<p>Hi! I was super sure that I would be an AMS and Behavioral Biology double major, but I'm starting to question whether applied math is really what I'm interested in. I'm just a freshman, so I don't think I have the full idea of what either field entails. My fall semester, I took Discrete Mathematics, an AMS course. I really loved it because I love doing proofs, so I jumped on board with the AMS major. However, the major will require two upper-level computing courses. I took an intro Java course, but I realized that I don't have the patience for programming. I also have to take courses in Probability, Statistics, and Optimization, and I have no idea what those will entail fully, but I was never a fan of probability or statistics in high school. On the other hand, I loved AP Calculus BC. I also took Linear Algebra this semester. I find it easy enough, and I enjoy doing the computations even though matrices themselves are kind of boring. </p>
<p>I'm also pre-med (and if I end up ineligible for med school or something, I'm definitely pursuing a health career), so this isn't about what major will get me a job. This is about what types of math are in each major, and which will give me what I'm looking for in a math major (and as a bonus, what will be complementary to my Psych courses/useful for research). </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Look up medical research papers and you will see statistics used to infer the significance of differences in medical outcomes for various groups of people.</p>
<p>It comes down to whether you want real life math or theoretical math. Applied math is more of an engineering degree which makes you consider actual scenarios (similar to engineering), while a lot of stuff in the pure math major is stuff you probably won’t use in the future besides research. </p>
<p>Personally, I would recommend AMS, because it seems more interesting. Yes I know intro java is tough (I took it too), but trust me, it gets easier in the long run.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus I looked at one, but it groups all Math and Statistics majors together, which doesn’t really help me. Anyway, it’s not about what will help me do on the MCAT or get me into med school; it’s like a music or art minor, just something I enjoy.</p>
<p>@ThePainter7 I don’t know whether I want real-life math or theoretical math, because both use the same math, if that makes sense. I’ve used both proofs and computation in both an AMS course and a pure Math course. What about Applied Math is more interesting to you?</p>
<p>Applied and pure math are both made of many branches.
Not all applied math is statistics. If you like calculus you may like optimization. Applied math is modeling through math, essentially, statistics is very useful but there is other applied math than that. However, many of it does utilize computers so I am sorry to say but if you want to go into an applied math route you ought to be more savy with computers than the average Joe.
Pure math is beautiful and has fruitful branches but I don’t see you using anything you use in pure math disciplines in your career route. Obviously you’ll be able to utilize the fundamental theorems that you learn every day but unless your doing research I can’t think of benefit you’ll get out of pure math besides pure enjoyment. I love pure math.
If you’re an applied math major you will get some theory classes,don’t worry. Its just the end product will be different and more useful. Also more computery</p>
<p>@artisian2610 OK, thanks for the answer! These are all things to think about, I guess. On one hand, I do appreciate the usefulness of Applied Math. And even though programming isn’t the funnest thing in the world, I guess it will be doable. I just don’t want to have to give up proofs and algebra and variables for actual numbers and data and stuff. But I’m willing to chug through it if it eventually becomes useful in a health career.</p>
<p>Any doctors/pre-meds/pre-health people around who would know how much a math major has helped medical professionals in their career?</p>
<p>Alright, I’ll give you the perspective from a math major who is graduating this spring (yay!).</p>
<p>When I was first starting college, I was incredibly in love with physics. Like, I thought we would be together forever. I changed my mind after one semester simply by taking mathematics classes. I hadn’t even taken a physics class yet. Once I had, I still liked physics. I’m one class away from a minor in it, but it’s too late to grab it. I ended up taking Quantum Physics I and II and Mathematical Physics, which don’t count for anything towards my degree. I took them simply because I liked the material. Now, am I ever going to use this stuff? It’s probably an emphatic no. I wouldn’t major in it. It’s pretty useless to major in unless you go to graduate school. This is even the advice of my physics professors. They assume you will be getting a PhD.</p>
<p>As an applied math major, I’ve sampled a lot of areas. There are parts where it’s pretty boring, there are parts that are just awesome, and there are parts where you are indifferent. To me, Operations Research I and II were the most boring subjects anyone has put before me. However, I loved Partial Differential Equations. I also loved Set Theory. I didn’t think Real Analysis was too bad and I never questioned the importance of it. I had always wanted to study it at this level of rigor. Abstract Algebra is something I always wanted to study as a teenager, but now that I’m finishing it I feel like it is a complete and utter waste of my time. No one’s ever going to ask you what the definition of a ring is as an employer.</p>
<p>Discrete math isn’t pure math. That’s child’s play and it is a joke for any good Applied Math major. I think most of the math majors I know thought the lower-division curriculum was a pretty easy. Figure out if you like pure math after you take Real Analysis. That’s really the only way I feel like you’ll know whether you really like it or not and whether you are actually talented in it. I don’t know what kind of curving goes on at your university, but it was a very tough time for most of our undergraduates. There was a curve already in place for that class and 75% of the class was still failing. The teacher had to curve a bit more and 50% ended up failing. Abstract Algebra isn’t as bad and I don’t study particularly hard for it. It’s more intuitive to come up with the proofs. I think with reasonable work ethic or just natural talent you’ll get by. I put some effort into learning the class, but it’s way more intuitive to me than Real Analysis. Although, I am currently hating it as it is pointless to me. I plan on going into an engineering career. </p>
<p>The typical destination for a pure math major at my university is going back at home and working a crap job because they couldn’t do anything useful, teaching (extremely common), and graduate school. I don’t know any pure math major that did well at the career fair we just had. I had job interviews offered the day of and had them the next day. You can do a lot with an applied math major. If you add in CS, you’ll be a golden child. I hate programming, but it is very important to be able to do it if you want to do anything useful or be taken seriously when getting a job.</p>
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<p>It may be useful if you go into cryptography.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus: I was going to do a project with my professor in cryptography, but I decided against it. It’s interesting, but I think I’ll enjoy researching computational fluid dynamics better.</p>
<p>The NSA and CIA anyway were more interested in other projects I’ve worked on with population dynamics and data when I spent time talking to them at the career fair. They were interested in statistics, operations research, and partial differential equations from what I could tell. </p>
<p>@CalDud Thanks for the thorough answer! I’ll definitely look into a Real Analysis course, and if I don’t fall in love, I’ll just stick with Applied Math. </p>
<p>Real Analysis is something any math major will have to take. The pure math, applied math, and statistics majors have to take it in order to graduate at my university. </p>
<p>Probability and statistics in college is nothing compared to probability and statistics in high school. You will be learning the mathematics behind them instead of memorizing strange looking formulas and applying them. The material in these courses will be easier to understand if you have taken Real Analysis before because they do contain proofs.</p>