<p>I'm just an incoming freshman now, so I don't really know what I'm doing and I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but this might be useful in a few months.</p>
<p>As a math major, are there any programs or things I could do the summer after my freshman year, other than just studying on my own, that would increase my chances of getting into an REU later (or just help me learn things...I don't mean to sound all careerist)? Of course I'll just try to get a job somewhere if I can't find anything to do with math or math education specifically. </p>
<p>In high school I took Multivariable Calculus, Intro to Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Intro to Number Theory, Numerical Analysis, and Abstract Algebra (meaning the first semester of it, but they only have this one class) at a state university. I'm still waiting to see if any of these will transfer, so I don't know what classes I'll have taken by the end of this year, but I assume my dual-enrollment classes will still "count" on my resume in some way even if they don't transfer. I do know I won't be taking real analysis this year because of schedule conflicts. </p>
<p>You could apply for internships and jobs in the research divisions of banks, insurance companies, and data research companies. This way you actually get to see the application side of math and how math is used to take actuarial decisions, develop pricing and create products. Well, that is one possibility.</p>
<p>You could even apply for REUs your freshman year. The chances are small, but it doesn’t hurt and I have known a number of people who have gotten REUs summer after freshman year. You have to apply to a ton of them, though!</p>
<p>Otherwise, see if you can find an internship or work with a professor on campus during the summer.</p>
<p>Are you attending a school that offers an honors calculus class that redoes calculus with theory? Those can be great, otherwise, why do you have a schedule conflict already? Those can often be worked out. </p>
<p>I found out this morning that I got transfer credit for multivariable calculus and differential equations, but I’m not sure about the other ones yet. </p>
<p>I’m going to Case Western Reserve University. They don’t have an actual honors math major, but they have honors versions of Calculus I, Calculus II, and Differential Equations. (The course descriptions don’t indicate that they’re more theoretical, just that they cover more.) I got credit for the non-honors versions because of the AP Calculus BC test and my dual-enrollment differential equations class, and I figure I’ll just use those credits because they fulfill the degree requirements all the same. </p>
<p>The schedule conflict with real analysis is that the only section they’re offering takes place at the same time as a class that all first-semester students are required to take (there isn’t one single class for everyone, but everyone has to take a seminar and all the seminars have a class meeting scheduled at this one specific time, so we’re not allowed to take any other class during that time). </p>
If I applied to internships like this, would I generally have to know programming or anything special outside of math (finance, statistics, etc.) in order to be competitive?
How many would be a good amount if I didn’t expect to get into any but wanted to see anyway?</p>
<p>I honestly think it’s hard to get an internship as a math major after Freshman year. You’d probably want to learn some programming. While your program probably recommends the MATLAB based course, given how advanced you are, it would probably leave you unfulfilled so you should probably take the more advanced JAVA course for CS majors. You can learn Octave in a few hours own your own, which is basically a free substitute for MATLAB.</p>
<p>Since you are so far ahead in math, and you can’t take real analysis, which is the gateway to your major, you might even consider being a CS major for freshman year, and take the data structures class too, and use that to get an internship writing code. Then just be awesome at your job, and switch to a math major for sophomore year. Chances are your employer will want you back anyway, and other employers will look at you later. It’s much easier to get an internship if you’ve already had one and can provide a good reference. </p>
<p>Taking statistics is a good idea too, with the background that you already have MVCalc and Linear Algebra, you can take a pretty serious statistics class and get a lot of insight out of it setting you up to study a little machine learning, which is very very hot right now. The stats will make finance go down smoother too because you’ll have an intuitive sense of what risk really means. </p>
<p>Stats for sure, so make sure you take that freshman year. </p>
<p>Finance could help, but not really necessary because the banks get people specific for that and those are not math majors, they are finance majors. </p>
<p>You may learn to use different programs on the internship or job, but knowing programming is not necessary; that is CS and financial engineering, which are different. </p>
<p>When you hit campus, start researching what internships and jobs were available in the past and may not hurt to contact those employers and ask what they foresee having available next Spring recruiting time. Get on their radar screen.</p>
<p>I’ve pretty much finalized my first-semester schedule, if it has any effect on my options. I was able to take real analysis after all, and I’ll probably take data structures and a statistics class next semester. (Originally I was also taking graduate Abstract Algebra I this semester, but I’m not used to the difficulty of the school yet and it was too much work with my other classes. I decided to drop it and take it next year, so I “only” have two math classes now.)</p>
<p>First-Semester Seminar
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Programming in Java
Fundamentals of Analysis I
Probability Theory & Application</p>
<p>How about asking professors from the classes you took while in high school. Once you have some java and maybe other programming you might be of use to a lab back home. My kids are still in high school but local profs have been receptive to having summer help. One volunteered (physics lab) and one obtained a paying job (bio analytical lab) both in programming ( Python - SQL- web support-the kids learned them on the job after taking ap comp sci at high school).</p>