# Maths personal statement help



## Robert-Y (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm planning on studying maths at university, however I don't feel as though I have much to write about my passion for the subject (I've done a few maths challenges which are sorta competitive). I'm thinking about writing about my devotion and dedication to cubing but I can't seem to link it to maths...

Does anyone have any good advice on writing my personal statement?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Sorry I just realised the title is misleading. Can a moderator please add a question mark at the end of the title or change the title to something better? Thank you.


----------



## gpt_kibutz (Sep 17, 2009)

WTF? can't you relate maths and cubing? The cube is full of mathemathics. I think that group theory is the most known example, but i think you can relate probability and statistics to it. The cube has also something to do with topology.


----------



## joey (Sep 17, 2009)

"Yo, I'm Rob Yau. I solve cubes fast. Let me in."


----------



## CharlieCooper (Sep 17, 2009)

Yo Robby,

PM a draft of your statement if you like, I help people do applications online so I can help you out 

Edit: As for actual tips regarding the statement writing, my main advice is not to go overboard on talking about cubing. Mention it as part of other hobbies although link it to your subject, maybe three sentences maximum. I have seen quite a few statements that come across as a bit "braggy" (not saying yours would be), and a tad uninteresting if they rant on about one subject, especially if they are full of stats about achievements. I know somebody who was British champion of a popular mind sport who was declined by Oxbridge and in the feedback that was given to his school it was due to his massive amount of info relating to his skill/achievements. They didn't even mention it in his interview because they knew he wanted them to.

I'm not mathematical in the slightest, but I would try to mention things that you have done outside of school that would enhance your application and put you aside from others. Naturally mention your success in maths challenges etc, but others will have that. If you are aiming for top universities, make it known that you have studied beyond the curriculum and mention perhaps one area in particular that has interested you. Make sure you actually know about it though should it arise in an interview. At this point group theory (she says, knowing nothing about it...) may be a way in which to introduce speedsolving, but I would try to keep that in the hobbies section of your statement. Oh and make sure you explain what speedsolving is...  Obviously.


----------



## a small kitten (Sep 17, 2009)

I mean no disrespect but if you are writing a personal statement for a university and you have little to say about the subject you will for the most part spend your life doing then you may have to think about what you really want. What makes you want to do math on a university level? Is there something about math that separates it from other subjects?

So here's my advice: You should try to find the answer in yourself. It is a personal statement after all. Aside from advice like "don't brag", anything we say pertaining to your interest in math is just going to make it less personal and less honest.

Kids have been doing math ever since grade school. However, when they go to college a lot of their majors don't require them to do a lot of math and they kinda stop (like me). What makes you want to continue to devote yourself to math? Math is a very difficult but rewarding major. How does your background and interest in the subject prepare you for this? 

Hope these random questions help. Sorry for being so wordy and cynical.



> WTF? can't you relate maths and cubing? The cube is full of mathemathics. I think that group theory is the most known example, but i think you can relate probability and statistics to it. The cube has also something to do with topology.



By the way, just because you can relate math and cubing doesn't guarantee that it will help for the application lol


----------



## gpt_kibutz (Sep 17, 2009)

Oh sorry, i just believed that he wanted to relate math to cubing. I guess that if you have to write a paper you can say something like: "Due to my interests in math I have math related hobbies, such as solving the rubik's cube. I think that the mathemathics (group theory, etc) involved in it are amazing"

But, I guess you should try to really evaluate if math is for you, because many people think that studying math at a universuty is like solvng problems at high school, but it is not that way.


----------



## fanwuq (Sep 17, 2009)

a small kitten said:


> I mean no disrespect but if you are writing a personal statement for a university and you have little to say about the subject you will for the most part spend your life doing then you may have to think about what you really want. What makes you want to do math on a university level? Is there something about math that separates it from other subjects?
> 
> So here's my advice: You should try to find the answer in yourself. It is a personal statement after all. Aside from advice like "don't brag", anything we say pertaining to your interest in math is just going to make it less personal and less honest.
> 
> ...



I agree 100%.
Why do you want to study math? It is harder than you think.


----------



## cmhardw (Sep 17, 2009)

fanwuq said:


> I agree 100%.
> Why do you want to study math? It is harder than you think.



Because it's beautiful? I'm not disagreeing that it's difficult, I majored in math at the undergraduate level and found it to be a difficult major. However, it is still beautiful.

Chris


----------



## LNZ (Sep 17, 2009)

Yes, the Rubik'scube is full of mathematical interest.

Here's the branches of maths involved in the Rubik's cube (and taken from the back cover of the 1981 book "Mastering (3x3x3) Rubik's Cube" by Don Taylor, the book that I solved my first ever 3x3x3 cube with.)

Group theory
Finite geomety
Mathematical Symmetry
Higher realms of symmetry

I did use Dan Brown (aka Pogobat) Youtube videos to solve the 4x4x4 cube. And RobH0629's Youtube videos to solve a 5x5x5 cube.


----------



## Carrot (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm not sure I did understand this topic, but if you just want to relate math and cubing you could ofc use Permutation, orientation and commutators (and how to use such at 3 dimensional puzzles with different axles )

am I completely wrong?


----------



## Robert-Y (Sep 17, 2009)

Thanks for the help so far everybody.

I was thinking more about why I like maths today, and I think I now have plenty to write about. I think the main reason is that I like a good maths challenge and it makes me happy when I manage to apply what I know and successfully overcome a hard question


----------



## fanwuq (Sep 17, 2009)

cmhardw said:


> fanwuq said:
> 
> 
> > I agree 100%.
> ...



Yes it is. The reason why I love and fear math overlap. All my math teachers since 9th grade have Ph.D's in maths. They showed me way too many problems and topics that hurt my head. The things they publish in math journals are just crazy. I've done quite well in the state for high school math contests, but they just deal with simple logic and creativity. I can't understand some of the really deep subjects. Most likely that I will do biology; good thing is that in the US, you don't have to go in decided on a major.
I have two friends applying to Oxford: one for physics, one for biology. Both of them are worse than me at both physics and biology. However, they are much better than me at the social sciences. They think the social sciences are too fun and unproductive.


----------



## blah (Sep 18, 2009)

<--- Math major. Rejected by Cambridge. Accepted by Imperial, UCL, Warwick, and Edinburgh. Hope that's enough for credibility.

I didn't talk much about speedcubing in my personal statement though. Maybe a line or two because I didn't think they were interested in people who could solve cubes fast, I thought they were more interested in people who managed to figure the cube out on their own (I didn't, but I didn't mention that ). I talked more about my passion for math and that I was interested in number theory and I would spend hours sitting at my table doing random stuff and coming up with interesting results to amuse myself. And then I brought the cube in and I said how I would calculate probabilities and stuff (you could see a few of my results in random threads around the forum) to quantify the effectiveness of a given method. And then I talked a bit about being one of the top 100 BLD cubers in the world at that time, I mean, we know that being top 100 in BLD doesn't mean much, but they don't, I hope  That's pretty much all I mentioned about cubing. In general, I talked a lot more about math than about cubing. But that's just me. And I got rejected by Cambridge  So just take this with a pinch of salt and decide what you wanna do on your own 

In case you're wondering why I ended up in the US, it's because I couldn't afford any of those universities  It's a sad reality. I _could have_ gotten a full scholarship to Imperial, but it had a 6-year bond attached, so I didn't take it


----------



## fanwuq (Sep 18, 2009)

blah said:


> <--- Math major. Rejected by Cambridge. Accepted by Imperial, UCL, Warwick, and Edinburgh. Hope that's enough for credibility.
> 
> I didn't talk much about speedcubing in my personal statement though. Maybe a line or two because I didn't think they were interested in people who could solve cubes fast, I thought they were more interested in people who managed to figure the cube out on their own (I didn't, but I didn't mention that ). I talked more about my passion for math and that I was interested in number theory and I would spend hours sitting at my table doing random stuff and coming up with interesting results to amuse myself. And then I brought the cube in and I said how I would calculate probabilities and stuff (you could see a few of my results in random threads around the forum) to quantify the effectiveness of a given method. And then I talked a bit about being one of the top 100 BLD cubers in the world at that time, I mean, we know that being top 100 in BLD doesn't mean much, but they don't, I hope  That's pretty much all I mentioned about cubing. In general, I talked a lot more about math than about cubing. But that's just me. And I got rejected by Cambridge  So just take this with a pinch of salt and decide what you wanna do on your own
> 
> In case you're wondering why I ended up in the US, it's because I couldn't afford any of those universities  It's a sad reality. I _could have_ gotten a full scholarship to Imperial, but it had a 6-year bond attached, so I didn't take it


You are in the US now? Which school?


----------



## 4Chan (Sep 18, 2009)

It's fascinating how people from across the ocean say "maths" in plural.
Whilst americans say "math".

English in the UK is so intriguing... I want to visit someday... 0:

(sorry if that was too off topic)


----------

