Aishwarya Chidambaram

Course: Mathematics and Statistics

From: UK

Hi, I'm Aishy, a third year Maths student from London. As Final year hits, I'm focusing on my degree as well as keeping up with some of my activities. I am now the President of the Maths Society and I also take an interest in all things ICU, including my constituent union the Royal College of Science and sitting on council. I hope you enjoy my blog and do contact me if you have any questions!

Thank you Netball

Mathematics and Statistics

One of the best parts of my life at Imperial

With the Netball season coming to a close, I thought it was time to reflect on another year as a member of Imperial College Netball Club (ICUNC). If you’ve ever seen me around campus during the week, there’s a high chance I was probably covered head to toe in Netball Stash, but my love for Netball and the girls at ICUNC doesn’t end there.  As a girl at Imperial, it can be pretty lonely, but the saving grace has been the incredible girls I have met through Netball. Training together through the freezing winter, matches in the rain and Sports Nights going wrong has made me so close to all of the girls in my team and the rest of the club, and I have so appreciated always knowing that I have a whole team of girls to turn to.

Yes, I am a girl at Imperial

Mathematics and Statistics

And as International Women’s Day approaches, here’s my story

Growing up I don’t think I was actually aware of the gender gap in STEM. Having gone to an all girls school, I grew up in this idealistic bubble where I thought I could do anything and be anything I wanted. I am glad for this bubble as it didn’t hold me back from trying to be the best at Science, Maths and Computing. However in yr10 this bubble was popped. No it wasn’t popped by some boy saying he was better than me or a teacher telling me girls couldn’t be engineers.

Already Halfway?

Mathematics and Statistics

How have I already reached halfway through my time at Imperial?

As we hit the middle of February there was only one thing I could really think about, coming to half way through my degree. All undergraduate Imperial students studying engineering and most science students are on 4 year programmes, however, breaking tradition, I have decided to only do the 3 year BSc. A lot of this is due to my focus away from research and towards industry as the 4th year of the maths degree leans towards research.

During my year and half here I have definitely made some incredible friends from all over the world, learnt so much – not only academically but also practically and also had some of my best memories.

Netball does Charity Week

Mathematics and Statistics

Cancer Awareness in Young People Week (CAYP)

This coming week, Imperial College Netball Club (ICUNC) is set to bring you a charity week, hoping to increase cancer awareness in young people and also raise money for charity. Fil, our 1st team captain, has written an incredible article about our vision for the week in Felix.

The charities we are supporting include:

During the week we will be working with a number of other societies to host a variety of events that you can get involved in, from talks to netball, ACC and more.

New Year… New Me?

Mathematics and Statistics

Looking back and Looking forward

So Long 2018

As 2018 draws to a close I have been reminiscing about some of the amazing opportunities I have been given this year, as well as some incredible projects I’ve been a part of and of course all the fun with my friends in between! Coming into this calendar year I would never have imagined that I’d currently be as involved

with life at Imperial as I have been. I’ve been fortunate enough to feature as part of the Her Imperial Campaign, go on holiday with my best friends that I met living at Beit Hall last year, moved into my first flat and got to take over the Imperial College Instagram account more times than I can count!

MathSoc Committee

Mathematics and Statistics

Who would’ve thought I’d be a social sec?

After plenty of support and encouragement from my peers and some members of staff, I decided to run for a committee position in MathSoc, Imperial College’s Mathematics Society. In the past the society hasn’t had the best social events, and as this was something I worked on at school, I thought this would be a good position for me to run for. (definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made!)

Last year, MathSoc faced heavy criticism (see Imperial College Secrets/Exposed) for not having enough social events so I was so excited to be able to try and change the way people perceive MathSoc by throwing some fab events and revamping our social media platforms, including setting up an Instagram account.

So Far in Second Year

Mathematics and Statistics

My busiest term at Imperial to date

It’s fair to say that this term has been the most enjoyable term I have had so far at Imperial and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. It’s been super busy, I’m not sure how I managed to keep up with everything and still not skip any (most) lectures! Alongside juggling my degree in maths, I’ve also spent this term applying for internships, being on a few committees and running events as a student ambassador.

Often when people think about studying at such an academic university as Imperial, their immediate thought isn’t about all the extra curricular activities they will be able to take part in.

Women in Maths

Mathematics and Statistics

And my experience at Imperial

Studying Maths at Imperial does not only mean living in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, but also being a part of a top world ranking Mathematics department, boasting two field medalists. However as a woman in this department what I have appreciated the most is having female role models such as Professor Emma McCoy. Through lecturing me in first year, she not only taught me statistics in such a thorough and engaging manner, but who has also inspired me to focus my studies on statistics. By bringing in real life scenarios, including her own passion for cycling statistics, marathon times and rather controversially road traffic accidents, McCoy managed to convince my entire cohort that statistics was one of the most enticing areas of mathematics with countless applications in the real world.

Making the Most of an Open Day

Mathematics and Statistics

My Top Tips for getting the most out of your visit

In all of the chaos it’s easy to get lost and forget about what you need to find out from open day. Here are some of my top DOs and DON’Ts, that helped me to get through countless open days when I was in yr 12 and 13.

Before the Open Day:

  • DON’T attend with people who you feel might try to influence your opinion of a university, at the end of the day, you will be the one studying at the university and so it’s important that you feel comfortable at the university, not your friends or family.

Life at Beit Hall

Mathematics and Statistics

It’s Beit as in bite not Beit as in bait

Don’t worry, I was calling it “Bait” right until the moment when my hall senior greeted me on move in day and I’d just made a fool of myself by pronouncing it wrong for months! My time in halls this year has absolutely flown by. Do I feel like I made the most of my time here? Probably not, but with 3 weeks left I look forward to enjoying the benefits of living in such a prestigious and lively area in the heart of London. I’ll split this post into 2 sections what I’ve liked and disliked about Beit, and what to consider when choosing halls.

Learn more about life at Imperial

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