I think i want to major in math and philosophy, or major math minor philosophy. My question is, can you get accepted into somewhere as a transfer student with a shitty GPA for a math major?
Also, for those in higher math, did you discover that it becomes more and more standalone as it goes on? That it starts to stop being numbers that you can apply to things, but kind of just becomes its own thing. (But almost eveyr subject uses it) I’m taking algebra right now, and that kind of happened when i discovered polynomial functions and their graphs.
Is philosophy a good compliment to this? I feel like I need something that is not just the maths, because I will lose touch with human nature. I’ve had some experience with philosophy reading, but want to know first hand from people who have been through the whole sequence of either type of class.
As of now, i’m struggling with both trigonometry and algebra, but like math enough to stick through it. I want to know from experience from people who have struggled with these classes.
Upper-level math classes are focused on proofs, although you can take applied math classes that focus more on real-world problems (while still featuring proofs). For example, I’m currently taking courses in cryptography and applied topology. If you’ve never dealt with proofs before, your school might offer an “introduction to proofs” course that could be helpful. Sometimes this is done implicitly as part of another course, like linear algebra or discrete math.
I’ve taken three philosophy classes: Ethics, Non-Western Philosophy, and Mathematical Logic. Obviously, the last one is more similar to math than the others. Philosophy is really diverse in scope, and I’ve found that (as a math major) I’m way more interested in some branches than others. I’ve chosen to take classes in those areas whenever they’re offered, rather than trying to get an official minor or double major. If you’re fairly interested in everything, that’s when it would make the most sense to major or minor in philosophy.
Yeah thanks for the detailed reply, I guess what I meant was.
I like math, but don’t know enough about it yet to decide wether or not to major (I’m still in pre-req courses)
I got scared that I’ll lose touch with being a human, and thought that taking a philosophy class would be cool, Technical things are nice, and the way that some of these classes explain things about the real world are even better, but math is cool in the way that it is both standalone, and that it can actually be applied to physical stuff, but fear that taking all of those super sciencey courses can both compromise financial aid, or spend the one shot you get at partially funded education on nothing but technical knowledge, and miss out on a good liberal education.
Did you find a way to balance this? Math especially and (Some kind of liberal education) really fascinate me, but you also need to be able to do something for a living when you’re done that will pay off those student loans.
I would recommend taking a philosophy class if you can. You’ll probably have to take some humanities and social science courses for your general education requirements, and you’ll be able to take classes outside the math department even if they don’t fulfill any requirements. Of course, you should plan out your classes to make sure you’re always on track to graduate on time.
Most universities offer several different versions of their math degree. Some colleges have both a B.A. and a B.S., and you might prefer the B.A. because it will have fewer requirements and you’ll be able to take more non-math classes. Some schools also have different tracks or concentrations like applied math, pure math, finance, education, computing, etc. You should ask yourself whether you really want to major in math, or whether you’d prefer to major in a subject that uses math. If you’re interested in physics applications, for example, you might prefer to major in physics. You don’t need to decide this right away, because the first few math classes you take (Calculus I-III, linear algebra, differential equations) will be common to many different majors.
As far as careers, my general impression has been that math majors can get into a lot of different fields because it’s a versatile degree and employers will perceive you as intelligent. Even so, you have to do more than just take math classes. If you want to teach in a public school, for example, you’ll have to get a teaching license and possibly a master’s degree. If you want to be an actuary, you’ll have to take exams and ideally get an internship. If you want to go into programming, you’ll have to take computer science classes and ideally get an internship.
If you want to work in a specific city, you’ll have to think about how your degree will be perceived there and what kinds of jobs are available. You can go to the career center at your university and try to find out what jobs their math major alumni have done. You might end up wanting to go to graduate school, and it’s important to think about this when you’re deciding what college to attend. Math Ph.D. programs are usually funded and come with a stipend, but you’ll have to pay for most other relevant graduate programs.
If you have no idea what you want to do, a programming class would be a good place to start. I think it’s good to take programming courses, partially because they give you more options in general and partially because you’ll probably like them (at least a little) if you like math. My ability to write proofs has often helped me with programming, and my (limited) knowledge of programming has helped me with MATLAB-based assignments in my applied math classes.