FIRST PERSON: ‘Studying maths at Trinity has exceeded my expectations – and surprised me in many ways’

Carmen Bizga-Nicolescu is a first-year Maths student at Trinity. She is a recipient of the Trinity International Bursary for European Women in STEM.

My passion for maths first appeared in the fourth grade, when I started going to maths competitions. I wouldn’t say I’ve always been good at it, rather that I wanted to learn more and became confident in new topics quite quickly.

Cambridge has always been my dream university. I first heard about it from my brother, who also studied here. As a child, seeing the buildings and the scenery was enough to convince me that I wanted to study here. Growing up, my opinion didn’t change, as I understood the quality of education Cambridge provides, along with the overall experience of being part of such a community.

Apart from maths, I’ve always been interested in history, and there is definitely a lot of it at Cambridge.

I really like the way the maths course at Cambridge is structured and the variety of options it provides, along with the many opportunities it brings. One thing that really appealed to me was the Supervisions, which have turned out to be just as helpful as I had imagined.

Studying maths at Trinity has exceeded my expectations – and surprised me in many ways. Before coming here, I expected the courses to be hard and the workload to be heavy. Indeed, the material is challenging, but it is so well explained and organised that I have never felt overwhelmed by it.

All the student societies and even the atmosphere during lectures made making friends easier than I expected. This has also helped with studying, as you can always turn to a friend and discuss a confusing topic.

I really enjoy riding my bike or just taking a walk through the College grounds or the city centre. My favourite place to go is the Fellows’ Garden. I find walks in nature very relaxing and having such a beautiful garden so close to me, full of pathways and benches, is just amazing.

Cambridge feels like a community where everyone is welcomed with open arms. Every single student I’ve met here has had a different story. I never feel on my own here, either socially or academically.

I realise that I don’t want to continue with research after graduating, which is something I had considered before. Speaking to current PhD students gave me this insight: what I wish to do in the future is to work.

In Romania, studying maths is often considered to lead only towards teaching. I am not entirely sure what career I want to pursue, and I want to gather as much information as I can while studying, including at careers fairs. I was happy to see just how many opportunities I actually have. Being able to pursue a career in finance or anything related to coding is already much more than I had back home, and I still haven’t fully discovered everything I am able to do.

Trinity College is grateful to the Rosa Riganti Foundation for its generous support of Trinity International Bursary for European Women in STEM.