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Original post by ebmaj7
I'm in, lads.

GCSE: 4A*, 7A.
AS: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Music.
100% in C1. :smile:

Can I ask everyone about any books they're reading? I'm not much of a book reader (I'm sure sure whether I should express this to any universities), but I know I should include some further reading.
Just some interesting books that aren't overly complicated, any ideas?


The music of the primes (Marcus du Sautoy) is great.
I'd also recommend:
A mathematician's apology (G.H. Hardy) - not full of maths, but a wonderful book.
From Here to Infinity (Ian Stewart)
Alex's Adventures in Numberland (Alex Bellos)

Here's the Oxford recommended reading list:

Spoiler



And here's the Cambridge one.

Hope you find something interesting! :smile:
Original post by anyone_can_fly
The music of the primes (Marcus du Sautoy) is great.
I'd also recommend:
A mathematician's apology (G.H. Hardy) - not full of maths, but a wonderful book.
From Here to Infinity (Ian Stewart)
Alex's Adventures in Numberland (Alex Bellos)

Here's the Oxford recommended reading list:

Spoiler



And here's the Cambridge one.

Hope you find something interesting! :smile:


I'm currently trying to read a Mathematician's Apology. I think I've forgotten how to read though. I just can't read any book without completely losing concentration :lol:, although I'm not very far into it and I've never read a book about maths before
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by anyone_can_fly
The music of the primes (Marcus du Sautoy) is great.
I'd also recommend:
A mathematician's apology (G.H. Hardy) - not full of maths, but a wonderful book.
From Here to Infinity (Ian Stewart)
Alex's Adventures in Numberland (Alex Bellos)

Here's the Oxford recommended reading list:

Spoiler



And here's the Cambridge one.

Hope you find something interesting! :smile:


That list looks good.

I am currently reading Mathematics: A very short introduction. It's small and not overly complicated. I thought it would be a good place to start. A concise Introduction to pure mathematics looks good. I've also read half (need to finish it) of The Divine Proportion: A study in Mathematical Beauty. It was really interesting but quite heavy going.
Original post by dnumberwang
I'm currently trying to read a Mathematician's Apology. I think I've forgotten how to read though. I just can't read any book without completely losing concentration :lol:, although I'm not very far into it and I've never read a book about maths before


Forgotten how to read? That's a terrible state of affairs! One of the things I like about the book is the way that he's so incredibly sad underneath it all. Have you picked up on that yet? All those references to how mathematics is for young men, for example. :frown:

Original post by laughylolly
That list looks good.

I am currently reading Mathematics: A very short introduction. It's small and not overly complicated. I thought it would be a good place to start. A concise Introduction to pure mathematics looks good. I've also read half (need to finish it) of The Divine Proportion: A study in Mathematical Beauty. It was really interesting but quite heavy going.


I read the concise introduction at one point (I think it came free with the newspaper a few years ago) but I've forgotten it completely. Perhaps I'm due a reread! Yeah, I'm also halfway (well, about p60) into An Imaginary Tale: The Story of ?-1. I've been halfway through for about three months now. It's really interesting, but takes so much effort to read!
Original post by CharleyChester
You shouldn't think like that! I've applied for Maths this year on the back of 7A and 4B at GCSE and a 'you'll be lucky to get one offer' from my head of year. However, 2 months down the line from applying and i was sitting on 5 offers and am now (fingers crossed) off to Nottingham this September :smile: Obviously you have ages to think it over, but if you want any advice feel free to pm me :smile:


Thanks very much, this was really good to hear as It's been worrying me over the last couple of weeks. Well done on all those offers though, I saw on your profile where you applied to and I'm also planning on looking at Birmingham and Nottingham. I won't give up on maths quite yet, ill see how my AS's go and then I'll make up my mind. Do you mind me asking what subjects you took and what your AS grades were?
Original post by IcedTea&PotNoodle
Thanks very much, this was really good to hear as It's been worrying me over the last couple of weeks. Well done on all those offers though, I saw on your profile where you applied to and I'm also planning on looking at Birmingham and Nottingham. I won't give up on maths quite yet, ill see how my AS's go and then I'll make up my mind. Do you mind me asking what subjects you took and what your AS grades were?


Maths, Further Maths, Physics, German : BCBB (i think? i don't even remember xD), but keep in mind i had my appendix out in the middle of my June exams so i know i could've done a lot better :P Good luck with your exams :smile: If you want any advice i'm pretty much always about on here, so drop us a message and i'll get back to you :biggrin:
GCSE: 5A*,3A and a B
AS Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Biology.
Got 97, 96, 100 in C1, C2 and S1 respectively.
Considering to apply to read G100 at Imperial, KCL, UCL, Manchester, Birmingham.
What books are everyone reading?
Original post by laughylolly
I'm doing finance related work experience... closest related to Maths that I could find. And yay another girl! How come you are not thinking of applying to oxbridge, your GCSE's look pretty damn good.


How did you find the work experience? everywhere i ask says they don't do it. :confused:
Thanks :smile: I was thinking of applying to Cambridge but my UMS scores for my biology and chemistry exams weren't so good so i don't think i will get in and i don't want to waste a uni option applying there
Original post by jerome1994
GCSE: 5A*,3A and a B
AS Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Biology.
Got 97, 96, 100 in C1, C2 and S1 respectively.
Considering to apply to read G100 at Imperial, KCL, UCL, Manchester, Birmingham.
What books are everyone reading?


Welcome :smile:
I'm currently reading Mathematics: A very short introduction just to get started (it's a pretty easy going, light book) and The Divine Proportion: A study in Mathematical Beauty (it's really interesting but quite heavy going).

Original post by like_a_star
How did you find the work experience? everywhere i ask says they don't do it. :confused:
Thanks :smile: I was thinking of applying to Cambridge but my UMS scores for my biology and chemistry exams weren't so good so i don't think i will get in and i don't want to waste a uni option applying there


Haven't done that work experience yet. I have it in June. I did however do a week at the British Trade Office/British Consulate in Saudi. Not really Mathematically related but I was very limited to what I could do there (since women don't really work there at all). It was really good. I learnt a lot about passports, visas, foreign policy kinda stuff but I also did quite a bit on the business side too and helped organize this event for BMI. I learnt a lot of general work skills, learnt how to use a fax machine! Talking to clients on the phone, organization etc. I would love to go back there.

It took me a while to get work experience here. A lot of places said that they had already got people coming that week for work experience or that their firm was too small to offer it. You just gotta keep looking and asking.

I'm kinda glad I do Highers and not A levels with the whole UMS scores and stuff. We just have end of year exams and that's it. I kinda doubt I'll be able to get into Oxford, hopefully to at least interview stage, but if I never try I'll never know so...
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by like_a_star
Hi!
GCSE's: 6A* and 5A's
Alevels: maths, further maths, chemistry and biology (planning to drop it at the end of this year tho)
Preperation: i work at kumon tuition and help kids with maths work, reading maths related books, going to do an open university course over summer and help out in lower school maths lessons
possible unis to apply to: warwick, imperial, bath, bristol and nottingham


What actually is that and how do you get a job there? Oh and which open university course are you doing? I was thinking of doing one but I couldn't find a good maths one :/

Original post by anyone_can_fly
Forgotten how to read? That's a terrible state of affairs! One of the things I like about the book is the way that he's so incredibly sad underneath it all. Have you picked up on that yet? All those references to how mathematics is for young men, for example. :frown:



I read the concise introduction at one point (I think it came free with the newspaper a few years ago) but I've forgotten it completely. Perhaps I'm due a reread! Yeah, I'm also halfway (well, about p60) into An Imaginary Tale: The Story of ?-1. I've been halfway through for about three months now. It's really interesting, but takes so much effort to read!


It's better now, I've gotten to the mathsy bit :tongue:
Reply 210
Reading books are great, although if you're doing it to boost an Oxbridge application, it isn't going to help. I found, while at interviews, everyone who mentioned books on their PS seemed to have read them quite a while ago. At Oxford, at least, there were pre-determined interviews and wasn't really asked anything other than maths questions. Maths is probably one of the few subjects where they're very narrow minded about what they're interested in, unsurprisingly it's your mathematical abilities.
Original post by Noble.
Reading books are great, although if you're doing it to boost an Oxbridge application, it isn't going to help. I found, while at interviews, everyone who mentioned books on their PS seemed to have read them quite a while ago. At Oxford, at least, there were pre-determined interviews and wasn't really asked anything other than maths questions. Maths is probably one of the few subjects where they're very narrow minded about what they're interested in, unsurprisingly it's your mathematical abilities.

I would agree but I did hear some people did get asked very specific things about their application - could have been a book they read (in my case it was my interest in mathematical demography which obviously sticked out like a sore thumb because not that may people care about it :frown: ).
Original post by anshul95
I would agree but I did hear some people did get asked very specific things about their application - could have been a book they read (in my case it was my interest in mathematical demography which obviously sticked out like a sore thumb because not that may people care about it :frown: ).


mathematical demography?
Original post by dnumberwang
What actually is that and how do you get a job there? Oh and which open university course are you doing? I was thinking of doing one but I couldn't find a good maths one :/


kumon is a world wide and has tuition centres all over the world. I just have to mark childrens work (you have answer books), record their results in a record book and help them when they get stuck on work. The kids are supposed to teach themselves so you don't actually have to teach the kids unless they really need help. I was lucky getting a job there...i was going there for maths tuition and they just offered me the job because I was one of the higher students. You can apply online i think, just google kumon.
I'm thinking of doing the story of maths course. My teacher is only letting us do the 10 credit ones and that was the only maths one.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by ilovedubstep
mathematical demography?

you have just proved my point lol. Mathematical demography models things like how human populations change and birth rates etc change over time.
What work experience does everyone have lined up?
Original post by anshul95
you have just proved my point lol. Mathematical demography models things like how human populations change and birth rates etc change over time.


Sounds interesting. I read a bit about it in this book I'm reading. It was discussing how models are used to predict population growth. Then it went on to discuss modeling the behavior of gases... then brains and computers...

Original post by jerome1994
What work experience does everyone have lined up?


I wrote a post about mine above ^ ^ :smile:
Original post by jerome1994
What work experience does everyone have lined up?


nothing :ashamed2:
Original post by anshul95
I would agree but I did hear some people did get asked very specific things about their application - could have been a book they read (in my case it was my interest in mathematical demography which obviously sticked out like a sore thumb because not that may people care about it :frown: ).


Yeah that's what I have been considering... I know that people got asked specific questions regarding what they've put on their personal statement (a close friend of mine who got an offer from Cambridge told me that he got questioned about his reading choices). Teachers have said it also that if you put book(s) on your PS then you have to be familiar with them by the interview.

Therefore, here's a question to EVERYONE:

How many books would you list on your Personal Statement considering the fact that there is a large chance that you will be questioned about their content?

For example, putting four day may result in a question that stumps you because you forgot to go over that certain area since re-reading four books would be demanding then the interviewer may assume that you lied then you're screwed. On the other hand, one book would quite obviously not go done well...

So I would imagine for myself a compromise of either mentioning two or three books. What about you guys?
Original post by jerome1994
What work experience does everyone have lined up?


Oxford physics department

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