Viola Vavryčuková

The time has come for my last article, where I would like to summarize what I have gained during my 3 years of studying in Durham.

Last term I finally got an opportunity to start tutoring, which is something I was interested in since last year, but unfortunately at that time it wasn’t possible to find a match for me. It is a student volunteering project, which provides tutoring for local secondary school pupils in various subjects.

It is hard to believe that this is the last time I am starting a new academic year in Durham. This year is again quite different from the previous ones.

Now I have two thirds of my studies in Durham successfully behind me. For the last term of my second year I came to Durham two weeks earlier in order to prepare for my exams. This term was structured in the same way as in the last year; the only difference for me was that the exam dates were spaced over all four weeks of the exam period, whereas it was only the first two weeks of the exam period in the last year. The exam timetable for this year was better suited for me as it allowed me to focus more on each exam individually. I believe that this change partly contributed to achieving better results this year compared to the last year. I am happy about my results since they are counted in the final degree classification unlike the results obtained the last year.

At the beginning of this term I decided to take part in a student-led volunteering project, which consists of tutoring local pupils on different subjects. I think it is a great way to enhance communication skills and the ability to pass on knowledge by explaining various concepts and methods as simply as possible. At the same time, this gives me the opportunity to have some positive influence in areas which are not directly linked to my current studies. Therefore, I registered for tutoring Maths, but the process of finding suitable pupils takes quite a long time, so I haven’t had an opportunity to start tutoring yet. We will see how it turns out and if I will get a chance to improve my pedagogical skills.

The second year in Durham was new for me in many directions. The main change is that the programme of my studies is no longer Natural Sciences, but Mathematics instead. Most of programmes are quite flexible, and after the first year, students are enabled to change their degree path from Natural Sciences to a Single Honours degrees, or reversely. However, it is necessary to meet some requirements on the modules taken, and also on the marks of exams. I took all the compulsory modules of the Mathematics programme with an exception of Programming and Dynamics I, but my Physics courses, I have attended, were accepted as a substitute, as the syllabi of these modules overlap. I was considering whether to change my study to single Mathematics or not during the last term, and it took me time to arrive at the final decision. It was definitely very useful to be able to attend both Mathematics and Physics in my first year, and I am sure I will take advantage of the knowledge I gained in Physics. However, I would like to be focused more on Mathematics and I am interested also in other areas than in mathematical applications to Physics only. Furthermore, students of Mathematics can specialize in many different disciplines, both in pure and applied Mathematics.

The last term of the academic year is preceded by five weeks long Easter vacations. It is required, and for successful studies also necessary, to devote this time to some extent to revision and preparation for the exams, as during the term there is considerably less time for it.

The programme I chose to study at the Durham University is called Natural Sciences. Its advantage is that it offers many different options how to go through it. Besides the division on the three-year Bachelor’s degree (BSc) and four-year Master’s degree (MSci) there is also a difference between general Natural Sciences and Joint Honours degree, a combination of two subjects which has to satisfy given requirements.

More than a half of the first trimester has already passed, so I can share my experience so far. Firstly, something about the recent critical point in my life – the departure to Durham. It is definitely not easy to leave home and set out to a completely new place, however, it is much better than the time of uncertainty and waiting before it. No one knows what exactly to expect, so it is difficult to resist a fear of the unknown and nervousness.