[MatchDancer]

Basically, I've always wanted to be a dancer and I'm really into that, but I'm also really good at the Maths type thing, and I find it really interesting. I'm doing The Further Maths for AS' right now and really enjoying it so am now considering doing Maths for uni. Thing is, I find it really hard to sit at a desk all day and do that type of thing, because I'm quite active with my dance.

Anyway, here's what I wanted to ask:

• What's Maths like to study at Uni
  
  
• What can you do with Maths, can it actually lead to a career?

Thanks

[Ancient Beast]

(Original post by matchstick)

• What's Maths like to study at Uni
• What can you do with Maths, can it actually lead to a career?

Generally, does it contain much applied stuff, and how much pure stuff is there? (Like the pure modules at A-level)

The thing I'm worried about Maths is if I get stuck. Maths is one of those subjects where if you get stuck on a question, no matter how much you try, you might not be able solve it. Since uni is more independant orientated, I'm afraid this'll happen to me. How has everyone coped so far?

thanks

[El Matematico]

(Original post by Ancient Beast)
Generally, does it contain much applied stuff, and how much pure stuff is there? (Like the pure modules at A-level)

The thing I'm worried about Maths is if I get stuck. Maths is one of those subjects where if you get stuck on a question, no matter how much you try, you might not be able solve it. Since uni is more independant orientated, I'm afraid this'll happen to me. How has everyone coped so far?

thanks

Hi, first with the applied. At my University we have a very flexible course, meaning I can choose the modules I enjoy and avoid those that dont interest me so much. A lot of it is very pure. At other universities however, (e.g. Bristol) you have no options in your first year as to which modules you can take. So it depends really on the University.

University maths is of course harder than what you meet at A level and is faster paced, but you are also surrounded by other Mathematicians who share your enthusiasm for the subject. So if you get stuck, there are plenty of people to ask for help. If you enjoy Mathematics and enjoy the challenge then youll be fine

[Ancient Beast]

Thanks for that . It's just at AS my dad held my hand quite a lot, but nevertheless, I did become more independant at A2. At the Southampton open day, they were giving us a short taster lecture. This guy did some diagrams of several angled mirrors with a 'ballerina' in the centre. It ended up with massive linked patterns which proved it did something . I didn't understand it, and I hated that feeling of not being able to understand

[Coth]

Sitting at a desk: Whatever degree you do you will be sat at a desk for significant periods. Maths is no worse than any other and better than many subjects. You combine no reading lists with no labs, which has to be a good result, but it's not going to save you doing alot of work if you aim for an elite uni. There'll also be loads of opportunities for sport/drama etc. whatever subject you do, so don't let extracurricular stuff effect your choice of course.

Any maths course is going to contain pure and applied stuff in roughly equal measure in your first year, but bear in mind that everything you've done up to this point will be classed as applied once you've got to uni. Pure Maths will be a totally new experience for you, and one that I guarantee will change the way you think about almost everything. Well worth doing.

My opinion has always been that applied maths is abit of a let down. you never actually do any applying, so it's just a question of do you sit at a desk thinking about orbiting particles/viscous fluids/abstract differential equations or do you sit at a desk thinking about infinite dimensional spaces/the foundations of set theory/permutations of topological surfaces. I know which appeals to me more. Don't dismiss stuff you can't apply untill you've tried it, it's usually the most exciting stuff going.

With regards to getting stuck; it happens to everyone, but nearly everyone copes. The stuff they show you at open days is not the stuff you will be expect to do on your own when you get there. These courses are designed to stretch you, and you will always get problems you can't solve alone. It is dealing with these situations that will make you a good mathematician, it's not a reason to avoid maths. I mean, you wouldn't want a course where you could do every problem by inspection would you? There'd be no point getting up in the morning.

[Ancient Beast]

But Maths is more unique. With subjects like Biology you can sit in the lecture room and be tought stuff and remember it, just information recall. But with Maths you have to try the stuff you have been tought. Therefore you're probably more prone to being stuck at questions, with Maths degree.

[Coth]

There's information recall in maths as well, but while you may be n a different position than the biologists, you're not in a different position from the thousands of other maths students who cope. You might just have to trust me on this, but you're unlikely to be the only person who ever gets stuck. I've got pretty close to the best marks on my course, and I've still got a sheet on spectra of linear operators that I can hardly make a dent in, but they don't make maths degrees that the people they accept can't do - that would just be silly, so relax about it.

[Ancient Beast]

Also I'm don't consider myself a top Mathematician. Only got C at intermediate GCSE Maths, and skimmed an A at A-level Maths. Didn't do further (I'm gapping right now ), so I'd be disadvantages already...

[MatchDancer]

where can maths lead as a career? other than accountancy - which doesn't sound that interesting to be honest.

(Original post by Ancient Beast)
Also I'm don't consider myself a top Mathematician. Only got C at intermediate GCSE Maths, and skimmed an A at A-level Maths. Didn't do further (I'm gapping right now ), so I'd be disadvantages already...

do you feel able to grasp concepts & do you enjoy it? I think that's the important thing - does it excite you?

[Chewwy]

absolutely anything... it's a brilliant degree to have.

it's good for say, any city job (investment banking, acturial work, trading...). and this kind of job earns you a LOT of money.

[Ancient Beast]

(Original post by matchstick)
do you feel able to grasp concepts & do you enjoy it? I think that's the important thing - does it excite you?

I didn't so much enjoy the classes because it was mainly repetitive exercises. However, I loved the feeling I got after being able to do the questions in the exam. Maths is really such a rewarding subject. I'm able to grasp concepts fairly easily, the only topic which I couldn't fully grasp at A-level was those darn vectors

[Burky]

(Original post by matchstick)
do you feel able to grasp concepts & do you enjoy it? I think that's the important thing - does it excite you?

I'm about to start my second term at Cambridge, so this might not give you that general a view, but so far I like it a lot.
The concepts are very interesting, and they are graspable, although in some cases you will have to practice a lot. Most ideas I can get my head round during lectures (though it will become harder I'm sure), and I'm certainly no genius.
The questions stretch me much more, and I do get stuck sometime, but it depends where you go I guess for how difficult they get.

I think that it's really important you enjoy it though, since you will spend a lot of time behind your desk, and without being able to enjoy what you are doing, this can be hard/unpleasent to do.

However, it is not like A-level maths in the way that you get taught a method and just re-apply it, you will have to think creatively a lot, and try problems that you have not seen before.

As for Ancient Beast not liking vectors, I didn't enjoy them at A-level much either, but at uni they've become more interesting, and looking back at A-level I don't see what the fuss was about.

[MatchDancer]

(Original post by chewwy)
absolutely anything... it's a brilliant degree to have.

it's good for say, any city job (investment banking, acturial work, trading...). and this kind of job earns you a LOT of money.

I understand that it can be transfered, but those kind of jobs, don't really sound that fab.

[El Matematico]

You can do pretty much anything with a maths degree, what are you hoping to do?

[MatchDancer]

well, at the moment, I'm torn between dancing & this kind of thing, I also like physics & geography, but I haven't taken that for A level. I really don't know what I want to go into, I don't really know where it can lead, but jobs where you just sit at a desk & do monotonous work & I'm less interested in finance or acturial type stuff because I think that would just make you obsessed with safety. I guess I don't really have an idea what any of these jobs actually involve, however, I think I just have a mental image of an person sitting at a desk repeatedly carring out monotonous calculations. Suppose it wouldn't really be like that. I think I need a challenge, don't really know what that means. I think I'd like it if I wasn't just stuck at a desk.

[aqfrenzy]

think about it like this. in the finance world, you're applying your knowledge of maths to ways of making money, in analysis you could be making equations to save the country, stuff like that, i'd hope it's not found to be too boring in its application.