Tag: Careers

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Career Support – what to do when you have no clue…

Photograph of Fionnuala… by Fionnuala / from London / BSc Mathematics and Statistics / 3rd Year (UG) 

With so many options open to you after studying a Maths degree, thinking about what career you might go into can be a very daunting experience. The ‘What are you going to do after uni?’ question has always been floating around, however, until I hit Honours years, I never felt under any pressure to have an answer. I had always thought about the options available to me and had spoken to countless people at careers fairs etc but still didn’t feel content with where I was at with regards to my career. Continue reading “Career Support – what to do when you have no clue…”

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How I secured a summer internship, and how the University helped…

Photograph of Katrina… by Katrina / from Northumberland / BSc Mathematics and Statistics / 3rd Year (UG)

After starting university, the once scary question of “what are you going to study at university and where are you going to study?” quickly becomes the even scarier question “so what are your plans after university?”. For many, including myself, starting university I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do but what I did know was that studying maths gave so many opportunities upon graduating, which in fact can sometimes make it harder to choose! This is why I started to look for opportunities to explore and try different fields so I could start to rule things out!

I am going to go through a few of the different ways the University of Edinburgh helped me go from a confused 1st year, to a 2nd year with a spring week at JP Morgan, to a 3rd year with a place as a technology summer analyst at Morgan Stanley. Continue reading “How I secured a summer internship, and how the University helped…”

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Student Groups, Clubs and Societies…

… by Donald / from Gweru, Zimbabwe / MA Economics and Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

Growing up, I witnessed first-hand the adverse effects of the hyperinflation crises in Zimbabwe, and this sparked my desire to learn how to create lucrative projects that are beneficial to the global community. Therefore, when I came to the University of Edinburgh through the Mastercard Foundation scholarship, I chose to do Mathematics and Economics so as to gain insight into the intricate dynamics underlying major economies worldwide. Continue reading “Student Groups, Clubs and Societies…”

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The 5 Best Ways to Spend a Student Summer…

A photograph of Niamh… by Niamh / from Lincolnshire / BSc Mathematics / 4th Year (UG)

When everyone thinks about starting uni they think of the flat parties, the lectures, the exams and the new societies they’ll join come September. But what they don’t often consider is the panic that will inevitably set in around March/April time when you realise that university will finish soon for 3 whole months and you have absolutely no plan for your summer. That was definitely me during my first year of uni and I think it’s fair to say that most students aren’t aware of all the opportunities that are out there.

Here’s a list of, what I consider to be, the 5 best ways to spend the summers during university:

Continue reading “The 5 Best Ways to Spend a Student Summer…”

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Reflecting on my MSc…

Picture of Belen on the upper level of Victoria Street, with the road and row of coloured shop fronts below… by Belen / from Ecuador / MSc Operational Research with Data Science / PG (2019-20)

Coming from a background of Logistics and Transportation engineering and work experience in the transportation industry, I was looking for a MSc programme that could be tailored to my interests in optimization and data analytics. I found the MSc in Operational Research with Data Science at the University of Edinburgh, which was the perfect option for me since it offers a diverse pool of courses that balances perfectly both theory and application.

Continue reading “Reflecting on my MSc…”

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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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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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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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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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My MSc Research Project…

… by Lydia / from Birmingham / MSc Operational Research / PG (2017-18)

The sun is shining outside and here I am, sat in the library… the realities of dissertation period. Off to a negative start but don’t worry it‘s not all doom and gloom. With the freedom of planning our own working lives, we’ve managed to fit in a little sunbathing in the Meadows over this last week and lots of touristy activities to make the most of my last few months in Edinburgh (including a trip to see the sunset from Calton Hill). Continue reading “My MSc Research Project…”

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Post-Exam, Pre-Project…

… by Lydia / from Birmingham / MSc Operational Research / PG (2017-18)

Exams, exams, exams… This is all my life seems to consist of right now. For the last month, I have sleepwalked into the library, set up camp on the 4th floor (perfect for procrastination taking in the amazing views – below) and taken breaks for my usual student diet of 2 meal deals a day. Motivation is starting to wane, however as a self-proclaimed seasoned professional when it comes to university exam periods (just realised that this is my 8th), I know that it will all be worth it in the end. Continue reading “Post-Exam, Pre-Project…”

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Year 4 opportunities…

… by Alden / from Bath / BSc Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 4th Year (UG)

By the time most people have reached fourth year they have a firm idea of what they do and do not like. Conveniently, in fourth year you are given full autonomy of your module choices. There are such a wide range of choice you will be able to fully choose modules from whatever area you enjoy and are best at. A consequence of the larger range of modules, is that you will be in smaller classes allowing you the chance to interact more with the lecturer and maybe get more out of each class. This again presents a fantastic opportunity if you are curious about further research as it is easier to build relationships with these lecturers. Continue reading “Year 4 opportunities…”

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Uni, Careers and the Great Unknown…

… by Mark / from London / MA Philosophy and Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

I’m a 3rd year undergraduate student studying Philosophy and Mathematics. Applying to university without being absolutely sure of what you want to study or what you want to do afterwards can be quite intimidating. When I applied to Edinburgh, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after university and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at university! I had no idea if Maths was for me, but that was exactly why I came to Edinburgh. Continue reading “Uni, Careers and the Great Unknown…”

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Why I’m doing an MSc…

… by Lydia / from Birmingham / MSc Operational Research / PG (2017-18)

Hey everyone! My name’s Lydia and I am one of your new postgraduate blog writers. My friend Jack will also be writing posts where we are going to discuss postgraduate study and everything that comes with it. Below is a lovely picture of the two of us celebrating having a little break during Innovative Learning Week…

So first of all… Why am I doing an MSc? Am I crazy? Probably. Continue reading “Why I’m doing an MSc…”

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How to balance uni and work, and still have a social life!…

… by Jordana / from Newry / BSc Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

To work or not to work? Whether or not to take on a part-time job whilst at uni is a big decision for a lot of students. Especially in first year, it can be daunting. You suddenly have to deal with a new way of learning, you’ve (potentially) just moved to an entirely new city, and weirdly enough your mum hasn’t appeared at your student halls every night to make you a nice home cooked meal. Adding the commitment of employment to all of that can be a lot to handle. So that’s why I’m here, to give you some of my own thoughts and experiences on working while you’re at uni.  Continue reading “How to balance uni and work, and still have a social life!…”