Applying for a mathematics degree

Question

I'm hoping to apply to Oxford and LSE for a maths degree. Could you give me tips and hints for my personal statement and interview, etc.? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi there. I've received offers from both Oxford and Imperial to study maths so I hope I'll be able to give you some useful advise.

Firstly, your personal statement is incredibly important because for the applications you make without interviews, it's the main way you'll get to sell yourself - too many people have top grades from them to be the only important part.

Showing your enthusiasm is VITAL. I cannot stress this enough. For the personal statement, mention books you have read around the subject and maybe additional lectures you've been too. This will show your dedication and interest. In interview, use your additional knowledge to show you've understood what you've read.

I had two interviews at Oxford - which is the standard amount for maths - and I wasn't asked any weird or trick questions. The main purpose of an interview is to get a feel of what it would be like to teach the interviewee in real life.

A great piece of advice I was given when I was preparing was not be afraid to admit to the interviewer that you realised that the maths course was going to be tough but that you were looking forward to the challenge. This went down well when I did it.

Also, bear in mind that the people, at Oxford especially, are only really interested in the their subject and aren't all that fussed about extra-curricular activities. They may help for applications to other univercities but for maths they aren't that concerned with how good you are at the piano or whether you did DofE Gold. I did work experience at a top investment bank and all they had to say about it was, 'So, did you make them much money? hahaha'.

I hope that's helped and if there's anything else you want to ask, go ahead.

Answer 2

Someone who welcomes puzzles and other intellectual challenges and who enjoys finding patterns in the world.A math degree will prepare you for a wealth of careers in fields ranging from finance to Computer  science. As a math major, you’ll study this language and learn how to use it to describe the world. If you love to solve math problems just to know the answer and enjoy using abstract concepts to discover whether something is true or false, this could be the major for you.

Answer 3

What I've always thought for Personal statements/interviews is that these days people with say 3 A's at a level and however many A*'s and A's at GCSE are more common, so you really need to make yourself stand out.

Extra curricular activities can be handy here, and talking up things you've done (You'd be suprised how many qualities you can find in working ina supermarket =D).

Then there comes a point where you decide whether or not to take a bit of a gamble (this sometimes pays off, sometimes not), e.g. admitting you and your band hav bee playing small gigs around local pubs etc, some people may want to put that in to stand out, some may want to hide it, as they want to seem focused and commtted.

Just try to make your personal statement mention your good academic background, extracurricular activites, and also somehow make you stand out from the crowd.

In interview I find the more smiles, and possibly laughs, you can extract the better, you get s short amount of time to give the interviewer a good impression, just remember at the same time you need to put across that you're a committed hard working student too!