was interviewed in December 2016 at the Trinity College, Cambridge. For applicants in mathematics, there is only one interview with 2 fellows of the college. It is preceded by an hour-long written test.

Here is my story …

When I arrived to the test room, there was already a group of students waiting nervously for what might have been the most important exam of their lives. They were mostly very focused and nobody uttered a word. I recognised an acquaintance of mine from a then-recent mathematical Olympiad, we greeted and wished each other good luck.

As the test began, I quickly read all the questions and didn’t like any of them very much. I decided to start with one sequence question, in which I easily made some progress, but could not finish. 10 minutes into the test, I finally realized that I could force the solution using the Chinese remainder theorem and my heart-rate increased by 20. This will surely impress the professors 🙂

When I quickly wrote down the solution, I noticed that it actually does not work. At this point it was 15–17 minutes into the test and I hadn’t solved any of the 10 questions yet, which is why I started panicking. For 2 minutes I was imagining the failure and the disappointment after the interview, but then I managed to focus on the problems again.

I solved a combinatorics question with inclusion and exclusion principle in the next 10 minutes and started with the proof of some algebraic expression. As it later turned out, it required strong induction, which was what I managed to complete, but not immediately.

I also solved a number theory question, which was very easy in retrospect, but high stakes of the examination made it more difficult. Finally, I solved an integral that required a certain trigonometric substitution and then partial fractions to finish. I even surprised myself with that, as I thought I wasn’t good at integrals.

I finished with 4.5 solved problems and absolutely no idea about how to tackle any of the remaining ones. In hindsight, this might not have been optimal, as the interview naturally centered around what I had not solved, rather than around what I had. I didn’t know that back then …

The professors were very friendly. The interview was like a discussion about mathematical problems I could easily have with my father. It was not any more formal.

At the beginning, they went through my solutions and marked 4 problems as correct, just as I expected. Then they focused on the sequence question I could not solve and I explained my failed attempt with the Chinese remainder theorem. They tried to help me solve it, but I couldn’t. They literally explained me how to do it, but I couldn’t. After a few minutes I noticed something with which the problem is trivially solved, I said it and we finished with it. Fortunately, for I doubt I would ever solve it the way they had it in mind.

The second question was to sketch the graph of some implicitly given function, which I thought I did OK. I got stuck once in the process, but generally understood everything and solved it relatively quickly.

Finally, one of the interviewers said: “Let’s do something different now. Which problem do you want, physics or probability?” As a fan of pure mathematics, there were only 2 thoughts that went through my head at the time. One of them was “I hate physics”. Unfortunately, the second one was “I hate probability even more.” So I tackled physics. It wasn’t that hard actually, but I hadn’t practised for physics at all, so it was still difficult for me.

We came to a point where the professor asked:

“Is this formula now true for all t?”

“No.”

“Yes, it is. If there was no floor …”

“But there is always floor.”

“If that is your perspective, you should have applied to the department of physics.”

I sighed. Great. They made me do physics problems in which I couldn’t assume the existence of floor.

There was no time to finish the problem, I greeted them and left.

When I heard I had been accepted to study for a higher degree, in Physiology, at Cambridge University I was stunned. As a teacher these days I say to my students that someone has to study there, so it might as well be you! Not many people from my background get the opportunity, so I was determined not to waste it. It is like stepping into another world of unbelievable academic freedom. I had my own laboratory space for my research and famous scientists would visit and discuss their research. During my time at Cambridge, I had the chance to present my research finding at the Physiological Society in London and published my results in scientific journals. These are amazing opportunities and paved the way for my future career in the pharmaceutical industry and teaching. Cambridge University is located within the city of Cambridge and consists of different colleges, all with their own character. I chose Newnham College, mainly because the Graduate accommodation was excellent and the level of tutorial support was good. Newnham is a women only college and has the most beautiful gardens to wake up to and walk through each morning. Of course I would recommend Newnham College and Cambridge University for graduate or undergraduate studies!