<p>1) I can’t tell you too much about the program compared to other schools. On either count. But what I can tell you is that employers are generally willing to risk hiring a Purdue student when it comes to almost anything quantitative. This isn’t necessarily true for investment banks and consulting companies and what not because they are more the ivy league kinds.</p>
<p>2) I think that getting a math major in itself is very fulfilling. Of course, this is heavily courseload-dependent. (There are plans of study you can follow without doing too much math.) Electrical engineering is also rather tough - definitely the toughest of the engineerings. I think that is also a rather fulfilling major. If you mean fulfilling from a salary point of view(atleast initially), ANY engineering(especially electrical) is the way to go. However, math is the tougher of those two. The math majors have to think harder and smarter while the engineering majors do more grunt work, so to speak. They spend lots of time in labs and there is generally a larger time commitment. Another plus to doing the math major is the flexibility you get. The math requirements are not as much in terms of the sheer number of classes (it’s about 10 to 12). That’s a little less than a fourth of the requirements to graduate (There are also the core requirements which all the schools have but both science and engineering have these so it isn’t really required in this “analysis” of sorts). This allows you to do a double major(or more) or just do a whole bunch of classes to compensate for the grades you lost doing math classes or to do stuff that you are interested in. (I came in with credits(which you will probably have) for a few classes and am triple majoring in math, cs, and statistics and minoring in economics and philosophy). The engineers don’t have this luxury. Most of their coursework is required for the engineering degree and they have trouble doing even just one minor. However, the science majors are probably tougher(thinking wise. EE is up there too). (I switched from engineering to science to do a little more thinking,to be able to take classes that i’d like, and to have a social life, if that sort of thing is important to you).
not all math majors will teach. i’m not. i’m going into finance after graduate school. as a matter of fact, most of us won’t.</p>
<p>3)Pure math is highly theoretical and involves proofs. Proofs are tough. Period. Linear algebra is the easiest “math” course. It’s the first course that teaches you to think like a mathematician. The calculuses don’t. Pure math is more about showing why certain theorems hold true and methods of proving why they are true. Lots of the time it is highly abstract i.e. tough to understand. The courses you do involve more abstract topics like topology(which many think is THE toughest of math topics). Pure math deals with properties of numbers and the analysis of functions to prove things and using these proofs to prove more complicated things. Applied math (which i’m FAR more interested in) deals with more real world applications i.e. doesn’t have too much to do with proving properties. It is, as the name suggests, the application of fairly advanced math to real life situations. However, real and complex analysis are required for both pure and applied math. (Applied math has its origins in pure math and analysis is a VERY important in applied math)Analysis courses and abstract algebra are generally the toughest of courses to deal with.
An undergrad doesn’t really have the option of majoring in pure math. However, there is a plan of study that deals with applied math (it’s the only one that requires complex analysis) and it is the toughest of the traditional options a student can take. Applied math people take courses like Linear Algebra 2 and Differential Equations 2 which deal with applications.</p>
<p>I’m doing applied math because I like it even though i’m not big on analysis. How much you enjoy analysis and abstract algebra should tell you whether you are more of a pure or applied man. You’ll like them if you are into pure and if you aren’t too fond of them, you know you are the applied kind.
Pure mathematicians generally look down on applied mathematicians because they think it is tougher. And, of course, they are right.</p>
<p>Purdue has an excellent reputation for analysis and abstract algebra. But this is at the graduate level. Of course, i’m sure this filters down to the undergraduate level. The graduate reputation for applied math is also good. However, at the undergraduate level, these reputations are not even the slightest bit relevant. They are relevant only to PhD candidates who are looking to research these special areas at universities or for people who are deciding where to do their PhD research. Undergraduate math majors all pretty much do the same stuff. For and undergrad, it’s like asking which school has a better reputation for teaching calculus 1 (differentiation).</p>
<p>4)You need not worry about how much math you know. You just need to work hard at school. You can even start at trigonometry in college and major in math. You should do the most basic analysis course first to see if you’d like to stay in math. At purdue, this is ma 301. All math concentrations have to do MA341 (the second-most basic analysis course. 301 is basically prep for 341 and other analysis courses). However, only one analysis course is required in the statistics, computer science, and business math concentrations. so if you don’t love analysis, you might look into those.</p>
<p>College math is VERY different from high school math, calculus apart.</p>
<p>If you want money, go with engineering. EE is tough and very satisfying. Do math if you are not terribly worried about money (many jobs pay very well but many don’t). Chances are, when you are right out of school, you will make less than an engineer. I definitely think math is the more(and perhaps the most in college) satisfying major to do. It also requires less of a time commitment because of the lack of labs and the reduced requirements. (The reduced requirements make you more of an allround student that someone might like to have a conversation with at a dinner party 10 years from now unlike the EE major that will be playing with his circuits in the corner talking to noone.) However, math requries harder and smarter thinking. It is about as tough to a lot tougher(depending on the concentration) than EE and ChemE and is a lot tougher than the other engineerings.</p>
<p>Important note: Fear of analysis prevents many physics majors(and others) from getting a minor in math. And we all know how hard physics is.</p>
I was wrong, obviously. And, of course, there is a little bias. But my point was that you have less flexibility. </p>