As an international student who grew up in Shanghai and completed high school in Australia, I initially believed that Cambridge was only for high achievers from competitions like the IMO or EGMO. Much of what I heard was how the Australian IMO team got into Trinity on full scholarships. However, this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Cambridge is a place where everyone can excel — an environment focused on learning rather than perfection. This experience is open to all students, not just those with competitive backgrounds.

Now in my second year, I have a clearer understanding of my abilities, along with insights into my strengths and areas for growth. One of my favourite aspects of Cambridge is its collaborative atmosphere. You can approach anyone with questions from lectures or example sheets. Once, I bumped into a CompSci and he started talking about type theory for half an hour. Moreover, I enjoy going to talks, which provide profound insights into advanced mathematics and its real-world applications. The most memorable talks for me were by Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan, who discussed the possibility of discovering life on another planet, and Julia Gog, who explored how mathematical modelling has helped combat COVID-19. Julia was our lecturer for Variational Principles and a role model for me; her lectures were well-structured and intuitive, complemented by her clear and beautiful notes.

In my college, there are two girls out of nine. We support each other by attending lectures and events together, and are supervision partners for some courses as well. My college cohort is very supportive and quite active – above is a photo of us after the Venn dinner at my college. 

I am also one of the Eureka Editors for the Archimedeans (The Cambridge Mathematics Society). Eureka is one of the oldest recreational mathematics publications with articles written by students and famous mathematicians and scientists such as Paul Erdős, Stephen Hawking and Timothy Gowers. In this edition, a lot of articles are accessible for prospective students and first years, capturing the spirit of mathematics. I hope it can provide an enjoyable read. 

If you love maths and want to dive deeper, I strongly encourage you to apply to study here at Cambridge. I learnt so much during the application process, especially in preparing for interviews and tackling STEP papers. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

I was very nervous about starting at Cambridge. I love maths, but I knew the course would be difficult. I hadn't heard the best things about the gender ratio, and I was worried about feeling out of place. I'm the only woman doing maths in the cohort of 11 at my college, and this scared me a lot too. 

As I now start my second year, I feel much more assured of my ability, and that I belong in Cambridge as a mathematician. I wasn't expecting such a strong sense of community between mathematicians as what I found during my first year. My college cohort are absolutely lovely, and very supportive (on the left is a photo of us braving the first row in a lecture together). I've also been able to meet many of the female/non-binary mathematicians in my year through lectures and Emmy Noether Society events. The gender ratio is certainly poor - there's no doubt about that. But women/non-binary people belong at Cambridge. Many female course-mates, supervisors and lecturers have been my role models this year, and I feel I'm constantly being inspired by the people I meet here!

There is no set rule for who a mathematician should be, where they should come from or what they should look like. We're all people united by a shared passion for maths, and as said by one of my lecturers, Julia Gog, the differences between us can help us each bring our own unique perspective to the subject. So don't let anything stop you!