By Arvid Levander
Thinking back on my time at UW, I could write about how challenging the program was and the late nights of studying, but that does not stand out to me as being special to this program. It is graduate-level applied mathematics, and it is supposed to be tough. Instead, I would want to write about what got me through the program and what I believe to be special about it.
If you were part of the 2023-2024 cohort at UW Applied Mathematics you have probably seen me and likely spoken to me. I made a point of being a social person at the department. I like having a large community around me that I interact with every day. Having a community around me motivates me to work. Instead of feeling that I have to work, I want to come in and talk a little with the people, and while I am there, I might as well get some work done. I might not be working at 100% efficiency, but that is overrated anyway, and more importantly, I am enjoying myself.
The AMATH department was great for building a community. I felt that the staff, professors, and students were all very nice when I needed help with something or when I just needed a break from studying to talk. It is a small department which makes it easy to get to know everyone and what forms feels more tight-knit. There are department events like the baking competition, which I got second in (absolutely robbed), where you get to meet everyone and feel like you are part of a community.
With a supportive community at my side, I felt like I could not fail. For every class that I took, I knew about 90% of the people in there. I also knew those people were happy to talk about homework and tests. There was once a tough homework that the whole class was struggling with but I was communicating with 4 different study groups and together we figured it out. I never felt that I was alone in my classes and that makes everything feel so less stressful. They say it takes a village to raise a child and it took a department and a lot of money to get me my master’s.
While the program was fun I am excited about getting back to work. The program allows students to explore many areas of applied mathematics which was what initially drew me to it. I wanted to see what was out there so I could decide on which direction I wanted to go. By taking courses in optimization, LLMs, and PDEs I now feel confident in the line of work that I have chosen.
For any prospective or incoming students reading this, the best part of the program is the supportive community so please go to events and become a part of it. For the people I have gotten used to seeing every day, thank you and I will miss you.