Jerry Shen

My name is Jerry and I’m currently studying a Master of Science (Mathematics and Statistical Modelling) at UTS. When I finished high school, I didn’t have a gap year but decided to get straight into it and study a Bachelor of Science at another university.

What appealed to me about the UTS Bachelor of Science was its flexibility. I wasn’t sure what major I wanted to do and was undecided between mathematics, physics and psychology. In the end, I decided to major in mathematics as the subjects made the most sense to me.

The highlight of my university life were the friends I made along the way. While studying, you meet a variety of people compared to in high school. I also joined a few sports and gaming societies and met people with similar interests there.

If I could share any advice with my year 12 self, I would tell myself how important it is to try my best. It’s okay to fail, you just treat them as minor setbacks.

It’s important to maintain a good life balance while studying.  A lot of students stress over their HSC which is understandable, but it’s important to find ways to relax and healthy ways to deal with your stress.

My subjects have easily adapted to online learning due to COVID-19. I’m lucky that mathematics doesn’t require a lot of lab work.

I’ve been keeping busy during isolation by focusing on my health and wellbeing. Fitness is very important to mental health, so I’ve been trying to keep an exercise routine while in insolation. I’ve also been chatting online and playing games with a lot of friends as our schedules are more flexible.