Question: Why did you chose to study physics when you say that your favourite subject was maths? What fascinates you so much about physics that makes you study it?

Chris Mansell answered on 17 Jun 2013:

Lol. I felt maths at university would be a bit too hard for me. The aspects of physics that I found the most fascinating (e.g. quantum mechanics) weren’t in the school syllabus but were in university physics courses.

I also really liked biology when I was at school. I then found out that to do biology at university a Chemistry A-level would have been really helpful and I had dropped Chemistry!

Physics is a really varied subject. You basically learn how the universe works. It encompasses how things behave at ordinary speeds, at incredibly fast speeds, how really small things work, how really big things work, etc. You can learn how to do useful things, like engineers do. You learn quite abstract maths concepts, like mathematicians do. You can help philosophers shed light on the questions about what is and isn’t real. You can learn to do computer programming. In my fourth year of undergraduate studies, I did quite a lot of biophysics (and as I said earlier, I really like biology). You can work at cool places like particle accelerators or fusion reactors. I’m really glad I chose physics.

Another reason to study physics is that is highly regarded by employers. Engineering companies, computer companies, financial institutions, consultancy companies, patent attorneys, etc would all be interested in hiring you. These are all well-paid professions. I’d say physics is a good subject to choose if you want a range of good career options.