In recent weeks, this thought has been bothering. Have I made the correct decision to study Physics? Or should I have done Mathematics?
Let the story begin in JC. I came across many articles on the development of nano technology. It was a very interesting field with the carbon nanotube and graphene. In addition, fundamental particles were fascinating, and there had been many talks on physics. My inclination was thus pulled towards studying a "Science" subject. Then I graduated and needed to choose something a major. I was pondering between 3 subjects: Mathematics, Physics and Materials Science/ Engineering.
Why I decided against Matierials
- When I applied for NUS, I was not decided between Physics and Materials. Mathematics simply wasn't on my mind at that time. In Singapore, science and maths in general are thought to be for those people who can't get into engineering, and are regarded as lower in status. Business was the hot subject in this "realistic and pragmatic" society. But no matter how small the perturbation is, the effect can be huge when applied continuously on a timescale of years.
- I went for the open house in NUS, and attended some talks on material science. It immediately put me off as there are so much engineering terms such as Young's modulus, toughness and technology transfer.
- I didn't give up Materials totally. I did my pre-departure attachment at IMRE and took Materials Science in Part 1A NST. Both further confirmed that material science is not for me.
- When I applied to Cambridge, I set my mind to do physics. I was greatly influenced by Dax with whom we were working on a small project at that time. Googling "physics + cambridge" directed me straight to the Cavendish website and subsequently the Natural Science Tripos website. Thus I applied for Natural Sciences.
- On choosing the colleges I read up quite a good deal on Cambridge. Mathematics Tripos featured prominently, boasting a range of famous scientists and mathematicians. I kind of regretted not applying for it, but then it occurred to me probably it is much harder to get in, and considering admission was all important, I was happy with my choice.
- On retrospect, some other factors indirectly pulled me away from Math. I was in SIMO, and never made much progress. This made me realize how difficult math can be and I wasn't really good at it.
- My dad, who is a mathematician, was spending a big proportion of his time in China and not with me, so that source of influence was absent.
- Was applying for astar, and thought Physics would be more "useful" and easier to get the scholarship.
- The first year physics and mathematics in NST 1A certainly didn't appeal to me. They were tedious and boring. The Mathematics Tripos seemed vastly more interesting.
- At this point I realized I could have pursued Physics under the Mathematics Tripos. This was hugely upsetting as clearly my research earlier on wasn't comprehensive enough. I was too obsessed with searching on tips to get admitted rather than going for a thorough research on the courses.
- Summer internship at DSI was the biggest eye opener. Mathematics had never occurred to me to be so important. Many of the advanced topics in Physics required many branches of mathematics that were not taught in NST.
It is too late to do anything. Physics may turn out to be alright, but I would have never known if I was better at pure mathematics. This is very close to what I would be doing anyway had I known better. Physics and Mathematics are not hugely different in irreconcilable ways. It will serve as a huge learning point though.
