<p>I'm talking schools like UCB/UCLA/CPSLO what can I generally expect as an applied math major based on workload and difficulty. I understand being a math major can be difficult but I don't mind it being hard as much as the workload. By workload I mean how time consuming can the work be? Can it be as bad as to keep me up all night trying to finish work and barely having enough time for other things like a job or free time? Is it as time consuming as the workload for let's say a computer science major? Also could I get an MBA later on even if I majored in math instead of business?</p>
<p>Math courses are not inherently time consuming, since few of them have time consuming features like labs or computer programming assignments.</p>
<p>However, you could end up spending considerable amounts of time on them if you find them intellectually difficult (the same is true for courses in any subject).</p>
<p>MBA can be done from any undergraduate background, but it is generally preferred to have some post-bachelor’s work experience before entering an MBA program. With appropriate electives, finance jobs are often targeted by math majors.</p>
<p>I see the difference now, so generally Computer Science majors have more labs/projects. Main fear about majoring in math is that I won’t find a good job after finishing my undergrad and I really don’t want to go to grad school as much as just finding a good/reliable job with a C.S. degree. Another fear of mine is being totally blind sided in college by not knowing how to program. I have merely dipped my big toe into the water but have not done anything special. I did do a little robot programming in robotics club one time and we were able to have a robot move autonomously through an obstacle course, however it was basic commands nothing special. Would this be a huge problem for me in college or will the intro courses teach me programming?</p>
<p>The intro to computer science classes will teach you how to program. I took one (many years ago) to help prepare me for more technical MIS classes I was taking as electives for my MBA. The same types of analytic skills used in math will help with programming as well. No reason that math would put you at a disadvantage for an MBA, but as @ucbalumnus mentioned most MBA programs want you to have some experience. </p>
<p>I think that if you want to do an applied mathematics bachelor’s, you need to really do your research to figure out what you might be doing with that degree. You don’t want to end up with a career where your degree is indirectly related to your field which is the fate of a good number of math majors. I have heard people say stuff like “many mathematics majors work in finance, software, business but if you want to do that, get a finance, cs, or business degree instead of a math degree.” Of course each of those fields would have some sort of specific field where math skills may be important but all I’m saying is you need to really spend a lot of time looking into possible careers because I don’t think your future with an Applied Mathematics BS would be extremely obvious because there’s a wide range of stuff that you could do with that degree but it’s not necessarily true that each option you have is something that your degree is the best type of degree for. I am a senior mathematics undergrad with a concentration in statistics right now and looking to go to grad school next year in Software Engineering because I enjoy that field a lot (found out when I already had my math degree 80% done) so I hope to be able to still find use of my mathematics bachelors to help me as a software engineer down the road after I get my masters. I have felt that mathematics students (except Actuarial) typically have needed to go onto grad school to try to make themself more marketable so if you have a big opposition to grad school, I’d strongly consider CS. </p>
<p>As far as the rigor of a mathematics degree, my school is top 10 mathematics in the nation and not that rigorous in my opinion. Most of my math classes are only 30% mathematics majors (many engineers). The fact that there’s no labs for mathematics also gives me a lot more free time.</p>
<p>Many schools offer CS courses like Intro To Comp Sci I and II to help students get started with programming. You can try to contact some CS faculty at the schools you are applying to and ask your question about programming. The CS pages for each school should have some sort of advisor with email contact or if not you can try searching for the course schedule and email a random professor that teaches the introductory courses with that question.</p>