An epiphany! Can I hope? Please Advise!

[Reggi]

Hello all!

I am fairly new to these boards...have been browsing around so decided to finally post my own question. Any feedback greatly appreciated!

I've recently graduated with a bachelors in Finance, with a fairly decent GPA-3.65. I've been doing some soul searching to find a purpose in life after graduation and realized the only reason I chose finance as a major is because I love working with numbers. So I decided to look into masters programs for math.

But what exactly are my chances?

I've taken only one calculus course during my college years. Honestly, didn't do that great--C+ (freshman yr...my head was in the clouds). I now want to go back and take additional courses. Other than that all I can say for myself is that I've worked about a yr and a half at a hedge fund, and did pretty well there I think.

I'm from NY, attending school at a different state is out of the question.

Anyone here familiar with math grad programs in NY? Can I hope?

Again, thanks for any feedback!!!

[Tam]

I am in no way an expert, but it sounds to me like you don't have anywhere near the background for graduate school in math. I imagine almost any school would want you to at least have had the calculus sequence (3 or 4 semesters), linear algebra, and some theoretical math courses like abstract algebra, discrete math, or advanced calculus.

Your best bet might be to take some undergraduate courses in math, perhaps while continuing to work. Then you could get some good grades, develop a math background, find out if you even like math (beyond just working with numbers) enough to continue, and garner some good recommenders.

But again, I'm no expert.

[mrb]

The above post is certainly correct in that you will need a lot of additional preparation before you are ready for graduate study. Moreover, I would say that you will need a lot of additional preparation before you even know if you actually enjoy mathematics.

At my school, there is a phenomenon that I have seen happen to several people. A young person who didn't major in math decides he wants to get a masters in math, often in order to teach at a community college. My school is not prestigious and getting admitted to the masters program is not difficult. Depending on the student's background, he may need to take a few semesters of undergraduate math before actually being admitted into the masters program. So the student goes through the undergraduate classes and/or the masters program, and gradually realizes that mathematics is not at all what he thought it was, that it's a heck of a lot harder than he thought it was, and that he doesn't enjoy it at all. And then he quits.

Similar things happen even within the undergrad program. Unfortunately, lower division math classes don't give much of an idea of what math is all about. So some students major in math, and then hit a wall in about their junior year when they get into the real classes and discover that they don't enjoy and are not good at math, and were completely under the wrong impression about what they were in for.

You say, "I love working with numbers. So I decided to look into masters programs for math." I don't care much about working with numbers, but I love math.

Don't be too discouraged by what I've said above, though. If you think you might like math, then work through some books and/or take some classes. You might get hooked. The only problem with taking classes, though, is that, again, it would probably be at least a year into the process before you would get to anything real.

Unfortunately I'm not sure I know any book options that would be appropriate for you. Spivak's Calculus is very good, but also very difficult, and it might be discouraging. If you can work through it and take it seriously while at the same time not getting frustrated when there are problems you can't solve, it might be a good option. You do need to already know how to write a proof, though. Greenberg's Euclidean and non-Euclidean Geometries might be good for you. It assumes you are pretty familiar with compass and straightedge geometry. It does contain a brief discussion about logic which might help you in writing proofs.

[Steven]

Both of the above posts are right on the money. Even if you absolutely loved and excelled at undergraduate calculus you might not find graduate math or a career in mathematics very much to your liking.

I suggest trying a mass market number theory book like Underwood Dudley's "Elementary Number Theory" ($15 at Border's). There are basically no prerequisites (just basic algebra) and if you really have an inclination toward higher math you will find it fun (but challenging) to work through.

Steven

Edited January 11, 2010 by Steven

[hubris]

Both of the above posts are right on the money. Even if you absolutely loved and excelled at undergraduate calculus you might not find graduate math or a career in mathematics very much to your liking.

I suggest trying a mass market number theory book like Underwood Dudley's "Elementary Number Theory" ($15 at Border's). There are basically no prerequisites (just basic algebra) and if you really have an inclination toward higher math you will find it fun (but challenging) to work through.

Steven

Holy zombie thread batman.

Anyway, Dudley's book is notable for the treatment of sex in number theory (check the index ).

[Steven]

Yeah, I wasn't watching the dates, sorry. I will check the index when I get home tonight, I am intrigued.

[hubris]

Yeah, I wasn't watching the dates, sorry. I will check the index when I get home tonight, I am intrigued.

No worries, we need the traffic.