Should I major in pure mathematics if I want to have an easy time in college?

[Anonymous]

I'm about to start my senior year of high school. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit of a slacker academically. From my observations, it seems like math majors, particularly pure math majors, have a much easier time in college than anyone else. Is this the path I should follow if I don't want to have to work hard in college?

[Anonymous]

Is math easy for you? Math would be an extremely hard major for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm about to start my senior year of high school. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit of a slacker academically. From my observations, it seems like math majors, particularly pure math majors, have a much easier time in college than anyone else. Is this the path I should follow if I don't want to have to work hard in college?

Yep, that’s why I changed my major from physics. Same fun stuff to think about, far fewer problem sets. You never utter the phrase “pure math” though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm about to start my senior year of high school. I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit of a slacker academically. From my observations, it seems like math majors, particularly pure math majors, have a much easier time in college than anyone else. Is this the path I should follow if I don't want to have to work hard in college?

If you've ability and interest in math, sure. They have easier time because by self selection, people who major in math, tend to be academically and analytically strong.

[Anonymous]

This is an obvious troll post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an obvious troll post.

Yes, how many high schoolers come to DCUM for advice?

[Anonymous]

You might want to consider something like data science or statistics. Both are pretty useful career wisely, especially in the corporate world, and those majors may not be as theoretical and academic as pure a math major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an obvious troll post.

+1 million

[Anonymous]

It may not be a troll - my child just started college and wants to major in math so she "doesn't have to write." It's...not a great reason to major in something, and as someone who majored in math, it's not easy (or at least, it wasn't for me, past about the first year and a half).

But truthfully, you'll have an "easier" time if you major in something you're both interested in and good at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an obvious troll post.

I never call troll but -- yeah, this time, I agree. The writing of the post sounds very much like it was composed by a chat bot, not a real person. And definitely not a teenager.

I really wonder what on Earth the agenda is here, for an adult, maybe one using ChatGPT or whatever, to come here and bother to post this? Trying to gin up some kind of discussion of how easy math is?

[Anonymous]

Math has no lab requirement, avoidable research paper requirements (depending on class) and professors who grade gently because students are hard to recruit.

Obviously you need the basic skill in college level math and logic, but if you have that, and take the minimum requirements, the courses are very similar, and it's an easy major.

Applied Math is even easier, because you have a wider range of in-major electives to choose from, and can pad your major schedule with intro courses in a related field.

Source: I did it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math has no lab requirement, avoidable research paper requirements (depending on class) and professors who grade gently because students are hard to recruit.

Obviously you need the basic skill in college level math and logic, but if you have that, and take the minimum requirements, the courses are very similar, and it's an easy major.

Applied Math is even easier, because you have a wider range of in-major electives to choose from, and can pad your major schedule with intro courses in a related field.

Source: I did it.

Bolded is no longer true, which may foil OP’s plans. Math is currently very popular, and no longer a self-selecting cohort. When students don’t choose to be there, they can’t be left to their own devices. I hear complaints that classes are changing rapidly, math profs being inherently lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may not be a troll - my child just started college and wants to major in math so she "doesn't have to write." It's...not a great reason to major in something, and as someone who majored in math, it's not easy (or at least, it wasn't for me, past about the first year and a half).

But truthfully, you'll have an "easier" time if you major in something you're both interested in and good at.

I originally majored in math and later switched. Originally the major was attractive to me because I didn’t have to take a lot of humanities classes, especially English, foreign language or any literature. Math was my best subject in high school and I really liked it. Calculus was easier for me than any of the regular English classes in HS.

[Anonymous]

Some people live math and find it easy, most people aren't good at it and hate it.

[Anonymous]

*love