Romana Burgess

What did you enjoy most about your degree programme?

Without a doubt, the best thing about my course was the flexibility, and the variation. Firstly, being able to experience such broad applications of Mathematics was fantastic. I loved going to lectures about applications in weather and climate, but then going home to work on my masters project on modelling hormone dynamics. Additionally, I enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose modules outside of the discipline. For example, I was able to better my language skills one year, but the next year I was able to improve my job prospects my completing a module in teaching.

What was the highlight of your time at Exeter?

With the support of the university, I was able to find a job as an Arts and Crafts counsellor at a summer camp in America! This was by far the best experience of my life, as it gave my confidence, new skills, and a ton of new friends. Not only would I not have known about this position without the university, but my scholarship from the university enabled me to afford to do it. 

What will you miss the most about University?

I will miss feeling part of a community, particularly in my last year on the course. Every student knew one-another, and I felt supported and encouraged by each one of them. Similarly, I felt like I had made great relationships with lecturers by this point, and I will miss these friendships moving onward.

What advice would you give to current and future students? (If you are an international student what would you like to tell future students from back home who might be thinking about applying to study in Exeter?)

 My best piece of advice would be to always read the module descriptors and prerequisites for upcoming years on your course. You don’t want to be choosing modules and find that you’ve accidentally limited yourself by not choosing the appropriate prerequisites earlier on.

What are your plans now that you have graduated?

I will be pursuing a PhD in Digital Healthcare, starting in September 2019.