Tag: Course

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Swap subject to maths? No problem…

Photo of JoJo… by JoJo / from China / MSc Statistics and Operational Research / PG (2021-22)

This is the subject that I want to talk about for quite a long time. At the time I’m writing this blog, it is already the second semester of my MSc studying Statistics and OR. The first semester was certainly hard and super intense, but we managed to surpass the phase, and here I am, trying to pull a blog out telling you what is it like to change subject from a different disciplinary to statistics. I do appreciate that this post may not target at all the audience, but I believe it is useful for students who are from different discipline who wants to come to do statistics.

We have many students who did not come from a statistics or mathematics background, so for those of you who are unsure about whether you should apply because you are afraid that your background may not be good enough, do apply. As long as you can get an offer from the admission, you will be doing just fine. Continue reading “Swap subject to maths? No problem…”

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Third Year and Full-Time Mathematics…

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

After two years of studying in Edinburgh, a global pandemic, not being able to make it to Spain for my year abroad and many more obstacles – I’ve finally completed the first Honours semester of my degree (minus a few exams in the next week!). Returning to Edinburgh in September after not living there for almost a year due to the pandemic was a very scary experience. Although I had lived there before, had friends on my course and societies to get back to, I couldn’t help but feel just as nervous as I was before I started in first year. These last few years have been a challenge for all of us but as I look back on the past semester, I can honestly say that I’ve really enjoyed third year so far. 

Continue reading “Third Year and Full-Time Mathematics…”

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Living on the tails: studying as a mature student…

Photograph of Azfarul… by Azfarul / from London, UK / MSc Statistics with Data Science / PG (2020-21)

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

In addition to “Sorry, I was on mute!”, this is what I heard most throughout 2020. After a decade of working, leaving behind a fascinating job during global uncertainty to pursue a Masters might have seemed like foolishness. Fast forward more than a year and – after what felt like drowning in hundreds of hours of coursework, endlessly playing and re-playing recorded lectures, dealing with the eerie silence of virtually-conducted examinations, and three intense months of industrially-liaised project work – I still find it difficult to believe how this time flew as it did.

Continue reading “Living on the tails: studying as a mature student…”

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Expectation(Uni Life) ≠ Reality…

Photograph of Morgan… by Morgan / from Fraserburgh / MMath Mathematics / 3rd year (UG)

Hi, I’m Morgan and I’m a 3rd year Maths student at the University of Edinburgh. So far, I’ve really enjoyed my time at university; however we all know no tale is without its adversities. It’s perhaps a little cliché to say that “the transition from school to university is so difficult!” but that saying wouldn’t be repeated so frequently if it weren’t true (although my statistics lecturer may tell me that I’m a victim of observation bias…)

Continue reading “Expectation(Uni Life) ≠ Reality…”

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What’s it like to do a joint honours programme?..

Photograph of Jie Xin… Jie Xin / from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / BSc Mathematics and Music / 4th Year (UG)

Having completed my first three years of my undergraduate studies as a maths and music student, I hope I could share a little about my experiences with anyone curious or prospective students.

Some comments and questions I always get when telling people about my programme include: “oh, I didn’t know that existed!”, “what made you decide on this particular programme?”, “you must be so good at both music and maths!” and “how do you combine maths and music?” Well, it does exist, I absolutely love both mathematics and music, and yes, I would love to think that I am good at both music and maths. For the question about combining maths and music, there are a variety of courses which do so, but it’s not a requirement for me to take them.

Continue reading “What’s it like to do a joint honours programme?..”

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A Day in the Life of an MSc Student (during Covid-19)…

Mike sat at his desk holding up a glass… by Mike / from Greece / MSc Statistics with Data Science / PG (2020-21)

Hello there!

My name is Mike, I am from the lovely country of Greece and currently am an MSc Statistics with Data Science student at The University of Edinburgh. In this post I will try to describe what my typical, more relaxed, work days as a PGT student look like.

Continue reading “A Day in the Life of an MSc Student (during Covid-19)…”

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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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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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Life as a New Postgraduate Student…

… by Anvita / from Allahabad, India / MSc Computational Applied Mathematics / PG (2018-19)

My name is Anvita and I am one of the new postgraduate blog writers for this academic year. I am doing a Masters in Computational Applied Mathematics. I did my undergraduate in engineering, more particularly Mechanical Engineering. I enjoyed the computational and mathematical aspects of it the most and that is why I opted to change my career path and go into more mathematical options. Continue reading “Life as a New Postgraduate Student…”

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An Unexpected Joint Honours: There and back again…

… by Jonathan / from Bristol / MMath Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

When it came to choose what to do after sixth form, for me I felt there was only one choice. Maths. Maths at university. It was the subject I had enjoyed most at school, and the one I found most interesting. With this conviction of studying maths I began the hunt for a university. Continue reading “An Unexpected Joint Honours: There and back again…”

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A Day in the Life…

… by Tally / from Scarborough / MMath Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 2nd Year (UG)

Hi! My name is Tally and I am a second year maths student here at the university. One thing I was unsure about when coming to university was if I’d be able to juggle my studies and my free time. Turns out, it wasn’t as hard as I thought. To demonstrate that I thought I’d outline what a day in my life could look like to give an example of what a student actually does. Continue reading “A Day in the Life…”

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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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An International Perspective on University Life…

… by Tanya / from Bangalore, India / MA Economics and Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

Being an international student can be a daunting experience. While most European or British students know what they’re getting into before coming to university, international students do not have this privilege.  As an Indian student, I couldn’t visit the University because it just wasn’t financially feasible. All my perception of the University- the city, the teaching, the buildings and everything was built on what I saw on Google, University ranking pages and most importantly, the Student Room. Despite having an image built into my mind, I was scared to walk into university. Somehow, along with the excitement, the idea of moving to foreign land with a culture extremely different from mine and being all alone was extremely scary. What if I hated the city or the university even worse, the course? What if everyone was unfriendly? At school, I had known everyone for the last nine years and now I wasn’t just moving to an unknown city but an unknown country. But as it is for international students, we have to blindly walk into it. And I did as well.

Continue reading “An International Perspective on University Life…”

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How To Save £9000 in 4 Easy Steps!: The Way of The Direct Entry Mathematician…

… by Owen / from Norwich / MMath Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 2nd Year (UG)

1) What even is Direct Entry?

If you’re not Scottish, you might not be familiar with the Scottish education system (I certainly wasn’t), where degrees usually last a year longer than those at English universities (4 years for a Bachelor’s degree, 5 for a Masters, etc). In Scotland, the first two years are more open which means you can take courses (modules) from outside your main degree subject to try out, and it gives a lot of flexibility to decide what you want to do. Because of this, some programmes offer “direct entry” or “accelerated” programmes, which basically means you go straight into Year 2 and do all the compulsory courses from Years 1 and 2 in one year. This is what I decided to do for my maths degree. Continue reading “How To Save £9000 in 4 Easy Steps!: The Way of The Direct Entry Mathematician…”

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Is 2nd Year Entry for me?…

… by Freddie / from York / BSc Mathematics and Physics [2nd Year Entry] / 3rd Year (UG)

You’ve done the work, got the grades, and eventually settled on a university choice. Well done you for choosing Edinburgh! (You did, right?).

Then, if you’re like me, you’ll only later notice the option to enter through the second year of the course – wait, that’s a thing?
Yes, it’s a thing! And I’ll let you in on my experience of it. Continue reading “Is 2nd Year Entry for me?…”