Theoretical physics and mathematics!

Diamond007

Hi, just popping over from the UL thread with a quick question about the above course!

My brother is in LC and put this top of his CAO, I was just wondering how intense it was (how many hours a week, how much extra study recquired.. etc) as although he is very clever, he is very lazy.. I dont think it would suit him.

He will only have just turned 17 so he will be very young starting and the freedom and lifestyle could definitely lead him away from academics..

Whats this course like?

Thanks in advance

pisslips

Ah it's fine, it's actually much less hours than courses with labs etc.

If he just does his homework he'll be sure of a first at least in the first two years I suppose.

Sadly we don't all do our homework.

He can drink and socialise to his heart's content other than that, if he's able to do both.

Seriously though, there's not that much work.Most of the work is in the Maths though which I eventually dropped or more accurately got dropped by. I definitely wouldn't be put off by the work.

Though if he feels he is more interested in theoretical physics he might consider Trinity since he'll get to cover Quantum Field Theory and General Relativity in his undergrad.Though he'll have to do annoying experimental labs and the likes in the first two years anyway.
However I've no idea how a seventeen year old is supposed to decide on these things or even have any real idea on what they involve.

Definitely never decide to not do something because you don't think you'll be able to though, even if you think you have downsyndrome compared to your peers, chances are they just don't realise that they also have downsyndrome.

Socially it can be a bit crap, tell him that there'll be three people doing his course and probably non of them will be women but it's less than 15 hours a week.Maybe 20 if you want to work hard.

Also, he won't have to enter the library or read outside any of the module notes for three years if he doesn't want to and still understand everything.

What else........
Well I found particularly near the end that a lot of lecturers just seem to derive things for an hour ( a very rushed hour) but that the lecture wasn't self-contained and they didn't re-clarify their definitions as they went.So if you missed two lectures or 10, suddenly some guy is speaking ethiopian because you weren't there when he explained that ethiopian was the standard langauge for talking about particle annihilation.That happened A LOT, definitions of things were like 70% of the problem, for me anyway.After two months of a module someone says,''ye know kappa i right?....'', ''wait a minute, kappa what?, I thought that was a 'H'!, ah now it makes a little sense''

Diamond007

Thanks thats great, i'll be able to pass that on

Don't get me wrong though, it's not that I dont think he could do it, I know he could! But from my own experience of living with guys in first year, some enjoy their freedom a little too much, never go in and fail.. I'd hate that to happen to him just because he's a little immature

cck

The mathematics part of this course is very tough, hence the LC higher B1 requirement. He could always do theoretical physics as part of a general science degree, and wouldn't have the difficult maths to contend with.

pisslips

Why though? He might prefer the maths.
Also he can drop double maths if he finds it too hard and just do maths studies in second year which is just the same as 2nd science maths.

It's up to him though I guess, I mean I know people who have said that the maths was very easy and that they didn't follow a single lecture, did some study before exams and got firsts all the way through.I was there so I can confirm this. So I wouldn't call it ''very tough'' until I've done it or at least tried it.

Mygsy

Hiya, I would NOT advise him to do the mathematics part of this unless he is extremely gifted at maths, ie gets an A1 in the leaving. I got the required B1 but I find it way too hard. Although I've somehow stumbled into final year with decent grades, final year is very demanding. I would have much rather of done Maths Studies and not had a stressful three years here than struggle like I have. I loved maths at school and I picked this course hoping to foster my love for the subject, instead I hate it and can't wait to never do maths again!! However that is my own humble opinion and i do know other(more intelligent people) who DO like this course. And, if like me, he finds the course too hard he can drop back to Maths Studies after first year. Although I didn't take physics (you can take double maths with an Arts subject), my friends tell me this is alot easier than the maths. Hope this helps your wee brother!!!

Warmaster

Is this the three year course?? It's way more difficult afaik, that's why the points were so high. If he does get into it fair play to him, he could graduate by the time he is 20!