Maths: Askhat Toktybayev

Name: Askhat Toktybayev

Course: BSc Financial Mathematics

Hometown: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Favourite thing about Sheffield:
I think the striking feature of Sheffield is that although it’s a big city you don’t feel all this busy-ness and rush. The green area around Sheffield is just beautiful and gives you a feeling of living in a peaceful village but still having all the advantages of a big city.

Favourite thing about the University:
Open opportunities to develop yourself in different directions (apart from academic), meeting new and interesting people and being inspired by them.

Favourite thing about your department:
I think the office hours are really helpful in understanding the subject. All of the lecturers in our department have the office hours that give you a chance to resolve all your problems with a subject.

Why you chose your course:
I chose my course because for me it’s a perfect combination of two subjects that are important to know nowadays. Of course it’s not the only reason for my decision. I wouldn’t chose it if I didn’t like the subject itself. So far, it was an enjoyable experience to learn and explore more about maths and finance.

Career Aspirations:
For my career I see myself as a financial analyst, risk manager or an auditor. As I study Financial Mathematics I hope the course will give me all the basic skills required to be a good professional in this area.

What you hope to achieve as a Student Ambassador for Learning & Teaching:
The position of a Student Ambassador gives you a lot of opportunities to develop various skills. Hence, I believe I will gain a valuable experience and develop the skills such as creativity, time management, team working, persistence, analytical skills, flexibility and determination. I hope I will make a difference and I will do my best to enhance the learning and teaching process for a better future of our university.

Interests/Hobbies/Other activities:
Recently I am one of the Activities Officers of Kazakh Society. Also I like to play badminton, volleyball and swimming. Music and art is one of my interests too. I discovered that one of the best ways to get to know the culture and traditions of a particular country is to learn the language of this country. That’s why sometimes I try to learn the languages in my free time.

Your top tip for studying:
Work hard and enjoy your course! I think we should learn how to perceive the situation. If we look at the process of education at a different angle and try to see it as something interesting and just enjoy it we can be much more successful than if we avoid working and complain about it. So, try to love your course, try to find positive sides as much as you can, be proud of what you study and compete with you course mates all the time in order to progress.