st year","I did not approve of the way statistics was taught in 2nd year, using nearly 100 slides every lecture","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Try not to forget everything. If you found anything challenging, just look over it every once in a while over summer. 4/5 months is a long time to forget everyting."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Because I did so much maths, our class and our teachers were like a big family.","Nothing. I really loved maths at 6th form.","It was a more challenging level. GCSE maths was quite boring because it didn't stretch us, but at A level, the problems were longer and you had to use multiple technques to answer questions. It felt a bit like being a detective.","Informal, relaxed, we dictated the pace and more collaborative, as a class, than GCSE.",null,null,null,"Bristol","Physics and Philosophy","I wanted to study physics, but thought I would miss writing essays, and arts subects, so took up philosophy as well","Last year - maths 1A20, and maths for physics. This year - mathematical physics (stats and vectors). Maths 1A20 was essentially the further maths course.","more lectures, fewer classes. Collaborate as much with friends as I ever did during school (quite a lot)","Working to solve problems as part of a group","There would be more opportunity to chat about the problems with lecturers/post grads.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Take further maths, rather than single maths at A level. It makes the transition really easy."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Great teacher.","Text books for the new Edexcel FP1 & FP2 units were not published untill shortly before taking the exams and the specimen exam papers were useless.\nHaving proper learning resources from the beginning of the year would have been very helpful! ","Smaller group (since further maths) therefore we worked far more as a group and were able to help each other on problems really effectively. Also got to know our teachers a lot better which was really good. Had more time timetabled for maths, so we were really focussed on it all the time. ","Friendly, lots of contact time, lots of practice questions.",null,null,null,"Bristol","Physics with a year in Industry","Always enjoyed physics. Purest practical application of maths. Want to peruse a career in physics research.","Lots of vector calculus - Stokes theorem etc\nStatistics - distributions, statistical significance, convolution etc\nDirac delta functions\nFourier transforms\nSeries Solution of Differential Equations","Impersonal - large lecture sizes, few practice questions, less support when you have difficulties. Inconsistent lecturing styles.","None!","More practice questions, more work in small groups, more contact with lecturers","No",null,"No",null,null,"Keep practising maths during the summer, as you aren't given much time to get back up to speed when you arrive at uni."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","I enjoyed the challenge, there was certainly a transition to be made, but once you'd got there, I started to really appreciate working hard to understand something.","Although many seem to think teaching around the subject is a waste of time and draws focus away from what you actually need to know, I find it to be a fantastic way to broaden your ability to answer questions in mathematics in a more general fashion and prepare one better for further study at university, as well as act as a point of natural interest for keen students.","In terms of teaching, there was a large fuss made about \"independent study\" and a larger degree of flexibility when making the transition, but in fact I noticed very little difference indeed, the teaching was almost identical and rightly or not, we weren't at all made to feel the \"grown-ups\" the authorities claimed us to be. In terms of learning, all that can be said that a lot more of it was required in the sixth form! ","The style of teaching was unexpectedly formal and strict.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Mathematics & Physics","I had a keen interest for both subjects - but particularly applied mathematics such as calculus and mechanics and this course seemed the perfect choice to keep my options open and get the greatest number of modules I enjoyed doing.",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","1999-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Smaller class sizes for the Further Maths.","Spread the classes out more. I had quadruple Maths on a Monday morning (9 to 12:30).","More self directed study.","Similar to GCSE. ",null,null,null,"UWE","Mathematics","I want to become a Maths teacher.","Statistical Modelling\nNumerical Methods\nApplications of Mathematics\nVector Calculus and Complex Methods\nCombinatorics, Networks and Graph Theory \nThese are all level 2 modules","Very self directed.","The large amount of handouts we get - including extra reading and suggestions for even reading around subjects we're interested in.","More tutorials and smaller tutorial groups","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Expresso Maths (a drop in session held every day with lecturers).\n","Be aware that the more you put into university the more you get out. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2006-06-01","AS F Mathematics","Small class (only 4 in A2/AS further) was a good atmosphere and was easy to ask questions etc","more of an introduction to mathematical software, e.g matlab or maple","Sixth form study slightly more relaxed, especially in small classes, more of a lecture style with exercises to be done as homework rather than in class.","combination of lecturing and practical teaching time.",null,null,null,"University of the West of England","BSc Mathematics","Maths has always been the subject I most enjoyed and got the best marks in.","I am in the third year of a maths degree so I have covered a wide range of mathematical, statistical and operations research modules from calculus to linear algebra to numerical analysis, partial differential equations, mathematical biology, symmetry, discrete maths, decision analysis, probability theory, statistical inference etc.","You attend lectures but it is down to you to go over examples and exercises and to ensure you have understood the material before the next lecture rather than being led through it in sixth form.","smaller classes where you get the opportunity to get to know the whole group and learn from each other as well as knowing the lecturer better","In modukles which involve computer lab sessions and programming have smaller groups","No",null,"Yes","Yes","a 'drop in' session every day manned by a member of the maths/stats faculty where you can go and ask any questions.","get used to completing homework outside of the lectures and checking your answers against solutions even if it is never collected in."]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","1996-06-01","A Level Mathematics","I enjoyed the calculus aspects and the derivation of this from first principles.","At the end of our calculus course we were introduced to more difficult forms of integration (by parts/substitution), but there was very little explanation of this.","There was not much difference between our GCSE and A Level teaching.","Very much standard school teaching, little different to GCSE.",null,null,null,"UWE","Mathematics","After a long break from academia I became interested in studying again. Having read some popular science books on mathematics and taking some Open University modules I decided that I wanted to study Mathematics further.","Mathematical Methods (partial differentiation/linear boundary value problems)\nDiscrete Maths\nStatistical Methods\nStatistical Science\nModelling Data and Systems over time\nNumerical Methods","There is much less reliance on just learning given formulae and numerical number crunching. Much more a mode of thought and learning to solve problems from first principles.","I enjoy the way in which we are introduced to mathematical concepts and then build on them in a logical way to form methods of solving problems.","More feedback throughout the course of the year would be useful.","Yes","Worksheets were provided to aid memory and support those who had not covered some required techniques.","Yes","Yes","We have both Peer Assisted Learning (which I was in involved as a PAL leader) in the first year, and 'Espresso Maths' which is a freely available service provided by academics providing support with maths problems.","The step between A Level and Uni is less of an academic one and more of a way of studying. Don't expect just to do the minimum and get by, to do well you need to put lots of extra work in and most of this will have to be self motivated."]
["NON fmsp","B","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics",{"$nulls":7},"UWE","Statistics","Subject is of high interest",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2006-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Working through the material at the pace of the class","see the application of the mathematics more","I found the teaching from GCSE to Alevel was the same, apart from the class size wa a lot smaller. I found there was a large jump in the diffulty, which put me of maths and led me to delaying my choice to study maths at uni for 2 years until I got bored of working","The style is explaining whilst making sure the class understands and then working through examples",null,null,null,"University of the West of England","Economics and Applied Mathematics","I had always planned to study maths, but as I found the Alevel hard I thought I couldn't handle a full maths degree. So I chose to do a joint honours with economics, which I I chose as I did well in this at my Alevel. Once getting to uni I found the maths was actually pretty easy so I probably could of studied full maths","decision modelling\nfinancial maths\nmultivariate statistcs","Whe the material is taught, the lecturer does not check people understand throughout the lecture because of the class size. Many lectures talk too fast and jump around the subject, making it hard to understand. The quality of teaching was much better at Alevel as they seemed more in touch with the way people learn. Whereas lecturers have a great understanding of the subject but find it hard to relay to the students. The actual material is easier than at Alevel, there isn't a big jump from Alevel. The big jump is from GCSE to Alevel. The big jump from Alevel to degree is a large fall in teaching quality.","I get to see the applications. I enjoy the tutorials where we get to try examples.","The lecturere improve their teaching ability","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Peer Assisted Learning\nespresso maths where anyone in the university can drop in to get help","Attend all your lectures and tutorials"]
["NON fmsp","A","a combination of being good at gcse, important qualification for future and my parents encouraged me","2009-06-01","A2 maths and AS further maths","the teachers were both very good. I'd say i enjoyed stats the most",null,"You werent told to do your homework. if you didnt do it, the teachers were mad but dont do anything about it and just tell you youre cheating yourself. For maths I felt homework definitely had to be done everytime it was set, i wouldnt have achieved my grade if i didnt do it. in gcse i got my grade without doing much homework, this was a big change. The amount of homework also increased.","it wasnt interactive, it was very traditional int he way that the work was exxplained via a whiteboard, then you had to do excercises. I preferred though.",null,null,null,"UWE","Mathematics","Because i gained an A at A level and thought it would be good for future job prospects","statistics\nproblem solving\ndecision analysis and modelling\nstructure of mathematics\ncalculus\nLinear Algebra","obviously theres the lectures which are being taught to many more people at once rather than a classroom. Its now a lot more technical with using programmes such as Maple, Excel and SPSS","I enjoy it if the teaching of it is right. some lecturers are very monotone, which leads me to drifting off very quickly.","non monotone voices","Yes","UWE gave me access to a few worksheets containig triganometry questions and some calculus questions to top up our memory. it wasnt anything I hadnt learned at sixth form though.","Yes","Yes","there is a drop in centre called espresso maths which is open every lunchtime for 2 hours and you can go there with any queries regarding maths. Also uwe bought into the helm network which we could access online and there was exercises and tutroials that you could complete on there ","I definitely recommend having done at Fruther Maths AS. and as uwe indicated, top up on your trigonometry and calculus before starting as this is used ALL the time"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The teachers, they were great","I'd have preferred if a student teacher hadn't taken over for a few weeks as part of their training","Less memory, more understanding and application","Less formal",null,null,null,"UWE","BSc (Hons) Mathematics","I'm good at Maths, and it has a lot of applications so I wasn't limiting my career options too much.","Too much to write here: pretty much covered everything I'd expected, plus a few things I'd never heard of before the course.","More formal, more self learning (ie, you don't go through masses of questions during contact time: it's expected that you practice the application of the knowledge in your own time).","Having the lecture notes online - if I can't make it in, I loose my own notes, or just to check that I haven't missed anything. Very useful (sadly not all lecturers do this though).","I would like the lecture notes to always been available online!","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Read (or re-read) up on the basics of your course (for example in maths, trig identities/integration and differentiation etc etc). It's easy to forget a lot over the summer between the A level exams and the start of the course - it caught out a few people that I know of, who then struggled."]
["NON fmsp","A","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Lots of tutorial time ","Rushed through syllabus","greater workload","More personal",null,null,null,"University of the West of England","Computing and Mathematics","It studied both computing and maths so I thought it would give me a wider range of skills. \nAppealing course to employers.\nAllowed for placement year.\nInterested in both Maths and Programming","year 1\nCalculus\nLinear Algebra\nStatistical Reasoning\n\nyear 2\nNumerical Methods\nSimulation and Operational Research\nStatistical Modelling","Very little interaction with tutors, more self-learning.\nHarder content.\nVery fast paced.","Study topics in large lectures then work on topics in small tutorial groups ","Slow down the pace.","No",null,"Yes","Yes","Accesed HELM material","Plam your time wisely and work on problems with your coursemates"]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Fruquent feedback ensuring that if questions were incorrect and I didn't understand why there was help. ","More pracitce questions at a similar level to the exam question. ","Not much in my case as my teachers were the same and there was little change in the style. Other that less time was wasted on class control becuase all the students were interested in the subject. So prtogression was faster. ","The methods were taught with examples then the class tried examples which helped highlight any common problems with understanding. However too much time was spent learning the basics of each and not enough on the more challenging aspects.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil and Architectural Engineering","Initially I started studying physics however after a year I found it very uninspiring and I didn't feel that what I was learning had any economic value. Now I feel what I am learning has value and people will be willing to pay for the skills I have devloped. Therefore I now feel my job prospects have improved. ","Matrices and differntial equationsm","It seems generally maths is taught with a lot more real world examples. Which can be really helpful. However frequently complicates and confuses the prolem unessacarily.","It is more challenging and intresting. With more time spent labouring the most difficult aspects. ","I would appriciate a more enthusiastic delivery and a more simplist inital approach. As frequently things are over explained making it appear more complex that it actually is.","No",null,"Yes","No","I have not yet felt it  was needed as most of what has been cover was in my A level further maths course, and if I do need help I live with maths students so for me it would seem silly to not use that resource first.  ","Ensure that they fully grasp and remeber all the concepts covereds at A level so that are ready to start at university as this knowledge will be assummed."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","The clear defined syllabus and the ease of understanding AS and A2 Levels Mathematics thanks to learning F. Mathematics.","Defining the syllabus clearly at the start of the lectures, making sure that there is enough examples and exercises for self study and tutorial sessions to explain them for students with difficulty.","The learning pace quickened considerably and the time spent on solving questions and teaching in class was cut down a lot as well. ","Well guided, at a slow and manageable pace. The smaller classes make it feel more personalised and less \"distance\" between the lecturers and students in class.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","Civil engineers are somewhat lacked in my country and the other forms of engineering either do not interest me or are hard to practise well in my country.","Differential Equations.","It is more abstract and more linked to the real life world, where we have to consider different  compared to the pure mathematics learnt in A levels.","Giving out lecture notes and availability of online resources are very handy.","Laying down the syllabus clearly and concisely.","No",null,"No",null,null,"For those who has not taken A levels, I would recommend taking F Math as it helped tremendously (I'm sorry I know this is irrelevant to the question). Students seeking to continue their studies in Mathematics-related courses should keep their A levels Mathematics notes for reference."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","IB - Mathematics SL","The exam","Increase the tempo, and decrease the amount of off-topic discussions.",{"$nulls":5},"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","I found it interesting and relevant to my interests","None, yet.","Haven't had maths yet.","Haven't had maths yet.","Haven't had maths yet.","No",null,"Yes","No","Haven't had maths yet."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Small class size",null,"more self study, wider range of problems. ","intimate, lots of practice questions",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","Interesting, good job prospects",null,"More self study",null,null,"No",null,"Yes","No","Not yet had to","Keep on top of work, make sure you understand everything, work on weak areas"]
["NON fmsp","A*","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics",{"$nulls":7},"Bath University","Civil Engineering","With an engineering degree, the skills and knowledge are useful in such a variety of careers.",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I enjoyed how the teachers did not work too fast and would help you out if you didn't understand","I would have more practice questions to do in your own time","It was similar but a bit more complicated, some of the ideas took longer to get your head around.","It was interactive keeping your attention at all times.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Architecture and Civil Engineering","I was not sure if I wanted to be a civil engineer or architect and Bath offered the only joint department of civil engineering and architecture in the country so appealed to me.","N/A","N/A","N/A","N/A","No",null,"No","No",null,"N/A"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Access to past papers","Lack of application of maths into real life situations","It became more advanced, faster paced and more self study was required","We were taught a method, then shown an example and then we practiced the method.",null,null,null,"Bath","Civil engineering","I like the focus on efficiency and sustainability at Bath as well as the campus being compact and the good sports facilities","I have done some basic mechanics but the main maths module is in the second semester","I can't really explain this yet","As above","As above","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Good mental arithmetic will enable you to understand and keep up with lectures more easily. "]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Exam style questions asked in class","Spend less time on graph sketching","I found sixth form study easier than GCSE as I had more flexibility as to the hours of study (due to free periods) so when a lesson was taught I felt more fresh so I could take in a lot more, and learn a lot better. I found GCSEs harder than Alevels as there were 13 subjects at GCSE which were completely different, but only 4 at Alevel which had some overlap. ","Relaxed, the teachers let the student take more control of their learning so we could specify which areas we preferred to concentrate more on.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","I liked how maths and physics were both used in a practical sense in order to build structures which are used on a day to day basis. I liked the idea of how something I learned since primary school could be advanced to help acheive this.","Structural analysis (Structures 1a) - mostly maths mechanics ","There are less questions to practice the theory on in my course, where as at Alevel after each lesson we were given sheets of questions to further consolidate the material learned during the lesson.","Even the most obvious steps in solving a problem are explained. This helps greatly as sometimes people do not pick up on obvious steps so start a problem in a completely different direction which could lead to the problem not being solved.","Spend a few minutes each lecture going through the key concepts of last lecture.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Keep in touch with the work they have done. Just because Alevel is over, does not mean some concepts learned then will not come up during the degree. If you don't keep in touch with the core subjects then you could forget how to do a method which you will be expected to know for university."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The large amount of exercises that were solved by the teachers.","I would prefer it if there were more hours of lessons a week, and the teachers moved through the syllabus at a slower pace.","There was a larger amount of material to learn, which was also harder.","It was a close relationship between students and teachers (which allowed students to better understand the syllabus)",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil engineering","I chose to study this course because I wanted to study a subject that incorporated both mathematics and physics, and because I wanted to study something that would allow to me to promote eco-friendly alternatives to everyday living.","Statics.","There are fewer exercises to solve and gain experience from.","The precise terminology and description.","I would give students more exercises to practice with.","No",null,"No",null,null,"They could start reading certain mathematics modules, so that they would understand the material that is being taught to them when they go to university."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2008-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The clear structure of the course. I liked knowing what I was learning, how this lead on from previous work, and what was coming next. It meant I could easily focus on really grasping a topic before being introduced to the next.",null,"More independent learning- i.e. given the concept and then having to work through examples and practices myself, instead of everything being worked through with a teacher. Lots more time to myself to learn in whatever way I preferred.","It was very thorough- every topic was covered in great detail and quite slowly, giving you time to absorb it and really practice it before moving on to the next topic.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","MEng Civil Engineering","I started university on a General Engineering course. I was attracted to this by my love of physics, maths, technology and the practical applications of the subjects I was studying at school. After a year of general, I switched to Civil as I found I was very much enjoying structural engineering. I loved to find out about how building and bridges were built and maintained, and I felt confident in the area- I felt I could do the subject!","Partial Differentiation\nOrdinary Differential Equations","The material is related directly to my civil engineering course- the application of the maths is integral in the lectures.\nThe theory is roughly presented to us, and we must then take the responsibility to actually learn it and practice it so we can do it ourselves. We are not spoon-fed examples, practices and revision. ","I love that it is so strongly linked to my civil engineering course. It is therefore clear to me why I am learning the content I am, and what I will be using this knowledge for in the future, both in my degree and in my career.","I learn by practicing, and I do not receive enough examples to practice. I find it hard to grasp new theory immediately in a lecture, and without being able to go away and try multiple examples by myself, I never feel I have a strong grip on the topic. Because of the vastly different ways that maths is taught and presented, it is very difficult to go out and find examples for myself for example in textbooks.","Yes","I completed the Best Maths course run by Loughborough University in my gap year. This contained a lot of the Further Maths A-Level course which I did not complete at school, but which many of my peers at university have completed. It helped bring me up to their level of understanding of certain topics, and also helped me keep up my maths over the year between school and university.","No",null,null,"Find out what topics you will be covering in the first term or so of university. You don't need to teach yourself them, but because the style of teaching and learning is so different in university, having just a vague idea of what it is you are being lectured on helps the transition, and takes some pressure off simultaneously adapting to the new lifestyle and way of learning as well as actually learning the material!"]
["NON fmsp","B","Studied maths on an Access Course for Civil Engineering","2011-06-01","Access to Higher Education","Starting off with straightforward examples and gradually progressing to more complex examples, especially in Calculus. Plenty of opportunity to repeat things if neccessary as lessons were three hours long (with a 10 min break in the middle!).","I was very happy with the Access course.","I took 'O' levels in 1987 and the Access course differed considerably from my school memories! More relaxed and focused - we all wanted to be there.","N/A -I did not originally attend sixth form.",null,null,null,"Bath","MEng Civil Engineering","I have been something of a property entrepreneur for many years alongside my previous career at HSBC. I purchased a building plot in France and constructed a house entirely from scratch in 2005; during this process I became interested in all aspects of the development, including infrastructure,  land and water management issues in addition to the planning and building of the house itself. I decided that I wished to change my career from Banking to Civil Engineering.","To date, Trigonometry and Algebraic equations have dominated in Structures and Building Environment.","The lecture is a very different animal to the lesson; I feel as if I am in a crowd instead of a class and this will take some getting used to. It is clearly up to us to perform and manage our own time outside of the formal learning environment.","There are still opportunities to ask questions.","Longer lecture times, or more of them as I have so far found the pace of lectures to be too fast to be enjoyable: I think too much content is crammed into 50 minutes.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Keep revising - don't lose touch with it."]
["NON fmsp","A*","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Specific worked examples to show the techniques used and the expected presentation.","Less parrot learning, such as just learning a formula for a particular topic.","Sixth form required more time and effort in order to understand the topics.","Similar to most school lessons - shown a topic then do questions on that topic, then repeat.",null,null,null,"Bath","Civil Engineering","Mainly to follow my interests of construction and buildings, using a practical application of mathematics to make a positive change.",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2010-06-01","Foundation year",{"$nulls":7},"Bath","civil eng.","Family business ",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","Important qualification for future job opportunities","2011-06-01","AS F Mathematics","The use of interactive whiteboards sped up the teaching, and because we were learning quickly I enjoyed the maths and didn't get bored.","In my school, students weren't aware of the modules on offer to them (unless you did Further Maths), everyone (and there were a lot of people) was taught the same modules and it was a bit like a production line.  Some students would have benefited from being offered the different modules as some struggled with statistics and didn't realise they could do a different mechanics module instead and vice versa.","Sixth form study required a lot more individual work.  GCSE required just remembering patterns and applying them to questions which were predictable.  Sixth form was much more difficult and students who didn't put the work in fell behind much more than they did at GCSE.","The style of teaching was almost like a cross over between GCSE and University.  Lessons were run like lectures, but everyone was given time to copy down all the notes word for word and answer questions.  The teaching was very supportive as everyone felt they could approach the teachers at any time and they would help.",null,null,null,"Bath","Civil Engineering","I have always been a very practical person and enjoy designing.  I felt that civil engineering would give me the opportunity to explore science and maths to a further level, whilst also developing designing skills.  With a degree in Civil Engineering I feel that my job prospects are good and it is a degree that opens many doors.","Structures which has A level standard mechanics and university standard, introducing new difficulties and topics.","The uni course moves a lot faster.  If I don't understand something midway through a lecture, I sometimes don't have time to appreciate that I'm confused and ask the lecturer before they've moved onto something else; which normally requires understanding of what I don't understand.  The pace is a lot quicker and it means that I have to spend a lot of extra time trying to work things out.","The way that the lecturers speak openly and freely to you, as then you find it easier to listen.","Smaller tutorial groups would be better as then more people would be willing to ask questions.","No",null,"No","No",null,"Keep up the maths in the summer, and ensure you know and understand what maths will be relevant at university."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 Further Mathematics","constant mathematical exercises","none","teaching is better in sixth form as there are smaller groups of students, not afraid or shy to ask questions\n\nlearning is better in gcse as the material taught are a lot less difficult and are still able to be imagined","taken very good care of, constant reminder, constant practices, fun, enjoyable",null,null,null,"University of Bath","MEng in Civil and Architectural Engineering","I was given a choice to this course instead of Architecture. After a lot of reading and researching, I found this course to be interesting and decided to give it a try.","Matrixes, Algebra, Differentiation + Further, Integration + Further, Complex Numbers","Very fast, a topic finishes in two to three hours while during A Levels it will have taken one to two weeks (50 mins per day), lecturer sometimes goes off topic or did not answer student's question exactly","the tutorial sheets","lecture notes, slides, lecturer","No",null,"No",null,null,"Don't throw away A Level notes; IT IS VERY ESSENTIAL!!"]
["NON fmsp","A","I wasn't allowed to drop maths in my school, but I would have taken it anyway","2011-06-01","Reifepruefung/Austrian Matura with a written exam in maths","I enjoyed working out the correct solution. In many other subjects there were often several solutions but in maths there was (nearly) always only one. It helped me a lot that I could then work out whether it was right or wrong which made me simply enjoy doing a lot of the examples, especially of course when my solution was correct. ","I found it too slow sometimes but this was due to the fact that we all had to take maths, even people who were very bad at it/didn't want to take it. ","I didn't take A levels",{"$nulls":4},"Bath","Civil Engineering","I chose civil engineering because I was always good at maths and also enjoyed it a lot. However, I didn't want to do any theoretical maths anymore because we did a lot of this in school. I wanted to be able to see what effect the solutions had a on real life things such as buildings and bridges. I wanted there to be more of a point to doing all the examples. ",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Being challenged so that when I answered a question correctly I felt a sense of achievement.","More worked through examples.","A big step up in the difficulty.","Informal",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil and Architectural Engineering","I have always liked maths and like applying it to real life situations.","Structures lectures.","A lot less one-to-one teacher-student communication. Expected to do more in own time independently.","Working through examples.","None.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Read over notes over the summer to keep the info fresh in your mind so that you can develop it easily once you get to uni without having to start from scratch."]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","AS Mathematics",{"$nulls":7},"University of Bath","Civil Engineering ","Interested with buildings ",{"$nulls":4},"Yes"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","personal teaching - with such small classes, it was easy to ask questions and find out what you didn't understand.","Derivations - these were barely taught in my A-Level, which leaves me with only a very vague understanding.","Pace - the speed and difficulty of that which was being taught was far greater than GSCE.","Semi-Independent - You were expected to do some work outside of class, but the emphasis was still on teaching.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","Personal interests and it tied in with my A-Level subjects.","Structures 1A - Simple mechanics","Greater emphasis on self study - an introduction to a subject area, brief description and examples followed by tutorial questions.","Simple derivation and notes - very concise and easy to pick up","Smaller tutorials - gives the chance to ask more questions and get more specific teaching.","No",null,"No",null,null,"Keep the A-level content in your head - it definitely beats having to re-learn everything all over again. Get used to self teaching if you can too."]
["NON fmsp","B","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2010-06-01","A2 Mathematics","I enjoyed the Mechanics side to my course as it was relevant into the type of degree I was going into and therefore was a area of interest. I enjoyed having the modules in Mechanics and Statistics as it broke up the core modules.\nThe teaching was good as we had an assessment at the end of each lesson which was based on the knowledge learnt in the class, but tested our application to relevant exam questions.","We had coursework in the second year, I felt that this wasn't really necessary and I can't say I gained valuable knowledge from it. I believe that the excessive time spent on this work would have been better spent on the core subjects.","A levels seemed a lot more intense. I myself unfortunately broke my leg in GCSE year and missed 6 months of school and hence only achieving a grade B. The step up from GCSE maths came as quite a surprise at the start of the course but perhaps this was because of my injury's effect on maths. I settled into the course after time and adapted to the new style of questions through practice.","The style of teaching was based on teaching the basics, going through examples and then completing exercises. This I believe was an effective way of learning as there was a clear transition between stages. As time went by through the class you built up the knowledge and momentum to tackle more challenging questions.",null,null,null,"University Of Bath","Civil Engineering","I chose to study this course as I have an interest in the world of construction. I have always enjoyed Maths and therefore this was a course where I could use maths with a practical purpose. I am also quite a creative person and hence the designing elements mixed with the maths behind it was a perfect balance for me.","There were quite a few new elements to Maths such as Imaginary numbers and matrices. Other topics such as differentiation and integration were just building on previous knowledge. ","Due to the scale of the classes, it is far more impersonal. You are left to your own devices and self learning. The pace was a lot faster I found too. University policy meant that past examination answers were not allowed to be seen and hence I found it difficult to see if I was on the right tracks when working on my own.","I enjoy seeing Maths come into a practical physical use. I enjoy the relevance of number crunching to my course and how you can gain crucial information through it. These ideas are referenced throughout the lectures and techniques are explained how they are used in real life situations along with in examples.","Sometimes if you do not understand a topic you feel a bit on your own as you are hidden behind a large class. Also due to the fast pace sometimes you can be left behind and hence struggle further. Because if you do not get the fundamental knowledge then building on that will be hard. If I could I would have smaller classes or smaller tutorials with small group slots where a more personal approach to issues can be seen.","No",null,"No","No",null,"Perhaps do some reading into the topics that will be covered during the course of the module so that you already know the fundamentals going into the lectures and will be less likely to be left behind. Also don't be afraid to speak out or go and speak to your lecturer if you have an issue of do not understand the topic."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics",null,null,"It was a little bit harder and more complex.",{"$nulls":4},"University of Bath","Civil and Architectural Engineering","Because it invovles using aspects that I enjoy doing.","Some Mechanics is involved in our structures module.","Not much.",null,null,"No",null,"No",null,null,"No"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2008-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Well structured, and fun teacher","If a pupil wants to be pushed further, do more modules, don't say they're not capable unless entirely sure.","Better at AS and A-level than GCSE, as you have fewer subjects and can concentrate on the ones you like / are good at.  The level of difficultly increases vastly but if the teaching is good, it's well within the grasp of the pupil to perform well and enjoy it.","Personal, organised and fun.",null,null,null,"University of Bristol","Physics and Philosophy","The blend of sciences and arts.  I knew I wanted a course with a lot of mathematical content, but felt I'd always need that 'break' from pure scientific analysis.  Hence the logical and philosophical arguments that arise in the other part of my course are a refreshing change.","Later in the year, I'm excited to do 'Methods of Theoretical Physics' where we'll learn some difficult mathematical theories etc. e.g. Lagrangian mechanics.  At present the quantum mechanics course, has high level maths but nothing requiring too much complicated algebra.","Very different to A2 maths, much of the FP3 module I encountered (containing matrices) is very useful for quantum representations of e.g. operators.\nThe difficult part of my course is applying the maths to real world physics.","1st year - total recap was useful (after taking a gap year).  With seminars and tutorials to go over material.  This meant everyone was at the same point at the beginning of the 2nd year.","More work on how to apply the maths to physics as the maths itself is not overly difficult.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Read a few light-hearted maths books / novels."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 Mathematics","Doing questions myself.","More background information.","Harder, but once you could do it you could do everything.","Same as GCSE.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","I want to become an engineer and help people.","Only used basic trigonometry and simultaneous equations (GCSE level) due to sharing modules with architects who aren't required to have A-Level maths.","It's easier. So far...","Examples.","I wouldn't really.","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Don't forget things, brush up before you go."]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","A2 F Mathematics","Smaller Classes than previous years which means learning is easier and accelerated","Put it into a more realistic circumstance. Many of the questions were not linked into a realistic situation in the real world and therefore did not test your understanding","Much less formal and better interaction between students and teachers","Less formal but more productive",null,null,null,"Bath ","Civil Engineering","Because it links in with subjects i enjoy and which i am interested in","Mathematics 1\nStructures\nThis is linked into a real life situation making it more interesting","Cover material in a much shorter time period with more outside learning at university","It's aplication to real life","Inclusion of some lectures in smaller groups if extra help is required","No",null,"Yes","No",null,"Read around for situations of how maths will develop during your university degree just to give you a small understanding of how you'll be doing it"]
["NON fmsp","A*","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2011-06-01","Advanced Level (European Baccalaureate)",{"$nulls":7},"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","Interested architecture, building and planning but mostly the mathematical aspects.",{"$nulls":4},"No",null,"Yes","No","Lecturers hold tutorial sessions and are always approachable if you have questions.","Revise old material."]
["NON fmsp","A","I wanted to study a Science/Tech/Engineering/Maths course at university","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics",{"$nulls":7},"Bath University","Civil Engineering (MEng)","I enjoy maths/physics and practical work and thoroughly enjoyed working for the local builder, helping him replace lintels etc.","So far it has been a recap of A-Levels to get everyone up to the same level.","A-level was more practical in terms of doing examples and past papers, where as uni is lecture based with examples to go through in your own time.",null,null,"No",null,"No"]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2009-06-01","A2 Mathematics","The teachers thoroughly went over topics until we knew them inside out. We were given loads of exercises to practice everything we were learning in class.",null,"The intensity increased in sixth form with more work to do. Although we were expected to do more work in our own time than GCSE, we were guided very well and thoroughly through it.","Not too different from GCSE. As mentioned before the intensity increased and so it was a matter of keeping up with the teachers. The speed and content in each lesson increased and so we had to grasp concepts quicker than before.",null,null,null,"University of Bath","Civil Engineering","I want to work in third world countries and help in the development there. There is a massive need for engineers there. I studied Maths and Physics for A-Level, I love practical applications and designing and building objects - engineering seemed to fit the bill.","Semester 1 of first year has required basic maths applications for most of the modules. The Structures module required a greater understanding of equilibrium (mechanics) and trigonometry.\nIn semester 2 we have an entire Maths module. So far it has mainly been A-level differentiation and integration with a number of new and further concepts.","The content has been taught very quickly and not very thoroughly. Notes are read from an overhead, instead of 'taught' to the class. Problem sheets with limited practice questions are given at the end of each lecture to practice these concepts.","The notes are pretty good - well described with a number of examples","More time and effort should be taken to 'teach' the content rather than just say what's on the overhead. I appreciate that everybody is a different levels of ability and for many, the content may seem very trivial. But for those who haven't covered certain material, it can be quite daunting to say the least.","No",null,"Yes","No","University of Bath has a support service called MASH. So far, I haven't needed their assistance.","I took 2 years out of education before embarking on my engineering course and so the main issue I have is remembering everything learnt at A-level. If i had come straight from school into first year of uni, I would find the maths much easier. \nI would advise A-level students to really try and understand what they are doing in class and not just doing because they have to. This makes it much easier to advance and make progress with these concepts at university."]
["NON fmsp","A","I felt I  was good at GCSE Mathematics and wanted to continue to study it.","2011-06-01","french baccalaureate Mathematics speciality",null,null,null,"french baccalaureate: slower and more topics to look at, so more general than university, but not as detailed.",null,null,null,"Bath University","Civil Engineering","I lived in Hong Kong, so was surrounded by skyscrapers all my life, and ended up really liking building things and designing buildings, but enjoyed the maths and physics more than the architecture part of building design.","We have worked on differentiation, integration, vectors and matrices.","more specific and in more details than for the baccalaureate. It also goes faster.",null,null,"No",null,"No"]

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