Sofia Monarchi is a second year undergraduate, currently doing Part Ib of the Mathematical Tripos. She tells us about her favourite subjects, what she gets up to outside of her studies, and what advice she would give to prospective maths undergraduates at Cambridge.
One topic that has interested me for a long time is quantum mechanics, so I really enjoyed taking my first module on it this year. I liked the contrast between the logical maths and its counterintuitive implications - for example, in one of the problem sheets we derived an example of the quantum Zeno paradox, which says that if you measure a quantum system frequently enough then its time evolution is slowed.
That being said, it's hard to pick a favourite subject. I’ve loved being able to take a wide variety of courses so far; probability, fluid dynamics and group theory have been some other highlights.
Something I like about studying at Cambridge is the opportunity to interact with so many mathematicians. Having the supervision system means that I've met many researchers specialising in the topics I'm studying, and it's always cool to hear about what they're working on and how it links to what I'm learning. I also feel lucky to have some really lovely coursemates, many of whom have become good friends.
Also, meeting the cat which hangs out at the maths department has been a plus! (as can be seen in the photo above).
Outside of maths, I love doing art. For the past year, I've been the president of my college's art club, where we run weekly sessions, workshops and end-of-term exhibitions.
I'm also part of the Emmy Noether Society, which is the society for female and non-binary mathematicians at Cambridge. They run lots of events; some of my favourites have been the origami socials and swap with Oxford's Mirzakhani society last year.
My advice to someone considering maths at Cambridge would be to check out the STEP Support Programme. Besides being useful for preparing for admissions, it's an insight into the style of maths at university which is a bit different from school - a good way to judge if you'd enjoy the course!