Before the "Wolfram Language" branding took over, Mathematica was primarily known as a symbolic algebra program. Version 5.2, however, changed the game. It was the release that really solidified Mathematica as a heavy hitter in high-performance computing.
: Check your university's software portal first. Most students already have free access to Mathematica through their campus license. If not, the current Student Edition is affordable, and the Wolfram Cloud offers a generous free tier. Mathematica 5.2 For Students Free Download