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I've always had a particular flair for mathematics, there was never really any doubt that I would choose to do it as a degree. Mathematics, to me, is something that is equally abstract and simple, it's an art that you can practise in your head on a long train ride or whilst concentrating at your desk.
I often find myself scribbling little mathematical thoughts down on a small notebook when I'm stuck in a particularly long commute or queue. I think that that's one of the most attractive qualities of the subject, that it requires nothing more than pen, paper and some thought; and I rather like thinking.
Whilst I cannot deny that I learnt plenty of maths from my school courses, I do feel that I walked away from them with a distinct feeling that something was missing. It didn't feel like what maths is supposed to feel like. Mathematics, to me is nothing less than an amazing and abstract art, where you craft little sonnets of pure reason and thought; not the hollow husk of maths where problems are solved algorithmically and through step-by-step procedures.
I still hadn't quite determined what field of mathematics I loved, everything seemed so enjoyable. Applied mathematics explained, in a beautiful manner the way the world works. It exhibits just how vast the reach of maths extends, from the basements of banks to the stars and galaxies far above. I enjoyed being able to apply maths to real-life situation, I loved the thrill of predicting something mathematically and seeing it actually occur in real life. This feeling of pure exhilaration and mathematical ecstasy is something I want more of, and a mathematics degree would provide me with that.
Pure mathematics, however, was the field that was truly breath-taking, and in the year to come I would find that this (admittedly wide) branch of maths is what I would fall in love with. I grew an affinity for writing proofs, refining them till they were as elegant as possible. I grew addicted to the warm ball of happiness that would grow in my stomach as I ended my proof with a QED, marking it complete; signing my piece of art.
I grew increasingly fond of algebra; we were learning about functions in school and I just wasn't satisfied with the explanations of "one-to-one" functions given in class. I decided to go back home and research. I quickly fell upon the concepts of relations and soon enough I was devouring introductory books on group and set theory. The first time I think I truly fell in love with pure mathematics is when I learn about the four axioms of a group; my interest in abstract algebra only grew, things like Lagrange's theorem were simple results that spoke profound truths, it seemed like a miraculous result, yet it worked, it was set in stone. Groups are, to me, a fascinating mathematical object that I'd love to spend hours studying. Another field that I've only recently started to bite my teeth into is real analysis, the rigour and attention to detail is what amazes me. The results can be really obvious, but their proofs are still intricate and elegant. One thing that really stood out to me, amazed me thoroughly was the cardinality of infinite sets and how they compared to each other.
I'm also the president of my schools debate and public speaking club, I quite enjoy the debating side because I feel that constructing an argument is a very mathematical skill. Arguments need to be logical and structured, implications need to flow from one another. I think this ties in well with maths, in the sense that when I write a proof or construct a mathematical argument, I need to do so with the aim of convincing whoever is reading my proof that I'm right using logic and reason.
Given my flair for mathematics and my thirst for learning more about it is what makes a maths degree exactly what I need and what I would thrive doing for the next few years.
Universities Applied to:
- University of Cambridge - Offer (A*A*A + 1, 1 in STEP II, III) Firm
- University of Warwick - Offer (A*A*A + 1 in any STEP ) Insurance
- Imperial College London - Offer (A*A*A + 1, 2 in STEP II, III)
- University College London - Offer (A*AA + 2 in any STEP)
Grades Achieved:
- Mathematics - A*
- Further Mathematics - A*
- Physics - A
- STEP I - 1 (97)
- STEP II - 1 (82)
- STEP III - 1 (72)
