A Recent Graduate’s Story…

By Kimran Mann

Being a recent Maths graduate, I can honestly say my time and road to university was certainly not how I would have imagined. That’s not to say I didn’t have an amazing time though. Let me take you back to the beginning, in the summer of 2018.

I’ve always been a student who enjoyed every subject at school and college. But whenever I had to narrow my subject choices down, I’d base my decisions on a whim – it was always a difficult decision for me. Even choosing between history or geography at GCSE was too much of a dramatic choice – imagine parting ways with two subjects that you enjoy. Then came the nightmare of choosing ‘a’ degree, which was quite daunting to say the least. By the end of the summer, I’d gone through every course in the open day booklets and on university websites. If it was up to me, I’d choose the ‘Wants to try everything’ degree. Sadly, with that not being available, I chose the one thing that I enjoyed and was best at – Maths. So, as I reflect on my time at university, I’d like to share a few of my tips for those who may just be starting.

Tip 1: If ever you find something challenging, instead of putting it in the ‘too difficult to handle drawer’, focus and spend a little more time on it; you’ll soon find that you’ll get the hang of it.

Maths can often seem like one of those subjects where people are either good at it or not. However, maths has definitely never come easy to me, and to this day still never has. Nonetheless, I feel that learning it is like using a muscle in your brain. The more you train that muscle, the better you become. So, with a lot of hard work, Maths became my favourite subject. I specifically thrived on the problem-solving aspect because it pushed me – and parts of my brain – to a new level.

Tip 2: Don’t put pressure on yourself to make friends in the first few weeks. As time goes on, you’ll meet different people in different places, be that in your accommodation, course, societies, nights out or the student union.

That being said, do try to make an effort where you can; say hello to fellow students as you may often find that everyone is in the same boat, so being the conversation starter can help ease everyone else’s nerves too.

With my subject choice settled, I was off to Loughborough University to study Maths. The summer before starting university had come around and unlike many people, I was the least stressed/nervous about what was coming my way. I simply pushed any thought of university to the side and enjoyed my summer spending time with friends, living my best life in the sunshine and simply being me. That is, until the day before moving to Loughborough – that’s when it hit me. I realised that I was actually going somewhere new where I didn’t know anybody.

I had nothing to fear though, because soon after moving into student accommodation, I made an effort to talk to everyone, whether that was my flatmates, people on my course, or the societies I had joined. Within a few days, I felt settled and had made friends from different parts of the country and world. Even now, I’m so happy that I met the people that I did at university, some who I still call my good friends today. 

Tip 3: Don’t compare yourself and how much you know/don’t know to others. Everyone starts their course at different levels and progresses at a different pace. Some students may be totally new to the subject whereas some may have studied it previously.

The whole point of the first year at university is to get everyone at the same level. Use this year to get a good foundation and grip of the subject.

Now, when it comes to the actual reason why I was at university – the education aspect – I had very mixed feelings. I felt the fact that I hadn’t studied further maths at A level hindered my understanding during lectures. I’d walk out after finishing each lecture feeling as though I was so behind in my understanding of the subject compared to everyone else.

But after a short internal discussion with myself (and a bit of extra work in my own time), I realised it was the challenging nature of the subject which was the whole reason why I chose to study it in the first place – and that’s what I thrived on.

Tip 4: Stock up on medicine! You never know when you’re going to get ill. I recall one time my whole flat being ill and the cough syrup being a centre piece on the kitchen table for a good month.

Soon, I had gotten used to the teaching style and structure of university life and started to feel more confident with the subject. Aside from the academics, I was also able to balance my social life with the friends I had made too. In the first and second year, I went on plenty of nights out but also had plenty of cosy days in. Of course, at the start of every semester the freshers’ flu would be going around, so there were plenty of days where resting and having a movie day was doctors’ orders.

Tip 5: Stay in contact with people through whatever means possible, whether remotely, over the phone or if possible, visiting them.

Everything was going swimmingly, until March 2020 came and crushed any sense of routine or structure, as the pandemic commenced. I went from seeing and living with my friends and attending lectures daily, to not seeing anyone for the next six months. My routine went out the window and led to a whole new way of student life. Admittedly, I found this very challenging on my mental health and wellbeing as I was not used to this level of isolation. Being human, we’re naturally sociable characters, so going from being surrounded by like-minded friends to being back at home again, was quite a change.

When I reflect on my time over the pandemic, what helped me the most was staying in contact with everyone. I had many Netflix tele-parties, and with social media’s aim to bring us closer together, there were many other ways to catch-up with others.

Tip 6: Life at university flies by so make sure you enjoy every last moment!

Eventually, we were back at university in October 2020 – my final year had begun. I knew I wanted to make the most of this final year and I did everything to enjoy my time. The workload had majorly shifted to a lot more independent work which meant any free time was scarce. Having had a university experience that had been significantly cut short because of the pandemic, I savoured every moment of what was left of my time. Many more outdoor events were being held, so my friends and I would take up every opportunity to go to them.

After completing my final six exams in June, that was it – I’d finally done it. I was finished with university! I was ready to be a graduate.