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but why is this a deterrence to getting a math major?
no one said it would be easy, but why make it sound like if you aren't an A student, it's out of the question so go do sewing or something?
you saying this and then saying... well you aren't good at it so you can't do what you are passionate about seems to contradict itself, you really mean only do what you excel at because everything 2nd place or lower is not worth doing
the guy wants a math degree, let him get one. who cares about jobs, if he wanted a job he would go get a job instead
Likely because most of those who do take the more advanced math courses were A students in the lower level math courses. The advanced courses are difficult, I found them to be much more so than say intro calculus.
Of course people who score a C+ can try to complete a degree in math, but what are the chances of success? Wouldn't it be better to find a subject where one already experiences success and pursue that as a career?
so you are telling people they should go for the lowest hanging fruit if they want to be successful? What's the point of you talking about passion if you tell people to go for something easier?
being good at something does not define passion, and difficult things do not rule out having a passion for it
and stop bringing careers into this, you can have a career if you hate it and be successful, and you can be failure at a career you love
Quote:
In response to the question of "how hard is math", the answer is that it depends on the strength of the foundation in math concepts. A weak foundation means it will be very challenging, possibly frustrating, and potentially disastrous, a strong foundation means it will be relatively easy.
my answer is who cares how hard it is, it is only as hard as the effort you put into it. If you want a degree, why should it matter if it is easier or harder to learn than someone else? they are not the ones with the name on the degree in the end, stop comparing yourself to how quickly other people learn it.
you can talk about a good foundation all day if you want, but what defines it? Do you define a good foundation solely based on how quickly someone learns it? Taking longer to learn something does not mean the foundation is bad. Do you think a C student has a weak foundation and can never learn it? If they took 2 times longer to reach the A grade, does that mean their A is any less than the A that was obtained with 1 week of studying?
all i see is you guys treating this like a race, oh math is hard, it might take longer to learn so you'll be less successful in life because you have less time to earn money. how miserable, spending a lifetime racing after imaginary things
I am currently studying elementary education and Psychology but I think I can do more than that. I have always been good at math in high school. I got an 85 on my trig regents, 81 on geometry regents and 80 on algebra regents. Regents are new york state exams for high school. I want to know how hard is math major? Please if there are or were any math students, please share your experience. The highest math that I have taken so far in my life is pre calc in college and got a c+ on it bc the professor wasn't good and I was a first semester freshmen at that time. Please let me know the difficulty of math major and if an average person like me can handle it. Thanks
I don't see how you can possibly do well as a math major if you barely passed (C+) PRE-calc. You'll have to take probably 3 actual calculus classes and others too.
Why do you want to be a math major? What do you want to do with it? Just teach? Then you don't need to major in math...I think you need to talk to a lot of people to figure out what you REALLY need to do what it is you want.
so you are telling people they should go for the lowest hanging fruit if they want to be successful? What's the point of you talking about passion if you tell people to go for something easier?
being good at something does not define passion, and difficult things do not rule out having a passion for it
and stop bringing careers into this, you can have a career if you hate it and be successful, and you can be failure at a career you lovemy answer is who cares how hard it is, it is only as hard as the effort you put into it. If you want a degree, why should it matter if it is easier or harder to learn than someone else? they are not the ones with the name on the degree in the end, stop comparing yourself to how quickly other people learn it.
you can talk about a good foundation all day if you want, but what defines it? Do you define a good foundation solely based on how quickly someone learns it? Taking longer to learn something does not mean the foundation is bad. Do you think a C student has a weak foundation and can never learn it? If they took 2 times longer to reach the A grade, does that mean their A is any less than the A that was obtained with 1 week of studying?
all i see is you guys treating this like a race, oh math is hard, it might take longer to learn so you'll be less successful in life because you have less time to earn money. how miserable, spending a lifetime racing after imaginary things
Why are you so consumed with this topic. Math is difficult for many people. So? Some ability and talent in the subject is necessary to get a degree in it. No amount of hard work will help you if you don't have a bit of intuitive feel (so to speak) for it.
I was the top math student in my high school class and later received 2 degrees in it. Big deal - that and some change will get me a cup of coffee. I don't view strong abilities in math any differently than those who have an interest in art, literature, law, etc. It'd be a dull life and world indeed if everyone were only on a one track math mode.
why do people care how hard something is? if they want it, difficulty means nothing, they will put in all the effort they need to
so, real question is how much do you want a math degree
if a one legged person can learn to walk with a prosthetic, you can learn to do math sitting down in an air conditioned room
So the OP wasn't trying in pre-calc and that explains the C+? He's going to buckle down if he chooses the math major as a program? You don't major in math for the fun of it - for one thing it has fairly narrow application so you'd have to also want THAT. I don't think the OP even knows what he'd do with the degree once he got it. A math degree is more generally more rigorous than a liberal arts degree - I'm not saying it is BETTER, but it requires different things and it would be naive for the OP to not recognize or be prepared for that.
So the OP wasn't trying in pre-calc and that explains the C+? He's going to buckle down if he chooses the math major as a program? You don't major in math for the fun of it - for one thing it has fairly narrow application so you'd have to also want THAT. I don't think the OP even knows what he'd do with the degree once he got it. A math degree is more generally more rigorous than a liberal arts degree - I'm not saying it is BETTER, but it requires different things and it would be naive for the OP to not recognize or be prepared for that.
i DID PUT ALOT OF EFFORT and i studied almost everyday for atleast 3 hours, especially for 6 hours each day for math midterm and final. its just the professor was not really well. he was unclear on many things and went too fast.
i DID PUT ALOT OF EFFORT and i studied almost everyday for atleast 3 hours, especially for 6 hours each day for math midterm and final. its just the professor was not really well. he was unclear on many things and went too fast.
Doesn't that tell you something? The professor presented the material at a pace that was too fast for you, but not too fast for the A students. Three hours a day is a lot of time for one class - what about the other classes? My experience is that it's not necessary to study for math exams. Either you know it, or you don't, but cramming does nothing.
I hold Master's Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. I don't think it's that difficult, you just need to study hard.
Thanks,
I love math but don't do it much, I love studying the history of math and everything about it.
And thoroughly enjoyed following Andrew Wiles in his solution to the Fermat problem.
But if someone really likes math they should have little difficulty with it.
I don't do it because I dropped out of school and took a different path in life, did well and since retired.
Had to laugh at the 2 yr math problem in Good Will Hunting.
Irreducible homeomorphic tree's N=10 ?
i DID PUT ALOT OF EFFORT and i studied almost everyday for atleast 3 hours, especially for 6 hours each day for math midterm and final. its just the professor was not really well. he was unclear on many things and went too fast.
See, in the classes in my major that I liked and that I did well in, I actually was able to skip classes...speed through the reading, study minimally for exams and STILL ace the class.
You can fight your "natural" abilities and inclinations, but college is a VERY expensive place to do that. I don't think of math as being a hobby but perhaps it is and so is something you can pursue OUTSIDE of your studies?
Don't blame your instructor for a bad grade. You could have reviewed different texts, watched math videos online, or gotten a tutor.
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