Carolin Kleinsorge is a first-year student of Mathematics. She is pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree, 2-subject programme. Carolin’s other subject is English Studies.
What made you choose this degree programme?
Mathematics has always been my strong suit, and I have always enjoyed it, too. Besides, I would like to work as a teacher, and my chances to do so after graduation are quite good with the combination Maths-English.
In which respect have or haven’t your expectations been fulfilled?
I hadn’t expected maths to be easy, but I didn’t know it would be quite so difficult! You’re constantly under pressure, because you’ve got assignments to finish every week, and the learning pace at uni is quite different from that in school. Anything you’d ever experienced in school – including studying for your A-levels – is nothing when compared with the Mathematics degree. But you can get used to it! In my year, moreover, the continuous pressure and the countless hours spent in the library have brought us all together and we have become a closely-knit group. Everybody supports everybody else whenever they can. After all, we’re all in the same boat (laughs).
Which aspect of your degree programme do you enjoy most?
The many hours spend together in the library are definitely very good fun – when, despite all that chattering and distractions – we are also very productive. It is also a great feeling when, after pouring over a problem for eight hours and being on the verge of despair, all of a sudden everything becomes clear. You feel like a super brain then! And because we often work in a team, you’ll get instantly rewarded by positive feedback.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
The main challenge when studying Mathematics is to lower your expectations on yourself. Sometimes, you might work very hard and pour much time and effort into an assignment and yet not find a solution. Or you’ll hand in something on which you’d worked very hard and receive no points for it. That’s really frustrating, but the only way to deal with it is, “Buck up and don’t lose your courage”. Continuous efforts and diligent learning are the only means to success in Maths. Once you understand that, you will manage just fine.
What would you like to become after completing your degree?
I study maths, because I want to work as a teacher. It is unlikely that I will ever teach the subject matters that I am currently learning in my degree programme. However, I find it important for a teacher to really know his or her subject. I can tell from my own experience that students don’t respect a teacher who doesn’t understand the subject any better than they do.
Which advice would you like to give to students who consider enrolling in this degree programme?
If you want to study mathematics, you must be aware that it won’t be easy. Most of the time, it will be frustrating and hard, but every time your efforts are crowned with success, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world! You just have to get a thick skin and to learn to take it easy. Panicking is pointless, and those students who give the impression that they manage everything quite casually usually don’t get very far. It is also important not to expect to do everything on your own. Joining forces with other students in small study groups is a good idea: you will work more efficiently, as you can talk through your results with other students and learn from your mistakes (it is important, though, to grapple with your assignment yourself, because copying other people’s solutions is pointless in the long term). If you like mathematics, though, you should not be put off, because other people have successfully completed it before us – why, then, should we fail?
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