Category: Undergraduate Blogs

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Why I chose to study Maths at The University of Edinburgh…

A photograph of Fionnuala… by Fionnuala / from London / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Choosing which university to apply to, firm or insure on UCAS can be a very daunting experience. I can remember submitting my application, which I had spent ages preparing, to then realise there would be harder decisions to make once I had received answers from my five options.

Choosing a university is a very personal decision. What one of your best friends at school might love when choosing somewhere just might not do it for you. There may be something small, but which will be really important for you during your time there so my main piece of advice is to make sure you don’t base your decision off somebody else’s. The two biggest factors which affected my decision were; the degree programme itself and the city which I would be living in.

Continue reading “Why I chose to study Maths at The University of Edinburgh…”

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Things to do in Self-Isolation…

… by Rachel / from Isle of Arran / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

A lot of things have changed these past weeks and we’ve had to adjust to working from home and doing all our classes online. (For those of you struggling to work in your rooms I personally find I am more productive working in the hallway than on my bed). However, the harder adjustment is figuring out how to stay entertained and connected with our friends so I thought I would share some of the things my flatmates and I have been doing to make our days a little more interesting. Continue reading “Things to do in Self-Isolation…”

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A Day in the Life as a First Year…

… by Ellen / from Rye / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

I’m Ellen, a first year mathematics undergraduate at Edinburgh University. Today I thought I would talk about a day in my life.

7am: Wake up. I live at Darroch Court which is 2 minutes away from the Pleasance Gym, meaning I can get my training in early and still have rest of the day free. I’m a member of the Hares and Hounds (the running club) and I couldn’t recommend joining enough. I have made such good friends from both the training and regular socials, and also think it’s great how they cater for all abilities.

Continue reading “A Day in the Life as a First Year…”

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Being a Maths Curriculum Ambassador…

… by Emma / from NJ, USA / BSc Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

One of the beauties of being a student in a city is that more often than not, the students become influential in the city. This is certainly the case here in Edinburgh. Back home, as a high school student, I was also able to be quite integrated in the city I went to school in. For instance, I was not only a peer tutor at my high school for math, but I also tutored younger, primary-school students at a local church. So, when I came to Edinburgh, I was ultimately keen for a similar opportunity. Continue reading “Being a Maths Curriculum Ambassador…”

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A Great City for Students…

… by Eunwoo / from Yongin, South Korea / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Hello everyone! I am a first-year maths student from Korea. I remember reading the blog posts before coming to university and becoming both excited and nervous about what lies ahead. Now it’s my turn to provide a glimpse to what it is like to be a maths student here.

To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Edinburgh as a city at first. I grew up in Newcastle up to primary school and so would visit Edinburgh quite often since it’s near. But, at least in my memory, the city was so grey and the weather was so wet. However, now I’ve realised there are so many lively and energetic aspects of Edinburgh that adds a lot to your student life.

Continue reading “A Great City for Students…”

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My Weekly Workload in my First Semester…

… by Katrina / from Northumberland / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Before starting university, one of my main concerns was the workload being unmanageable. After around 3 months off for summer I wondered if I even remembered how to schedule my life and manage my time effectively. However, I soon found that the workload could be managed easily and was helped by having weekly deadlines. Continue reading “My Weekly Workload in my First Semester…”

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What Contact Hours at University are Really Like…

… by Fionnuala / from London / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

I can remember, not that long ago, how nervous I was to start University. I was excited for the new adventure, meeting new friends and trying new things but it was slightly daunting not knowing what the teaching would be like. I understood that it would be completely different to school as that’s what everyone tells you but exactly how- I had no idea. Continue reading “What Contact Hours at University are Really Like…”

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The Flat Hunt…

… by Benedicty / from Romford /
BSc Computer Science and Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

What I did right, the mistakes I made and what you can learn from it.

Finding a flat in first and second year was pretty much a piece of cake. Barely any work was put in and I always seemed to manage to find a flat that I liked.

Third year was where the trouble began, as I found myself in quite an awkward and unusual position. After complications with my year abroad, I had to find somewhere and someone to live with over the summer, before I went back up to Edinburgh for Year 3. Here are some things I learnt whilst attempting to secure my third-year home: Continue reading “The Flat Hunt…”

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Employ.ed on Campus Internship…

A photo of Rebecca, author of the blog… by Rebecca / from Lincoln / BSc Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 3rd Year (UG)

If a lecturer can see that only 5% of the students on their course read their assessment feedback, then should staff bother to write it for every student?

Or, if a lecturer can see that one of their lecture recordings has had far more views than the others, might they want to find out why that is? Was the content of the lecture too difficult?

Answering these kinds of questions was the purpose of the internship I did last summer. The University provides around 60 summer internships based at the university, exclusively for Edinburgh students, called Employ.ed on Campus internships. My internship was one of these; I worked in the School of Health in Social Science as a Learning Analytics Intern. Continue reading “Employ.ed on Campus Internship…”

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Managing Dyslexia at University…

… by Harry / from Dalgety Bay / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

As anyone who has dyslexia knows, the special circumstances given to you for having a learning disability is crucial for both the exams you sit and your overall learning. If you are like me, one of my biggest worries in coming to university was losing the special circumstances I get as I would not be able to finish any exam without them. Thankfully the University has an extremely simple system in order for you to obtain the support you need for your studies. Continue reading “Managing Dyslexia at University…”

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MathSoc: How to Get Involved…

… by Loana / from Hermannsburg, Germany / BSc Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

Hello everybody, today I’d like to talk about MathSoc and what it has to offer.

Who would’ve thought that Maths people can be sporty! As of this year, MathSoc has seven teams registered within the intramural leagues (meaning that the league is organised by the university): two men’s football, one women’s football, one women’s netball, one mixed hockey and two mixed basketball teams. The intramural option is a less competitive way to play sport compared to the main university clubs, and there’s no experience needed. I’m part of the women’s football team and am the only one who’s ever played competitive games when I was still in school. But this is not a must have, as we are the team with the greatest turn out every week. Continue reading “MathSoc: How to Get Involved…”

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Balancing Student Life and Studies…

… by Jaden / from CA, United States / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

You just got back from football practice. Maybe you’ve been playing for a year or almost your entire life. Nonetheless, you love it and that’s what’s important. Regardless of what passions you have, or if you want to discover new ones, it’s natural to have worries about balancing life with studying. In fact, it’s natural to have a bit (or a lot) of anxiety about University in general! However, despite the anxiety you may have, it’s important to know that there’s time for both in University if you play your cards right. Continue reading “Balancing Student Life and Studies…”

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Time to Study! But where?…

… by Peter / from London / MA Economics and Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

Hey everyone! Studying Economics and Maths at the University of Edinburgh has been awesome. Meeting new people and making friends, trying new sports and joining societies which interest me: university has lived up to my expectations so far. But part of the package is studying for exams and the exam season really does catch you by surprise. So it’s time to study and I feel it would be useful to share my top locations to study. Continue reading “Time to Study! But where?…”

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Getting into Banking with a Maths Degree…

… by Rebecca / from Lincoln / BSc Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 2nd Year (UG)

As one of the highest-earning sectors for graduates, it’s no surprise that banking is a popular career choice. By ‘banking’, I mean investment banks (e.g. JPMorgan), asset managers (e.g. BlackRock) and more general banks (e.g. HSBC) etc. It can seem like a daunting industry that would be better suited to economics students, but banks hire maths graduates and are trying to become more diverse in every way, so it is a career you can have if you want it.

Since it is so competitive, to get a career in banking most people start preparing early on in their degree. After being at university for almost a year now, I’m starting to understand the timeline, so I have put together a guide of key things to do every year of your degree to help you get into banking:

Continue reading “Getting into Banking with a Maths Degree…”

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Staying on Top of Studies…

… by Alex / from Aberdeen / BSc Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Hello! I’m Alex and I’m a 1st year undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, studying (and loving) Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics. One of my biggest initial worries about going to university was whether or not my admittedly lacking organisational skills would allow me to manage the workload in the much more independent university lifestyle. However, since beginning my studies in Edinburgh, I have found that there are numerous facets of the typical day to day routine that encourage rather than just allow me and others to keep a grip on our studies. Continue reading “Staying on Top of Studies…”

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Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarship: A Student’s Take…

… by Emma / from NJ, USA / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Each year, the School of Mathematics gives international applicants the opportunity to apply for the Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Maths Scholarship. As a part of the application, applicants are encouraged to discuss why they are essentially seeking the scholarship and how they think it will help them throughout their University career. Continue reading “Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarship: A Student’s Take…”

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Daily Life of a Mathematics Student (In Pictures)…

… by Matthew / from Consett / MMath Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 4th Year (UG)

 

8am: I make an exceptionally uninteresting breakfast, but something to keep me going until lunch. It’s about now that I water my plants if they need it.


9am: I arrive at King’s Buildings. My preferred method of getting to KB is by bicycle but sometimes if the weather is nice, I prefer to walk every now and again. Continue reading “Daily Life of a Mathematics Student (In Pictures)…”

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Accommodation in Edinburgh…

… by Yuxin / from Shenzhen, China / BSc Mathematics and Statistics / 4th Year (UG)

There are lots of opportunities such as the Open Days that enable you to visit the university before starting doing your degree. However, it was a bit hard for me to travel for 15-20 hours to visit the university before my first semester started. Luckily, the University has an accommodation guarantee for new students. This includes all first year undergraduate students plus direct-entry students (those who enter straight into the second year). For undergraduate students, you can apply for catered accommodation at Pollock Halls or other self-catered flats around the city for your first year of study.
For convenience, I chose catered accommodation in my first year, lived in private student accommodation in my second year, and then decided to come back to university accommodation in third year, but this time as a Resident Assistant. Continue reading “Accommodation in Edinburgh…”