maths degree

conbob

sorry if its come up already but i couldnt find it in the past posts. tcd forum is a bit of a maze anyway was just wonderin what the course is like. im in 6th at the mo. i like doin maths but not thinkin about it, it sorta just comes naturally to me. lookin to get an a1 and maybe give grinds next year. was lookin at the prospectus and it sounds like the course is extremely advanced (i never understood maths words anyway i just knew how to get the question right) is the course a big leap from 6th year then?

many thanks
conor

What's the best way to put this... there's no comparison between LC and Maths at college. It can get quite abstract.

My information on the course is, of course, quite out of date but I'm sure one of the other people on this forum will happily point you in the right direction.

Podge_irl

It is very very different to LC maths, honestly its a gigantic leap (sideways as much as upwards. Its just more abstract a lot of the time which requires new thinking). LC maths came quite easily to me, but I spend much of my time quite confused as to what is going on (I'm in 4th year theoretical physics, which is very similar to maths for the first 2 years, and similar enough for the last two), but it is very much do-able if you work hard. Even my information is out of date, as the course has changed since I was in first year so I can't give you details really, but LC maths in no way prepares you for college maths. What it does do is give you an idea of whether or not you are suited to maths in general. You have to enjoy solving maths problems and not be turned off by not knowing the answer straight away. The simple fact that you may be good at it is not enough - you have to enjoy the subject as you will inevitably stuggle with it at some point and you need to enjoy it to have the perserverance to see these times through, though it is ultimately very rewarding.

I'm sorry I can't be of more use, but it really is one of those things you need to experience to really see if you are suited to it. I will say though, that there are a lot of options for transferring out of maths into the sciences while in college and for careers outside of maths when you are done. But I can't stress enough that simply being good at it is not enough of a reason, you really do have to enjoy it.

rjt

Hi conbob, I'm a first year maths student, so hopefully I can be of some help :P.

As Myth and Podge_irl have already said, college maths is very, very different from that done at LC level, mostly because it is a lot more abstract, and the emphasis is more on theory than problem solving. Podge put it very well - being good isn't enough, you really need to like understanding things, and be willing to put in a fair amount of work in order to get there.

This year (and I believe next year), the course is broken up into Analysis, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Computation, Statistics and Mechanics. The first three are mandatory, and you take two out of the computation, stats and mechanics. Analysis is the most similar to LC maths, covering limits, calculus and sequences and series. However, it's done a lot more thoroughly. I'd also recommend looking at the Group Theory option, to give you an idea what Abstract Algebra is like. Even statistics and computation are very theoretical (I don't do mechanics so can't comment, although I will say that almost everyone who didn't do applied maths dropped it very quickly).

You say you don't like thinking about maths - unfortunately, because the course is so theory based, you really need to do a lot of thinking. It's not at all mechanical like the LC (that is, there's a lot more to it than applying the same methods again and again). There's also a lot more proof writing.

barnesd

Have a look at the Engineering course too if you enjoy maths.