So I really love Tulane and I think it’d be a great fit if I get accepted, but I noticed that there is no statistics major offered at Tulane. That is the major I really wanted to pursue, so now I really don’t know what to do. Is there some other way, like a similar major? Or maybe a math major with a focus on statistics?
I would rather be doing actual math than proving, which seems to be a bulk of a regular math degree.
Thanks!
Also @fallenchemist
Depending on where you take it, statistics can be a very theoretical major as well. Concretely, what kind of academic worth do you see yourself doing? And/or what school or schools have a stats major you’d feel more comfortable with?
In the past, the chair of the math department has welcomed prospective undergrads to ask these very kinds of questions. I strongly suggest you write to him and let us know what he says. Personally I have no idea how Tulane is for advanced studies in stats. Obviously they cover the basics, but beyond that…?
Morris Kalka, Ph.D.
Professor, department chair
Email: kalka@math.tulane.edu
Phone: (504) 862-3435
I envision myself doing statistics and going on the pursue something related to marketing, political science, economics, or something similar. I haven’t really decided what field, I just know I want to utilize statistics.
Schools (near the same caliber as Tulane) with statistic programs I like are Wisconsin, Illinois, UWashington, Cornell, and I know that WashU has an applied statistics major.
Thank you very much! I will do this right away. But what kind of question should I ask him, and what kind of response should I expect?
Thank you both!
As for the response, I cannot even guess. But I would simply tell him that at this point you have an interest in being a math major and that statistics (or probability and statistics if that is what you really mean) seem particularly interesting to you. So you were wondering what Tulane offered in this area that would provide you with a strong background for graduate school. Are there professors doing research in these areas so that, should you prove to be a capable enough undergraduate, you could get involved and thus be even more prepared for post-undergrad work. I think that is the key for you, if I made an assumption or two correctly. Because I am willing to bet the house that there is research going on in other areas, be it business, social work, School of Public Health, etc. where complicated, thorny statistical issues come up in studies all the time. Since you point out that you are looking at the applied side, this is important for sure, and Tulane has a particularly strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary cooperation. Tulane is also one of the easiest schools to get a double major, which could apply to you as well.
But I wouldn’t rule out an initial focus on the theoretical side. I have found that it often makes people stronger on the application side later, because they have a deeper understanding of how to untangle those “thorny” problems. It just depends on how inclined you are that way, mathematically. So in your note to Kalka, leave it open to all possibilities. After all, you are just starting college, and have yet to be exposed to much of this area of study. Also, the more open-ended your email, the more interesting his response might be. You can always get more specific in a follow-up.
Tulane’s math major is pretty flexible. If I’m reading it right, the only class that’s specifically required beyond “engineering math” (calc i-iii plus linear algebra) is real analysis i. And there’s no distribution requirement for upper level courses, which means you don’t have to take abstract algebra or topology. It looks like you could put together a respectable stats program.