Let's be honest. Not every kid who goes to college knows what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He's 17 years old and has just learned to drive. The last thing he knows is whether he wants to be an accountant or an astronaut. So what do kids do when they enter college for the first time and have to choose a major? Well, a good many of them remain undecided for as long as the college will allow them to do that. Most will allow this up until your third year.
So in the meantime, what does a kid take while he's in school? He hasn't declared any type of major so he doesn't know whether he should take music courses or computer science courses or anything for that matter? Doesn't he have to get moving on these things right away? After all, he's only got four years to get his degree and accumulate so many credits. Won't not declaring a major become a problem?
Well, fortunately, most majors only require you to take so many courses in that particular major. For example, if the average college requires you to take 16 credits per semester and each course is four credits, this means you're taking eight courses a year or 32 courses during your time in college. Out of those 32 courses you usually only have to take about eight in your particular field of study. So you could conceivably take those eight courses in your last two years if you have to.
But what does somebody take until they ultimately decide what they want to major in?
It is for just this reason that colleges run their academic programs the way they do. Many people wonder why you have to take all these other courses, like math, history, or whatever, when all they want to do is program computers. Well, the answer to that has to do with the fact that there are only so many courses in each major field and that many students don't know what they want to do when they first enter college. Those "extra" courses give these kids something to do to keep their minds active while they're deciding what they want to major in.
To answer the question on what they take, usually they will take the more common subjects like history, math, science, political science, psychology and religion. There are plenty more to choose from but you probably get the idea. Many of these subjects the school may not even give a bachelor degree in, though some like psychology, math and history usually do offer degrees. But with the wide assortment of "other" subjects to choose from, the undecided student can get a feel for college life and then hopefully come up with an idea of what he wants to do.
Too many students feel pressured to pick a major right away. They shouldn't. There is more than enough time to do that because of the way college programs are designed.
After all, you just learned how to drive. The rest will come in time.
Why anybody would want to get a bachelor degree in math is a mystery. When you think about it, when you get out of college with a bachelor degree in math, what can you possibly do with it besides teach? You're certainly not prepared for any practical applications. Sure, you could get a job as an actuary but is that REALLY why you majored in math in the first place? Well, for those of you who still want to get a bachelor degree in math, hang onto your hats because the ride you're in for is far from easy. What follows is pretty much what you can expect to go through.
Math is probably one of the hardest disciplines anybody could possibly want to go through. The math courses alone are so hard that no other courses are needed to make your four years of college a living nightmare. Think we're kidding? Take a look at just the math curriculum itself and then decide if this is something that you think you can tackle with no sweat.
Your first two semesters of college math throw you right into the fire. This is where you learn Calculus. The courses are usually Calculus I and II. Calculus is probably one of the most difficult courses ever devised by man. How anybody even thought of this stuff is a puzzle. Talk about math that you're never going to use in your life unless you become a scientist or an engineer.
Your next two semesters, or year two, give you a break from calculus. This is where you take Advanced, or Abstract Algebra. This is where you learn about matrixes and things like that. This is more math that you're never going to use as long as you live. Engineers don't even use most of this stuff.
Now you've reached year three and you're back to Calculus again. This is where you finish up your training in Calculus with Calculus III and IV. The concepts in these courses are so abstract and so far removed from any real world math, you'd have to be a near genius to understand this stuff.
By year four, if you're still a math major, you're down to what they call "Independent Research" where you basically are on your own, but under the guidance of your advisor. You'll do some kind of major paper on math principals or maybe even Newton for all you know. The good thing is, what you write on is up to you. The bad thing is it has to be approved by your advisor.
And if all of this isn't bad enough, you've only taken 8 of your 32 courses. You still have 24 more courses to fill in your time with. Because you've chosen one of the science majors, you're also going to have to take at least two semesters of either chemistry, physics or some other related science. Yes, we are talking about some more ridiculously hard material.
So if you really want to be a math major, just remember one thing. You will most certainly earn your bachelor degree in math. If you survive it.
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