Degree: Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics)/Computer Science - Honours in Applied Mathematics (2021)
In the past year while doing Honours, I learned a lot about what research in mathematics is like not only through the hands-on thesis project, but also the coursework.
There’s a range of diverse core courses that can be taken in undergraduate maths, from algebra to calculus, analysis to statistics, and many others, which focus on the fundamental theories in maths that were discovered hundreds of years ago. During Honours, while you can choose to take third-year courses, there's also a selection of courses that are only available for Honours and Postgraduate students. These courses are definitely more challenging and give a better outlook into some research areas in mathematics.
The highlight of my Honours year is definitely the research component. As part of my thesis project, I had to read books and papers related to the research topic, including those that are not published yet. Through this experience, I got to see how the different courses I learnt in previous years can be applied together to tackle a problem. At the end, by presenting the materials I had been working on verbally and in writing, and also receiving a lot of feedback from my supervisor, I have a better understanding of the underlying maths.
Overall, the Honours year is a very special, memorable and valuable experience that I’m sure I’ll remember for years to come if not the rest of my life. Despite the less-than-ideal online learning circumstances due to the pandemic, I still managed to meet new like-minded friends who are in the same boat as me and bonded with my amazing and supportive supervisor.