Blessings
BSc Mathematics
I wanted to study at a top university and I wanted to be in London – Imperial ticked both those boxes.
Alongside his course, societies and clubs are a big part of Imperial life for third-year Mathematics student Blessings. Here, he shares more about his experience of studying at Imperial – from exploring the creativity of maths, the most exciting day of the Imperial year and building career-ready skills with top employers.
I'm Blessings and I study BSc Mathematics at Imperial. I was interested in studying at Imperial College London because I wanted to study at a top university and I wanted to be in London – Imperial ticked both those boxes. Being from Nottingham meant that the prospect of living in London was really exciting for me, making Imperial the obvious choice.
I had always enjoyed maths but didn’t plan to study it at university until I began learning more complex mathematics. One book in particular inspired me – Music of the Primes: Why an Unsolved Problem in Mathematics Matters.
This book talks about the history of the Riemann Hypothesis, how the problem evolved, and the many different ways people have approached and attempted to solve it. It’s the creativity of maths that appeals to me, and how there are probably infinite ways to solve a problem and come to the same answer. It had always been my favourite and best subject – that only grew in sixth form, so I decided to go for it.
Studying at Imperial
Studying maths at Imperial can be challenging academically. The emphasis on rigorous proofs in maths is tasking and I’ve found that understanding content tends to be a challenge for me.
The phrase every maths student has heard at least once is that ‘Maths is not a spectator sport’. Overcoming this has just been a case of sheer perseverance and reading – understanding and completing as many proofs as possible to get used to the methods and rigour used at university level.
Despite the challenges, my degree has been very rewarding. Being taught by leaders in maths is inspiring – and means that the teaching is very good quality.
In my first year I got to research a topic individually and present it on a poster. The title for my poster was: ‘The impact of glucagon on the glucose system and diabetes’ and I looked at how we could use mathematics to model diabetes. This was a nice change to my usual day-to-day, as I got to see the maths that I study every day come to life in a more tangible way.
Societies and clubs
Societies are a big part of Imperial life and the ones I’m most involved in are Imperial College School of Medicine Football Club and the African-Caribbean Society (ACS).
Meeting people that look like me at the Afro-Caribbean Society definitely helped me to settle in.
In my role as Sponsorship Officer, I ran a number of career events, including an Internship Insider event attended by students from University College London (UCL) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). It was also supported by the bank, HSBC, which is one of the ACS’s supporters.
I’m now the President of the ACS. The previous President inspired me to run for the role by involving me in some of the responsibilities and I found myself really enjoying them.
I like helping people and being able to pass on my experience of things I didn’t know when I applied for or started university and that I would have found useful. We run some big events – like Afrogala – which are a lot of fun, but they tend to be less frequent. This year, my focus is on creating more regular, intimate social events.
I think it is important to play sports too. I’m part of the Imperial College School of Medicine Football Club (you don’t need to be a Medicine student to join!). I’ve enjoyed having weekly social events and the sense of community that comes from meeting regularly.
It means I also get to compete in sports events like the Imperial Varsity – one of the most exciting days of the year at Imperial – and is something to look forward to every year.
Blessings and the Afro-Caribbean Society
Blessings and the Afro-Caribbean Society
Playing footbal with Imperial College School of Medicine Football Club
Playing footbal with Imperial College School of Medicine Football Club
The Imperial Bursary
The Imperial Bursary has been really valuable for me. With the Bursary, you can get between £1,000 and £5,000 each year, and it’s paid to you monthly.
I received the Imperial Bursary in my first and second years. It helped me to pay for a Travelcard, which made things easier by not having to think about covering travel expenses.
My career plans
After studying at Imperial, I hope to go into finance, particularly trading – this has been the plan since starting my degree and is part of the reason I chose to study maths.
I have done various tasks to work towards this goal, such as completing the Spring Insight Programmes at firms like Jane Street and Credit Suisse, networking with quantitative traders, and I’ve also completed an internship with the bank BNP Paribas.
What would be your advice to anyone thinking about applying to Imperial?
First, although you get a lot of independence at university, you don't need to feel like you have to tackle everything on your own. Things like 'problems classes' and officer hours are really useful tools.
They give you the chance to ask any questions you have one-to-one with either a Graduate Teaching Assistant or a lecturer, who is very likely to be a leading figure in their field of study.
Second, use all the resources and opportunities given to you, both career-wise and academically. I would recommend attending some of the careers fairs held on campus to talk to recruiters and get an idea as to what you would like to do.
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