Any Other Math / Physics Late Bloomers Here?

[moe darklight]

Lately I've been feeling a little down about this. I feel like I got in way too late in the game and I'll never catch up. I'm 22 and just started my second year at university, and I do well... but I'd like to do better than just well.

Mostly I think what's at fault is that I got into math too late; I was 20 when I first picked up an Algebra / Pre-calculus book. A year later I entered university, and even though I'm comfortable enough to get good grades, I feel like I'm still playing "catch up"-- skills that should be as natural to me as + and - are still completely new, so I don't have the time to get a deeper understanding of what I'm learning; because I'm still double checking that I did my factoring right :rolleyes:.

My biggest fear is to always remain a step behind. The other kids in my class (well, the ones who are good) have been familiar with all of these ideas that are new to me for at least 5 years, if not longer. -- In her blog, Tanya Khovanova comments that at 15, she was told she might be too old to be serious about math http://blog.tanyakhovanova.com/?p=73 ; I certainly can't think of a mathematician or physicist who wasn't doing it since childhood (Fermat maybe?)

I feel like just now I'm starting to begin to understand to "think in math", and starting to get a more intuitive understanding of concepts... but it's an uphill battle. I may be 22, but in math years, I'm 2.

Am I worrying too much? Will the playing field eventually level out? -- Anyone of you guys start out late or know of anyone who has?

[bjb34]

The fact that you are concerned about falling behind to me says that you have nothing to worry about. You will keep doing well and inevidably pick these things up as second nature, it's only if you stop caring you will fail. 22 is still very young, and try not to worry about what other people are good at and how easily they acheive, the point is that doesn't matter in the end you walk away with a degree and none of that sh.. is of consequence.

[jimmysnyder]

I started studying physics at the age of 35. That was 24 years ago. My experience means that I can run circles around the incoming freshmen and most sophomores. However, by the time they are juniors, the better ones understand more than I do, and just about all first year graduate students run circles around me. Hopefully that will soon include you.

[Lacy33]

Hey Jimmy, I was two years older than you.

[Sorry!]

Hey man theres nothing to be worried about at all. Everyone has to start somewhere but thee end result will be the same and I'm sure if this is what you want to pursue than you'll be glad you went through the process...

Who cares what you're level is comparative to others your age?

I'm 20 years old and going to university next year for my first year. I didn't go before because I had ****ed around in highschool so had to stay one extra year and then I had no money to pay the large tuition fees and felt that I wasn't ready for that part of my life so I took a year off to work.
So I'll be going into my biomedical sciences program quite a bit older than most people but I feel like it doesn't matter and by the end of the program I highly doubt the age difference will be there; there might even be people older than myself there.

[Pattonias]

I'm a year older than you and in the same boat. I'm going to be taking Cal II in the Spring. I feel so old...

[Saladsamurai]

I have many years on you moe and I am still waiting to bloom. :smile:

I know exactly what you mean. I understand math to the extent that I do extremely well is my classes. But I always have lingering questions about the most trivial and fundamental of matters.

I think that by asking the 'trivial' questions (by actually asking someone else or just by asking yourself) and finding the answers is how I try to catch up ... make it second nature.

But I think that I will always feel like I am running to keep up. And I think that is a good thing.

[BobG]

I started studying physics at the age of 35. That was 24 years ago.

You're older than I am! Haha!


Hey Jimmy, I was two years older than you.

That means I was only about 10 years older than you when I took Physics, DiffEQ, Electromagnetics, Solid state physics, etc. (okay, Jimmy, you may not be much older than me, but you're still older).

[Ian_Brooks]

Lol if it makes you feel better - I travelled for a year and changed majors. I graduated at 24 - turning 25.

I too felt that I had a lot to catch up on with students younger than me. I spent more time over the holidays to read up on the material before the next semester started.

Also, if I might add, I somehow made it through physics during my engineering degree not knowing as much as I should have - just enough to do well in the final. After I graduated I went back to the books that interested me and am really focusing on learning what I should have. Its not for grad school - but more of a personal thing.

[magpies]

I didn't really start actualy looking at math till I was like 26. Before then I never cared how people figured this stuff out at first way back in the day... It can really change your understanding of math if you look into its history. It also helps you to be more aware of when bogus math is being put in front of you. So I would suggest to anyone who wants to understand math to learn its history.