Gap year maths course.

[Liz3]

Suggestions please for a good maths course to follow during a gap year to keep on the ball for university.

[Guest55]

Have all the Further Maths modules been studied? If not then that is a good place to start.

Is the degree course mainly pure, applied, decision or ...?

STEP papers and MAT papers also useful.

http://nrich.maths.org/secondary-upper" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has some good KS5 resources too.

Read some maths literature, attend London maths society popular lectures, ....

[solimum]

My DS1 did one of these during his Year in Industry Placement - I presume it was similar to this http://www.etrust.org.uk/business-training-maths-course" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which they are still offering, but I don't know if it is available more widely

[Liz3]

Great, the etrust course appears to be open to all, even unsuccessful, applicants to YinI.
It is unfortunate that they don't offer shorter placements so that students could experience a variety of work environments.

[Liz3]

The LUMEN course, Loughborough University Maths for Engineers course, open to all gap year students looks like the best bet, many thanks.

[Guest55]

What does it offer over self-study of units? It seems a bit over the top.

[moved]

Interestingly, we were recently told that YINI prior to university isn't the best route as companies want people with more knowledge and therefore don't give such interesting placements to post-A level students.

[solimum]

It depends on the child. My DS1 was young in the year (August birthday) and the YINI where he was living at home but having to get to work on time definitely helped him mature a lot - a much better work ethic than 6th form college where he had drifted somewhat. I'm sure having the YINI plans helped him get his deferred uni (mech eng) place on less brilliant A level results than he could perhaps have achieved. He made some good new friends (some of them Oxbridge-bound) during the placement which also helped his confidence. As some of them were living in rented accommodation away from home his social life became gradually more interesting and helped his growing independence (and our transition too!) . I think plunging straight from college to university might have been more difficult for him. Also he was able to build up some savings and on his 19th birthday flew off to Australia on his own for a month-long round-the-world back-packing trip he had planned himself. ...

(PS DS1 was on TV in University Challenge recently having got into the team in his last year of his PhD and greatly enjoyed himself! Parental preening moment...)

DD however is now doing a more conventional 3rd year placement (unpaid - grrr!) in pharmacology and in her case I would agree that she is able to make a much more useful contribution with 2 years of degree study behind her. Having seen her brothers move away to uni she was much more equipped to make that move herself and had no desire for a gap year, YINI, travel or anything else...

It also depends on the commitment of the firms and how well they are able to make the best use of the talents of the young people they take on. As is often said on this forum one size does not fit all, in schools, universities, subject choices or in placements. All we can share is what has worked - or not - for our own offspring

[Liz3]

The benefit of the LUMEN course is the confidence that the right material for engineering is being covered, the structure it provides for the less self disciplined, and the back-up of a tutor at the end of an email.
I'm sure the later (possibly additional) YinI generally provides more challenging interesting work, but a gap year to get a variety of experience and mature a bit must surely be a good thing.
Cam