Major in Statistics or Applied Mathematics?

[zinciest]

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It's come time to declare a major, so I need to ask:

Which major would be less tough on my gpa?

Honestly, the applied math is slightly more appealing, but I feel like it might crush my gpa. These are really the only two majors that interest me (I guess chemistry is a distant third). Which one is considered "easier"?

 

[brooklynblunder]

go with applied math. i think stats is easier.

 

[chman]

Personally, I think stats. Especially if you want to work in any kind of public health capacity.

 

[Beckie]

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Concentration in Actuarial Science. You won't believe how many interviews and offers I got before I graduated. I went down a different path then the medical field, but I got most of my offers for analyst-type jobs. I ended up picking a job as a Scientist working for an Engineering company.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that either Applied Math or Statistics will look really good. You can't fake being good at math. It's highly valued in employer's eyes.

Math majors stand out versus other majors depending on what field you're going into. I think if you can pull off a 3.5 or above as a math major, you will look golden on a resume. And it will look even better if you're from a top school (of course). 🙂

I should add one more thing: My friend majored in math but didn't do so well with her GPA. She had about a 2.6 GPA and didn't get a job offer until about a year after graduating. She took a job as a Secretary. So I would be really careful about this. If you're GPA is hurting, my advice would be to take some of those classes over that you didn't do well in to try and raise your GPA some.

To all others reading this email: Please don't send me hate mail... I'm not putting other majors down. I think any major in college is challenging. I'm just saying that employers put a stigma on math majors (and all science majors). The stigma is that we're super intelligent types. I'm not saying that, but that is what they act like and say.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Concentration in Actuarial Science. You won't believe how many interviews and offers I got before I graduated. I went down a different path then the medical field, but I got most of my offers for analyst-type jobs. I ended up picking a job as a Scientist working for an Engineering company.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that either Applied Math or Statistics will look really good. You can't fake being good at math. It's highly valued in employer's eyes.

Math majors stand out versus other majors depending on what field you're going into. I think if you can pull off a 3.5 or above as a math major, you will look golden on a resume. And it will look even better if you're from a top school (of course). 🙂

I should add one more thing: My friend majored in math but didn't do so well with her GPA. She had about a 2.6 GPA and didn't get a job offer until about a year after graduating. She took a job as a Secretary. So I would be really careful about this. If you're GPA is hurting, my advice would be to take some of those classes over that you didn't do well in to try and raise your GPA some.

To all others reading this email: Please don't send me hate mail... I'm not putting other majors down. I think any major in college is challenging. I'm just saying that employers put a stigma on math majors (and all science majors). The stigma is that we're super intelligent types. I'm not saying that, but that is what they act like and say.

You might want to be more judicious using that word. Stigmas are bad things. From webster: "1 a archaic : a scar left by a hot iron : brand b : a mark of shame or discredit : stain <bore the stigma of cowardice> c : an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease"

Maybe stereotype is what you meant? Honestly not trying to be an ass here. Just trying to keep folks from looking silly in front of an interviewer.

 

[zinciest]

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Concentration in Actuarial Science. You won't believe how many interviews and offers I got before I graduated. I went down a different path then the medical field, but I got most of my offers for analyst-type jobs. I ended up picking a job as a Scientist working for an Engineering company.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that either Applied Math or Statistics will look really good. You can't fake being good at math. It's highly valued in employer's eyes.

Math majors stand out versus other majors depending on what field you're going into. I think if you can pull off a 3.5 or above as a math major, you will look golden on a resume. And it will look even better if you're from a top school (of course). 🙂

I should add one more thing: My friend majored in math but didn't do so well with her GPA. She had about a 2.6 GPA and didn't get a job offer until about a year after graduating. She took a job as a Secretary. So I would be really careful about this. If you're GPA is hurting, my advice would be to take some of those classes over that you didn't do well in to try and raise your GPA some.

To all others reading this email: Please don't send me hate mail... I'm not putting other majors down. I think any major in college is challenging. I'm just saying that employers put a stigma on math majors (and all science majors). The stigma is that we're super intelligent types. I'm not saying that, but that is what they act like and say.

My gpa is fine right now, but I'm not in the heavily theoretical courses yet. Reading the thread, it seems like the consensus is that statistics would be easier, which was what I was thinking. Thank you!

 

[DennisMikula]

You might want to be more judicious using that word. Stigmas are bad things. From webster: "1 a archaic : a scar left by a hot iron : brand b : a mark of shame or discredit : stain <bore the stigma of cowardice> c : an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease"

Maybe stereotype is what you meant? Honestly not trying to be an ass here. Just trying to keep folks from looking silly in front of an interviewer.

"an identifying mark or characteristic"

I think what they said was they put an identifying mark or characteristic that the person is an intelligent type.

 

[mirrorpair]

Stats would probably be easier; applied usually requires some proofs-based class in analysis or algebra which can be very tough. Most math departments I've been at believe that statistics isn't really 'math' because it is too easy and most mathematicians I've met would be really pissed if they were put in the same league as statisticians. In fact the math department from my undergrad fought tooth and nail to prevent a statistics major from being part of the 'department of mathematics' proper--the school had to create a new department of statistics as a compromise.

In short: stats is probably easier on your gpa.

 

[KMIMSM]

really? statistics is easier than math? i always thought calculus was easier than statistics. I never understood stats quite easily.

 

[Naijaba]

really? statistics is easier than math? i always thought calculus was easier than statistics. I never understood stats quite easily.

I agree that Stats will be easier: the easiest upper-division math course I ever took was Statistics. I think that was because 1/2 the class was Economics majors who weren't used to proofs.

However, I have to disagree that Stats is a more 'useful' major. Some medical schools (think Harvard) appreciate (read: require) differential equations, which is a precursory course to partial differential equations (PDEs). PDEs crop up all the time in modern biomedical research.

 

[statsguy]

Stats isn't too bad as an undergrad major. But if you continue it at the graduate level, you will have to take Real Analysis, Measure Theory, and maybe some Functional Analysis, on top of some pretty theoretical, proof based Statistics classes. I'm currently working towards a PhD in Statistics and almost all the grad students in the department double majored in Math and Stats as undergrads.

If you have to choose one, I'd personally choose applied Mathematics (and take a couple of Stats classes.) Assuming you don't go to medical school (ie change your mind, don't get in etc...), you can still go to grad school in Stats, Math, or Engineering with an applied Math background, whereas a Stats degree would pretty much limit you quant work or grad level work in Statistics.

Oh, and if you want to work in a public health setting or a research setting (ie pharma), a PhD in Statistics or Biostatistics is almost required.

 

[tennisball80]

Stats is more useful in medicine.

 

[YeOldeMan]

Everybody here is sure that stats is easier....but I don't know. I'd say that the minimalist stats major is easier than the minimalist math major....but any serious stats will be extremely difficult and not as straightforwards as upper maths. Additionally, if you want to make sense out of any higher stats you will have to take a good amount of higher math.
Not to mention that all you'll get out of basic stats is a bunch of formulas, which you won't really understand without some real maths (but which are nonetheless useful and demanded).

Stats will be more useful in medical practice, and applied math will be more useful in medical (theoretical) research.

 

[zinciest]

Stats is more useful in medicine.

I feel like the usefulness of stats would cap out pretty quickly. The higher up stuff is way to complex to be applicable in day to day practice.

 

[YeOldeMan]

I feel like the usefulness of stats would cap out pretty quickly. The higher up stuff is way to complex to be applicable in day to day practice.

More like the stuff past the first class or two. You won't use Calc I in day-to-day practice...or even trig.

 

[mirrorpair]

I feel like the usefulness of stats would cap out pretty quickly. The higher up stuff is way to complex to be applicable in day to day practice.

Some advanced stats is used in MRI imaging (namely as a correction factor), as well as a lot of graduate level real analysis.

 

[Beckie]

Stats is definitely not easier than applied math! The upper level stats classes are just as hard as the upper level math courses. I've taken stats classes that are all theory and math classes that are all theory. My advice is to go with the one you find the most interesting and you're most passionate about. 🙂

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Depends on what you enjoy more...surely you have taken intro classes in both to consider both.