Math Major? Advice?

[Neurosis]

I've been switching my major A LOT recently I have come to a conclusion. I don't want to major in a subject where I would have to memorize copious amount of information (which would later be forgotten) and then there's the humanities (ie history, english, etc) which also involve too much reading for my tastes. That said I think I might want to major in math, unfortunately, I'm not a math geek/genius *stopped at Pre-Calculus in High School* so I would have to start fresh this summer with Calculus I & II. Is this a bad idea?
Just to put it in perspective I go to a small liberal arts college which isn't really heavy in math/science.

tl;dr: should I consider a major in math if I'm not super talented at it?

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[circulus vitios]

If you're thinking about studying pure math, then you might want to reconsider. Pure math is writing proofs. It's very difficult and absolutely nothing like pre-calculus, trigonometry, calculus, etc.

 

[Neurosis]

If you're thinking about studying pure math, then you might want to reconsider. Pure math is writing proofs. It's very difficult and absolutely nothing like pre-calculus, trigonometry, calculus, etc.

I dunno what you mean by "pure" math (I'm a noob), but if it helps I can list the Math BA requirements (I'm choosing BA over BS because the BS requires 3 semesters of engineering physics)

Major in Mathematics requirements:
-Calculus I,II,III
-Discrete Math
-Linear Algebra
-Differential Equations
-Real Analysis
-math/statistics electives

 

[hapticity]

To put it in layman's terms:

Proofs aka pure math (aka crazy hard) - 'prove Pythagoras's theorem'
Non-proof math aka Calc I and II (aka 'math' in quotation marks) - 'use Pythagoras's theorem to calculate the hypotenuse given the sides are 3 and 5 cm long', or 'use Pythagoras's theorem to calculate the hypotenuse given the sides are a and b units long'

See the difference? Real analysis will most definitely involve 100% proofs, maybe linear algebra and discrete math depending on how they are taught.

 

[itsMileyCyrus]

I dunno what you mean by "pure" math (I'm a noob), but if it helps I can list the Math BA requirements (I'm choosing BA over BS because the BS requires 3 semesters of engineering physics)

Major in Mathematics requirements:
-Calculus I,II,III
-Discrete Math
-Linear Algebra
-Differential Equations
-Real Analysis
-math/statistics electives

It's not the courses themselves, but how professors go about teaching them for math/nonmath majors. For math majors, all of your classes will involve writing proofs for all the theorems you use.

If you are not bright in mathematics, do NOT major in math. It's going to kill your GPA.

Math is not an easy way out. You need constant practice. Enormous amounts of time need to be spent making sure you know every little theorem and trick. By the end of your major, you will learn to read math books like storybooks.

 

[Neurosis]

It's not the courses themselves, but how professors go about teaching them for math/nonmath majors. For math majors, all of your classes will involve writing proofs for all the theorems you use.

If you are not bright in mathematics, do NOT major in math. It's going to kill your GPA.

Math is not an easy way out. You need constant practice. Enormous amounts of time need to be spent making sure you know every little theorem and trick. By the end of your major, you will learn to read math books like storybooks.

My conviction towards math is obviously not that strong; only two posts made me regret starting this thread. 🙁

 

[JESSFALLING]

tl;dr: should I consider a major in math if I'm not super talented at it?

Real Analysis is the only heavy-duty (e.g. really hard!) course on your list. Basically, it's calculus, but in a proof-based form. It assumes nothing, every statement must be proven!

Discrete Math & Linear Algebra serve as an introduction to proofs, and abstract mathematical reasoning in general, which will (partially) prepare you for Real Analysis. You would want to take them in separate semesters so you don't get overwhelmed. (And save Real Analysis for post-application!) Also, the Discrete course may assume some knowledge of algorithms, so I'd suggest learning some basic programming (C++, Java, etc.) first, or at minimum, concurrently.

Lastly, if you really are serious about math, then you should learn as much as possible about proofs before hand. Here are a few links -

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=166996
http://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-It-Structured-Approach/dp/0521446635
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_proof
http://www.math.uconn.edu/~hurley/math315/proofgoldberger.pdf

 

[Neurosis]

Real Analysis is the only heavy-duty (e.g. really hard!) course on your list. Basically, it's calculus, but in a proof-based form. It assumes nothing, every statement must be proven!
http://www.math.uconn.edu/~hurley/math315/proofgoldberger.pdf[/QUOTE]i

http://www.math.uconn.edu/~hurley/math315/proofgoldberger.pdf[/QUOTE]i
Oh thank god, I think real analysis is one of the latter math classes. hopefully by then i'd (a) decided math isn't for me (b) managed to boost my math/logic skills.
Of the two choices I think the former is the more likely though 😳

 

[yellowfish]

Math can be rewarding, but as the previous posters have aforementioned, upper level math courses will be nothing like the kind of math that you've been exposed to previously and you should be prepared for that.

 

[Big N Tasty]

I dunno what you mean by "pure" math (I'm a noob), but if it helps I can list the Math BA requirements (I'm choosing BA over BS because the BS requires 3 semesters of engineering physics)

Major in Mathematics requirements:
-Calculus I,II,III
-Discrete Math
-Linear Algebra
-Differential Equations
-Real Analysis
-math/statistics electives

My university's math minor requirements match your major requirements so as a math minor I may be able to help..it's true that math you have yet to take is nothing like precalculus and a lot of the calculus will literally come down to you get it or you don't. Diffeq is one of my favorite classes and is very physics based. Linear algebra is just high school algebra with some matrices thrown in and stats are just probabilities solved for using calculus. Other than those, your discrete and number analysis courses are where you hit the proofs and take anywhere from 1-2 to even 3 pages on a single problem (not exaggerating lol).

It s not hard per sé, by if math isn't your passion, it may not be worth doing. Just my $0.02 OP and I hope it helped. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about specifics.

 

[ruiner]

I dunno what you mean by "pure" math (I'm a noob), but if it helps I can list the Math BA requirements (I'm choosing BA over BS because the BS requires 3 semesters of engineering physics)

Major in Mathematics requirements:
-Calculus I,II,III
-Discrete Math
-Linear Algebra
-Differential Equations
-Real Analysis
-math/statistics electives

I'm surprised thats all you need for a major, but assuming you need quite a few electives. I was a math major, its definitely not easy and i could have had a much better gpa with something else, but it was interesting and i enjoyed it. As others have said, about linear algebra time your classes are going to start to shift to proofs.

 

[afugazzi]

It seems like a bad idea to choose math because it doesn't have a lot of reading or memorization. It sounds like you're just excluding fields as soon as you learn something bad about them, and if you know very little about math then you will likely discover something you dislike about it too. I majored in math and I loved it, but I knew I liked math and I knew I was good about it as soon as I entered college.

Find a major based on what you like, not based on picky problems, which every major has. What did you enjoy studying in high school?

 

[Neurosis]

I'm surprised thats all you need for a major, but assuming you need quite a few electives. I was a math major, its definitely not easy and i could have had a much better gpa with something else, but it was interesting and i enjoyed it. As others have said, about linear algebra time your classes are going to start to shift to proofs.

Like I said earlier, the college I go to is a small liberal arts college not heavy in math/science. I know I should choose a major based on my interest/passions, but I don't really have any extreme passions.

 

[LazyElemental]

Like I said earlier, the college I go to is a small liberal arts college not heavy in math/science. I know I should choose a major based on my interest/passions, but I don't really have any extreme passions.

Use your first two years to see what you enjoy, take a range of courses! Who knows, you may enjoy math and choose to major in it. I echo all of the above posters, real math is way different than what you've encountered. So take your time and see what interests you, no rush.

 

[kavorca]

Like I said earlier, the college I go to is a small liberal arts college not heavy in math/science. I know I should choose a major based on my interest/passions, but I don't really have any extreme passions.

There are easier choices out there than Mathematics for a semi-throwaway major. I was a math and engr major in college and some of those can really ding the GPA if you aren't careful. The further you get, the slimmer the books, and the harder the material. Real analysis fulfilled the non-english writing requirement at my college. I considered a PhD, but found I couldn't smoke enough pot to master the material.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Use your first two years to see what you enjoy, take a range of courses! Who knows, you may enjoy math and choose to major in it. I echo all of the above posters, real math is way different than what you've encountered. So take your time and see what interests you, no rush.

I agree with these sentiments. You should try your best to examine multiple subjects and find your preference, also examine the majors from the point of view of a potential backup in case you decide medical school is not your true goal. Also no matter what even a math major will require a lot of memorization of rules.

Anyway, consider this a spring board for a potential major, what would you do if you couldn't be a doctor?

 

[circulus vitios]

There are easier choices out there than Mathematics for a semi-throwaway major. I was a math and engr major in college and some of those can really ding the GPA if you aren't careful. The further you get, the slimmer the books, and the harder the material. Real analysis fulfilled the non-english writing requirement at my college. I considered a PhD, but found I couldn't smoke enough pot to master the material.

My non-Euclidean geometries book is like 100 pages.

 

[Neurosis]

I agree with these sentiments. You should try your best to examine multiple subjects and find your preference, also examine the majors from the point of view of a potential backup in case you decide medical school is not your true goal. Also no matter what even a math major will require a lot of memorization of rules.

Anyway, consider this a spring board for a potential major, what would you do if you couldn't be a doctor?

I honestly don't like thinking about things like this. Everytime I think about it, I get little bit sad. 🙁

 

[circulus vitios]

If you don't like memorization then I don't know what to tell you.

Computational or applied math classes (differential equations, calculus, probability, stats, linear algebra, etc.) involve memorizing a lot of algorithmic or procedural steps i.e. how do I solve a homogeneous second order linear differential equation.

Non-computational or pure classes will make you want professors who emphasize memorization. On an exam, it's easier to spit out proofs which you've already memorized than it is to prove something from scratch.

I don't want to major in a subject where I would have to memorize copious amount of information (which would later be forgotten)

Maybe you're trying to say that you want to study something conceptual, that isn't just memorization? In this case, choose any science. Biology, for example, involves quite a bit of memorization. But it isn't only memorization; there are plenty of concepts once get into upper level classes. You will forget a lot of the specific details, but this isn't unique to biology or science. Mathematicians forget material all the time. "Use it or lose it."

 

[expendible]

I've been switching my major A LOT recently I have come to a conclusion. I don't want to major in a subject where I would have to memorize copious amount of information (which would later be forgotten) and then there's the humanities (ie history, english, etc) which also involve too much reading for my tastes. That said I think I might want to major in math, unfortunately, I'm not a math geek/genius *stopped at Pre-Calculus in High School* so I would have to start fresh this summer with Calculus I & II. Is this a bad idea?
Just to put it in perspective I go to a small liberal arts college which isn't really heavy in math/science.

tl;dr: should I consider a major in math if I'm not super talented at it?

Do not at any circumstances major in math. I was a mathematics minor, and until the proofs classes (abstract algebra, linear algebra II, etc.), it was not too bad. But when I got to these classes, it was an utter disaster, and I worked my ass of during senior year of all things to get minor. Just stick to some basic sciences (chem, bio- neuro, biochem) that will actually relevant to med school IF you are sure you want to do med. If not, do business (finance, accounting, econ, etc.)- a major that you can use as a back up plan. And as long as your GPA and science GPA is good then it shouldnt matter what you're major is.

 

[circulus vitios]

Do not at any circumstances major in math. I was a mathematics minor, and until the proofs classes (abstract algebra, linear algebra II, etc.), it was not too bad. But when I got to these classes, it was an utter disaster, and I worked my ass of during senior year of all things to get minor. Just stick to some basic sciences (chem, bio- neuro, biochem) that will actually relevant to med school IF you are sure you want to do med. If not, do business (finance, accounting, econ, etc.)- a major that you can use as a back up plan. And as long as your GPA and science GPA is good then it shouldnt matter what you're GPA is.

Listen to expendible. Typically you'll be asked to prove a theorem or statement. You'll stare at it for 5 minutes just trying to figure out what the hell it means. Then you'll spend maybe 15 minutes looking at previous theorems and postulates which might useful. If you're lucky, you might stumble onto the correct path of proving it. Maybe you'll keep going down dead ends for an hour until you give up in frustration, or maybe you won't understand how to even start the proof. Eventually your professor will give you the solution and the proof seems so obvious...until you realize that you never could have independently replicated it.