Is Math/Applied Math in general a major hard to get in?

Applying to College
1

Is it a very competitive major to get in? Does anyone know?

3

My son was an applied math major. Happy to answer any questions I can but I suspect a lot of the info you are seeking would be school specific.

Please narrow down what info you are looking for if possible.

2 Likes
4

I see you have another thread about Georgia Tech / Purdue / UIUC, in which you mentioned IE and ECE / CE majors?

Are you thinking that you might be more interested in math / applied math, rather than these majors? Or are you thinking about applying for math as a backdoor to later switch into an engineering major?

Edited to add: here are the other two threads with more background info if it helps people respond to this poster,

  1. Chance-me: NC resident, Georgia Tech, Rice, UIUC, Purdue, NC State, UNC for Engineering [3.8/1580/35]
  2. How hard is it to change major in Georgia Tech, Purdue, and UIUC
1 Like
5

Colleges strong in fields such as mathematics (e.g., For Students Seeking a College Strong in Mathematics), statistics, or data science may not admit by major. A few, as well, offer open curricula (e.g., Brown University, Hamilton, Amherst).

2 Likes
6

Getting in, no. Staying in, yes. Many students that are strong in Math in high school don’t know what Math really is at the college level.

6 Likes
7

Depends on the college. But usually not, unless it ends up with the overflow of rejects from CS or some such.

8

See also Physics, and many Engineering fields, where advanced math is so central.

As I like to joke (not so joking), I was fine with numbers. I was fine with letters. I was fine with Greek letters. But when they ran out of Greek letters and started making up their own symbols, I was out.

Anyway, good news, many places excellent for Math are also excellent at many other things, and many of those have few, if any, restricted majors. So, you can try out Math, but also some other things. And if you reach a level in Math where you want to consider alternatives, you will have them.

1 Like
9

Applied math is the backbone of the IE- lots of technics used in IE are from applied math- if that makes sense. So in general, I am interested in using mathematical models to solve real-world problems. If I can’t get into IE in engineering school, applied math is another area I think worth of exploring…

10

Why can’t you get into an IE program ?

There’s 119 ABET accredited programs in the US.

With a 3.8 and 1580, sure you can get into one - or perhaps 101.

11

This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.