<p>I've talked with my adviser about increasing my odds for admission into a doctoral program, but I've gotten a bit of conflicting advice.</p>
<p>On one hand, my "mentor" for one of my scholarships says that well-rounded students are most marketable; he suggested taking Physics I and II and General Chemistry I as well as considering a Computer Science Minor (because I asked how to best be marketable should I choose not to go for any form of graduate degree). </p>
<p>Meanwhile, a very trusted professor of mine (who I happen to better relate to) said to take every possible math class and invest my time in giving talks at conventions and such...</p>
<p>Then there's me. I would love to take every possible math class, but that alone will not fill my schedule for four years (I'm a semester ahead but intend to be here the full four years so I can continue learning and apply for Fall grad programs), and I absolutely hate Computer Science. One programming class killed me on it. My preference would be to take foreign language classes because I have a passion for them. However, if this would hinder my chances of being accepted into graduate school, I will be more wary of my Spanish major/French minor intentions. </p>
<p>Plus, I want to have a second option should I decide math is not for me. I'm only just finishing my freshman year, and I know I have A LOT of math between now and then to either make or break this idea, and I want to be prepared for the worst. Any and all advice is MUCH appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Whether or not that “well-rounded” advice is true depends a lot on your field and conventions therein. In one of my fields, “well-rounded” would not be good; in the other, it would be better but you’d still better have a concentration in one particular area. Well-rounded students are marketable to employers, if that well-roundedness lends you several different skills at sufficient depth to be useful.</p>
<p>If you hate computer science, assuming that you are not interested in computational math, don’t take more than you have to. I’m not in math, but from what I know about the purer/less applied fields (being in one myself) taking a wide range of courses does not really impress anyone unless you have plans to apply it to your study of your field. If you’re planning a PhD in math, more math classes with high grades will impress them far more than some scattered courses in chemistry and comp sci (unless, like I said, your research focuses on computational math or some kind of applications of math to chem).</p>
<p>Taking unrelated classes won’t hinder your chances, they just won’t help you much. Although in math, a German language may be useful since I think some math research is/was done in German, but I’m not sure about that. Remember that college isn’t 100% preparation for graduate school; you should also be able to do some things that you like. So if you have a passion for foreign language classes, go ahead and take them.</p>
<p>Having a lot of math IS a second option. Math majors are in high demand in a lot of fields, and not just teaching. Businesses want math people (especially if you have some understanding of comp sci) to do data mining, risk management, price setting, operations research. Universities like math majors to do their statistics for them, and institutional research. Math has loooots of opportunities right now; you just may need to peruse your catalog and see what classes are useful for applied jobs. Abstract algebra will help you get into grad school but not necessarily a job. I’m looking at my undergrad catalog now and in my field, the classes in biostatistics, applied mathematics, differential equations, prob & stats, and linear algebra would get someone employer interest.</p>
<p>For my degree, I am already required to take Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Applied Statistics, Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, and my electives will probably be Combinatorics, Adv. Calc. I, Numerical Analysis and Number Theory. I also have the option to throw in things like Adv. Calc. II, Abstract Algebra II, Geometry, History of Mathematics, Independent Research and… That’s it. Coming from a smaller school, that more-or-less exhausts my mathematical options without intending to go into Elementary/Secondary Education (which I have no intention of doing). </p>
<p>I know I do not want to go into Applied Math, at least not in the fields of Physics or Computer Science. I don’t enjoy them. So far, my greatest mathematical love has been Combinatorics. Finding patters and counting and figuring out why one sequence or count relates to another… It’s fun and there’s always a new question. (One of my fellow math geeks hates it. She’s more of an analyst and sees no value in counting or pattern finding.) I absolutely cannot wait to see what Abstract holds for me in the spring… </p>
<p>As for languages, my greatest interest is Spanish. The languages preferred by grad. programs in math are French, German, and Russian. Because I have already used a year, it is a scheduling impossibility to complete a French major in three years (I would have had to take French I my first semester and continued from there… Prerequisites complicate things), but I could complete a Spanish one with no problem. (I’m enrolled in Spanish III in the Fall. :D)</p>
<p>I don’t want to schedule myself based on grad. school possibilities, but they’re definitely in my mind. It doesn’t help that I’m a neurotic planner, so I like having something semi-concrete at my fingertips. Haha.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your advice!</p>
<p>Do you have opportunities to do research to optimize your acceptances and does your school offer independent study courses where you work with a prof on a research project?</p>
<p>It is too bad that you just took a programming class. I don’t even think they are offered at my daughter’s school, where the begining sequence is an integreated introduction and programming is treated as a byproduct, a necessary one sure, of CS. She majored in Math/CS (not Applied Math/CS) and had many of the classes you mention plus a load of CS. She specialized in CS Theory which is really trying to solve the great unsolved math problems, perhaps a bit at a time. She also focused on Crytpography (theoretically based) Computational Complexity and Algorithim Analysis. In Grad School, she went from Theory to AI and Machine Learning, which are all heavy math based. Just so you understand the diverse and compatible aspects…(employable, YES!)</p>
<p>She took Mandarin Lang and found it very satisfying, and well as a few physics classes early on.</p>
<p>Good luck with your explorations.</p>