Could you please introduce yourself ?
I'm Darius Lazea, a third-year Bachelor of Science student at École Polytechnique. I'm pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Economics, with a minor in Computer Science. I come from Romania, where I have lived all my life until now, so this is my first time living outside the country.
Why did you choose the Bachelor of Science of Ecole Polytechnique ?
I looked for Mathematics undergraduate programs in Europe that are taught in English. There are not a lot of them, and École Polytechnique was one of the best-ranked among them. Then I looked into the history of the school and the specifics of the program, and I decided to apply. I also chose this program because of the possibility to explore different specializations in the first year and then commit later to one of them.
Do you have a favourite course?
I would say that my favorite one is the study of Probability Theory, which took part in Mathematics courses and Economics courses. What I liked was both the rigor that Mathematics provided and also the intuitive framing that Economics provided. Here in Mathematics, we understood the formalism, while in Economics, we understood how people engage with uncertainty in real-life scenarios.
What do you intend to do after the Program?
I have different master's options: I applied for master's and PhD tracks both here at IPP and also abroad. I don't know yet which ones I am going to go to, but I applied to both applied Mathematics and Economics. École Polytechnique tailored my curriculum so that I may be able to apply to both.
What would be a great memory of your time in the Program that you would like to share with future students?
There are lots of remarkable moments here at École Polytechnique, but maybe one of the most unforgettable is the Welcome Week, which is organized by the administration for the first-year students, and Campaign Weeks, which are organized by students for the entire Bachelor community. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you, but I can assure you: you are going to have lots of fun.
What are your ambitions for the future?
I'm probably going to work between academia and industry. I see myself as a researcher that develops new tools but also actively looks for ways to apply them in the real world and to benefit others.
Any piece of advice to future Bachelor students that you would like to share?
Be curious and really enjoy your time here. Engage in more subjects; don't be focused on only one subject. And you are going to have lots of fun, so don't forget to have fun.