Is a maths degree outside COWI worth it?
11
I am aware that studying maths at Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, or Warwick (COWI) provides many advantages and can open doors to a lot of opportunities - since the students from these unis are often targeted by quant/investment firms. Not to say students from other unis aren't, but the general consensus is that these 4 unis are the best in the UK.
Outside COWI, is a maths degree worth it? Naturally there are different ways of deciding whether something is "worth it", but maybe the following criteria could be used:
How employable is a non-COWI maths degree? What is the job market like? What jobs does a maths degree lend itself to?
What is the course structure like? Is it mostly pure or applied? Coursework vs exams?
What opportunities are there for internships, programming, development of skills, etc.?
I apologise if this question comes off as elitist. I would just appreciate some perspective. Thank you
Outside COWI, is a maths degree worth it? Naturally there are different ways of deciding whether something is "worth it", but maybe the following criteria could be used:
How employable is a non-COWI maths degree? What is the job market like? What jobs does a maths degree lend itself to?
What is the course structure like? Is it mostly pure or applied? Coursework vs exams?
What opportunities are there for internships, programming, development of skills, etc.?
I apologise if this question comes off as elitist. I would just appreciate some perspective. Thank you
Reply 1
Hi Glaurung,
Hope you're doing well!
I would say that although all four of those unis are extremely good, what employers look for generally nowadays is less where you got your degree but what you have learned and experienced as a person, for example through your modules, your other work at uni (for example part time work) and any internships/placements/extra projects or research you've been involved with.
For example, Bath is a non-COWI/non-Russell group uni but both our Maths and Maths, Stats and Data Science degrees come with the option to do a year-long industrial placement, an integrated Masters', or both. Our Maths placements are typically within banks, large consultancy firms, engineering firms such as BAE, or the Office for National Statistics, which isn't only a fun thing to do but also a great way to gain the real-world exposure and professional awareness and experience that will set you apart in your graduate CV and give you things to talk about in job or grad scheme interviews.
So TLDR: Yes, COWI will provide a great academic experience for sure, but try to focus less on the physical place and its rankings and reputation and more on the experience the course will provide you with along the way.
Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck 🙂
Hope you're doing well!
I would say that although all four of those unis are extremely good, what employers look for generally nowadays is less where you got your degree but what you have learned and experienced as a person, for example through your modules, your other work at uni (for example part time work) and any internships/placements/extra projects or research you've been involved with.
For example, Bath is a non-COWI/non-Russell group uni but both our Maths and Maths, Stats and Data Science degrees come with the option to do a year-long industrial placement, an integrated Masters', or both. Our Maths placements are typically within banks, large consultancy firms, engineering firms such as BAE, or the Office for National Statistics, which isn't only a fun thing to do but also a great way to gain the real-world exposure and professional awareness and experience that will set you apart in your graduate CV and give you things to talk about in job or grad scheme interviews.
So TLDR: Yes, COWI will provide a great academic experience for sure, but try to focus less on the physical place and its rankings and reputation and more on the experience the course will provide you with along the way.
Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck 🙂
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 2
Original post
by GlaurungI am aware that studying maths at Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, or Warwick (COWI) provides many advantages and can open doors to a lot of opportunities - since the students from these unis are often targeted by quant/investment firms. Not to say students from other unis aren't, but the general consensus is that these 4 unis are the best in the UK.
Outside COWI, is a maths degree worth it? Naturally there are different ways of deciding whether something is "worth it", but maybe the following criteria could be used:
How employable is a non-COWI maths degree? What is the job market like? What jobs does a maths degree lend itself to?
What is the course structure like? Is it mostly pure or applied? Coursework vs exams?
What opportunities are there for internships, programming, development of skills, etc.?
I apologise if this question comes off as elitist. I would just appreciate some perspective. Thank you
Outside COWI, is a maths degree worth it? Naturally there are different ways of deciding whether something is "worth it", but maybe the following criteria could be used:
How employable is a non-COWI maths degree? What is the job market like? What jobs does a maths degree lend itself to?
What is the course structure like? Is it mostly pure or applied? Coursework vs exams?
What opportunities are there for internships, programming, development of skills, etc.?
I apologise if this question comes off as elitist. I would just appreciate some perspective. Thank you
Hello! Maths degrees at any of these unis are very good. However speaking from experience, I did maths undergrad at Bristol and got a quant trading internship during my time there from a top firm. in terms of employability, somewhere COI(W) may get you more opportunities, but you're fine if you don't go to one of them and go somewhere like UCL, Bristol etc instead. You're still highly employable. (The W is in brackets because Warwick sits below the other 3 for sure.)
In terms of other jobs maths lends itself to, the doors are open very wide. I went for quant but even if you don't get that, any finance / data science or even some more CS/engineering roles love maths grads.
Course structure is very important. If you want to do more physics or more stats modules, go somewhere with plenty of options for them, especially option modules in later years, you'll kick yourself if you get stuck doing modules you don't want to do later, TRUST me.
Finally, remember if you don't get into Oxbridge or Imperial for undergrad, you can apply for masters there!
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