We’re excited to launch the first issue of our brand new monthly web-magazine for high-attaining Year 12 A level Mathematics students! SUMS (Steps to University for Mathematical Students) aims to encourage and support applications to university maths courses.
We know that girls are less likely to apply to universities to study maths, less likely to receive offers, and less likely to be successful in university admissions tests (particularly, but not exclusively, STEP). Because of this, we’ve slanted SUMS subtly towards girls, without making it so obvious that boys won’t also engage!
SUMS has a focus on raising aspirations. We realise, though, that students have very different starting points, so we’re including contributions from a wide range of institutions. Many of these encourage students to take an admissions test, and we’ll be highlighting the benefits of preparing for these from early on in Year 12.
It’s packed with lots of useful information and puzzles, including:
- Where can maths take you: interviews with maths graduates about their careers
- Preparing for university: the application process and preparing for admissions tests
- Studying at university: interviews with current students and tutors
- Do some maths: introductions to topics that students will meet at university and puzzles and problems for them to try now – students can submit their solutions for publication in future editions!
If you’re a teacher, please encourage your Year 12 A level Mathematics students to interact with SUMS, and especially to solve the puzzles and submit their solutions for publication. We’d also encourage teachers to subscribe to our mailing list to receive details of our girls-only enrichment days for Year 12 students, which will take place at various venues around the country in the spring term.