Tag: Outside Subjects

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First Year Academic Experience…

Photograph of Harry… by Harry / from China / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

I am Harry, and I was born in China while attending high school in the United States. I am a first-year undergraduate student studying mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. 

The first-year Mathematics curriculum in Edinburgh consists of three courses: Introduction to Linear Algebra in the first semester, and Calculus and its Applications, and Proof and Problem Solving in the second. I am with ease on Linear Algebra and Calculus, as their contents overlapped with Advanced Math and AP Calculus courses I took in high school, while Proof and Problem Solving was more challenging. Yet, being attentive in workshops and diligently finishing all homework helped me go through all courses comfortably, while still leaving me with ample leisure.   Continue reading “First Year Academic Experience…”

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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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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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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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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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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…”