A Day in the Life of Rob

Rob shares a day in the life of a maths student, balancing lectures, research, sports, and society life - making Birmingham feel like home.

Rob smiling to camera

Meet Rob

I’m a third-year maths student who's hoping to do a PGCE. I am also the president of the water polo club and a part of DogSoc. Coming originally from Essex, after 2 years at the university, Birmingham now feels like home.

9:00 First lecture of the day

My lectures usually last around 50 minutes and focus on pure maths. I learn new and interesting topics. These are then built upon by guided studies which focus more on examples than theory.

10:00 Supervisor meeting

I meet with my supervisor to discuss my research project. This is based on mathematical attainment in secondary school, and having a supervisor who specialises in the field that I want to explore is very useful.

11:00 Lecture two

My second lecture of the day consists of more applied maths which builds on previous modules. Lecturers are research leaders in their fields so learning from the best always helps.

12:00 Football

To let some steam off, I play 6-a-side campus league football with a group of friends against other students. This happens once a week all semester and can be a great laugh.

13:00 Study time

I have to study individually and complete any assignments given to me. I usually find a quiet study space, of which there are lots across campus, and work for a few hours.

19:30 Water polo

To finish off the day, I am part of the water polo team, and we train 4 times a week. On most Wednesdays, we have a BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) game against other local universities.

Rob Gilmour

I’m a third-year maths student who's hoping to do a PGCE. I am also the president of the water polo club and a part of D...

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