Maria Dixon

BSc Maths with intercalated year, 2019

Three words to describe your time at Warwick

Eye-opening, euphoric, intense.

Career aspirations

I have no idea what the future holds for me in my career, but I am excited by that prospect. I think I will continue to tutor for another year or so, and then focus on something else.

Mathematics Tutor

To what extent did you plan your career?

I did not plan my career at all. I go through life following what I think is interesting, never planning more than a few months in advance. I'm not the most sensible person but my life is jam-packed with lots of fun and interesting things.

My life is vibrant and full-on, and that is what I thrive for. For example, I'm nipping to a Greek Island to run a race with my friends this weekend, coming back just in time for work on Monday morning (there's a 2.25am coach and a 5.15am train to catch!), and I often split my time at the weekend between four or more cities, because there are activities I want to do in each of them.

Having said that, I attended multiple careers fairs at Warwick and used the careers website to search for jobs. Using the careers website, I actually secured a job to teach Maths in Japan but ended up doing a Master’s in Mathematics at the University of York instead!

How do you use your Maths degree in your job?

I use my Maths degree in my job when I break down higher-level content at GCSE and A-level and teach it to students in a way which they understand, and which aligns with the curriculum. Additionally, being a tutor requires good planning and time management, which was a skill I honed at Warwick.

Why did you choose to study Maths at Warwick?

I chose to study Maths at Warwick because I liked the idea of supervisions to supplement learning. I knew Warwick offered a high-quality Maths degree and wanted to immerse myself in the higher-level, challenging content. I didn't think too much about it. I knew Warwick was "one of the best" and applied. Warwick required a STEP grade, and I enjoyed studying for STEP, so Warwick was the obvious first choice to me.

Which modules did you particularly enjoy/find useful?

I'm a part-time GCSE and A-level Maths tutor so I found the Introduction to Secondary School Teaching module particularly helpful, especially from an educational psychology point of view. I specialise in making accessible worksheets and PowerPoints for students with Special Educational Needs and rely heavily on what I learnt in Introduction to Secondary School Teaching regarding colour combinations and fonts. It was great fun to spend time in a real Secondary school whilst still being a student at Warwick, to see if I enjoyed teaching - which I do.

What core skills do you think you developed during your time at Warwick?

I developed self-awareness whilst at Warwick. So much happened during my four years at Warwick - from an Erasmus year in Padua to going down rabbit holes on two independent essay-style maths projects - that I had plenty of opportunity to reflect and ask myself what I did well, what I didn't do so well, and how I could improve next time. I grew a lot as a person whilst at Warwick. My experiences there definitely shaped who I am today.

I also developed good communication skills during Warwick in Africa when I taught Maths (and Italian and ballet!) to classes of up to 50 children in Ghana. Likewise, talking about my independent projects in oral assessments in front of lecturers and course mates developed my communication skills and my ability to throw myself into something I found daunting.