Mathematics Personal Statement

Hi i will be applying to study Mathematics this year and i'm having a bit of trouble with my personal statement particularly writing about topics that interest me.
i have a few questions and i would appreciate it if anyone could help me with them.

i was thinking of writing about topics that i enjoyed in A levels ie graph sketching and maybe elaborate on why i enjoyed that topic. My question is would that seem a bit elementary? to just talk about why i enjoyed graph sketching. Should i be talking about slightly more advanced topics?

And is it okay if i've only read one book.

Thanks so much!!!

Reply 1

Plagioclase

21

Original post by danielhx

Hi i will be applying to study Mathematics this year and i'm having a bit of trouble with my personal statement particularly writing about topics that interest me.
i have a few questions and i would appreciate it if anyone could help me with them.

i was thinking of writing about topics that i enjoyed in A levels ie graph sketching and maybe elaborate on why i enjoyed that topic. My question is would that seem a bit elementary? to just talk about why i enjoyed graph sketching. Should i be talking about slightly more advanced topics?

And is it okay if i've only read one book.

Thanks so much!!!

That does strike me as pretty elementary to be honest, have you not done some reading or research outside of your A Level course? Universities will be looking for evidence of passion for Maths, I don't think it will look hugely impressive if it looks like you've not done anything outside the prescripted specification.

Reply 2

danielhx

OP

2

Original post by Plagioclase

That does strike me as pretty elementary to be honest, have you not done some reading or research outside of your A Level course? Universities will be looking for evidence of passion for Maths, I don't think it will look hugely impressive if it looks like you've not done anything outside the prescripted specification.

I have definitely done research outside A level, namely calculus which i'm interested in watching online courses on multivariable etc. I was just wondering whether i should include graph sketching in because i really do enjoy that aspect in A levels. Is it just advisable to talk about my extra reading in calculus and maybe talking about limits (not really covered in A levels) and maybe weave in a bit of graph sketching? Because i was told not to include too many math topics. Do you think that would be sufficient?

Reply 3

Plagioclase

21

Original post by danielhx

I have definitely done research outside A level, namely calculus which i'm interested in watching online courses on multivariable etc. I was just wondering whether i should include graph sketching in because i really do enjoy that aspect in A levels. Is it just advisable to talk about my extra reading in calculus and maybe talking about limits (not really covered in A levels) and maybe weave in a bit of graph sketching? Because i was told not to include too many math topics. Do you think that would be sufficient?

I don't want to say too much because I'm not a maths specialist but if you do talk about things that are part of the A Level course, I wouldn't spend too long on them. I think it's better to talk more about research that you've done beyond A Level (but it's true that it's better to say more about a little than a little about a lot). You said that you've read one book, it might be worth doing some more reading.

Reply 4

Kevin De Bruyne

21

Original post by danielhx

I have definitely done research outside A level, namely calculus which i'm interested in watching online courses on multivariable etc. I was just wondering whether i should include graph sketching in because i really do enjoy that aspect in A levels. Is it just advisable to talk about my extra reading in calculus and maybe talking about limits (not really covered in A levels) and maybe weave in a bit of graph sketching? Because i was told not to include too many math topics. Do you think that would be sufficient?

Not just for your PS but also for your own benefit, I would suggest seeking out maybe a book or a public lecture on it if possible, or some kind of use of maths (eg I went to one about the maths behind games (eg pacman) and Google) to talk about. I know for Maths or indeed any subjecti t's not easy to write about stuff but I (as a maths student) wouldn't really see the value in writing something like 'I enjoy sketching graphs at A-level' or words to that effect unless you talk about something you've done as a result, like going to a public lecture on ....

Reply 5

130398

3

What book did you read? It helps to mention it and a specific part of it, something complex preferably.
Reading outside the A-level course is very useful and attending lectures is really good.
If you want I can PM you my personal statement for Maths but the TSR bank has better ones, especially the Oxbridge ones. It's always good to look at the best and take from them.
I wouldn't talk about graph sketching, multivariable calculus is a good one though.