Today’s post is something a bit different, discussing why I decided to pursue a PhD in Statistics and Operational Research, particularly after completing a four year integrated Masters degree in Theoretical Physics with Mathematics. This is a personal post (no mathematical content!), and I hope it will be helpful for those of you who are perhaps completing your A levels in the mathematical sciences currently, or maybe you are an undergraduate student considering postgraduate study!
When it came to applying for my undergraduate degree, I didn’t really know what I wanted to study. In fact, I had the most bizarre personal statement that I have ever seen. The first half detailed my love of Maths, touching on my interest in Physics, meanwhile the second half discussed my love of languages and Spanish. I applied for vastly different courses at four different universities, ranging from Spanish and Italian to AstroPhysics to Mathematics.
At around Easter time during my final year of college, I had what you might call an ‘A-ha!’ moment, when I stumbled upon the Theoretical Physics with Mathematics course at Lancaster. This was exactly what I was looking for at the time, a combination of applying difficult mathematical theory to tackle real problems in physics. The admissions team at Lancaster were kind enough to set me up with an interview with the Physics department, and I ended up accepting an unconditional offer to study a three year BSc course.
Fast forward two years, and I was preparing for my second year university exams. By this point I had developed a group of friends who were enrolled on the four year integrated masters course, and they already had plans to pursue PhDs once our undergraduate degrees were completed (if you’re interested in what they’re doing now, check out their research groups: theoretical condensed matter physics, low temperature physics, quantum nano technology and quantum light and matter). The thought of studying for a masters, integrated or not, had never really occurred to me at the point of applying to university – the thought of studying for a PhD even less so. But as my second year progressed, I must admit that I became enthralled by the world of academia and research. When you come from a background with no exposure to further education, coming into contact with Drs and Professors and research papers carries some sense of excitement with it – at least, it did for me. These people aren’t just relaying facts on a subject, they are actively discovering new things about the subject. They are experts.
During the second term of my second year, I switched onto the four year integrated masters course. It was occurring to me just how vast the subjects of mathematics and physics were, and I was acutely aware that the lecture courses I had taken barely scratched the surface on some seriously complex subjects. In short, I wanted to know more.
As time went on, I began thinking about what I wanted to do once my undergraduate degree was over. At the end of my second year of university, I received a job offer following a summer internship.
However, by this point I was considering postgraduate study. I wanted to explore other areas of mathematics, and perhaps move into a new and exciting area. I had a friend who was studying a BSc in Statistics at the time, planning to go on to complete a Masters at Imperial College London and a subsequent PhD in the subject. I also had another friend who was completing an internship with an exciting sounding group called STOR-i that summer. I began to take an interest in statistics and operational research alongside my courses in physics and pure mathematics.
I began looking into STOR-i myself shortly after, upon beginning my third year of university. Despite being a student at Lancaster University already, I actually hadn’t heard of STOR-i until my friend completed his internship there. I think sometimes in academia, there is this assumption amongst students that you must know exactly what area you want to pursue research in; there is this unhealthy expectation that you must already be an expert in a subject before you decide to undertake a Masters degree or a PhD in it. This was not my situation at all.
Upon looking on the STOR-i website, I guess you could say that I had an ‘A-ha!’ moment similar to when I found my undergraduate degree three years earlier. Industry, maths, problem solving – hello. I sometimes felt that the academic work carried out in physics and pure mathematics was a bit too far removed from real life, so the idea of working with industry partners in order to solve actual, current problems was something that really excited me. STOR-i provided a programme that would allow me to apply my mathematical skillset to something new, and perhaps cause me to think about the maths that I had learned previously in a new way.
At the end of my third year of university, I was offered another graduate job; the accompanying salary was higher than that offered to me the previous year. I feel it should’ve been a difficult decision, deciding whether to take the job or pursue further studies when I finished my undergraduate degree – but it really wasn’t. I had my mind set on STOR-i. The potential to study two entirely new fields was exciting to me. The opportunity to work with industry partners offered the perfect preparation for the sort of career I wanted to have. The chance to carry out my own research and become one of those experts that I admired was even more appealing.
I declined the job offer – a rather bold move seeing as I was yet to even apply for (let alone receive!) a position at STOR-i. Now, almost two years later, I’m happy to say that I made the right decision. Since starting with STOR-i in October, I feel as though every day I have either learnt something incredibly interesting, or incredibly useful; on the lucky days, I feel as though it is both. The PhD projects have recently been released, and I’m pleased to say that they are exactly the reason I joined STOR-i in the first place – relevant, current applications, with a chance for me to get stuck in with some difficult problems. I guess the main thing that I am excited for though, is all the new skills that I am learning and am yet to learn. In six months, I have gone from being a complete novice in two fields to being able to tackle problems and understand whole new areas of mathematics – and I think that is the main reason that I chose Statistics and Operational Research.