What do you wish you'd known...

I wish I realised the importance of first year even though it doesn't count towards anything (I'm going to do a placement year in my 3rd year and the employers value good first year results). Also wish I knew how to cook. But this was not so bad since I have asian parents that insisted each week on cooking me enough curry to last a week, lol.

You will get narclopsy (fall asleep in the day at the most in opportune moments) and there will be one or two units you loathe oh and help is always there if you can get over your self and actually ask for it.

Try to avoid petty arguments with my house mates.

arguing over dishes, who's taking the bins out, who's inconsiderate was so pointlessly stressing and awkward.

it happens, and will always happen in communal living, but I wish I knew how to deal with it better before I went to University.

oh really they care about your first year results?! whoa... haha i'll be living off pasta and pizza and getting real fat



thanks for the heads up! that's scary but yeah i'll make sure to ask for help if i do ever need it!



hmmm having 5 siblings has trained me to be the ultimate 'i'll do it ' person hopefully that comes in handy
i'll keep it in mind if i go to a uni which requires me to move out and live with other people

How important it is to get involved in society committees and volunteering outside your course. My sister told me this when I was preparing to go to uni and it's proved invaluable applying for my PGCE now I'm in 4th year

oh that's awesome! yeah i'm taking a gap year just to do all the volunteering stuff but i thought it would only be useful for one line in your personal statement! Thanks

It's important to keep doing things during your time at uni as you'll have to write a personal statement for any masters programmes you apply for as well as jobs and graduate schemes

that doing the extra work out of class will help you so much even after uni as you go on to other things, i have forgotten so much chemistry after my degree its unreal

oh do you forget degree stuff as well?! everyone makes out that once you do your degree that stuff is all in your head and you become an expert on it haha

thanks for the tips!

depends, if you build on it then you probably will remember but i switched to a pharmacy based phd so forgot a lot of the basic chemistry :P

Just how challenging, time-consuming and stressful a Maths degree at Imperial would be Despite things turning out rather well (I got a 1st), I had a lot less free time than I thought I would.

My message to future maths/science undergrads is this:

Uni life isn't just a party. You have to be prepared to work very hard!

Is there any particular reason you did a Maths degree? Has it led anywhere? Were you expecting it to?

For a start, I had always found maths easy, so it was a natural consideration to make. I also realised that a maths degree would leave me with a huge number of options, purely because the skills that it arms you with (numeracy, problem-solving, etc) are in demand everywhere.

My job (in retail management) isn't related to my degree, and I never expected it to be. It was just about having options and doing something that I was good at

Fair enough. I personally would have thought a degree in something as cerebral as Maths would lead you to be considered over-qualified for many jobs, especially in an industry like retail. Have you ever found that at times?

Not really. Besides, most graduate employers say that they want at least [insert degree class here] in any discipline. As such, I think they're more interested in the transferable skills with which you'd be able to excel in a particular role. They don't place much emphasis on the degree subject itself

I should also say that, although I do want to remember all the maths that I've learnt, I don't regret not being able to apply it at work. I suppose that's because I've found other ways to keep myself "sharp" (eg by becoming a study helper on here, reading etc)

How much workload there is :O

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I wish I'd tried harder in my first year (I'm doing a law degree). Even though it doesn't particularly count, it does not look good on your results to have a pretty average first year. Although to be fair, it is A LOT better to mess up your first year than any other year.

Also, that you don't need to buy every recommended textbook. I have spent a large amount of money on books, (law books are expensive). Moreover you can get cheap second hand books on Amazon - i also try and get books with notes already written in by the past owner, its very interesting to see someone else's view.

you should tutor A-level students... it's like £27 per hour!



Would you say the workload in A-levels was more stressful than the workload at uni (even though it's more) or the other way round?

Tbh I prefer to just help people casually because tutoring requires a certain level of commitment, and my hobbies/interests take up most of my time. Plus I don't need the money

With regards to your question, a degree is way more stressful! In fact, A-levels are quite straightforward in comparison!

Would you say the workload in A-levels was more stressful than the workload at uni (even though it's more) or the other way round?