Pure Mathematics

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I'm currently a HS senior, and I have almost convinced myself that I am not cut out for engineering, although that is what I made my chosen major when I was admitted to Rice ED. I struggle with physics, but still do okay with enough toiling, and I am horrendous at chemistry. But, I'm two years ahead in calculus and I don't study or even have to think to do well it seems. I LOVE MATH. And everyone my entire life has told me that if you love math, and are good at it, then you will be an engineer. Well, I don't know if I want to. </p>

<p>I kinda want to major in Mathematics. It's something that I enjoy, and I would do better in. But I don't know how applicable a mathematics major would be to the real world. What kind of job can you get from a prestigous university with a Mathematics major? Is it worth the estimated $160,000 to my parents for me to get a Mathematics major? Or should I try engineering for a while and see if things shape up better? Thanks for your help...</p>

2

<p>I guess the two most prominent things you can do with a math degree is go into research/teaching or go into business (computational finance, etc.).</p>

<p>There are many things you can do with math, but those are the first two that come to mind.</p>

3

<p>I feel exactly what your saying, rufio!</p>

<p>I love pure mathematics... And it's crazy, but the less applicable the maths are to the real world, the more I love them! :) I think I must have issues. lol</p>

<p>I'm wondering about an applied math major at an engineering school. Northwestern's for example also requires a good amount of engineering courses, so those might help with job seeking. In fact I was planning to post an Applied maths thread right before I saw your message.</p>

4

<p>You can do a lot of stuff with a math major, depending on where you focus your studies (pure, applied, actuarial, statistics, the last two being possibly the ones that'll get you a job more easily). And it can cost less than 160 000$ for a degree (you should look into financial aid and/or relatively cheaper universities, since I'm from Canada, I can tell you canadian universities are a bargain compared most of the US ones, and there are a few universities considered prestigious in the US, usually McGill, University of Toronto, UBC, and Waterloo in engineering/science, /end of publicity).</p>

5

<p>If you are good at math and love it, then I would definitely make that the center of your college studies. </p>

<p>Pure math is tough to get a job right out of school. </p>

<p>Math undergrads often get a MS in statistics for employability. I loved grad school statistics - it is at some level a very fundamental art, what can I discern about the universe from this set of data?</p>

<p>Applied math, which is probably what your calc courses are, has more employment opportunites than does pure math. You can use your electives to get enough engineering to enhance your employability without spoiling college with a lot of courses that you hate. </p>

<p>beprepn</p>

6

<p>For what it's worth, math majors start out earning around $45,000, which is comparable to Civil Engineering but lower than other Engineering majors.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the advice! I liked statistics, I took AP Stats as a freshman and enjoyed it, that would be a great option. Hopefully I could afford grad school then. Luckily I won't have to declare my major until at least a year into college, so I guess I can decide.</p>

<p>P.S. On the University of Cincinnati's scale, I'll be coming in with 22 credit hours in mathematics and statistics. I'm guessing that will probably translate to something around 16 for Rice (UC is on the quarter system and has 4 Calculuses...calculii...whatever). Might I be able to get a degree in mathematics in 3 years? My parents would greatly appreciate that, and I could get started on grad school early...</p>

<p>Thanks again..</p>

8

<p>I am also very good in math and don't ever study for it. I'm more fortunate than you; I also excel in chemistry and do well in computer science, physics and biology.</p>

<p>Engineering has only been a recent career choice for me. I've always thought about pursuing a degree in math (although not in depth). However, I've been informed that pure math is killer. The high end math is all about proving things, which I just cannot picture myself doing, having no interest in that kind of thing and just not being able to.</p>

<p>What I strongly encourage you to do is do a bit of programming and see how well you do. Most people good in math do really well in computer science. You should also consider doing double degrees in two of math, computer science, and business.</p>

9

<p>Ooh, math and business would be fun. Thanks for the suggestion. I don't really like the idea of becoming another computer scientist or computer engineer like so much of the workforce already. It seems like the competition would be great, and the market after college unpredictable. But I don't really know too much about it, of course.</p>

<p>What about something unique like Math and geology, or math and GeophysicsSeismology? Or are those going to be more chemistry-based? I don't know how good Rice's Business program is: it's rather small, but it's still Rice, so once I'm there I might be able to decide if it's worthwhile...</p>

10

<p>Rufio,</p>

<p>I was an Applied Math major when I entered college and has recently switched to Engineering/English. </p>

<p>First give yourself time at Rice (I think you take DiffEqs first before Vector Cal @ Rice) to take the more advanced Math classes and see if you enjoy them. Now as far as the opportunities with a Math major-- from my experience and discussion with professors, its best to supplement Math with another major.</p>

<p>The most common supplement majors are Business, Economics (Rice offers Mathematical based Economics), Finance and any Business related field. WIth this combination you can easily go into Actuarial Sciences, Risk Analysis, I-Banking, Finance, Hedge Funds and most Business/Banking related fields.</p>

<p>With Computer Science/Geology/Physics you can go into Computational fields and set up CADs, mappings (this is great for oil companies) and essentially work with engineers. </p>

<p>If you love math, especially Pure Mathematics, you might want to consider becoming a proffessor?</p>

<p>One important thing that I learned was that don't use a Math degree in place of an Engineering Degree (I switched to Engineering because I wanted a more applied/practical use). Companies will recruit you for your Engineering Degree-- not your math Degree.</p>

<p>And as always-- Med School, Business school and especially Law School are viable options for you.</p>

11

<p>I almost forgot,</p>

<p>MIT offers their Open Course Ware (basically all their courses/quizes/tests/lectures online)</p>

<p>at
<a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>If you have any questiosn about higher level Math, Engineering, etc-- you can go here and check out how it is at MIT.</p>

<p>I know this sounds like an advertisement and all--but this has been a HUGE help for me especialyl durign Engineering Physics my Freshman year. Some courses even have Online/Video lectures, just in case you feelin a little to tired to go to class ;)</p>

12

<p>The MIT open course ware is awesome. When I was taking my calc classes at my community college I used a calc class offered at MIT to take their quizes, tests, finals, etc. Sometimes I found the MIT quizzes/tests were actually easier, only because they were better written and less ambiguous.</p>

<p>I think it's so great of them to have that stuff open to the public.</p>

13

<p>Unless you are very interested in geology, don't do it. I don't know much about the job prospects, but I doubt that it's good. I think geology has a lot of physics in it and a bit of chemistry.</p>

<p>If you don't like computer science, just go for math/business. That's a great combination IMO. Go for it.</p>

14

<p>Thank you all for your wonderful help! Of course, I'll wait to decide any of this kind of stuff, but I like all of the ideas that you guys suggested. I feel like I am putting off making a major decision in my life, but as long as I am able to do that without any consequences, I am hopeful that it won't be a problem.</p>

<p>One more question: in preparation for a math-related major, no matter what it is, I will be taking Calculus IV at the University of Cincinnati during the winter quarter. After Calculus IV, I am deducing that I have a couple options that I can go through that I qualify for. (I would ask my guidance counselor, but she doesn't respond to my emails and hasn't been in office the last couple times I visited).</p>

<p>-Differential Equations: First order differential equations (linear, separable, exact), second order linear equations, Wronskians, method of undetermined coeefficients, variation of parameters, series solutions, regular singular points, higher order equations, Laplace transform. Prereq.: Math 263.
-Linear Algebra: Linear equations, matrices, vector spaces, bases and dimension.
-Matrix Methods: Course covers matrices, systems of linear equations, Gaussian elimination, determinants, theory of solutions, computation of inverses, eignenvalues and eigenvectors, coordinate transformations, systems of differential equations, applications to mechanical systems and electrical circuits.
- Probability and Statistics I: Sample statistics. Probability, sample spaces, counting rules, conditional probability. Discrete and continuous random variables, their distributions and expected values. Binomial, Poisson, hypergeometric, normal, gamma distributions. Covariance, correlation. Sampling distributions of means and sums. </p>

<p>I really don't think I have one strict road to go through with UC, where I can only take one class after Calculus IV, so as far as I know, it's up to me! Which one would you guys suggest for someone entering a possible math-and-business or math-and-economics route at Rice, maybe Statistics? Thanks again...</p>

15

<p>Statistics is probably good. Linear Algebra and Matrix Methods cover a lot of stuff dealing with vectors and matricies which tend to be used in computer graphics and data transfer.</p>

<p>Also, wait until you get to upper division math courses before concreting your decisions. Math becomes more difficult there. You need to start proving things, not just plugging in numbers and solving equations.</p>

<p>Then again, I've never taken differential equations or matrix methods or an upper division math course. Don't listen to my inexperienced ranting.</p>

16

<p>I plan on double-majoring in Math/Econ or Math/Finance. </p>

<p>Math is VERY useful when doubled with a more "applied" major.</p>

<p>Edit: As I'm looking back through the thread, nshah's post is very helpful.</p>

17

<p>jpps1, look at the university of Chicago- It has an option for majoring in math with a specialization in economics, meant for, according to its course guide, those considering getting a Phd. in economics.</p>