What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

Upon graduation with both degrees, I plan to join a big tech firm where I can further explore data science and mathematics in my respective fields. I also wish to pursue a master's degree or a phD in a technical field soon after I graduate. Eventually, I want to start my own data science consulting firm after gaining a few years of work experience.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

It is not a conventional path, but I highly advise students to go for it if they have multiple interests. Two majors mean twice the amount of hard work. Yet, nothing is impossible if you have the passion and you're willing to put in the effort. Have faith in yourself, plan well and take every opportunity which comes your way. Lastly, try to use each day as a new opportunity to go over and above your own set limits.

Why did you choose to double major in math?

I was always interested in physics, and also studied a lot of math to get better at physics. I did my high school in India where the college entrance exams are very rigorous and require an in-depth understanding of advanced calculus-based physics, mathematics and chemistry. While preparing for those, I realized that I naturally had an intuition for pure mathematical concepts such as combinatorics and number theory, as well as linear algebra. I also realized that I was fascinated by proofs.

When I started at Drexel, I planned to take advanced mathematical courses to further my understanding of physics. I took linear algebra and mathematical reasoning in freshman year, and that revived my interest in proof-based mathematics to start viewing mathematics as more than a toolbox for physics. During the end of my sophomore year, I decided to add a math major solely to dive more into my intellectual interest. I was also the vice president of the MSO at that point, and I started interacting with more people in mathematical community and that was essentially very helpful as I found out about fun contests such as Putnam and started considering research in mathematics.

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

I came into Drexel already decided that I was going to pursue a PhD in physics once I graduate. However, adding math and taking several rigorous, proof-based courses had an impact on my mindset. My pre-junior year, I took a couple of graduate pure math courses in algebra and graph theory, and they helped me finally decide that I want to pursue graduate school in algebraic geometry and not in physics, which would have surprised my freshman self!

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

Although I am not one hundred percent certain about what I would do after graduation, at the moment I would like to pursue a career in economics, focusing on policy studies and humanitarian work.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

I have never felt like doubling majoring is a lot of work or that it cannot be done, because I am pursuing two fields that I am deeply passionate about. My advice to other students who would like to double major is that as long as you are majoring in fields you truly love and enjoy, it is a very rewarding and worthwhile experience!

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

After Drexel, I plan to apply to grad school for a PhD in math. I am very interested in the areas of numerical analysis, which is right at the intersection of computer science and mathematics. Many problems in the real world are too hard to be solved analytically, but by using techniques from numerical analysis, we are able to get very close approximations very quickly. I hope to do more work in this area of research after I graduate.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

The earlier you know you want to double major, the better. Talk to your adviser as soon as you can, as they most likely have advice for planning out a double major. One of the most important aspects of double majoring is having an accurate plan of study. Make sure to take into account what terms classes are offered and whether you will meet prerequisites by that time. Also, look over the requirements for both majors to find classes that can overlap for both. Finally, make sure you have good time management skills, because you will most likely have to take more classes per term than average.

Why did you choose to double major in math?

I've always been interested in math and consider it my overall favorite subject. I also strongly believe that math is the foundation of all science subjects, and as I was exploring my options in computer science, I realized that having a strong math background was a huge advantage. In short, I picked up the math major for the fun as well as the practicality of it in combination with my computer science major.

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

I am planning to pursue a PhD in theoretical computer science. My math major has already helped me a ton with not only the theory classes that I took in the computer science department, but also the research projects I have been working on.

My goals/aspirations for my Drexel degrees:

• To separate myself from the competition in the job market
• Continue studying math, which I love

My advice for other Drexel students who want to double major:
I would absolutely recommend double majoring with a BA in Mathematics if you fall under these conditions:

• Your other major has a lot overlap in math
  particularly, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or something similar
• If you enjoy math, this will be fun
• If you were already considering a math minor, this is not that much extra work and pays off a lot more
• If you came in with many credits, this makes it very easy although this is not a dealbreaker

Some of the tangible upsides of adding a double major in math:

• This second major will give you a huge leg up over your competition in the job market! I cannot stress this enough: Employers will see this and it will pay off!When comparing the difference in credits from a math minor, this will pay off much more than proportional to the added amount of work.
• When coming from a field like engineering, physics, or similar, this extra math will help you understand your native field better than your classmates.

Why did you choose to double major in math?

I have had an interest in math since at least high school but never really viewed as a viable major because I wasn’t that experienced in it. As I progressed through my computer science degree, I realized my passion for theoretical computer science and, also, the math that underlies it. I was exposed to some linear algebra during some computer vision-related research on a summer research project I worked on freshman year. In order to understand fully fields like computer vision, formally studying math seemed to me a logical next step.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

The reason I decided to double major roots itself in my genuine interest in both math and computer science. While double majoring because you think it will look better on your resume is not necessarily a bad reason, passion makes studying more fun and carried me through the toughest classes I took. Perseverance is also important when double majoring; inevitably, there will be a class or two that you are not strong in, but don’t let that discourage you. Furthermore, while a college degree may seem to be a prerequisite for a successful career (especially in STEM), double majoring is something I can only recommend if you are passionate about both of the subjects you intend to study. Finally, learning to give and take help in different subjects based on my ability was essential to succeeding in classes. I felt at many points frustrated by my inability to grasp a particular concept and talking it out with either my professor or peers invariably left me feeling better off.

Why did you choose to double major in math?

I originally majored in biology in my first and second semester of community college at Camden County College in New Jersey. Then I took Calculus I with professor Joseph Diaco and he taught math in a way that made it interesting and applicable to real world problems and situations, rather than having us mindlessly plug numbers into equations. He explained how math governs everything alongside the hard sciences. That's when I fell in love with the subject. I changed my major the next day.

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

I originally thought I'd want to be an actuary – a natural path for math majors — but realized I don't enjoy being in front of a computer all day. I like working with people, so I might look into financial advising or sales.

Why did you choose to double major in math?

I came to Drexel as solely an economics major. However, just a few weeks in classes, I was advised by two economics professors to also pursue a degree in mathematics. This was majorly due to the mathematical nature of economic sciences — as I was aiming (and still aim!) to get a PhD in economics after my undergraduate degrees at Drexel. With a strong understanding of mathematics, I see myself able to pursue research in economics.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

One major advice is to take a lot of time to plan the courses you’ll be taking. Two majors mean twice the complications and required courses that are not offered all terms. Good communication with both advisors is also of huge importance.

Do you have any advice for other Drexel students who want to double major?

My advice is to take as many classes as you can, as early as you can. You don't have to declare the major to take classes as if you were one. By taking the classes, you will learn if you are actually up to double majoring, and the earlier you complete them, the more free time you will have in your final year or so, which is the crucial time when job searching and other commitments converge on you.

What are your goals or aspirations with your Drexel degrees?

Deciding on what major I should pursue has been a very difficult choice for me. Though I started with physics, I was also interested in subjects such as philosophy, psychology and English. This indecision made me question what I wanted to elicit out of my college degree. Should I choose a major that will offer me the best job prospects? Should I choose a subject that I simply find fascinating? Should I go for some combination of the two?

Ultimately, the question on which I based my decision was the following: “What sort of area of knowledge would I like to be certified in?” I realized that even though I had a burning interest in the humanities/social sciences, I would feel perfectly fine learning those things on my own or taking a few courses here and there.

I was still trying to figure out why I would want to be certified in an area of knowledge such as physics/math. That, I only realized in my third year. Each chapter within physical or mathematical topics provides one with a set of toolkits (namely proofs, equations etc.). With every new chapter, I get to learn a new set of these tools (e.g. Schroendiger equations in Quantum Mechanics) and how to use them smartly and efficiently. Even though the applications of these toolkits might be very specialized when it comes to the job market (mostly focused on research within the relative field), the mental training I had to have developed in order to understand the inner workings of each of these toolkits has allowed me to become a “trainee of toolkit mastery.”