Applicant Activity Hub

Welcome to Mathematics

The Department of Mathematics is a lively and friendly place with an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and research.

Our academic staff are active in pioneering research which is making an impressive impact on the world stage. This strong research culture influences our curriculum, helping students to keep in touch with the latest developments in the field and develop the skills that employers are seeking. On top of this, we provide a supportive learning environment and staff are always ready to give help and advice, with a personal adviser system and generous office hours.

We’ve put together some interesting resources and recordings for you to access prior to joining us in September and we hope you’ll find time to enjoy some of these over the Summer.

Mathematics activities for you

What our students say

'You really feel like you're a family'

Mathematics students at their graduation talk about their experiences of the department and studying at Royal Holloway.

Watch here.

Maths at university

Useful hints and tips

Professor James McKee has made this short podcast on "How can I prepare for mathematics at university?".

It will give you some hints and tips to help you feel comfortable with starting uni.

Below are easy links to suggestions that Prof McKee makes in the podcast :

Numberphile.com - Numberphile website

Numberphile on YouTube and in particular The Trinity Hall Prime.

The NRICH project has one dedicated section on the transition to university.

Books about and with maths

What to read over the summer

You might be wondering if there is anything useful you could be reading to prepare you for university mathematics. There are some good books out there, and here are two that we particularly recommend as being both interesting and useful:

How to think like a mathematician: a companion to undergraduate mathematics by Kevin Houston.

How to study for a mathematics degree by Lara Alcock.

There are also many interesting books about mathematics that you might enjoy. For example:

How not to be wrong by Jordan Ellenberg,

The man who loved only numbers (a biography of Paul Erdös, by Paul Hoffman),

The code book by Simon Singh,

Fermat's last theorem by Simon Singh.

The author of these last two, Simon Singh, has longstanding connections with Royal Holloway, including delivering one of our annual departmental lectures and speaking at our Exploring Mathematics event for schools; he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2008.