(upbeat music)
- Studying Maths at Cambridge is special
because it's exciting and demanding
and you're really surrounded by lots of people
who love their mathematics.
- I chose Maths at Cambridge because the Cambridge course
covered so much in three years
and I knew that I was gonna learn a lot.
- The students are pushed, they're pushed hard.
I don't think it's easy,
but everyone just loves their mathematics so much.
- In the first year of the course,
all students take compulsory courses
in a number of core subjects that anyone
who wanted to call themselves a mathematician
would expect to be competent in.
And then in the third year, the options really explode
from pure mathematics, algebra, geometry,
number theory, all the way over to statistics,
and theoretical physics including
general relativity and quantum theory.
- The most exciting facility for Math students
at Cambridge is really the Centre for Mathematical Sciences.
- A real sort of mini-mathematic city.
It's absolutely gorgeous
and it's a wonderful place to work and study.
- And also escape up to the grass roof and look around,
look at the Newton Institute and be inspired.
- There's also a math library on site
where there are things like board games
for students when they're not working as well as
blackboards to collaborate together when they are.
- My advice to students who are just starting the course
would be to prioritise finding a group of friends
that you can do maths with.
If you've got people that you can discuss ideas with,
you'll find it much easier and you'll do much better.
- If we have any academic concerns or worries,
we can talk to our supervisors and our Director of Studies.
- It is going to be harder than it was in school,
but this is a good thing because you'll learn
a new way of thinking, learn lots of new ideas,
and also you'll be challenged.
- In my spare time, when I'm not doing maths,
I'm the JCR President of my college.
- I do some teaching and some mentoring,
but running's the big thing that I do.
- I play badminton for my college.
- I'm part of the Kickboxing Society.
I play football.
- My college is on the river,
so we have our own kayaks and punts.
I do enjoy taking them out.
- Maths graduates from Cambridge
have great career prospects.
I mean, lots of employers
are looking for good mathematicians
and so they're really snapped up for jobs.
You can go into the obvious careers
like banking, computing, teaching,
but also people do lots of other things.
If you're a Maths graduate from Cambridge,
the world is your oyster.
- After I graduate, I'm going on to do a PhD.
- Plans for the future would including doing Part III,
which is a Masters here at Cambridge.
- After I graduate, I may go for a job
in the field of data science.
- This degree, especially, will equip me
with the skills that I need for almost anything in life.
- STEP stands for Sixth Term Examination Paper
and they're public exams that you take
just after your A-levels.
The idea is that the syllabus is the same
as either A-level Maths or Further Maths A-level,
but the questions are harder.
- The way I prepared for STEP is by practicing
all the past papers possible.
So I went on the STEP Support Programme
that's run by Cambridge.
- There's lots of past papers online with solutions.
- If you keep persevering, you'll be surprised
at how much better you get with practice.
Before I came to Cambridge, I expected it to be
quite a male-dominated environment
and that I wouldn't be able to fit in,
but I was surprised by how welcoming the Maths faculty are.
- You should ask yourself,
am I enthusiastic about mathematics?
Am I willing to work hard?
Do I also feel like I've got the prerequisites
in mathematics that will enable me
to start an undergraduate degree?
If you feel your answer is yes to all of those questions,
then this is probably the place you belong.
- Please don't be put off by applying
because this place is full of people
who are passionate about the subject.
- I didn't think I would get in
and I didn't want to apply at first,
but I thought I'd just give it a shot and here I am.