Dropping Computer Science and switching to Math

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

So my current situation is that I am currently a sophomore majoring in computer science (just completed the minor this semester),and a Math minor but I am starting to reevaluate whether or not I should major in Computer Science and instead just focus purely on Math, as I have come to the realization that I honestly don’t enjoy doing Computer Science and it has just become a pain to even get myself to work on any Computer Science assignment. I enjoyed computer science in the beginning but as my freshman semester came to an end I realized that I really didn’t enjoy it, but at the same time I didn’t want to drop the major as I didn’t really see myself doing any other major, so I just kind of forced myself to continue with the major even if I didn’t enjoy it, telling myself that it would get better. Now here I am today with the minor.

I never really had the time to study much for Calculus I and II(Got B’s in both) because of the tremendous amount of time that was required of me for my programming projects. I barely had any time to study, if at all for these two classes(or at least I was never able to manage my time properly). Our computer science final was optional this semester and since I had a good grade, I chose not to take it, instead focusing only on the Calculus 2 final. Sitting down for the past week and actually having the time to study for Calculus II I realized that I honestly really enjoy math in general. This is something I never really realized before as I never really had the time. I also realized that I am pretty good at Math when I put time and effort into it. For example as I said previously I had very little time to study for Calculus 1 and 2 so I got mostly C’s on my exams, but whenever the final came I ended up getting an A on both exams because I had so much time to study for it and I just enjoyed studying for these exams unlike Computer Science which has become like a chore for me.

At the same time I don’t know if I should only major in Math because many of the math majors I have spoken with tell me that if I want to major in math they recommend I also continue with the computer science major, but I don’t know if I could manage doing a double major as I have a hard time managing my time(At least with Math and Computer Science which require a lot of time to practice, do homework , and complete projects), and honestly as I mentioned earlier I just don’t have much motivation with Computer Science.

I am taking Vector Calculus(Calculus III) next semester so I will probably wait until after next semester until I make a decision(especially since I will have a lot more time to focus on Vector), but I just wanted to get some advice on what I should do.

2

Hahaha, your experience is just the opposite of mine. Nevertheless, yes, mathematics is very beautiful. In fact, I too would argue it is probably the most beautiful subject to pursue in college (note: there is heavy bias in this response).

Having said that, I would like to warn Calculus I, II, III, ODE does not give the “correct” picture of what mathematics actually is. In fact, unless you are going for economics, differential equations, or engineering, I would like to argue that those math courses give a very… uhmm… wrong (?) view of what higher math at college looks like. In fact, I would argue even Applied Math seems a bit more theoretical than your standard Calculus series.

Before you chose the route of mathematics, I really advise you to speak to your advisor. Yes, advisors rarely help out and seem pointless but it never hurts. You never know whether changing to be a math major means staying an additional semester or what not.
That said, do note by pursuing as a math major this late especially with your sequence, do not expect to land in some top math graduate school after graduation. It is actually pretty atypical for top math undergraduates to start from Calculus I.

Having said that, if the professor life is not for you, then no needs to worry! Mathematics is a fascinating degree with lots of fun and challenge on the way. However, I feel that many people do not know what higher math is before dedicating themselves to the degree.
in fact, unlike what many science and engineering majors think, math majors rarely touch numbers (even if you are in the applied side) and do not touch integrals as much either (unless you are in applied in which you will see lots of differentials and integrals).

After the typical Calculus sequence comes Ordinary Differential Equation, Linear Algebra, Analysis, Modern Algebra, Topology, Differential Equations, etc. etc. (not true for applied math majors but then again, I am not as informed in the applied as before switching to computer science, I pursued only pure math quite heavily).
I think you should be warned math changes A LOT once you hit Real Analysis or Modern Abstract Algebra. In fact, it is actually what turned me off from a math degree.
If you have the chance, just “scan” through Rudin’s Real Analysis in your local college library or the Internet. Even just flipping through the pages quick should inform you what higher math looks more than the current Calculus sequence you are in.
In fact, if you have the time (since it is the summer), go lookout and try Tom Apostol’s Calculus book. That should give you a more correct view of what higher math looks like.
If it’s too theoretical for you, you should perhaps go the more applied math route.
If it is too hard for you, well… don’t worry. Analysis is known to be the hardest undergraduate math course and Apostol’s Calculus is Analysis lite. Of course, there are those who claim modern algebra is harder but I honestly before switching to Computer Science found Modern Algebra much more do-able and intuitive. Analysis was where I was … :confused: -_- …
If you enjoy it, well, good luck. Maybe Analysis branch is right for you!
If you still love math but not “that field”, then maybe Algebra or Cryptology or Number Theory or Topology or what not is for you. Who knows. I found out that I’m an Algebra guy. Algebra for the win! Too bad Analysis and Topology are more or less requirements. They make me throw up…

All that said, ya, that’s all I can say. Before majoring in mathematics, please know difficulty of a math major before taking it. Calculus, Linear Algebra, ODE I feel gives a very bad picture of the difficulty of college math. If I knew all that before, maybe I would have not tried to do physics and computer science together in the beginning of my college years and devoted all to just mathematics. That said, I’m quite confident had I never tried to do too much things together, I too would have pursued as a mathematics major.

So, try it out! The subject is fascinating :smiley:
Just don’t be surprised if you realize you will be studying and reading quite a lot. In fact, I would claim it is probably the most time intensive major in undergrad if you are motivated. BUT the time spent is totally worth it. You learn so much and it’s just… i don’t know, fantastic beyond imagination.
In higher math, you will feel like you are in the edge of (in)sanity. What I mean by that is that many times, you will stare at the same 1 sentence for hours or days or weeks to ponder what that 1 sentence in the theorem is saying. It sounds truly like someone who is in paranoia but trust me on this, it’s worth it and is some of the best experiences I had in college … to sit down in a desk or outside and stare at the same sentence all day to figure out the definition.

Plus, here’s some cool math video to motivate you to be a math major. If it wasn’t for my intense curiosity for computer science (as I realized I can self-study the rest of math concepts with my current mathematical maturity), I would definitely have given the major a thought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knFlmhgJfRY

Ahh, do note though, with a mathematics undergrad degree, your prospect is quite limited if you are stubborn in using your mathematics skills right out of college.
Though this is for physics, it is quite relate-able with a math degree as well…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu3pYKKqRS8
Yes, you don’t go to college to get a job. In fact, I also believe in that. However, if you are devoting that many hours as you would with a mathematics degree, it would help to know what your prospects are… right? Research before doing anything. That said, do note that mathematicians are usually ranked as some of the happiest people in the world. And actuaries too apparently. So ya, math majors apparently have extremely good life in terms of happiness.
If mathematics is calling you, then mathematics you do. Ya, that’s my 1 chip.

3

Thanks for the response. I have talked to my adviser and I wouldn’t have to stay an extra semester. The requirements for my school are

  • Calculus I
  • Calculus II
  • Vector Calculus
  • Foundations of Mathematics
  • Linear Algebra ----------------------------(UPPERLEVELS )
  • Differential Equations
  • Algebra I ( I think this is like Abstract Algebra in other schools)
  • Algebra II
  • Analysis I
  • Analysis II

Then I would have to do a senor Math project or take 2 senor upper level Math courses, but since I want to graduate on time, I will probably just do the Senor math project.

4

Note that upper level math courses like abstract algebra and real analysis focus on mathematical proofs. “Foundations of mathematics” likely includes practice in proof writing.

You may also want to consider adding other math courses, such as complex analysis, numerical analysis, geometry, etc., particularly if you want to go on to graduate study in math.

5

@AccCreate made some really good points about the nature of the major. I would say his or her experience is very similar to my D’s. Really liked the calc sequence, DiffEQ, but it’s that first proofs class that really shows you what upper division math is like. She’ll finish the major, but only with the minimum requirements and is making choices now that will likely preclude grad school (selecting more applied courses over the proof heavy for upper division electives).

I’d encourage you to take that foundations course (assuming you’ve got the prereqs done) before making a final decision about math.

If it is the programming/coding part of CS that you dread, you should be moving away from that and into some different aspects of the field. However, I am a freshman advisor at my institution, and I would never encourage a student to stick with a major when he or she is having the kind of issues you are having (dreading the work). You’ve finished the minor, and probably have the skills to keep yourself fed and housed should you need a little time to break into employment in your major field (hopefully, something that you do enjoy studying). But please, don’t stick with a major where the homework always feels like a chore.

6

@dcasarrubias1 As @ordinarylives said, computer science nowadays is a very broad field, and it’s quite possible that any CS courses you’ve taken so far aren’t representative of the field as a whole - especially programming courses. Same thing with calculus - I don’t believe Calculus I-III is fully representative of a math major’s curriculum. I can attest to that as a math major myself.

On the CS side, I personally found algorithms and complexity theory more interesting because they combine a lot of areas of mathematics (esp. combinatorics, graph theory, algebra, even topology) with what is currently known about the world and what we can and can’t compute. Additionally, a lot of cryptography is based on the assumption that certain problems (such as factoring large integers) on a classical computer are difficult. Furthermore, many of these problems can be tackled without writing a single line of code!

There are quite a few other areas of CS out there, which I won’t get into now. You don’t have to “enjoy” any of these areas (although if you decide you don’t enjoy CS then you should switch majors!). But you may decide that you are more interested in a certain sub-field, so I encourage you to at least consider them.

7

Personally, I recommend staying with CS, because you will take a lot of upper level classes, which will be more math than programming. CS is really more math oriented than programming and a CS degree worth more than math. So you should give CS another shot. Try to take some more math oriented CS courses than programming and see if you like it.

8

The upper level CS courses that are more like math are the theory ones (algorithms and complexity, theory of computation, etc.). However, most other upper level CS courses will include programming assignments and projects.

9

I was pretty bad at computation. I still am somewhat and I was an applied mathematics major. I was very good at proof based math. So, I did way better in my junior and senior years compared to when I was a freshman and sophomore. I knew I enjoyed mathematics so much after havin hated it so much my whole life that I became obsessed with the subject and stuck it out through the end. I wrote some really inspirational post on this site somewhere, which I can find later.

I actually have one of my freshman exploits to share since I was revisiting some of my old blogs:

I headed to the Math Center to work on some econ homework and use my special Calculus book. Sometimes I’m a real mean. I have a book that was made for the brightest students for Calculus yet for the people who have transcended this level of math people don’t seem to know much. Or people haven’t had a rigorous approach to it. So basically I worked out a problem until one part, which I knew already and left to the tutors to decide. The first tutor comes along and struggles with it saying “yes…no…yes…no” and then he asks for me to rent a book out that has all the trig identities. So I do that for him and he still couldn’t do it. He leaves and then another tutor comes along and spends time here cranking it all out on a piece of scratch paper and asking my questions like, “What class are you taking? This is really hard.” So after thirty to forty-five minutes or so, he leaves and stereotypically I believe the next person who comes will solve the problem because she’s this asian girl. Well, she’s all trying to work it out and getting super frustrated and has a hard time giving up but is eventually defeated. She keeps saying “This problem is so simple but so complicated, agh, I give up!” So she takes my book and paper and stalks off to a math professor in the back room to get help. I’m there, sitting out writing the solution, unbeknownst to them, and pocket it. Another tutor stops by (he had a cowboy hat on) and says, “I heard you got a killer problem” and I gave it over to him. The second tutor I had was with him and then all of the other tutors were surrounded at the table I was working at trying to figure out this problem simultaneously. One eventually says, “You know what? We’ve got work to do.” and they all give up. Meanwhile that girl was in the room with that teacher, I hadn’t heard from her. I waited thirty minutes to see if anyone figured it out and the tutors would come and talk to me, asking me all sorts of questions about my major, and everything. When I left, I left the solution on the table in plain sight, and went to my economics class. I had spent a total of 4 hours in there trying to get help with that one, tiny portion of the answer. I laughed.

^ Turns out, that book was more proofy than computation (the book was Calculus by Spivak) and like I said, I did very well in those courses later on after this.

I would try taking Real Analysis and if you can somehow make it through without hating mathematics at the end, I’d say you can complete the major.

That being said, I work with computer engineers every day because I ended up as a programmer (which I hate!). I am currently going back to school while working full time as a programmer. Have you considered engineering at all?