/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.2954565]

I am trying to decide my major in college. I love math, but I'm only in a Geometry class, and I'm a freshman. Of course, my grades are beyond exceptional, but before, I was not dedicated to math, and I failed at a early age to set myself up for higher classes. So, the highest I can do because of my school schedule is AP Calculus, and AP statistics. (These are also the most advanced math classes offered at my high school). I need to know if these classes will allow me to major in math in a private 4 year college.
Also, I'm trying to decide on my career. I need a job thats flexible, well paying, and awesome. I also need to know how long I will need to attend college and other schools to get that job. I've been looking at computer science and cryptography, but I'm not sure about what exactly I will do in computer science, and I'm not sure if we will even need cryptographers in the future.

Help a fellow /sci/ comrade out.

inb4 underage on /sci/

[Anonymous No.2954571]

Math is boring fucking hard as hell and you have to wait years for you to finally get into job,nvm all that debt your in the whole time

[Anonymous No.2954577]

>>2954571
OP here, fuck you, and learn to use a goddamn comma.

[Anonymous No.2954580]

>>2954571

[Anonymous No.2954585]

Yes, you can use those in most cases. stats isn't always part of a math major but i'd doubt they'd look down on you for taking it

[Anonymous No.2954586]

computer science = discrete mathematics, algorithms, and logic, + some programming courses and courses about computers.

Cryptography = applied math, aka you need a math degree with specialisation in crytography.

[Anonymous No.2954591]

>>2954577
Why dont you become a doctor? Its not half as shitfuck boring, more demand, pay off school faster, and you dont look like a huge faggot
wtf do you know your 14

[Anonymous No.2954592]

Since you seem like a good kid, I'll give you some earnest advice.

If you're really dedicated to math, go for it. Go for a Ph.D. But only do it if you like it, otherwise it will bog you down.

If you're into science, use your math skills for physics.

If you want to cash out, go for engineering. Get a master's and rape the job market.
>inb4 homosex

[Anonymous No.2954598]

To be honest, I wouldn't really advise math unless you really, really love it. I thought I wanted to major in straight math when I was a freshman in high school as well. That later changed to physics, but that is beside the point. Math does offer a lot of opportunities, but I doubt they are the ones you are looking for, to be honest. Also, I would definitely advise taking the AP courses if you have a good instructor. Even better, try to take them at the local college if you are really serious about math.

All in all, I think that you should wait a few more years before you really decide what you want to major in because it will most likely change. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous No.2954605]

>>2954585
What does that mean? I was just gonna take all the math classes I could take.
>>2954591
>Obvious troll just made himself more obvious
>Or your just insanely stupid

[Anonymous No.2954608]

>>2954585
What do you mean by that? I was just gonna take all the math classes I could take.
>>2954591
>Obvious troll just made himself more obvious
>Or your just insanely stupid

[Anonymous No.2954619]

>>2954592
>>2954598
The thing is, I don't really know any jobs in the physics field. I haven't bothered reading into it much, but know that I think about it, I do love science.

[Anonymous No.2954625]

There are people in decent (not good but decent) colleges who are math majors who never even took calc I or stat in high school. And you're 14, don't try to plan out your life like that, what you think you're going to want to do in 10 years and what you're going to want to do in 10 years are hardly likely to be correlated. I'm 4 years ahead of you and still don't know what my career is going to be. And something like 70% of college students change their major from when they start, picking a major now is dumb as well (I know it's fun though, just don't take yourself too seriously). And on a similar note you're not behind if you're in geometry as a freshman, hell if you're in prealgebra as a freshman you have plenty of time to make up for it.

Also as has been said both computer science and cryptography are basically math and algorithms. And trust me, cryptography is going to be increasingly important until we reach the Singularity.

[Anonymous No.2954633]

You're fucking 14. You have no idea what you want. When I was 18, I said I was going to go into business. When I was 19, I said I was going to be a doctor. Now, I'm 20 and I might be a professor or work in a research lab...and I'm not rushing what I want to be. Take your time and enjoy your life, no one cares what you want to be when you're 14. Also, AP calculus will take care of ONE SEMESTER of college courses...general courses that most people have to take. So take AP classes but don't think you're gonna be the shit just cause you did.

[Anonymous No.2954637]

>>2954619
If I'm such a troll why would you be talking to me? You know that medical science is way cooler.
Go and fucking ask your mom, or is she to busy beating of her clients?

[Anonymous No.2954668]

>>2954633
The thing is, I literally cannot afford to change my colleges and majors. What I go into college with is what I stay with. I'm also starting early so I can get as many chances at scholarship as I can.
>>2954625
I chose math because i knew that when I picked it, I would have a huge amount of options in career, its a very flexible major.

[Anonymous No.2954673]

>>2954637
>beating of

Confirmed freshmen. I suggest we stuff him in Schrödinger's locker.

[Anonymous No.2954674]

>>2954633
I don't agree with the hostility but I do agree with the point.

At the university I attend you don't even get credit for AP courses. You actually have no choice but to take every single course as defined in the course calendar for your major.
At best it makes your life a little easier in your first semester, but honestly even that would depend entirely on how your proff views the course he teaches.
Some take pleasure in torturing their students, others are expected to cull the herd of first years as it were, others still choose to teach a completely different aspect or point of view of the same subject.

And honestly, the difficulty curve of university is pretty much exponential and you need to ride that graph. An easier first year makes the year after seem that much harder.

[Anonymous No.2954683]

>>2954633
The thing is, I literally cannot afford to change my colleges and majors. What I go into college with is what I stay with. I'm also starting early so I can get as many chances at scholarship as I can.
>>2954625
I chose math because i knew that when I picked it, I would have a huge amount of options in career, its a very flexible major. Actually, in this little class I'm doing called AVID to help me get into a 4 year college, they constantly ask me what my major is.

[Anonymous No.2954702]

>>2954668
then stick with math, just remember that it might take you a while to truly understand what a mathematician does, and what mathematics truly is.

[Anonymous No.2954706]

>>2954674
I just want to look better for colleges.
And those classes are automatically AP.
The high school requires only 3 years of math, because there's so many pregnant girls and cholo boys.
I am mexican, so I expect to have a hard time with schools, but have a better chance with scholarships.

[Anonymous No.2954715]

>>2954673
Meh. i've just ignored him. No point in feeding the trolls.

[Anonymous No.2954761]

bumping for this kids dream

[Anonymous No.2954770]

>>2954761
Not a dream, its a ambition or goal.... A dream sounds like me wanting to be a astronaut or some crap.

[Anonymous No.2954854]

>>2954683
Actually, if you're mexican, you can find more scholarships, and you also have a much easier time getting into college. And let me explain something. Most colleges require 120 to 130 units of coursework to graduate. Now this is a gross generalization here and doesn't apply to all colleges, but in most cases a BS is 80-90 units unless it's in engineering. There are likely an additional 10-20 units of general ed requirements. A typical semester is 12-18 units. So in a pretty typical college situation where you're getting a BS, you have a full semester to dick around and take irrelevant bullshit while you figure out what to do with your life. Two if you're lucky and take gen eds over that time. Unless you're a hardcore premed double major or an engineer, it's just plain not true that you don't have time to change your major. Trust me, you're 14, I'm in college. Anyway, there is absolutely no way of even implying to anyone what your major is going to be until you actually apply for college in your senior year, and many colleges don't even let freshmen enter with a major.

Also, is there a particular private college you have in mind? Because otherwise unless you're in Montana or something which you're not because there are cholos and you aren't either in a top 20 school or rich or on a major scholarship, you're better off going to state school. Also, a BS in math is pretty shit for job prospects, you can be a teacher, or an actuary, or an accountant, or you can go back to school.

Also, you're not going to collect any meaningful amount of scholarship money before junior year at the latest and probably senior year, writing bullshit essays for a 1 in 1000 chance to win a hundred bucks isn't worth it. Also that AVID thing is for failure beaners who aren't going to go to college if someone doesn't hold their hands and walk them to the door, if you actually intend to go to a decent school you can ignore most of the bullshit.

[Anonymous No.2954911]

>>2954854
I live in west California, near Livermore. Not gonna give my real city so I don't get raped. Also, even though we go to a poor as fuck public school, my bro was accepted to Pitzer, he's gonna do biology or some shit. Also, Pitzer is a freaking stones throw away from Harvey Mudd, which I've heard is a great private college to go to for mathematics majors.
and my brother took A.V.I.D., and it worked with him, so i'm gonna do it to, besides the fact that half the people in there are just preppy mexican.
Also, I dont plan on just getting a BS.

[Anonymous No.2954922]

>>2954911
I just realized I used also to much in that paragraph.

[Anonymous No.2954953]

>>2954911
If you're in California, and you're poor, and you don't have a near full ride scholarship somewhere, and you go to a private school instead of a UC, you're fucking stupid. UCLA and UCB and UCSD and UCSB and UCSC are all significantly better than Pitzer. Not all of them for math but name matters more than program strength for undergrad unless it's business or engineering (in which case it's just a different name).

[Anonymous No.2954966]

>>2954953
Explain to me how those state schools are better. From what I know, they're cheaper, but way more crowded, and tend to have less funding for their labs and whatnot.

[Anonymous No.2955006]

>>2954966
No, UCLA and UC Berkeley do not have less money for their labs than Pitzer. They're better because they're rated higher, which primarily results from the faculty being more prestigious as well as producing more papers and research. No, this won't actually affect you much as an undergraduate, but the point of going to college isn't to learn shit unless it's lab shit, you could teach yourself shit for free, the point is to get a degree that says you learned how to do shit so you can go to grad school or get a job, and employers and grad schools are going to think more highly of UCLA or Berkeley than Pitzer unless they're in New England but outside Boston or upstate New York.

But the real reason you'd be a dumbass not to go to a UC is because you're paying 10k (probably 15k by the time you get there) a year instead of 25-40k for an at worst equivalent education.

[Anonymous No.2956049]

bump for more info on cs curriculum