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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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Managing Dyslexia at University…

… by Harry / from Dalgety Bay / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

As anyone who has dyslexia knows, the special circumstances given to you for having a learning disability is crucial for both the exams you sit and your overall learning. If you are like me, one of my biggest worries in coming to university was losing the special circumstances I get as I would not be able to finish any exam without them. Thankfully the University has an extremely simple system in order for you to obtain the support you need for your studies. Continue reading “Managing Dyslexia at University…”

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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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Time to Study! But where?…

… by Peter / from London / MA Economics and Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)

Hey everyone! Studying Economics and Maths at the University of Edinburgh has been awesome. Meeting new people and making friends, trying new sports and joining societies which interest me: university has lived up to my expectations so far. But part of the package is studying for exams and the exam season really does catch you by surprise. So it’s time to study and I feel it would be useful to share my top locations to study. Continue reading “Time to Study! But where?…”

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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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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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Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarship: A Student’s Take…

… by Emma / from NJ, USA / BSc Mathematics / 1st Year (UG)

Each year, the School of Mathematics gives international applicants the opportunity to apply for the Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Maths Scholarship. As a part of the application, applicants are encouraged to discuss why they are essentially seeking the scholarship and how they think it will help them throughout their University career. Continue reading “Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarship: A Student’s Take…”

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Daily Life of a Mathematics Student (In Pictures)…

… by Matthew / from Consett / MMath Mathematics [2nd Year Entry] / 4th Year (UG)

 

8am: I make an exceptionally uninteresting breakfast, but something to keep me going until lunch. It’s about now that I water my plants if they need it.


9am: I arrive at King’s Buildings. My preferred method of getting to KB is by bicycle but sometimes if the weather is nice, I prefer to walk every now and again. Continue reading “Daily Life of a Mathematics Student (In Pictures)…”

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Accommodation in Edinburgh…

… by Yuxin / from Shenzhen, China / BSc Mathematics and Statistics / 4th Year (UG)

There are lots of opportunities such as the Open Days that enable you to visit the university before starting doing your degree. However, it was a bit hard for me to travel for 15-20 hours to visit the university before my first semester started. Luckily, the University has an accommodation guarantee for new students. This includes all first year undergraduate students plus direct-entry students (those who enter straight into the second year). For undergraduate students, you can apply for catered accommodation at Pollock Halls or other self-catered flats around the city for your first year of study.
For convenience, I chose catered accommodation in my first year, lived in private student accommodation in my second year, and then decided to come back to university accommodation in third year, but this time as a Resident Assistant. Continue reading “Accommodation in Edinburgh…”

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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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Finding Your Friends at University…

… by Susanne / from Amsterdam / BSc Computer Science and Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

Let me first introduce myself; my name is Susanne and I am currently a third-year Computer Science and Maths student at the University. I was born in Germany but have spent all of my youth in Amsterdam, so no, I unfortunately do not speak German. Growing up I never saw myself leaving the comfort of that rainy cold country until I started to look into the options for universities. The thought of not only moving out of my parent’s house but also moving to a completely new country where I knew no one frightened me but also excited me, as it gave me the opportunity to study at such a wonderful university in such a vibrant and cultured city. Continue reading “Finding Your Friends at University…”

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Get Involved…

… by Nick / from Johannesburg, South Africa / BSc Computer Science and Mathematics / 3rd Year (UG)

We are all told that our time at university will be full of opportunities; the things you can study, the people you could meet and the amount of time you will have on your hands. The real challenge is taking advantage of these opportunities to make sure that your university experience is as good as it can be.
Continue reading “Get Involved…”

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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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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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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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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…”