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Mathematics is a subject for which I continue to have a greater and greater interest. It is the challenge that Mathematics gives me, the satisfaction of solving a demanding problem and the beauty of the final solution that makes me want to learn more and continue contemplating topics such as infinite sets and their cardinality.
In the past year I have taken part in the Scottish Mathematics Challenge in which I won a Gold certificate. In addition I represented my year in the Europe wide Mathématiques sans Frontières competition. I enjoy taking part in these competitions because they provide a challenge and they have enabled me to discover new areas of mathematics beyond the syllabus. Another opportunity to reach into new areas of mathematics arose whilst on a residential course at Durham University in July.
The course gave me great insight into Mathematics at university and how it is much different from Mathematics at school. I found the Mathematics much more abstract and the problems and concepts less straight forward. However by the end of the course I was able to adapt my current way of thinking to solve the more challenging problems. The course has encouraged me to pursue my love for Mathematics further because of the challenges I look forward to encountering in the years to come.
I had another insight into university Mathematics when I attended a lecture on infinity; a subject with which I have since become fascinated. While I might have heard the word infinity countless times before, I had never stopped to think about it properly. At first I found the idea that there are different "sizes" of infinity to be puzzling but this has only made me want to read more about Cantor's theory.
Later on in the year I attended another lecture, this time on Conway's Game Of Life. I was surprised that such simple rules could result in such complicated and unpredictable patterns. G.H Hardy once said, "A Mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns". Patterns appear everywhere in mathematics and I hope that at university I will begin to understand and investigate why such patterns appear. I have also started to see that Mathematics appears in the real world where you least expect it and while I love doing Mathematics for the sake of it, there are many real world applications such as the use of mathematical modeling in population simulators.
This year I am helping in S1 and S4 Mathematics classes as a subject assistant. Not only do I hope that this will benefit the younger pupils by sharing my enthusiasm and knowledge, but I hope to improve the way I explain my mathematical ideas to others. So far I have found it nostalgic helping pupils with mathematical rules such as BODMAS but it has reminded me that even the basic areas of Mathematics are important at all levels.
For the last three years I have been in the Model United Nations (MUN) club at school. I won Best Delegate in Committee at two conferences and I was also part of the delegation that won Best Delegation at the 2011 GWC MUN conference. MUN has taught me to communicate my ideas clearly to those who might not understand the subjects at hand. Furthermore I have gained this skill from being part of the Student Council in years 10 and 11. Not only did I represent my class but I have had the roles of Vice-chair and Secretary. From these positions I have become more organized and have learnt to lead teams of people. Outside of school I swam competitively for 9 years, although this was a large commitment, I managed to balance the training alongside school work and my other extra-curricular activities.
There is no other subject that I would rather do or can see myself studying at university. With a degree in Mathematics I hope to pursue a successful, mathematical career after university. I believe that with my enthusiasm to learn more I am capable of and looking forward to overcoming the hurdles that will face me whilst studying Mathematics at university.
Universities Applied to:
- Durham University (G103) - Offer (AAA) Firm
- University of St Andrews (G101) - Offer (Unconditional) Insurance
- University of Bath (G103) - Offer (AA)
- The University of Warwick (G103) - Offer (A1A + 2 in STEP)
- Oxford University (G100) - Rejection
Grades Achieved:
- Advanced Higher Maths - A
- Advanced Higher Applied Maths: Statistics - A
- Advanced Higher Physics - A
- 5 A's at Higher and 5 A*, 4 A at IGCSE
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