Outside Subjects
Examples of outside subjects and courses taken by our students.
As part of the four-year programme, students will take additional subjects in Years 1 and 2, alongside their mathematics courses. Below are some examples of past outside courses our students have taken.
My advice to new students would be to choose something that they have a great interest in, or something they really enjoyed at school as this will help them to engage and excel in the subject.
"I choose 'Economics 1' in my first year and now I am doing 'Economics 2' for an outside course in Year 2. I choose these because I have a great interest in how the economy works, and a good knowledge in economics will greatly benefit my future career. As I did not study economics in school I have learned a mass of new knowledge and developed skills such as essay writing that are not developed in first year maths."
"This semester, my elective is 'History of Science'. I chose this course because as a math student we learn very briefly, if ever, about mathematicians or the history regarding a topic we are discussing, so I was looking for an opportunity that would delve into a deep thematic study of how science frankly came to be. This course has been very enlightening in terms of how the science we learn and apply today came from very interesting beginnings, philosophies, and people. I would certainly recommend this course for students that study natural sciences since it allows one to think very broadly about the meaning of scientific knowledge and perhaps appreciate their degree!"
"Due to my dyslexia I felt it was important to take a course that revolved around reading and writing so that I could illustrate to future employers my ability to handle reading and writing at a university standard. The choice of 'History of Medicine' in particular was due to my interest in the topic matter and the amount of the independent learning for the course, which was very different from what I had experienced at high school."
"I took 'Foundation Korean 1' and 2. I wanted to do a language but something different to what’s usually done in school and a language that would be completely new to me. The language classes are really fun and quite relaxed but provide a refreshing change from maths as you use and develop different skills. From taking this course I’ve not only learnt some of the Korean language but also developed the skills that come with learning a language like problem solving, which are both beneficial to me during my maths degree and after."
"One of the courses I took was 'Musical Acoustics'. I learned how all kinds of musical instruments work, and the physics behind music and sound. I chose it because I wanted to do a music course that's not too essay based. Meanwhile, this is a branch of physics I didn't know from high school."
"I took 'Logic 1' because it showed the processes of proofs in a different way, which was really interesting! It helped me to continue the understanding of problem solving processes learned in 'Accelerated Proofs and Problem Solving' which was beneficial."
"I chose 'Introductory Astrophysics' because it was one of the only Physics courses that didn't require you to have taken Physics at A-Level/Advanced Higher (and I had not done Physics since I was 16). That meant it was challenging, but I learnt a lot and got to do something different from maths. The lecturer was also super enthusiastic, giving out biscuits in lectures and allowing us to request songs for the break, which made the course even more fun."
"I took 'Computer Simulation' in Year 2. It's the perfect course if you enjoy physics and have some Python experience. It’s 100% coursework and gives you a chance to explore more intricate programming projects, with a focus on Object Orientated Programming, which is invaluable to know for any programmer. This course was challenging but a lot of fun. It culminated into a project where I wrote a program simulating and animating the solar system up to Mars, based on Newtons laws of planetary motion."
"I studied 'Politics in a Changing World: an Introduction for Non-Specialists'. I chose this course because I wanted to do something different and completely not maths related. It was a very fun course, and helped me develop a set of skills I would have not been able to improve by just doing a maths degree. It was a great opportunity to meet a new set of people but most of all was a great way of confirming to myself that maths was the right choice of degree!"
"Alongside mathematics and economics, in my second year I choose to take up 'Psychology 1B'. I found the mechanics behind microeconomics very interesting and wanted to further my understanding of humans. Covering topics from developmental psychology to the science of language, I felt there was relation to economics and uses mathematics to support theories. It was encouraging to see that cross over and application of mathematics in various fields. Psychology 1B actually gave me the introduction to the uses of statistical aspect of maths and allow me to apply my knowledge to R."