My problem is that everything seems intersting but the only way I can really find out is by doing the program. I can’t decide between mathematics, physics, engineering, and atmospheric and oceanic sciences (among others but I won't list them all). Sure I’ve taken some 200 level science courses but there’s a huge difference between Calc 1 and Algebraic Topology. How am I supposed to know if I have the aptitude for advanced maths? I’m half way through second year and I am still undecided, and it's stressing me out.
Could some of you tell me what you majored / are majoring in? What do you love/hate about your major? Would you change your mind if you could go back to first year?
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Anonymous2009-12-18 5:16
what you can do is stay undecided for your first year( or just pick one at random and then change it later) and take courses from all the fields you like, like one algebra course, one mechanics course, etc... (you can get 10 courses done in a year so that's a lot of variety you can get). The only problem you need to watch out for is if you want to go into honours, make sure you don't have to do the same course twice(honours version), but yea first year you should take a bit of everything if you don't know what you're going to (or can) do
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Anonymous2009-12-18 5:19
oh didnt read the whole thing, even second year its ok to experiment but try to make up your mind by 3rd year, and chose your courses strategically so you dont take too long to finish
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Anonymous2009-12-18 6:31
that's what I'm trying to do.. I'm taking as much math as possible because calculus for example can go towards any science major, but then there's engineering. Does being good at science imply you will be good at engineering? I'm good at conceptualising but I've never really designed anything so I don't know if it's for me.
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Anonymous2009-12-18 7:33
yea if you are good at math you should be able to do pretty much any science, although you still need to learn their terminology (sometimes they write angles differently or they use slightly different symbols than is standard in math, etc...)
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Anonymous2009-12-18 7:45
but i forgot to mention that science and engineering and pretty different in they way they operate. science is usualy concerned with theoretical or experimental results while engineering is (at the undergrad level) about learning a bunch of methods and tools and then applying them to make "things". So although science is used in engineering, the scientific method is not. So yes if you're good at math you'll be able to easily learn the tools of engineering but the way you use them will be different than in science. And also the way they're presented is different.
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Anonymous2009-12-18 11:41
I'm doing mathematics and don't regret it. I did engineering for a year and dropped out. I'm much happier up here in my ivory tower, than down with those filthy engineers.
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Anonymous2009-12-18 11:47
I like maths because it makes me feel generally intelligent and I don't even have to do much work for my degree.
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Anonymous2009-12-20 18:07
As someone who dabbled a lot, and has a love-hate relation with his major, my advice:
1) Pick subject(s) studying for which felt effortless. Ignore the parts where you didn't need to study because you somehow happened to know most of the course material from your private research. What is important is, how much you had to study for a grade and did you enjoy studying.
2) Once you have a single "easy" subject, or a few very close ones, consider careers in each. Consider salaries and work opportunities in each.
3) Go for combination of good career payoff and easy/fun to study. Don't assume that X subject is fun because it comes naturally to you and you never have to study much. That never happens.
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Anonymous2009-12-21 1:58
Statsfag here. I did my undergrad work in theoretical mathematics, partly because I had a knack for it but mainly because I didn't want to spend hours and hours writing papers about dead kings and authors. Some of the upper level classes like real analysis and abstract algebra are challenging, but it's in those classes where you encounter proofs for the first time. It's excellent to train your analytical skills, and those skills are strongly desired in the workplace. All the programming languages and software packages you use are just bonuses to add to the resume.
The main drawback for being a pure math major was my lack of application in the field. Since I switched to stats for grad work, I've found myself clueless at some of the lingo the business world. Who knew that actuarial science had their own notation for evaluating annuities? Hell, I didn't even know what an annuity was until this semester.
Now I'm a greedy bastard at heart, and sometimes I wish I had considered quantitative finance just so that I could have been grandfathered in to the language and nature of the calculations. That and the fact that econometrics seems a fertile area for making good money.