<p>I'm a sociology and applied math double major at Stony Brook. Here, differential equations isn't required for applied math majors, but it seems like nearly every applied math major is taking it. The material seems really boring and I really have no interest in it; computation and statistics are more of my thing. I also plan on going to grad school to study urban planning or geography. Would grad schools and employers care if I don't have differential equations under my belt? Is there any use of it in the social sciences, or even statistics, or should I just take another stats class instead?</p>
<p>If you’re interested in doing computations on almost any real-world situation you’re going to need at least differential equations to understand it.</p>
<p>No, because differential equations are never used in real life applications.</p>
<p>I didn’t need it for my BS in Statistics. It probably has very limited applications (that I’ve seen) in the Social Sciences (and their mathematical applications). I’ve actually never ran across it yet. Maybe in some obscure Economics/Statistics research you might run across it.</p>
<p>DiffEq is primarily used in Engineering and Physics, to the best of my knowledge.</p>
<p>My guess is that all of the math you learn in undergrad during your applied math degree will be more than you will need for Urban Planning or Geography.</p>
<p>Of Calc I, II and III and Diff Eqs, I definitely enjoyed Diff Eqs the most. I say go for it.</p>
<p>Don’t bother with it, you won’t need it.</p>