college / university subjects

[Simon J. Branford]

No: HPFGUIDX 5114

John wrote: "From what I remember when I looked at universities two years
ago (gawd, two years ago? I feel so OLD!), Social Sciences and Sciences tend
to be modular courses at all but the most hallowed institutions (read:
Oxford and Cambridge), and even some of those are modular."

I think that you can only do subjects with assessment by dissertation and
final exams in this part of the country. Some subjects have finals in two
parts, hint: I am one of these, which count for varying amounts of the final
grade (mine is 70% on part I and 30% on part II).

Do not worry John - it feels even worse when you get to the forth year,
especially when many of your friends leave and get jobs after three years.
The closest I could have come to something non-mathematical is if I had
taken the three-year equivalent of my course. If so I would have had to do
at least one 'other' paper (these consist of Mathematical Finance, History
of Mathematics, Philosophy of Mathematics, Astronomy, Mathematics in
Education and some others).


Carole wrote: "I think I like your system better, but chosing your track at
16 seems kind of scary!"

At the time I found little problem choosing, mathematics, chemistry and
physics (I bet that list was a shock to many!), but looking back I now wish
I had done some essay-based subject for A-Level. I think that being able to
write a few thousand coherent words on some subject is important and I doubt
I would have the clue where to start.

In the UK a new system of AS and A-Levels has (or is soon) to be introduced.
In this six subjects are studied to AS-Level (basically half an A-Level) and
then three are continued on to be full A-Levels. This is an effort to make
students study a much broader range of subjects up until 18. I am unsure how
someone now does the equivalent of 4 A-Levels under the old system - it
seems to be a recipe for leaving students with no free time and knowing even
less of the subjects they wish to study at university.


Dee wrote: "I for one don't understand the reasoning behind this (where on
earth in the computer field are you going to use the history of china unless
you go there?) but I agreed to it when I was attending Akron U."

Where in the real world would you use Analytic Topology, Spectral Analysis
with Functional Calculus and Function Spaces for Applications (there are
three subjects there and the third is my admission that applied mathematics
might exist)? Study mathematics and have no idea what jobs you might be able
to do when you finish!

Simon