… by Heather / from Glasgow / BSc Mathematics and Statistics / 2nd Year (UG)
Hi everyone! I’m Heather and I am a second year maths and statistics student from Glasgow. I am going to share some of my experiences of being involved in MathSoc whilst studying.
When I first came to university last year, I kept hearing people talking about a maths society. Initially, I thought that all they would do is sit around and solve maths problems together. I went along to one of their socials in the first few weeks of semester one and realised that MathSoc knew how to throw a good social!
Throughout first year I continued to attend the socials and other events they put on for society members. There was a great variety of socials and activities on offer. My favourite ones were the film showings where we watched films that are semi-related to maths (there was one showing of a film called 21 and another time it was Hidden Figures) and I also really enjoyed the pub golf! They also put on academic talks where lecturers do interest talks about their areas of research and maths in the real world which are always so interesting! The variety of events means there is something for everyone and going to these meant I became really good friends with people on my course as we all went to them together.
Before I knew it, semester two came around and I heard that MathSoc were having an AGM. My first thought was “there is no way I could stand up in front of a group of people and tell them why I would be good for a committee position”. Having loved the events I had been to, I was already convinced that I wanted to be a part of the society, but I was mostly thinking that I would be involved by going along to the pub and having a good time!
After chatting with some friends, I eventually decided that I should just go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? Not long before the AGM, it was announced it was all going to be an online vote instead of an in person one. (This was the beginning of the online social events and we didn’t even know it!). I wrote a wee paragraph about why I wanted to be sports secretary, picked a photo and sent it in hoping for the best. In the end, I got the role, and I was over the moon about it! Second year was going to be great!
When I came back to Edinburgh after the summer, I wasn’t sure how this year was going to play out. I entered our football and netball teams into the respective leagues and organised ‘come and try’ sessions for new members. The intramural league games did not run because of the pandemic but the teams managed to get some outdoor training sessions in semester one because it was within the guidelines and they were great fun! I was involved in the netball ones and it was so nice to just spend some time outdoors doing exercise. Even though no games have been played, we did the best we could and managed to have a good time.
Even though I have not even met half of my fellow committee members, we have definitely made the most out of this difficult situation we’re all living in right now. The MathSoc committee is something that is great to be involved in and I would recommend to anyone going for a role if you fancy it; not just in the maths society but in any society you’re involved in!
If this year has taught me anything, it would be that you can still have fun even during a pandemic. We have managed to host some online events as a society this year like online escape rooms and a ‘House of Games’ night as well! Something I’m really looking forward to is the in-person events that will hopefully be happening in September!
