BSc (Hons) Mathematics

James

Hi, my name is James and I’m entering my third year of Mathematics at the university.

Every time I tell someone what course I’m studying I’m always met with the same looks of fear as they remember back to high school and college days and to times when they started to find Mathematics a struggle. This is normally followed by questions like ‘Maths is so difficult, how do you cope?’ or ‘Why did you pick that course? I hate Maths!’ However, despite all of this I’ve kept on going and found that actually, Maths actually isn’t as difficult as everyone thinks!

In the first few weeks, you are taken back to the basics of maths and bit by bit brought up to speed with the complexities of modern day mathematics and its different uses. In your first year you are taught some of the basics of calculus, general number theories as well as focusing on the world of mathematics and its uses in different fields. This is really useful as Mathematics can take you on to virtually anything! We also have support teams who are there to try and advise you as to where to go with your degree and how you can get to the job you may be looking at going in to.

Lecturers are there from the start to settle you into the university life and are always really friendly and happy to help with your concerns. There’s also a few drop in sessions the course put on where you can go and speak to the lecturers for advice and help, as well as getting to play games with your fellow student. We also have a maths society where different talks, trips and opportunities in the Maths world are presented, (as well as a trip to Thorpe Park in the first few weeks!) I also joined American football as a way to keep fit and to meet more people which has been an amazing experience. I’ve met so many people and had many different and exciting opportunities given to me through it, as well as now being the President and one of the coaches for the team!

In years 2 and 3, your are more focussed on your courses, the work may get harder but it’s nothing to stress about! By this point you’ve gained the skills for more research and the work is nothing too overwhelming. You are also supported in gaining work experience and graduate jobs, with workshops on CV building, interview skills and what the world of work would be like. You get to tailor your course in your final year through the different options of modules that are available so that are doing topics that you enjoy and want to know more about, which in turn will mean you’ll work harder to do well and land that job you’ve been dreaming about!