Hi, I’m Will a third-year student in my final year of studying for a degree in Maths.
So far, this term has been a busy one for me. On average we have 15 contact hours a week, and these include a mix of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and computing labs. The diversity in the style of teaching at York is great as it helps to develop a variety of skills.
The Maths department at York is very current and active in its research with lecturers publishing weekly seminars in which they share with students insights into the projects they are working on right now. Often, I’ll spend a large chunk of my time during the day down at ‘Topos’; the Math’s department suite for discussions and seminars located in James College. This is a great space where undergraduates can hang out with lecturers and fellow students, whilst eating lunch and enjoying some maths-related chat!
Throughout my time at York but especially into third year when things can become stressful, the Maths Department have always been very supportive and there is always help on hand if you are struggling. Lecturers are easily contactable by email or even for a 1-2-1 chat, and I myself have often made use of weekly drop-in office hours to go over any issues I may have with aspects of a module. In addition to this, you are assigned an academic supervisor in first year, who acts as your first point of contact throughout your degree. Also, there’s Mathsoc, a great society who regularly organise fun socials both on campus and in York and also run helpful revision sessions when exam seasons rolls around. So, all in all, you shouldn’t be worried about not getting enough support – at York there is plenty!
A typical day for me involves a mixture of lectures which usually last 90 minutes, an hourly seminar and independent work. Academic stuff aside, I am very involved in URY (University of York Radio Society). I host a weekly news & music chat show from 9-10pm and often DJ at live events on campus such as ‘Time warp’. Getting involved with the radio has opened up lots of great opportunities for me such as interviewing uni bands and bands on tour in York – a real highlight for me was getting to chat to Wolf Alice at a recent gig! I also do videography work for the radio which involves filming and recording audio, further developing my skills in this area.
On Monday evenings, after my radio show, I head to V Bar, one of the campus bars on Campus West for Jazz night, a weekly event where the Jazz society play tunes late into the night, and everyone enjoys some down time, socialising and sipping a drink.
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