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What types of careers do you all have, and are you satisfied with your choice of math major?</p>
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<p>Yes, that’s what I meant. I was tired - that really does look strange now!</p>
<p>I completely understood that, noimagination. I was just trying to redirect the discussion from textbook selection to your original question because I was interested in it also. :)</p>
<p>I was a math major at Rutgers, took the usual 4 semesters of calc, linear alg, Diff eq, number theory, abstract alg, prob., stat, adv. calc and topology. Those last two did me in as far as math went so I went on to law school, found tax law, then got an LL.M. in tax law at NYU. I have ended up in an incredibly narrow sub specialty in the finance area, for 30 years. I think being a math major was useful for law school. I was very logical in analysis of things, a logical writer, and loved all Code courses, Internal Revenue Code, Uniform Commercial Code, etc… The career has been good, I am comfortable with numbers, cash flows, accounting reports, feasibility studies, the stuff I see every day.</p>
<p>^ Interesting story.</p>
<p>I studied math with an emphesis on statistics and was hired by a large bank out of school. I worked on the operations side and focused on project management. What I used from my major was more the ability to anaylze an issue and problem solve. I now use my “skills” running a sales office with my DH and of course solving problems for our DS and DD.</p>
<p>I was a computer science and mathematics major at Indiana University (Bloomington). My soon-to-be spouse was in a program that required 5 years, so I stayed an extra year and took more than the usual number of courses as an undergraduate: linear algebra (1), analysis (3), applied math. (5), numerical analysis (2), algebra (1), statistics (1), probability (1), math. logic (1). These were semester-long courses. I also took 2 courses in symbolic logic and two courses in set theory in the philosophy department and finite math, formal grammars, and lambda calculus in the CS department. I had tested out of the intro calculus courses.</p>
<p>I went to graduate school at Stanford in computer science, concentrating in numerical analysis. This is a branch of applied mathematics, but can occur in a number of different departments. Where it lives does influence the nature of the courses and the interests of the faculty. I am definitely a computer scientist and not a mathematician (though I did have mathematical proofs in my dissertation). While at Stanford, I took some courses in the math. department: complex analysis (3), methods of math. physics (2), statistics (2). These were all quarter-long classes. In the CS department, I took over 8 numerical analysis courses (covering numerical linear algebra, numerical ODEs and PDES, etc.). It becomes difficult to count after these 8 - reading courses become independent reading becomes preparation for qualifier exams, which evolves into part of the dissertation research. I probably have the course-work equivalent of a Master’s in applied mathematics.</p>
<p>I currently work on high performance computers, working with applied mathematicians and computational scientists from a number of science domains. While I do not “do” mathematics, and do not use sophisticated mathematics much, mathematics is still the common language used when communicating with the scientists and mathematicians. My background allows me to understand what they are trying to do, to understand the computational implications, and to be able to suggest alternatives. For me, a strong mathematics background is a requirement even though I am not a mathematician.</p>
<p>By the way, I enjoy my job very much. I get to “play” in a number of different science fields and areas of mathematics without having to commit myself to any of them. I am not an expert in any of these, but I do have the satisfaction of contributing to progress in these other fields.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the perspective.</p>
<p>What kind of internship can a math major get during undergrad years?</p>
<p>Let’s see, this past summer my fellow math major friends have had jobs and internships in: actuarial science, consulting, programming, teaching, statistics (for the CDC). A couple of students did math research (funded by the NSF or my home school). Those were the primarily math-related internships. A physics double major had an engineering-type internship; a few CS double-majors were working in software development, network administration and robotics; a dance double-major was part of a theater production; someone else ended up in events management.</p>
<p>A math major gives you a strong analytical background. Pick up skills in another area and you can do whatever you want!</p>
<p>Let’s see, this past summer my fellow math major friends have had jobs and internships in: actuarial science, consulting, programming, teaching, statistics (for the CDC). A couple of students did math research (funded by the NSF or my home school). Those were the primarily math-related internships. A physics double major had an engineering-type internship; a few CS double-majors were working in software development, network administration and robotics; a dance double-major was part of a theater production; someone else ended up in events management.</p>
<p>A math major gives you a strong analytical background. Pick up skills in another area and you can do whatever you want!</p>
<p>OK… well I am a senior graduating in a couple of months with a B.S. in Mathematics and three minors in Chemistry, Biology, and Computer Science. I’m starting grad school for computer science in spring and want to get my phd.</p>
<p>I can tell you majoring in math was the best decision I made. Let me clear up some doubts for you.</p>
<p>First of all, how much math you’ve taken in high school doesn’t really matter. Believe it or not, when I started college I began in algebra. I hadn’t even taken trigonometry or algebra in high school and the most advanced thing I could do when I started was the quadratic formula! So for anyone who hasn’t had so much math, don’t worry.</p>
<p>This is the ultimate decision that led to me becoming an official math major:
- I enjoyed mathematics (I particularly found I had enjoyed taking Calc II in college)
- I knew I had SOME natural ability (I found I could read math text and understand)
- I knew I had the drive (I can study all day every day for weeks and do nothing else) </p>
<p>The biggest revelation that came to me was in calc I. I could NOT figure out integration. I could not figure out reimann sums. I struggled and struggled and wanted to cry because I felt so stupid. I tried to have my friend help me. I kept reading the section in the book and then one day, I was looking at it just the right way, and it suddenly made sense. And I loved that it made sense and that feeling that I got. From then on I was hooked in math. </p>
<p>A good course to take that will let you know whether math major is for you is linear algebra. It combines a bit of theoretical math with applied math (you start really having to read theorems and apply them). If you enjoy that class, safe to say you will enjoy a major in math</p>
<p>I can not stress enough that you must LIKE mathematics. You must enjoy doing math, or you are WASTING YOUR TIME!! Do you not major in mathematics if you think it will just look good on a resume or for a job in the future. The sad thing is that a bachelors in math has a fairly limited scope. You can become an actuary or work for the government or somewhere in finance, but its not too broad until you get to the masters and Phd level</p>
<p>I think its bad advice to say read into a little theoretical math and see if you can get that and then you will see if math is for you. I don’t think anyone who has barely taken calculus is going to get theoretical math. I know I wouldn’t have gotten it when I first started. The key with mathematics is that it trains your mind over time to think a certain way that most other degrees don’t allow you to think.</p>
<p>One observation: if you like math and want to major, don’t get discouraged if calculus courses are difficult in the beginning. I know my community college the calc I-III and diff eq was a joke, but once I transferred to my university and saw the way they taught calc I was blown away. It’s really tough! And a lot more difficult in my opinion than Linear, PDE, courses like that! (when you think about the level of experience of the student, etc)</p>
<p>another observation: Math majors don’t have the lowest GPAs. (I have a 3.5 from my current university and a 3.8 overall). Theoretical math is tough, yes. But if you work your ass off, you will be fine. I got a B in abstract algebra and it was the hardest course I took in my undergrad (and I have taken a wide range of hard courses!) I was terrible in it, but I just got by by nearly living in my profs office and sleeping with that book every night</p>
<p>DEDICATION. You really need it if you want to major in math for when you get to the theoretical courses</p>
<p>one last note… if you want to major in math, consider also studying other subjects. I mentioned I have three minors. I did this because I was interested in all of those fields. I have found I suppliment my math studies with other thigns and my math puts me way ahead of the game. No offence to other majors, but the courses I take in chem, bio, and CS are cake for me ONLY becase I’ve studied math. I am going to go to grad school to study computer scienece. NO doubt I would have been terrible in CS had it not been for studying math. But programming is so mathematical, it comes very easy for me because I have all ready had that training to think logically (what is more logical than writing code?)</p>
<p>So the END RESULT!!: Math major (at bachelors) won’t give you a sea of open doors and job opportunities… you won’t be able to build anything tangible like an engineer or do lab work… but guess what, you will be able to think at a level and with a logical quality that not a lot of other people can. Math trains your brain to think in a different way, and this will effect everything you do. This will help you in any field you go into, this will help you do research, this will help you figure out so many things… there is a big reward from majoring in math but to me its subtle. However, it’s entierly worth it</p>
<p>oh yeah and one other thing: If you major in math, please I beg you ahead of time… don’t become full of yourself. So many math majors do to a point it is ridiculous. They take what I just said (math makes you think in a unique way) and they decide that they are big geniuses because of that. Guess what… you don’t have to be super smart to understand math. In fact, upper applied math is not difficult. Majoring in math doesn’t make you any smarter than someone majoring in anything else. I can’t stand the mentality of so many math majors. Yes some of the course are hard and other people would look at the material and go : “oh my god thats impossible.” But we all know as math majors its not really that hard… some people let it inflate their ego but don’t let that happen to you! Being humble in life is a much better reward than anything else :)</p>
<p>Anyone can do well in math as long as they work hard and enjoy it. Without these two things a person is destined to fail. A lot of it has to do with instructors at the lower level too. But anyone can do well and it doesn’t really mean anything. I have a great GPA and its not because I’m super smart (in fact I always feel I am the worst in all my classes!) but because I work my ass off. I am usually at my university for a minimum of 12 hours a day. I have spent the night there at least 10 times this semester and countless times over the past years. (You can’t walk in our engineering ubilding at 2-3 am without seeing crowds of people studying). These are the two biggest factors into whether or not math is for you</p>
<p>Hope you enjoy your studies!</p>
<p>This thread just keeps on going! Thanks for the opinion.</p>