Mathematical Sciences in UCC? Anyone??

ineedananswer

I know this is probably the umpteen thread and you're all tired and weary but i would just like to ask a few things regarding this course, and if anyone can add other bits of info it would be greatly appreciated. I am new to Boards.ie and going into 6th year so any help at all is great!

CK407 Mathematical Sciences is the course i hope to do. After first year i then hope to continue and get a Financial Mathematics and Actuarial Science degree and eventually become a qualified actuary! (Well hopefully anyway!)

Before I choose I want to ask a few questions about the course and eventual career:
1. What should i prepare for?
2. Is the workload fierce and heavy?
3. What are the lecturers like?
4. Do I need Applied Maths cause I didn't do it?
My leaving cert subjects are English, irish, maths, french, biology,
business and accounting (All higher level.)
5. How many years after college will i still have to endure before i'm qualified?
6. What is the salary like when training and when finished?
7. Whats the work itself like? Boring or challenging?

surfandturf

ineedananswer wrote: »

I know this is probably the umpteen thread and you're all tired and weary but i would just like to ask a few things regarding this course, and if anyone can add other bits of info it would be greatly appreciated. I am new to Boards.ie and going into 6th year so any help at all is great!

CK407 Mathematical Sciences is the course i hope to do. After first year i then hope to continue and get a Financial Mathematics and Actuarial Science degree and eventually become a qualified actuary! (Well hopefully anyway!)

Before I choose I want to ask a few questions about the course and eventual career:
1. What should i prepare for?
2. Is the workload fierce and heavy?
3. What are the lecturers like?
4. Do I need Applied Maths cause I didn't do it?
My leaving cert subjects are English, irish, maths, french, biology,
business and accounting (All higher level.)
5. How many years after college will i still have to endure before i'm qualified?
6. What is the salary like when training and when finished?
7. Whats the work itself like? Boring or challenging?

Just finished 1st year maths science and heading into financial in a few weeks. Very good course but you really need to enjoy maths.. this may seem obvious but the amount of people who just pick a course because it sounds good or in the case a career as an actuary, the high earnings, is suprisingly large!

The workload in first year is tough but very manageable if you stay on top of things. If you or anyone reading this thread get anything out of it, let it be this .. GO TO YOUR LECTURES!! Its not like other degrees where you miss a lecture and get the notes off your friends and be ok. You need to be there listening ,taking your own notes and asking questions about things you dont understand. Along with lecture attendence keep up the work on exercise sheets and assignments/continuous assessments as these are often very relevant to the summer exams.

I dont want to talk to much about lecturers as you need to make your own judgements, but they are all approachable and willing to help:D

Applied Maths is a help but not essential. One of the modules, Mechanics, is basically, in my opinion, an over complicated re-run of Applied Maths. If anyone is pretty good at applied maths then they will have no problems.

As for your other questions i dont feel best suited to answering them and my advice anyway would be not to think too far ahead :cool: hope i have been some help .. for once in my life

ineedananswer

Hey thanks for the response!! That was very helpful.

About the applied maths relating to Mechanics bit you were talking about. Would i be able to get a good result in Mechanics or any other part of the course without having done Applied Maths in school? All I do is Maths and the only science subject i do is Biology.. Will they start from scratch with the course or do they expect you to have some knowledge of Applied Maths or Physics?

KnifeWRENCH

I didn't have Applied Maths and managed to get a first in Mechanics in 1st Year. However, I did have Physics (I was CK408) so that was an advantage.

I think Mechanics is the only module where Applied Maths would be a help to you but even so it is taught without assuming prior knowledge. The first few lectures will just be about what Mechanics is and what vectors are.

Mechanics is dull at times but it isn't an overly difficult module. I hated it for a while but it gets more interesting in the second term.

ineedananswer

So, even without physics or applied maths i will still be starting at the same level as the other students in my course (if mathematical sciences is what i will do and i get the points!)???

Is an aptitude and interest in maths alone enough to be good at this course??
Will I be at a disadvantage without these subjects? I'm hoping to go into Financial Mathematics and Actuarial Science after first year...

dudara

ineedananswer wrote: »

Is an aptitude and interest in maths alone enough to be good at this course??
Will I be at a disadvantage without these subjects?

Aptitude and a good attitude will be enough.

Physics/Applied Maths would help for Mechanics, but it is only one subject out of many. I did CK403 back in the day (I went down the Physics route) but I remember the applied maths course (doubt that it's changed much). Put in a little effort, but they do teach the course assuming that some people have no prior experience.

Good luck.

ineedananswer

Yo thanks for the responses so far.. Anyone else have any other info they would like to share???