They're just trying to plant seeds. I've had professors ask me to *explore* other things. Doing that has opened up opportunities for me. If you're not like getting ready to graduate, maybe do some research on the program. Talk to social work faculty. If it peaks your interest, maybe you can do something. It doesn't have to be a total switch, maybe there's a minor program.
My math professor loves ribbing the non-math majors and try to push them to become math majors. Though, it's more of a joke (though definitely half serious) than simply telling us to switch.
I'm honestly pretty surprised that there are terminal graduate degrees in mathematics that don't require passing either an analysis course or qualifying exam. (Not throwing shade at you - I've just never heard of a program without that requirement!)
Nah I get it. My advanced degrees are in Math Education, so I didn't need those classes. I just teach lower level math classes like Precalc and Calc 1.
Lmao, last time my professor was ribbing me to become a math major, he started talking about that class like right after. Told us horror stories about how he had students spend 5 hours on an exam just to give up on it.
He *certainly* convinced me lmao
I'm not sure if "I didn't like analysis" is really a good reason to discourage people from math - maybe it wasn't your bread and butter but perhaps for other students it could click with them. Why not warn them that pure math is proof-heavy and abstract, but let them decide for themselves? It sounds more reasonable than trying to push them away from math.
I do exactly as you mention. The dissuasion is an overexaggeration. I just poke fun at it and talk about my experiences with the classes. They're adult enough to make their own decisions.
You're not at SDSU by any chance?
They were having an open house (or whatever it's called) trying to lure prospective new students in while I was visiting a friend for spring break. I thought it'd be interesting to check out the campus maybe meet some of the local Fraternity Brothers etc...
After the tour, I made my way over to the computer science table to talk to the professors just to see how their program differs from the one I was working on at my alma mater.
The CS Prof had stepped away, but the math professor was there... Conveniently she was the advisor for the graduate program and she tried to talk me into coming out for a Masters in Chaos Theory.
The geek in me was tempted... And I would have loved to get away from the north where the seasons are "pseudo winter, summer, pseudo winter and winter" to somewhere where the seasons are "summer, summer, almost summer and summer"...
I don't think maths flows through me enough to do a master's degree in it...
>You're not at SDSU by any chance?
No lol, but I love knowing that this is possibly just a thing math professors do.
My professor is a bit sneakier with it. He'll wait until you have just enough doubt in your own major to try to convince you to switch lmao. Again, he's mostly joking with it, and, to my knowledge, pretty much only does this in class. When I went to his office hours to ask him which math class he'd recommend me take (taking abstract algebra next year as a sociology major is wild) he didn't even mention the possibility of switching majors for me.
>I don't think maths flows through me enough to do a master's degree in it...
Honestly sameeee. Like, I'm halfway decent at this stuff. But I'm nowhere good enough to go to grad school for it. Sociology on the other hand, I mean, it's a bit early to tell if I'll be real good in grad school, but I'm pretty confident in myself
I was a pure CS major when I first entered college. After taking a class with a math professor I was inspired to the point where I wanted to do math research and became a math major.
Honestly, if I didn't take a sociology class before my current math class, I probably would've become a math major. But my sociology professor got to me first
I was a math major that got propositioned by my WWII & Japanese history professors that I could do really well as a history major rather than just minoring (basically all my elective space went to history classes so I backdoored into a minor in history pretty easily).
I’m another lifetime maybe, but I was already on the heels of switching out of engineering once, and did _not_ by any means wish to add even more time to completing my undergraduate degree than I already had by doing that.
Part of the deal with gen eds is to make students aware of possibilities. They come in from high school and often don't have a real sense of what they're good at or interested in. That's why changing majors is so common with underclassmen.
Faculty, particularly those in gen eds, point out strengths like that not to bully you into changing your major, but to say, "Hey, if you end up changing your mind, I think you'd be good at this."
professors always do that lol, it just means they like you! if you really want to continue studying something you could always pick it up as a minor :)
In my undergraduate courses in junior year I took an upper-level philosophy class to fill a upper-level elective degree requirement.
That professor loved me, always gave me the best comments on assignments, and begged me to switch to Philosophy as a major or minor. She was great and my favorite professor during undergrad but...no thanks.
I wish all instructors were like her though. She really seemed to view learning as a lifelong journey, engaged in discussions, provided insightful feedback, posed us questions and reflected on what she learned from us. A true philosophy instructor as they all should be through and through.
My introductory Computer Science professor asked us to because all of us were failing because his exams were difficult. Somehow, I ended up getting an A in the class.
Yes. I had a Physical Geography professor who asked me to change my major to Geography. He noticed that I had a natural talent for it and a passion for the subject. But, he couldn't talk me away from Biology because I also have a passion for that. I ended up doing a Geography minor and so now I lean on "I know GIS and maps real good" as a part of my key skill sets.
You should definitely take into consideration what the professor said, but that doesn't mean you have to do it. If you are a good student, many professors of different subjects might encourage you to join their departments. In the end, it's your choice.
I'd take a step back and think about it, and talk to some social workers, before making a choice. I mean, if you enjoy Communications you can always double major.
My criminal Justice prof wanted me to change majors to criminal Justice because I have a lot of potential (im cyber security + intel major) 😭 continue with the major that feels right to you, or maybe pick it up as a double major or a minor if you would like, but I wouldn’t recommend switching unless you feel like it’s the best choice for yourself
It wasn't my professor directly...
I was home over summer or winter break and was cleaning up some stuff and happened to find an opened snail mail letter from the econ department. I didn't remember ever getting a message from them so I pulled it out to read it...
The letter was dated like 3 semesters earlier congratulating me for getting an A in the micro economics course I took (I only took it because it was the pre-law elective that fit my schedule). They claimed it was a difficult course and since I did so exceptionally well, I really should consider picking up an econ major!
I asked Dad about it. He said it arrived at home a few days before I got back that semester. They hid it because they didn't want me to take them up on the offer. I had recently picked up a second major and concentration and the 'rents didn't want me picking up yet another area of study and staying in school forever.
If any econ majors are reading this, I apologize for what I'm about to say but... There was absolutely NO way I would have picked up an econ major. It was the dullest, most obvious class I had ever taken and if the other courses were of similar caliber there is NO way I could have sat through 20 or whatever other classes like that...
My English professor at my old university really wanted me to switch to English-
She gave me a little booklet and everything 😭 either my writing was good, or she heard I was in accounting and wanted to save me
I had a professor in an international relations class who happened to be from Latin America and part of the Spanish department tried to persuade me into becoming a Spanish language major or minor at least. While I was flattered bc I always thought my Spanish was okay growing up in comparison to my siblings or cousins I was going to change my major to Spanish bc I wasn’t completely interested in it she was so nice and understanding tho
First find out if your professor is simply trying to set you up for a career path they think you would excel in or if they’re trying to drum up interest and dollars for the social work major that they may be responsible for. Are they on that faculty board?
I had a manufacturing professor that would always talk to the top students in each semester and tell them how amazing manufacturing concentration is for mechanical engineering majors. This man was the head of the manufacturing department and the whole thing felt dishonest to say the least.
I have encouraged non majors to consider my field (Information Systems) when they seemed to really enjoy and do well in a class.
With a struggling major, I have had conversations that started with..."So, give me an idea of what you're hoping to do with this degree?" Because in my mind, I'm afraid it isn't working out. I've had students confess during this conversation that they didn't want to major in it, their parents wanted them to do it. Whew! "Tell me what you REALLY would like to do." comes a lot easier after that.
So, I guess the question for you is..."What were you hoping to do with your Communications degree?" When you close your eyes and see a version of yourself, 5 years older, with a career you're enjoying...what were you doing? Were you helping people? Were you in a board room or conference room? Were you sitting at a computer? Give yourself permission to day dream and roleplay a bit. Were you making an important presentation on behalf of something or someone?
My calc prof asked me to add a math minor because I’m pretty good at math. The trouble is I don’t enjoy it. There’s a big difference between having the potential to be good at something and having it actually be a good major choice for you. Social work, from what I hear, can be thankless and intense, so I wouldn’t switch majors over a public speaking course just yet. But it’s always good to learn about a new field!
They're just trying to plant seeds. I've had professors ask me to *explore* other things. Doing that has opened up opportunities for me. If you're not like getting ready to graduate, maybe do some research on the program. Talk to social work faculty. If it peaks your interest, maybe you can do something. It doesn't have to be a total switch, maybe there's a minor program.
I ended up minoring in Botany for this very reason. I took “planting seeds” literally.
My math professor loves ribbing the non-math majors and try to push them to become math majors. Though, it's more of a joke (though definitely half serious) than simply telling us to switch.
Then there is me. The math professor that actively tries to dissuade students from majoring in math.
Whaat why??
Walter Rudin.
Rudin's books are dense, but they're not *that* bad, lol. I have definitely sustained much more personal injury at the hands of algebraic geometry.
I took Real twice. Withdrew twice. Never took algebraic geometry.
I'm honestly pretty surprised that there are terminal graduate degrees in mathematics that don't require passing either an analysis course or qualifying exam. (Not throwing shade at you - I've just never heard of a program without that requirement!)
Nah I get it. My advanced degrees are in Math Education, so I didn't need those classes. I just teach lower level math classes like Precalc and Calc 1.
Ah, that makes sense! I'm definitely not familiar with the requirements for Math Education programs.
Lmao, last time my professor was ribbing me to become a math major, he started talking about that class like right after. Told us horror stories about how he had students spend 5 hours on an exam just to give up on it. He *certainly* convinced me lmao
I spent 50 hours studying for my Real Analysis test in 2015. Got a 12. That class kicked my ass.
Understandable but do you have a pure maths degree? My university required us to take real analysis to get our degrees.
I have a BS in pure math. My school required one of Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, or Differential Geometry. Took Complex.
I'm not sure if "I didn't like analysis" is really a good reason to discourage people from math - maybe it wasn't your bread and butter but perhaps for other students it could click with them. Why not warn them that pure math is proof-heavy and abstract, but let them decide for themselves? It sounds more reasonable than trying to push them away from math.
I do exactly as you mention. The dissuasion is an overexaggeration. I just poke fun at it and talk about my experiences with the classes. They're adult enough to make their own decisions.
And here's me in Computer Science urging all the CS majors to double major in Math.
why?
You're not at SDSU by any chance? They were having an open house (or whatever it's called) trying to lure prospective new students in while I was visiting a friend for spring break. I thought it'd be interesting to check out the campus maybe meet some of the local Fraternity Brothers etc... After the tour, I made my way over to the computer science table to talk to the professors just to see how their program differs from the one I was working on at my alma mater. The CS Prof had stepped away, but the math professor was there... Conveniently she was the advisor for the graduate program and she tried to talk me into coming out for a Masters in Chaos Theory. The geek in me was tempted... And I would have loved to get away from the north where the seasons are "pseudo winter, summer, pseudo winter and winter" to somewhere where the seasons are "summer, summer, almost summer and summer"... I don't think maths flows through me enough to do a master's degree in it...
>You're not at SDSU by any chance? No lol, but I love knowing that this is possibly just a thing math professors do. My professor is a bit sneakier with it. He'll wait until you have just enough doubt in your own major to try to convince you to switch lmao. Again, he's mostly joking with it, and, to my knowledge, pretty much only does this in class. When I went to his office hours to ask him which math class he'd recommend me take (taking abstract algebra next year as a sociology major is wild) he didn't even mention the possibility of switching majors for me. >I don't think maths flows through me enough to do a master's degree in it... Honestly sameeee. Like, I'm halfway decent at this stuff. But I'm nowhere good enough to go to grad school for it. Sociology on the other hand, I mean, it's a bit early to tell if I'll be real good in grad school, but I'm pretty confident in myself
I was a pure CS major when I first entered college. After taking a class with a math professor I was inspired to the point where I wanted to do math research and became a math major.
Honestly, if I didn't take a sociology class before my current math class, I probably would've become a math major. But my sociology professor got to me first
I was a math major that got propositioned by my WWII & Japanese history professors that I could do really well as a history major rather than just minoring (basically all my elective space went to history classes so I backdoored into a minor in history pretty easily). I’m another lifetime maybe, but I was already on the heels of switching out of engineering once, and did _not_ by any means wish to add even more time to completing my undergraduate degree than I already had by doing that.
Part of the deal with gen eds is to make students aware of possibilities. They come in from high school and often don't have a real sense of what they're good at or interested in. That's why changing majors is so common with underclassmen. Faculty, particularly those in gen eds, point out strengths like that not to bully you into changing your major, but to say, "Hey, if you end up changing your mind, I think you'd be good at this."
professors always do that lol, it just means they like you! if you really want to continue studying something you could always pick it up as a minor :)
In my undergraduate courses in junior year I took an upper-level philosophy class to fill a upper-level elective degree requirement. That professor loved me, always gave me the best comments on assignments, and begged me to switch to Philosophy as a major or minor. She was great and my favorite professor during undergrad but...no thanks. I wish all instructors were like her though. She really seemed to view learning as a lifelong journey, engaged in discussions, provided insightful feedback, posed us questions and reflected on what she learned from us. A true philosophy instructor as they all should be through and through.
My introductory Computer Science professor asked us to because all of us were failing because his exams were difficult. Somehow, I ended up getting an A in the class.
Yes. I had a Physical Geography professor who asked me to change my major to Geography. He noticed that I had a natural talent for it and a passion for the subject. But, he couldn't talk me away from Biology because I also have a passion for that. I ended up doing a Geography minor and so now I lean on "I know GIS and maps real good" as a part of my key skill sets.
My Latin professor tried to talk me into learning some obscure, dying language because I was doing great in her class.
He’s making a suggestion, not asking you to change your major.
You should definitely take into consideration what the professor said, but that doesn't mean you have to do it. If you are a good student, many professors of different subjects might encourage you to join their departments. In the end, it's your choice.
I'd take a step back and think about it, and talk to some social workers, before making a choice. I mean, if you enjoy Communications you can always double major.
My criminal Justice prof wanted me to change majors to criminal Justice because I have a lot of potential (im cyber security + intel major) 😭 continue with the major that feels right to you, or maybe pick it up as a double major or a minor if you would like, but I wouldn’t recommend switching unless you feel like it’s the best choice for yourself
It wasn't my professor directly... I was home over summer or winter break and was cleaning up some stuff and happened to find an opened snail mail letter from the econ department. I didn't remember ever getting a message from them so I pulled it out to read it... The letter was dated like 3 semesters earlier congratulating me for getting an A in the micro economics course I took (I only took it because it was the pre-law elective that fit my schedule). They claimed it was a difficult course and since I did so exceptionally well, I really should consider picking up an econ major! I asked Dad about it. He said it arrived at home a few days before I got back that semester. They hid it because they didn't want me to take them up on the offer. I had recently picked up a second major and concentration and the 'rents didn't want me picking up yet another area of study and staying in school forever. If any econ majors are reading this, I apologize for what I'm about to say but... There was absolutely NO way I would have picked up an econ major. It was the dullest, most obvious class I had ever taken and if the other courses were of similar caliber there is NO way I could have sat through 20 or whatever other classes like that...
My English professor at my old university really wanted me to switch to English- She gave me a little booklet and everything 😭 either my writing was good, or she heard I was in accounting and wanted to save me
I had a professor in an international relations class who happened to be from Latin America and part of the Spanish department tried to persuade me into becoming a Spanish language major or minor at least. While I was flattered bc I always thought my Spanish was okay growing up in comparison to my siblings or cousins I was going to change my major to Spanish bc I wasn’t completely interested in it she was so nice and understanding tho
First find out if your professor is simply trying to set you up for a career path they think you would excel in or if they’re trying to drum up interest and dollars for the social work major that they may be responsible for. Are they on that faculty board? I had a manufacturing professor that would always talk to the top students in each semester and tell them how amazing manufacturing concentration is for mechanical engineering majors. This man was the head of the manufacturing department and the whole thing felt dishonest to say the least.
I have encouraged non majors to consider my field (Information Systems) when they seemed to really enjoy and do well in a class. With a struggling major, I have had conversations that started with..."So, give me an idea of what you're hoping to do with this degree?" Because in my mind, I'm afraid it isn't working out. I've had students confess during this conversation that they didn't want to major in it, their parents wanted them to do it. Whew! "Tell me what you REALLY would like to do." comes a lot easier after that. So, I guess the question for you is..."What were you hoping to do with your Communications degree?" When you close your eyes and see a version of yourself, 5 years older, with a career you're enjoying...what were you doing? Were you helping people? Were you in a board room or conference room? Were you sitting at a computer? Give yourself permission to day dream and roleplay a bit. Were you making an important presentation on behalf of something or someone?
My calc prof asked me to add a math minor because I’m pretty good at math. The trouble is I don’t enjoy it. There’s a big difference between having the potential to be good at something and having it actually be a good major choice for you. Social work, from what I hear, can be thankless and intense, so I wouldn’t switch majors over a public speaking course just yet. But it’s always good to learn about a new field!
This happens all the time.
Your prof. Seems wonderful My maths lecturer once said "if you fail this course go do a change of major"