<p>I'm a high school senior, and I would really like to become a math teacher, which requires a math major. I'm in AB Calc this year, and I'm doing ok. I had an A last term, and I think I have a B this term. The problem is that I've never really tried in math until trig junior year,and it was calc this year that I realized how much I really love math. I B in geometry and a B- in Alg 2, but I worked hard to get an A- in trig
My ACT math score is a 34 while my SAT math score is a 660. I also got a 730 on the Math II exam.
I would really really love to be a math teacher...but I don't want to set myself up for failure. I heard upper level math is really abstract and that math majors have the lowest GPA of all other majors.
Do I have shot?</p>
<p>Most engineering majors don’t take much math (contrary to popular belief), so you may not get a lot of responses here. </p>
<p>I’ve taken a few math classes at University of Michigan and from that I’d say I don’t think math here is too difficult of a major. You’re not going to breeze through it without studying or anything though, you will have to study. It gets harder than Calc AB, but if you like math and have some ability in it (which a 34 in Math ACT suggests) then you will probably be fine. Don’t expect to hit a 4.0 though, no matter how hard you try something will get you.</p>
<p>If you love math, give it a shot. A lot of your courses the first couple of years are general requirements, so if you decided to change majors you wouldn’t be losing that much.</p>
<p>Frankly, how hard it is depends on your mathematical aptitude. I’m graduating in May with a B.S. Math and Physics Minor. To me, the upper-level physics courses were harder simply because of the nature of physics. As mentioned above, if you love math, give it a shot. Do your general education requirements first and take a few math classes like Cal I and Linear Algebra to gauge your interest.</p>
<p>Junior and senior level math courses for math majors tend to be heavily proof oriented. Some people do well at mathematical proofs, in which case they will do fine as math majors (and will find that math courses are not as much work as science or engineering courses with labs), but others “hit the wall” with mathematical proofs.</p>
<p>Consider the math courses at a university:
[Course</a> Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“Course Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley”>Course Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)</p>
<p>Compare with the various versions of the math major:
Pure: [Course</a> Requirements: Pure Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“Meet the Mathematics Undergraduate Advising Community! | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley”>Course Requirements: Pure Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)
Applied: [Course</a> Requirements: Applied Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/programs/undergraduate/major/applied]Course”>Course Requirements: Applied Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)
Teaching: [Course</a> Requirements: Major with a Teaching Concentration | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/programs/undergraduate/major/teaching]Course”>Course Requirements: Major with a Teaching Concentration | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)</p>
<p>Because the math major does not require that many courses (in this case, 13 out of a total of about 32 that one would normally take over four years, though many students enter with credit for one or more of the freshman or sophomore level courses), it is certainly possible to take additional math or other courses if you have additional interests.</p>
<p>Thanks! Does a math major need to do any physics as a requirement. I’m taking high school physics and I absolutely hate it.</p>
<p>You’ll typically have a natural science core requirement, but often that can be among biology, chemistry, geology, physics, etc.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to look at the math major requirements at the college you want to/will be attending</p>
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<p>It depends on the school. Some schools only require some form of science as a general education or breadth requirement; others require math majors to take specific non-math courses like physics, computer science, and/or statistics. Check each school’s math department and its general education or breadth requirements.</p>
<p>You may, however, find that calculus-based college physics (for physics and engineering majors) is more understandable and enjoyable than non-calculus-based high school physics. (Someone who really enjoys math will typically find the more mathematical versions of physics, economics, statistics, etc. courses to be more enjoyable, even though most other students tend to think that they are “harder”.)</p>
<p>Junior and senior level math courses for math majors tend to be heavily proof oriented.</p>
<p>Consider the math courses at a university:
[Course</a> Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“Course Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley”>Course Catalog Descriptions | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)</p>
<p>Compare with the various versions of the math major:
Pure: [Course</a> Requirements: Pure Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“Meet the Mathematics Undergraduate Advising Community! | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley”>Course Requirements: Pure Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)
Applied: [Course</a> Requirements: Applied Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/programs/undergraduate/major/applied]Course”>Course Requirements: Applied Mathematics | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)
Teaching: [Course</a> Requirements: Major with a Teaching Concentration | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/programs/undergraduate/major/teaching]Course”>Course Requirements: Major with a Teaching Concentration | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley)</p>
<p>Because the math major does not require that many courses (in this case, 13 out of a total of about 32 that one would normally take over four years, though many students enter with credit for one or more of the freshman or sophomore level courses), it is certainly possible to take additional math or other courses if you have additional interests.</p>
<p>If you’re planning to teach math you might want to do it via an education major with math specialty. Just another option.</p>
<p>My problem with math is honestly that I’m not good with the basics. I can’t look at something and instantly factor it. I need to use the “british method”
Today, I did horrible on my relative rates test. I understood how to do all the problems-I got the calc behind it. I lost most of my points because I didn’t simplify the answers correctly in the end.</p>
<p>Practice, practice, practice.</p>
<p>I want to be a good math teacher, which I believe requires solid foundation of the math itself. I have had horrible math teachers who honestly don’t know what they are talking about, and I really don’t want to become that.
If I become a math teacher, I want to major in math. I really don’t want to take a few math courses and mostly education courses and end up becoming a mediocre math teacher because I truly don’t understand the subject.</p>
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<p>That’s good, because that’s not math. That’s computation. That’s what calculators do. </p>
<p>Any idea where you’ll be going?</p>
<p>Yeah, probably a state school…unfortunately my parents aren’t going to pay for private unless I get a massive scholarship.
So either UVM or UMASS Amherst.</p>
<p>If you want to limit the amount theoretical courses and concentrate more on the applied or computational aspects of math, you can look for schools that have either “options” or full degrees in applied mathematics or the major I had as an undergrad…computational mathematics.</p>
<p>In looking at both UVM and UMass math programs, UVM has an “applied and interdisciplinary option” and UMass has both an applied and “mathematical computing” options.</p>
<p>Here are the math major degree requirements at UM-A:
[UMass</a> Amherst Dept of Mathematics and Statistics: Departmental Undergraduate Requirements](<a href=“http://www.math.umass.edu/Undergrad/Program/ugrad_req2.html]UMass”>The Math Major and its Requirements | Department of Mathematics and Statistics)</p>
<p>Note that a teaching concentration is available, although the number of required courses is small enough that you should have plenty of schedule space to take courses in more than one of the listed concentrations if you choose.</p>
<p>UVM’s math major is described here:
[Academic</a> Offerings : Catalogue 2011-12 : University of Vermont](<a href=“http://www.uvm.edu/academics/catalogue2011-12/?Page=read.php&SM=offeringmenu.html&type=undergraduate&p=/Academic_Offerings/Mathematics_(B.S.)]Academic”>http://www.uvm.edu/academics/catalogue2011-12/?Page=read.php&SM=offeringmenu.html&type=undergraduate&p=/Academic_Offerings/Mathematics_(B.S.))</p>
<p>Note that many good math departments are found at state schools. Unfortunately, many state schools are expensive for out of state students with little financial aid for out of state students. Some of the less expensive schools for out of state students include Minnesota and Stony Brook.</p>
<p>Thanks guys- I think I’ll give it a shot. My high school has a really good and rigorous math program that is said to prepare students for college well, so hopefully I’ll be fine.</p>