What I wish I’d known about studying maths at university…
… by Anna / from Larbert / BSc Mathematics / 2nd Year (UG)
I’m now two years into my course at Edinburgh, so I thought I’d share some of the things I found surprising about my academic life in first year, and some tips to make adapting to uni maths a bit easier.
Don’t assume you know anything
Like many students who’ve done A-level or Advanced Higher maths, when I saw the list of first year topics, a lot of it looked pretty familiar. Matrices? Been there, done that. Calc? Completed it mate.
I was wrong.
First year maths is less about introducing lots of new concepts, and more about learning to think about problems from a different perspective and understanding the logic behind them. This is a lot more rewarding than just memorising formulas and methods, but for me there was a very real learning curve. It may feel a bit like starting from scratch, but learning to approach problems and readings with an open mind makes a big difference, and the adjustment from school to uni maths a lot smoother.
It’s not just maths
If you’re someone whose had their heart set on studying maths since they learned the five-times-table then I admire you. Unfortunately if you’re a bit more like me, committing to studying one thing is a bit daunting. The good news is that you aren’t committing to live and breathe maths 24/7 for the next 4 years. In fact, in my first year of BSc maths, only half of my workload came from compulsory maths courses, the rest I was free to pick and choose.
These elective courses are a great way to continue studying something you loved at school, or to start learning something completely new, as well as allowing you to meet people from outside your main courses. Areas like economics and data science are really popular, but so are languages (which have the added bonus of opening up the option to study abroad).
It’s worth having a think about which courses appeal to you before you arrive – the DRPS and Path websites are a great place to start. Or pick something completely random during Welcome Week. That works too.
Working together is a lifesaver
Something which really surprised me in first year is how much more fun studying maths is when the people around you want to study it as well. It took me a while to realise, but working in a group to solve problems and explain concepts makes studying a lot easier and… dare I say fun? Taking advantage of the group environment in workshops, or getting involved in programmes like MathPALS (Peer Assisted Learning Scheme) really helped me academically in first year, as well as being yet another great way to meet new people.
