Original post by _np02_
I am considering doing a maths degree however I am not sure whether it’s worth it because I am not considering a career in finance or anything like that , I am more interested in learning more about maths itself, the number theories , its purpose in our world and I may want to write books about it and become a professor however I view maths from more a philosophical perspective where I like to see and calculate how things like angles, geometry , algebra , functions etc can apply to the world around us not necessarily to banking but other areas too even to nature itself . I could perhaps go with physics but I feel like it’s maths that I would like to explore more . I am wondering whether it’s better for me to keep maths as something I do as a sort of passion rather than actually study it because I have very specific areas I’m interested in and I feel like at Uni I may be limited
What you're describing is the essential point of a maths degree. The fact people go on to work in finance after doing a maths degree is incidental and representative of those not able or willing to continue into academic.
That said, some of the content you describe is not representative of the content of a maths degree. The maths in a maths degree doesn't usually involve calculating things exactly for the most part and in fact a lot of it will be very abstract and involve writing proofs or just finding general analytical results to things. It's completely different to school maths.
I'd recommend looking at an actual maths textbook if you're an A-level student in year 12 consindering it, to see if the style of maths is appealing. Some kind of introductory analysis or (abstract) linear algebra text would probably be a good way to gauge that and see how it differs from A-level Maths - or some kind of "gap bridging" style book. It may be that you're interested in continuing your mathematical studies but not that style - if you prefer the style of A-level then you might find physics or engineering more aligned to your interests for example.
Just because you do a maths degree it doesn't mean you'll work in finance. A maths degree could open up a lot more options. For example, there are people who went on to do data science, machine learning and data analytics in many industries, not just finance, because in maths you learn statistics and R which is useful for this type of career. Others moved on to do software development and software engineering.
You could do a PhD in maths if you want to write papers and if that's what you want to do.
You could do a PhD in maths if you want to write papers and if that's what you want to do.
Original post by _np02_
I am considering doing a maths degree however I am not sure whether it’s worth it because I am not considering a career in finance or anything like that , I am more interested in learning more about maths itself, the number theories , its purpose in our world and I may want to write books about it and become a professor however I view maths from more a philosophical perspective where I like to see and calculate how things like angles, geometry , algebra , functions etc can apply to the world around us not necessarily to banking but other areas too even to nature itself . I could perhaps go with physics but I feel like it’s maths that I would like to explore more . I am wondering whether it’s better for me to keep maths as something I do as a sort of passion rather than actually study it because I have very specific areas I’m interested in and I feel like at Uni I may be limited
Hi there,
I am a third year Mathematics and Statistics student at Lancaster University. If you enjoy learning maths, I would definitely suggest a maths degree. Personally I have found lots of companies see maths degrees as desirable because of the associations with problem solving and being analytical. I believe that doing a degree in maths can only open doors and there is always the option for further study and research which may interest you. In addition, you could consider a joint degree such as mathematics with philosophy which happen to work very well together and allow you to develop a variety of skills. Finally, Lancaster University offers an Integrated Masters in maths (a 4 year course with the first three years being identical to a bachelors) which allows you to write a master style dissertation in 4th year which may interest you. In June/July open days will start again which means you can visit different universities and ask them about options as well. Please feel free to ask me any questions, general university or maths related.
- Amy (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
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