I’m having a tough time deciding while taking into account campus atmosphere and student life.
I want to major in mathematics with the goal of either teaching high school or college; although I feel I could change math pathways in the future.
I know if I take into account my major solely, UCLA is the obvious choice with their prestige and diversity of classes. I would also major in Mathematics for Teaching there.
But I visited Bruins day and wasn’t completely sold. I felt estranged there and didn’t like the campus or LA area all that much. However, I didn’t visit on a regular day so that might factor in for the different feel.
I loved the feel, the greenery, and the beaches of UCSB and Calpoly‘s campus and haven’t visited Davis or Irvine yet.
I’ve applied for UCSB’s CCS (college of creative studies) for math, but didn’t get in. Although, I could reapply each quarter. It is definitely a big plus about UCSB for me.
Calpoly’s small class size and open relationship with professors definitely appeals to me as well. But will going to Calpoly put me at disadvantage if I decide to apply to graduate school?
And I don’t know much about Davis’ math program.
Any advice or info would be much appreciated! Thank you!!
First of all, there is a huge difference in the requirements for teaching in HS vs college. Teaching in college generally requires a terminal degree (PhD) while teaching in HS generally requires a BS in the subject area and an MS in Education.
The next consideration is money. Teaching in HS is not financially lucrative and obtaining a PhD to teach in college costs a good deal of money, so if this is your goal it would be better to obtain your BS degree without going into a lot of debt. So the cost of each of your choices should factor into your decision.
Third, almost 70% of the people who graduate with BS degrees have changed their major at least once. Once you attend college you are likely to see many more possible career paths and your interests might change over time. In order to keep your options open, this would suggest going to a larger school with more majors from which to choose or one with better name recognition for when you need to hit the job market (here UCLA would have the edge.) The flip side of this is that at smaller school you will likely get to know your professors better which is beneficial in getting recommendations to grad school or for getting jobs/internships.
Lastly, don’t underweight each campus’s vibe and how you think you might fit in. You need to choose what is right for you, not what others think is right for you.
@jrm815 Not to nitpick but most PhD programs worth going to will waive your tuition, and give you a stipend. A school like UCLA will definitely give you a leg up in admissions if you can properly take advantage of the resources offered there. The prestige of the person writing your letters is a big part of admissions, and the course offering at UCLA will be pretty large.
However, like you said, a lot of people change their major, and going into undergrad with the notion that you’re going to get a PhD in said subject is daunting, and can be extremely stressful. Another thing to consider is the type of student in UCLA’s math program. UCLA is intentionally recognized in math, and so the kind of students there will be extremely smart, and competitive. The course work could be pretty brutal depending on how much math you’re willing to learn.
In conclusion, I’d say go to the place which you will learn best, and will be the most cost efficient. School isn’t everything. Nathan Jacobson, one of the most well known algebraists of the 20th century did his BS at the University of Alabama.