non-traditional path to mathematics?

[dm.aelis]

Hello everyone,

New member. Just wanted to ask for some perspective and advice. I wasn't able to search the information I was looking for elsewhere, so bear with me if this kind of question has been asked before.

My background: graduated a couple years ago from Ivy League college, graduating with degree concentration in Economics along with a wide variety of liberal arts courses. 3.6 GPA. I really enjoyed my liberal arts education, and found a balance between athletics, academics, and other extra-curriculars that I was satisfied with. In high school I was really into mathematics, like many kids I aced the mathematics portions of standardized testing and AP calculus tests, etc. In college, however, I didn't step foot inside the mathematics department. I was interested in the humanities and social sciences and focused on them in college.

Fast forward, I am now serving with the Marine Corps. I am interested in continuing my education as a Marine, and ideally I would like to prepare myself for graduate school when my time in the Marines is over (I anticipate <6 years of remaining service). Why graduate school? It's something I've always wanted for as long as I can remember, along with military service. Why mathematics? Well, I'd like to achieve something academically/intellectually and contribute to science and society somehow...not suck the life from it as a lawyer or doctor (zing!). In all seriousness, it is an academic itch that I would like to scratch and could be a versatile PhD to have if I pursued employment outside of academia.

Seeing as I have *zero* mathematics study at the undergraduate level I am obviously not a candidate right now for a PhD program or even a master's program (though I did well in my Econ courses, I doubt they would qualify).

I am looking for some guidance in regards to the following questions:

(1) As a non-mathematics-student graduate, what's the laundry list of things I would need that I do not have?

(2) During my career as a Marine Corps Officer, can you think of ways to attain the laundry list of Question (1)?

(3) Do you know of any Mathematics graduate students from "non-traditional" academic backgrounds?

(4) New and innovative online education resources, such as MIT and Harvard's edX collaboration <http://www.edxonline.org/> or Coursera (and others soon I am sure) will offer high quality mathematics course content online and on demand. Would you recommend this kind of exploration as a good start to evaluating future careers in mathematics?

(5) Are there any books I can read or kinds of study I can do in my spare time to give me an idea of my future in mathematics? As an equivalent analogy, if I handed a non-Econ major a copy of "Freakonomics" and they hated it or didn't understand it, I'm not sure they should waste time with the questions of Economics.

Thanks for the help and advice of the GradCafe community.

[cyberwulf]

Do you want to study pure math, or are you looking for something with a more applied flavor (eg. applied math, biostatistics)? This is going to affect the relevant advice.

Stat/biostat graduate programs will require, at minimum, multivariable calculus and linear algebra; many stat departments also require a first course in real analysis. Math programs will require quite a bit more; think abstract algebra, topology, complex analysis, and differential equations.

[dm.aelis]

I suspect that the "Applied" side of things would appeal much more to me; but obviously there is a lot of mathematics I have to study before I can form more definite preferences.

I have many friends who pursued "post-baccalaureate" pre-med programs to fill out their coursework with required chemistry, physics, biology, and similar courses for medical school admission when they didn't study those courses in college. Do any universities offer a similar program in mathematics?

[emmm]

I have not heard of similar post-bacc programs for math (though I have for CS), but there's no reason why you couldn't design a program for yourself, via local educational institutions. Around here, some of the community colleges have excellent math faculty, which can be a good place to start, since the classes are much more affordable than via the state u. Eventually, for more advanced coursework, you'd probably have to go to a university or take something online, but a CC might get you through diff. eq. and linear algebra.

[mathgeek282]

My friend did a post- bacc in math so it definitely exists...

[victor.s.andrei]

As a non-mathematics-student graduate, what's the laundry list of things I would need that I do not have?

Look at the the degree requirements for the undergraduate programs at the schools to which you are thinking of applying. That will determine what prerequisites you need. Regardless of whether you apply to a pure mathematics or an applied mathematics program, however, I would bet on needing single and multivariable calculus (basically, the three-semester calculus sequence), linear algebra, and ordinary differential equations. Take a class in proof-writing, too.

[R Deckard]

In my opinion you should go for pure mathematics because maths is not a difficult subject , All it requires is just the practice and concentration and this can be achieved by spending some extra time on it.

Types of Quadrilaterals

This comment is silly beyond words.

[Keithkwok]

how are you doing now dude? realized your phd dream?