- #1
middleCmusic
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Hey there guys,
I'm a junior studying mathematics at BU and thinking about a Masters or a PhD, and I've been struggling lately trying to balance my coursework.
My concern is whether the amount of time I feel I need to spend on studying/taking notes/doing exercises etc. is more time than anyone who is actually talented enough to go for a PhD would need - i.e. in a cost-benefit analysis where cost = time and benefit = knowledge, am I "losing money"? (Keep in mind that I do love doing math, but I'm also not naive enough to think I can just love my way to a paycheck.)
At the moment, if I'm taking notes - which is usually the only way I can really absorb the material - I read about 2-4 pages per hour, depending on the text [Munkres' Topology, for example], and I'm concerned that this speed is untenable in the long run, that I simply don't "have what it takes".
I should add a couple other things: 1) I struggle with attention to the material, and as a musician, I have a lot of issues with songs getting stuck in my head (usually annoying popular ones) and preventing me from understanding the material. 2) I'm probably more "talented" at things like music or languages, but they don't interest me nearly half as much as math does. 3) I'm also struggling with whether I should type things in LaTeX or just write them down, because right now I sometimes do both and it's extra time-consuming.
So I guess my main question is: what amount of time did others who spend studying a few pages of math at the undergraduate or even graduate level - and do you think I'm spending too much time? Or any general advice about what I've said?
I hope that this post isn't too "emo" or self-indulgent for everyone - I'm just really feeling down about all of the above at the moment, and it's been bugging me for a while.
EDIT: Just so everyone can get a sense of where I'm at / how much "mathematical maturity" I have or don't have, here are the courses I've taken so far/plan to take:
So far: Calculus I/II/III, Linear Algebra, Diff EQs, Probability, Intro to Higher Math [proof techniques],
Graph Theory, Abstract Algebra, Math Methods for Physicists, Chaotic Dynamical Systems, Analysis I
Currently: Number Theory, Analysis II, Topology
Plan to take before graduating: Differential Geometry, PDEs I, PDEs II, History of Math, Modern Geometry, Modern Algebra I, Modern Algebra II
I'm a junior studying mathematics at BU and thinking about a Masters or a PhD, and I've been struggling lately trying to balance my coursework.
My concern is whether the amount of time I feel I need to spend on studying/taking notes/doing exercises etc. is more time than anyone who is actually talented enough to go for a PhD would need - i.e. in a cost-benefit analysis where cost = time and benefit = knowledge, am I "losing money"? (Keep in mind that I do love doing math, but I'm also not naive enough to think I can just love my way to a paycheck.)
At the moment, if I'm taking notes - which is usually the only way I can really absorb the material - I read about 2-4 pages per hour, depending on the text [Munkres' Topology, for example], and I'm concerned that this speed is untenable in the long run, that I simply don't "have what it takes".
I should add a couple other things: 1) I struggle with attention to the material, and as a musician, I have a lot of issues with songs getting stuck in my head (usually annoying popular ones) and preventing me from understanding the material. 2) I'm probably more "talented" at things like music or languages, but they don't interest me nearly half as much as math does. 3) I'm also struggling with whether I should type things in LaTeX or just write them down, because right now I sometimes do both and it's extra time-consuming.
So I guess my main question is: what amount of time did others who spend studying a few pages of math at the undergraduate or even graduate level - and do you think I'm spending too much time? Or any general advice about what I've said?
I hope that this post isn't too "emo" or self-indulgent for everyone - I'm just really feeling down about all of the above at the moment, and it's been bugging me for a while.
EDIT: Just so everyone can get a sense of where I'm at / how much "mathematical maturity" I have or don't have, here are the courses I've taken so far/plan to take:
So far: Calculus I/II/III, Linear Algebra, Diff EQs, Probability, Intro to Higher Math [proof techniques],
Graph Theory, Abstract Algebra, Math Methods for Physicists, Chaotic Dynamical Systems, Analysis I
Currently: Number Theory, Analysis II, Topology
Plan to take before graduating: Differential Geometry, PDEs I, PDEs II, History of Math, Modern Geometry, Modern Algebra I, Modern Algebra II
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