Law -> Math...

Hey,

I'm kind of quite confused at the moment, basically I've currently finished the 1st-year of my LLB Law degree and I have not enjoyed the course content, even though I passed. I realised on an academic level that Law is not for me. I didn't mind some areas, as I found them interesting but in general I found the course was not my cup of tea, shall we say. The reading was quite heavy, and I realised I couldn't handle it and therefore didn't really read textbooks and relied predominantly on mini revision-guides to get me through exams!

I'm thinking of changing to Mathematics but I'm quite sceptical as I have only done A-level Math, which I enjoyed thoroughly ofcourse. I see myself as having a greater interest in Maths than Law, and I don't mind spending hours on a problem till I solve it.

I don't know if I should persevere with Law as it could be seen as 'wasting' a year if I change...but then again I could work much harder for Math and possibly do well?

I've taken a look at some basic set theory which is university-level Maths, and understood it relatively easy, and recapped over Math modules and it just came back naturally tbh.

I would appreciate advice on this matter! :smile:

Thanks

Reply 1

henryt

Original post by Amit92

Hey! Great that you're considering Maths. My first instinct would be, however, to be wary of moving into Maths as a degree course, just because a lot of people (relative to those on other courses) who enjoy Maths enough at A-level to choose it for university study don't end up liking the material, and end up switching out. It sounds like you've started looking at some uni level Maths, but you should definitely look at more - I wouldn't take basic/first year set theory to be necessarily indicative of University level Mathematics as a whole. If you want a perhaps more realistic representation of Pure Maths, I'd take a look at some Real Analysis or some basic Topology - both of them have a different flavour, and you'll probably have to study both at some point (I managed to not study more than a couple of weeks of Topology though!). As for Applied stuff, it's a fair bit more rigorous than at school, and generally shares more of the characteristics of school Applied and Pure maths than university level Pure Maths does. I wouldn't necessarily recommend anything in particular - maybe look at some Partial Differential Equations, like the Heat and Wave Equations? Anyway, if you find those interesting, or could see yourself at least putting up with some stuff whilst you enjoy the rest, then I guess there's nothing to stop you :smile:

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!
Henry

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 2

Raiden10

Original post by Amit92

Thanks

I wouldn't take a look at topology to be honest, it's too advanced. Look at first year maths modules (lecture notes, exam papers and exam solutions).

Get the book "A concise introduction to pure mathematics" by Liebeck. Read the introduction as well to see what he has to say, it might shed a little light.

Enjoying A-level mathematics or being good at it is a good sign, of course. But university mathematics is very different, especially pure mathematics, and the applied mathematics (it turns out A-level pure mathematics is more like applied than pure).

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 3

henryt

I looked at Topology before I went up to University, and it certainly caught my attention. I think I remember reading 'A Topological Aperitif by Huggett and Jordan, which introduces the subject slowly, and has excellent illustrations. It focusses as much as it can on 'geometric topology', rather than the more definition-heavy subject which you are likely to encounter, but I think the concepts are, whilst somewhat tangible, also at a more sophisticated level of Mathematics.

Reply 4

pappymajek

Original post by Amit92

Thanks

If you're not enjoying your law course, you are better off switching now rather than later. Better to loose one year than to waste 3 yrs doing something you dont enjoy and by the sounds of it will likely struggle.

As for maths, I would speak to more undergraduates on the course you wish to study-might be helpful to see the head of mathematics at your uni and seek some advice. As has been said, uni maths is very different to A level maths-make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Read around very well so your decision is well informed. if you're already looking into first yr university materials and its making sense to you-surely this takes the place of A level further maths? I wouldnt worry too much about further maths if you're comfortable with the first yr materials.

Once you're absolutely sure and have done the above, there's only one way to find out-go for it!

Good luck.