‘When studying mathematics my biggest surprise was...’

When studying Mathematics, my biggest surprise was, without a doubt, the people. If I am being perfectly honest, my decision to study Maths was not an easy one. I had always loved the subject but was not sure if I was the sort of person that should do a degree in it. I pictured a Maths student as someone who was very studious, sensible, and who would rather solve equations than socialise in their spare time. Despite often aspiring to be such a do-gooder, unfortunately I have never, and will never, fit this description. After a turbulent time at several different schools, misbehaving and going through phases in which I decided I would become anything from a pop-singer to a clinical Psychologist, I found myself applying for the subject I had consistently enjoyed and made sense to me (although I wouldn’t dare admit either up until then). At this point I decided to put all my efforts into this. At the time of entering Sixth Form, I had been encouraged to do Further Maths; however I flat out declined as I wanted to join the Combined Cadet Force at school so I could run around with guns on army camps. So now was the time to catch up. I took a gap year to study Further Maths A-Level and talked to all the Maths teachers at my school. I researched into the universities that offered courses, and decided that I wanted to go to Imperial because I liked London and knew of Imperial’s fantastic reputation! However, I seriously doubted I’d get a place as I was convinced I’d never be good enough. When I found out I had been accepted I was in shock.