Mathematics

Mathematics has a long and distinguished history in Cambridge, and we have a strong mathematical community at Murray Edwards. Our community is relatively small, allowing for lots of individual attention as well as mutual support, and there is a friendly and informal atmosphere.

The Mathematical Tripos

There is quite a lot of flexibility within the Mathematical Tripos. In the first year (Part IA), there is a little less choice as students explore what university Mathematics is really about. There are two options in the first year - Mathematics, and Mathematics with Physics. The Mathematics course has equal emphasis on Pure and Applied Maths, while the Maths with Physics students spend 25% of their time on Physics (including practical work) instead of Maths. This latter option leads to either the second year of the Maths Tripos or the second year of the Natural Sciences Tripos. There is more information about the course available on the Maths Faculty website.

In the second year (Part IB), students start to have some choice about which courses they take, with an opportunity to start leaning towards Pure or Applied Mathematics (or to leave their options open). There are also some optional Computational Projects, which students work on during the year (most students do them).

In the third year (Part II), there is a very wide range of courses available, including Pure Mathematics (such as number theory and algebraic geometry), Applied Mathematics (such as fluid dynamics and mathematical biology), Theoretical Physics (such as cosmology and quantum mechanics) and Applicable Mathematics (such as statistics and stochastic financial models). Again, there are optional Computational Projects (which most students complete). There is a great deal of flexibility about which courses to take (and indeed how many courses to take), and students discuss this with their Director of Studies.

There is also an optional fourth year to the course, traditionally known as Part III. Students completing this will receive an MMath degree in addition to their BA. Students wanting to take Part III must have obtained a first-class result in Part II, or have shown evidence of first-class potential. Again, there is more information on the Maths Faculty website.

A Typical Day

Lectures are organised by the Maths Faculty. First years typically have two lectures each morning, Monday to Saturday. Students rapidly adapt to having Saturday lectures! Students in later years have roughly the same number of lectures, depending on exactly how many courses they do. Lectures are all in the mornings, which leaves the afternoon free for private study, supervisions, and other activities. Supervisions are organised by the college. They typically involve two students and the supervisor (who might be a Lecturer, College Fellow or graduate student). Students tackle problems set by the Lecturers, and then discuss their ideas and any difficulties with the supervisor, who can provide individual help. First years usually have two supervisions per week, spending much of the rest of the time working on problems and getting to grips with ideas from lectures. There is also time for involvement in music, sport, drama, mathematics societies, and so on.

Why Choose Murray Edwards College?

At Murray Edwards College we understand that students can need some support in making the transition from school to university, and this applies at least as much to Mathematics as much as to other subjects. In addition, this year we have had several activities to foster a sense of mathematical community within the College, including a formal Mathematics dinner in the Fellows' Dining Room and an informal picnic during the revision period.  In the Michaelmas Term, each student gave a short talk about some aspect of Mathematics that she found interesting, to the other students, which helped to introduce the new first years. We also had some informal 'classes' with the first years. The relatively small cohort and friendly and relaxed atmosphere meant that we could explore interesting and difficult concepts in a collaborative way (with the help of a plentiful supply of chocolate biscuits!).

For more information about Mathematics at Murray Edwards College, visit our facebook page.

Admissions

Our admissions process is designed solely to identify the people we think will get most from the Mathematics course in Cambridge. We are looking for real enthusiasm for Mathematics, as well as mathematical potential and creativity. We think that AS Further Maths (or equivalent) is a minimum prerequisite for the course, and ideally we prefer applicants to have the full A level. Students who are not able to study Further Maths at their school/college might like to know about the Further Mathematics Support Programme, who can provide advice and access to free tuition. Physics A level can be useful preparation for the Mathematics Tripos, but we do not regard it as vital.

We welcome applications from candidates with other suitable qualifications; our Admissions Office has experience with the qualifications systems of many countries.

We regularly make offers to students from the EU and beyond (including to students from Singapore, China and Hong Kong). 

We are also interested in hearing about other mathematical activities in which applicants may have taken part (such as mathematical competitions, masterclasses, reading beyond the syllabus, etc.).

We ask interview candidates to sit a one-hour test before their interview. The questions in this test are designed to be challenging, but mostly on familiar material (it is the style that makes them challenging). They form the basis of the discussion during the interview, when we explore the candidate's response to these questions and the hints that we offer. There is no `pass mark' on the test, and we do not expect candidates to complete all (or indeed many) of the questions. Rather, we are looking for signs of mathematical potential and the ability to think creatively when presented with unfamiliar problems, together with evidence that the candidate will respond well to the Cambridge system of supervisions.

STEP

We usually make conditional offers based on A level results (or equivalent) and STEP. We find STEP helpful because the style of questions is more like that met at Cambridge.

You should not need to learn lots of new maths in order to be able to do STEP questions, but you will need to do some preparation so that you get used to the type of problem. Most people find the papers difficult to start with, but you should not let this worry you. The most important thing is to do lots of practice, and the good news is that there are plenty of resources to help you with this. Here are some useful links:

STEP Mathematics -- past papers and examiners' reports.

Departmental Admissions information -- more about preparing for STEP and including links to further resources.

Ask NRICH -- a free online discussion forum run by the University of Cambridge, where you can ask about anything mathematical, including STEP.

Preparing for STEP will be useful preparation for studying maths at university. We hope that you will also be enthusiastic to explore other aspects of mathematics. We have put some suggestions in the Further Reading section.

Further Reading

We have some suggestions for suitable mathematical reading.

You might also like to get the perspective of a Mathematics student or where studying Maths at Murray Edwards can take you.

Contact Us

The Director of Studies, Dr Vicky Neale, is happy to meet and respond to queries from potential applicants. We are also happy to welcome school groups with an interest in Maths. For more information please contact our Schools Liaison Officer, Anna Coyle.

Murray Edwards College to host first European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad

The College will be playing host to this prestigious new event this April. The competition provides the opportunity for girls winning selection to engage in competition, pit their wits against some challenging problems and meet and work with teams from across Europe. You can find out more information through the college website and by visiting the Olympiad website.

Dr Vicky Neale, Director of Studies

Checked by AC, Feb 2012