Other UK people soon to be starting uni?

[kidsmoker]

Hey!

I'm pretty new here and was just wondering whether there's any other UK ppl who are going to be starting maths/physics degrees this sept?

I'm hopefully going to be going to Warwick to do a joint maths and physics degree, if i get the grades of course! Would be cool if anyone else from the boards was going there, or any other uni's for that matter!

See ya.

 

[dx]

Hey kidsmoker! I'm at warwick doing maths/phys, but I joined last year.

 

[kidsmoker]

Awesome! How have you found your first year?

 

[dx]

First year was quite enjoyable and productive. Can't wait to go back! If you have any questions about Warwick, feel free to ask.

 

[kidsmoker]

Sounds good. Was the jump in difficulty pretty large when coming from A-levels?

 

[dx]

Personally, I found that there wasn't as big a jump in physics as in maths. In physics it was more like a natural development of A-level physics, with gradually increasing use of mathematics. In maths there was a bigger jump in the sense that there was vastly greater emphasis on rigor and proof (which are almost absent in A-level maths), which takes a while to get the hang of.

 

[Archduke]

Haha - looks like we could form a Warwick Club here - I'm going to be in my 3rd year come September.

I'd agree with dx - there's not a massive jump in difficulty; they ease you in with physics you know and gradually add more maths. It might take a week or two to get used to lectures - it took a few of my friends a couple of weeks to get used to the whole lecture thing, but it's nothing to worry about. Also, can I say, you both made the right decision doing MathsPhys - you get you avoid undergraduate labs; the bain of my life!

 

[kidsmoker]

Yeah I was looking on their physics department website and going through the modules they do in the first year. The book they seem to recommend for most of em is Sears and Zemansky's "University Physics". I got a second-hand copy of it cheap from Amazon and am surprised at the level of it - not as advanced as I thought it might be. It's pretty much just like A-level physics but slightly more mathematical. I guess they have to be gentle at first since a lot of the people won't have done further maths. I did up to Mechanics 5 at A-level and the mechanics work in this Zemansky book isn't even as advanced as that! Haven't really done much with formal proofs at all though so should probably start working on that for the maths modules.

Do you have any more general tips for campus life? :)

 

[dx]

Actually I think it's Young and Freedman's "University Physics", unless they changed it this year.

 

[kidsmoker]

Yeah it's the same book. It's got both sets of surnames on the cover - I think Sears and Zemansky wrote it originally and now Young and Freedman have updated it. Or something like that.

 

[Archduke]

I think you're right, kidsmoker. The earlier editions seem to only mention Sears and Zemansky, and then Young and Freedman seem to get in on the act. The book's alright, but I tended only to use them for problems (quite a lot of the lecturers used the book to set problems from so it's worth it if only to use it for that purpose). It explains it quite well, and a few lecturers seem to base their courses around it, but if ever I was stuck, I'd use either Wiki or Hyperphysics.

As for general advice, I'd encourage you to get involved as much as possible. There are so many societies and sports clubs (including Physoc - we're planning a trip to the European Space Agency next year, touch wood! </advertising>). I'd really urge you to enjoy your first year as much as possible - it'll go so quickly! Obviously I'm not encouraging you to ignore your studies, but the first year will be so much more relaxed/work free than your subsequent years, that you really should make the most of it. Also, don't feel as if you have to stay in the Warwick Bubble all the time. Explore the area; Leamington's a nice place, and Coventry's got quite a few decent shops. Also, you're deceptively close to Birmingham. In fact, given that I lived close to Canley Train station and I had a railcard, it cost me less to get a day return to Brum by train than it did to Cov by bus.

Anyway, good luck with results in a couple of weeks (although I'm sure you won't need it!) and have fun when you come to Warwick!

 

[kidsmoker]

Yeah the book is okay but not fantastic. Managed to read quite a bit of it already so maybe if I get it done by October i'll just spend the first year joining societies :-)

Hope your results went well too.

 

[beta3]

I probably start studying physics at Imperial this fall.

Any imperial fellows here? any tips?