Part 2 of my interview with Soumya is below! I loved hearing more about Soumya's personal experience at Warwick, giving me a detailed insight into the day-to-day life as a maths student at university. Soumya also shares her interests and inspirations, as well as her plans for the future!
Any particular books or websites you would recommend?
Introduction to Combinatorics by UKMT is a great book. So is A Mathematical Olympiad Primer. I also really enjoy reading Simon Singh - his book on Fermat's Last Theorem is fantastic.
Can you describe what a typical day at Warwick looks like?
I love studying maths at Warwick - the flexibility of the course is absolutely incredible, and I haven't seen that in many other first year courses. I am able to make 20% of my first year be based upon language modules (languages are a huge passion of mine). I feel so supported by the department - we have lectures, seminars, tutorials and supervisions.
Typically I have 3-4 hours of lectures a day, as well as perhaps a tutorial or supervision. The rest of my day is spent working on assignments (be warned, the workload is heavy). In the evenings, I tend to have society meetings or social events with friends.
Can you tell us a bit more about your role as Vice President at Warwick Maths Society?
I was recently elected Vice President of Warwick Maths Society. Our society is the second largest academic society on campus and we host a variety of different events. We host regular academic talks, and have career talks from companies looking to recruit maths students. We offer career advice, and have an academic support team who host a weekly session to help with assignments etc. We host regular socials for our members, be it bar crawls or pizza/games nights. We also have a mentoring scheme that allows students to be matched with a suitable mentor to assist them through the degree - my mentor helped me loads in first year, and I think the scheme is fantastic! Finally, we have a welfare team to support members, and a sports officer who organises the Maths netball and football leagues. As Vice President, my role is to oversee the running of the society, and organise our international tour.
Which area of maths interests you most, and why?
I love analysis! It's a new area of maths you learn about at university, and it's really challenging but also very satisfying once you understand it better.
Can you tell me about a female mathematician who really inspires you?
I think Rachel Riley is great - politics aside, I think it's fantastic that she is so mainstream. Countdown presents maths as interesting and fun, everyone loves trying it out for a challenge, and she has inspired countless young girls to get involved in maths. She also shows that you don't have to be either male or look like a 'stereotypical' mathematician in order to be successful.
I personally have been told countless times that I don't seem like I'd do maths. I must admit this mildly frustrates me - I'd love to kick the stereotype of the 'typical mathmo' and show people that anyone who is curious and willing to work hard can succeed at this subject.
What are you planning to do after graduating?
Ooh, I'm not actually sure! I'm really interested in finance and markets so I'm hoping to get a grad job at one of the investment banks. But I've always wanted to set up my own charity, so that's the eventual dream. I've actually just set up my own social enterprise, so who knows, I may take that further and work on it full time - who knows what the future holds!
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