Investigating the top majors, Sherlock Holmes is on the case. You can profile your picks and review the evidence to find the sure-fire academic answers you've been looking for...
Study Case #6 
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MathematicsFaculty:
Science, sometimes arts, and some schools have a math
faculty.
Most common associations:
Governments, academic institutes, various companies.
Quick description:
Math
means numbers, and numbers mean everything. From the early dawn of
the world, math has been in demand- finding numbers and explaining
them. Math is strong on logic, problem solving and analysis. Some
areas of interest may include money, finance and economics, which
revolve around math, applied math as used in science and
engineering concepts, computer science, or pure math and research.
Math can lead you in many directions and to many careers.
What your major will do for you:
Math really is everywhere,
so this degree can do a lot for you. From getting great careers
(which we'll get to in a jiffy) to managing your personal life,
it's all about the math. Calculate and budget your own money to
maximize savings, use geometry to renovate your home, finding out
different probabilities and statistics of your favourite sports
teams, it all involves numbers. In addition, math will allow you to
see the world in a simpler way, developing your logic and
quantitative skills to the point where things can be explained
easily. Math is involved in all of the sciences as well as other
areas, so it will open up doors to various other questions about
life and the world.
Careers:
Mathematics can lead you to countless different careers. There are
2 general streams open for math grads, pure math being the first.
You can join the academy and become a teacher or professor,
nurturing the love of math into others. You can also conduct
research on such areas as number theory, complex analysis, and many
other fascinating topics. The other stream is applied math. Use
your knowledge of math to work for companies or the government as a
statistician, calculating risks and probabilities in areas ranging
from medicine and sports to military defence and agriculture. Get
into finance or banking using your ability to handle numbers and
money. Math grads are in demand everywhere due to their knowledge
and skills.
Skills:
Successful Mathematics graduates come out of school with many
skills and lessons learned.
- Logical
Thinking: Solving math problems and
working with numbers greatly develops your logic. Having logic
means being able to reason correctly based on knowledge, experience
and intuition. This means studying math will allow you to analyze
situations and apply lessons to many real world problems. Logical
thinking will make you a valuable employee that can be used to
assess and resolve obstacles.
- Organization
Skills: There is nothing more
organized than math. The numbers have to flow in a certain
direction and be clear in order for a correct solution to be
reached effectively. You'll be using organization techniques while
analyzing raw data for statistics or analyzing financial
statements. These organizations skills will allow you to manage
time, money, and your life efficiently and quickly.
- Research Skills: Learning mathematics involves a lot of research. You'll base your answers on works by such great names as Euclid, Descartes and Fermat, and you'll have to look their theories up. Thus, you'll learn how to locate and identify reliable sources, which will be important. Research is an important aspect of math and science in general, and these skills will serve you well especially if you go into academics.
- Problem Solving: Taking theories, laws
and experimental procedures and putting them into real world
concepts will allow you to solve problems. In conjunction with
logic and organization, you'll quickly become a great problem
solver not only of differential equations and trigonometric
challenges, but also of real-life scenarios.
- Patience
and Persistence: Math isn't always as easy
as one-two-three. Sometimes you'll spend hours, days or weeks on
challenging questions. This takes a lot of time, and a lot of
patience. As well, sometimes things don't work as expected, and
you'll have to be persistent and keep working on your projects
despite setbacks. Studying math will allow you to develop these
admirable skills, which will be highly useful in the
future.
Working Part
2 by totalAldo
How to Prepare:
Coming out of high school and not sure how to start your
mathmatical career? You should have a few courses under your belt.
Maths and sciences are obvious picks- trig, algebra, geometry, and
some physics and chemistry can't hurt for the applied component.
But don't be shy about those other courses- English, history,
philosphy- they all develop your logical reasoning and problem
solving skills in rela world situations.
Many math students benefit
from participating in extra curricular activities that demonstrate
things like communication and leadership skills. To expand your
math activities, write a math contest, join your math club in
school, or volunteer as a park or zoo helper.
If you're thinking of
doing a Master's Degree, you will first need to most likely have an
undergraduate degree, and the desire to learn and do a lot more in
math.
Mathematics Majors? It's elementary, my dear Watson. Till next time!
References
WorldWideLearn. "Math and Statistics Major". Last Updated on October 17th, 2007. Accessed on August 1st, 2008. WorldWideLearn.com
Sherlock Holmes. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/photogallery/holmes_photogallery1.shtml>
Sherlock Holmes, <http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/03/16/sherlock-holmes-edgy.jpg>
WorldWideLearn. "Math and Statistics Major". Last Updated on October 17th, 2007. Accessed on August 1st, 2008. WorldWideLearn.com
Sherlock Holmes. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/photogallery/holmes_photogallery1.shtml>
Sherlock Holmes, <http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2007/03/16/sherlock-holmes-edgy.jpg>
