Tag: Independence

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If I Could Talk to my First Year Self…

… by Rory / from Peebles / MMath Mathematics / 5th Year (UG)

I am about to enter my 5th and final year of an MMath degree, with the start of the semester only a couple of weeks away. I thought it might be interesting to cast my mind back to this time four years ago and examine how my approach and preparations for the semester have changed over the years. Hopefully this will be a useful reference for those just starting out and on a personal level I am curious to see what I’ve done differently and why. Continue reading “If I Could Talk to my First Year Self…”

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Ten Things I Learnt from my MSc…

… by Kevin / from Hong Kong / MSc Computational Applied Mathematics / PG (2018-19)

My name is Kevin, I had completed an undergraduate degree in maths at Warwick before pursuing a Masters in Computational Applied Mathematics at Edinburgh (2018-19). Now I’m doing a PhD in Medical Informatics at the Usher Institute in Edinburgh.

Here are the 10 things I learnt during my MSc programme. Continue reading “Ten Things I Learnt from my MSc…”

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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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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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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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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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Moving to Study in Edinburgh: 5 Reasons…

… by Lauryn / from Ndola, Zambia / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

So, Edinburgh is a long way from home… I had to take 3 planes and all that thinking time can be an opportunity for doubt to rear its ugly head. Going to a different continent and losing the steadfast direct support of your family is a really big deal. The university experience is a massive step into your future and your choice of university is one of many consequential decisions. As teenagers, we often feel too unprepared to make such a big choice and with numerous factors like ranking, where our friends are going, how far we’ll be from home, what’s the weather like, what degree options are available and every other little detail, it can be a literal assault on our mortal minds. I remember applying to universities in South Africa, Canada and the UK while still considering studying in the US. And each of the schools I considered were absolutely amazing! I dreamt about the kinds of experiences I would have at each and every one of them. Now, I live out this Scottish adventure and I really wouldn’t change it for anything. I thought I’d share my 5 reasons for choosing to leave my home and study abroad.

Continue reading “Moving to Study in Edinburgh: 5 Reasons…”

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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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Looking After Yourself at University…

… by Benedicty / from Romford /
BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

I’ve always pictured myself as an independent person, and never thought I’d have much of an issue transitioning from staying at home with my family, to living self-reliantly at university. This is because my mum never babied me much whilst I was at home: I occasionally helped her cook, I cleaned the house without help and I had a job, so felt like I could budget my own money. However, this self-reliance at home didn’t mean I would have self-reliance once I set off in the world on my own. This is due to my major character flaw – I am extremely lazy. Continue reading “Looking After Yourself at University…”