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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

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?…”