My Mathematics Background and University Experience

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Today we are talking about my background and some of the lessons I've learned over the past 10 or so years. I am being open and honest about my experiences in mathematics and university. I have had many failures and some successes along the way. I own my failures and shortcomings and if I imply otherwise at any point in the video then I apologize for that. My intent is not to say how hard or difficult my life is/was, but to share a message that hopefully resonates with some of you that have found yourself in similar position. Also, let me know if you all prefer this open ended style of video, or a more structured, formal, edited approach. This felt like more of a "podcast" style of video rather than a "X Things I learned in University" type video. Patreon: www.patreon.com/mathematicaltoolbox/membership Amazon affiliate links (paid links): Analysis Giaquinta: amzn.to/46JxdXu Integral Equations Wazwaz: amzn.to/4dlyAhs Stochastic Calculus Calin: amzn.to/3WEC4ER Linear Algebra Done Right: amzn.to/3WFnay5

[@anaghganguly8999]

Been a while MT, good to see you again!

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Thank you! You as well. I had so many issues with the recording of this video over the past month. I promise you all that just because I am not uploading does not mean that I'm not reading, recording, reviewing footage, etc. 😁 By the way, what is your favorite field/branch of mathematics?

[@anaghganguly8999]

@@MathematicalToolbox Well, always eager to watch a video by you my friend. This one was really special. I like Linear Algebra. Thank you so much for asking! Btw is it possible to reach out to you by mail?

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Yes, of course! You can find my email on the main channel page. I don't want to type it out here for spam reasons, but it's the channel name at Gmail.

[@anaghganguly8999]

@@MathematicalToolbox thank you so much!

[@pichirisu]

this almost entirely abolishes my imposter syndrome. Thank you for your humility and courage to share this about yourself, this encourages me and others like me, especially as an adult student.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Of course! I'm glad this helped you! What is your favorite math subject?

[@pichirisu]

@@MathematicalToolbox I’m currently enrolled in a math/stats program. I enjoy many different things about math, but I really enjoy statistics. I feel like it’s extremely underrated, but has such immense value and can be found anywhere. Abstract algebra is also extremely interesting though I’m new to it so have a lot to learn. Also any sort of math logic and math philosophy is really cool(especially since I have a psych/philo background prior to school). Hoping to tie these all together later down the road!

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Wow, you might be the third or so person in the last month or so that has told me that stats is their favorite subject! Interesting. I agree that stats is a very powerful subject, for sure. Thank you for sharing. Tying these all together does sound like it would be interesting. Let me know if you ever want to share your work with us later on down the line. E.g. a video, paper you (co)authored, research, etc.

[@pichirisu]

@@MathematicalToolbox For sure, I'll get back to you later down the road. It'll be a good one.

[@chasefoxen]

I've always wondered about your mathematics background. It is reassuring to hear you also struggled with math in undergrad, as I did too. Maybe that struggle inspires some level of desire to continue with the subject. I also had a victim mentality/lack of accountability at the start of university and once I let go of that and took responsibility for my own learning I found my stride. I think that's when I finally began to appreciate mathematics itself, versus just seeing it as a burden to getting my degree. I'm glad you made this video. Hearing people share "harsh" truths about academia and setting/following through with your goals is refreshing. For instance, sometimes I feel bad I didn't get into grad school, but then I see how toxic academia is to grad students and the mixed reviews on ROI and I feel like perhaps I dodged a bullet.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

I definitely agree that the struggle can sometimes give you that desire to continue with the subject. I'll be honest I'm far more proud of the B I got in ODEs than I am of the A I got in BVPs just because of the struggle. I also enjoyed the subject more. That's great that you were able to identify the short comings in your personality and mindset. Many people don't ever find this. I'm glad that you found the video useful. It was difficult for me to finally publish. I had issue after issue after issue (technical or otherwise) filming this video and then sat on it for about a week before uploading it. I 100% agree on the return on investment. There are a lot of people that go to school that maybe do not know what they *should* be doing to get the return on investment. It's a grind, and if it doesn't feel like a grind the you're probably doing it wrong. At least that was my experience. I couldn't even imagine this for graduate school. Must be more intense. I could see why you feel like you dodged a bullet. It is not something I would want to do. Thank you for sharing!

[@RainierVerschuren]

I recognize many of the struggles you've been through. Make sure that you always do want you think is best for you. Thanks for your advice.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

100%! Thank you for sharing!

[@oukid2633]

Thank you, this a very much an inspiration for me. I dropped out of high school and I've been self teaching computer science since

[@MathematicalToolbox]

You're very welcome! I am happy that you found it inspiring. Thank you for sharing. You can do it! Feel free to reach out if and when you need some mathematics help!

[@saidneder41]

Nice to hear your success story, very motivating! I got a C in discrete math and precalc, I had to retake pre-calc because it was B minimum to be part of the Computer Science program and I retook it and got B+, then I got C in discrete math, and I was not allowed to be part of the CS program because it requires Discrete math B minimum, so I changed to math instead that does not require B in discrete math but requires linear algebra with B. I'm in an international college student trying to transfer to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, and I'm finally transferring on Spring!!

[@MathematicalToolbox]

You can do it! But man, it can be very frustrating retaking classes. Keep your head up and be careful with shifting goal posts! What's your favorite field of math so far? Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[@TranquilSeaOfMath]

Your discussion of success is refreshing. More people probably need to hear it. Society would likely be better if this mindset, or something similar to it, was normalized. Judging ourselves against other people is not a good metric.

[@j.r.goralczyk4182]

Needed to hear the part about not moving the goal post. Thank you.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Indeed. Thank you for sharing!

[@walter274]

So part of what you're saying is you didn't really know what was going on in your early 20s. You like math and have some formal education in it. After college you learned more math, and now you talk about it on youtube. You're continuing your self directed studies in more depth. That sounds pretty normal and respectable to me. BTW: I'm not trying to trivialise what you're saying. I'm just summerising it from my perspective as a viewer of a math channel. I failed out of college at one point. Once i got into my late 20s i was lucky enough to get some additional opportunities and was able to further my formal education in math and related fields. It sounds like you're in a better spot in your life now, and you've gained a little bit of wisdom.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Spot on summary! What was your major and/or field of math?

[@walter274]

​@@MathematicalToolbox I have a BA in psyc with a "minor" in math. I was one class short (Abstract Algebra, which i later took in masters program) of the major and had both financial and motivational deficits that stopped me from coming back to finish it. Then i had the opportunity to work with one of the stat focused psyc faculty on some paper for the next two years. One night, an old friend was driving through a parking lot and saw me through the window in border and came in to say hi. We talked and she told me about a masters program in math ed that she was doing that had a graduate assistant possition. I applied. I did well on the GREs and that with the publications was enough to get me in. I did very well and was able to get into a PhD program in quantitative methods in social science. I took all of the stat classes in the psych department, which were mostly applied, then I took 6 stat classes in the stat department, which gave me gave me more grounding in probability and math stat, as well as a broader spectrum of applications. I also took 5 plain old educational psych classes. I should graduate in 2025.

[@walter274]

@@MathematicalToolbox I have a BA in psyc with a minor in math. I was one class short (Abstract Algebra, which i later took in masters program) of the major and had both financial and motivational deficits that stopped me from coming back to finish it. Then i had the opportunity to work with one of the stat focused psyc faculty on some paper for the next two years. An old friend was driving through a parking lot and saw me through the window in border and came in to say hi. We talked and she told me about a masters program in math ed that she was doing that had a graduate assistant position. I applied. I did well on the GREs and that with the publications was enough to get me in. I did very well and was able to get into a PhD program in quantitative methods in educational psychology. I took all of the stat classes in the psych department, which were mostly applied, then I took 6 stat classes in the stat department, which gave me gave me more grounding in probability and math stat, as well as a broader spectrum of applications. I also took 5 plain old educational psych classes. I should graduate in 2025.

[@walter274]

@@MathematicalToolbox I have a BA in psyc with a minor in math. I was one class short (Abstract Algebra) I didn't go back and finish it. Then i had the opportunity to work with one of the stat focused psyc faculty on some papers for the next two years. I found a masters program in math ed that had a graduate assistant position. I applied. I did well on the GREs and that with the publications I was able to get and become a grad assistant. I did very well and was able to get into a PhD program in quantitative methods in social science. I took all of the stat classes in the psyc department, which were mostly applied, then I took 6 stat classes in the stat department, which gave me gave me more grounding in probability and math stat, as well as a broader spectrum of applications. I should graduate in 2025.

[@walter274]

​@@MathematicalToolbox I have a BA in psyc with a minor in math. I was one class short (Abstract Algebra) I didn't go back and finish it. Then i had the opportunity to work with one of the stat focused psyc faculty on some papers for the next two years. I found a masters program in math ed that had a graduate assistant position. I applied. I did well on the GREs and I had publications. I was able to get in and become a grad assistant. I did very well and was able to get into a PhD program in quantitative methods in social science. I took all of the stat classes in the psyc department, which were mostly applied, then I took 6 stat classes in the stat department, which gave me gave me more grounding in probability and math stat, as well as a broader spectrum of applications. I should graduate in 2025.

[@guilhermecadori]

Nice takes, my dude. Also, bro's into BJJ. Pretty cool!

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Indeed! It's been a lot of fun. How long have you been training BJJ for?

[@guilhermecadori]

@@MathematicalToolbox Just over three years. I'm still a blue belt. It's been a painful and rewarding experience, just like pursuing mathematics.

[@encapsulatio]

What job do you have now that makes it possible for you to buy all those books?

[@MathematicalToolbox]

I've been buying them for around 10 years, so I've had a long time to build my library.

[@sp123]

This journey is normal for people who attempt math degrees because public mathematics education in America is terrible.

[@MathematicalToolbox]

Indeed. I think neither high school nor universities (at the early stages) do a good job at communicating what mathematics actually entails. At least, that is from my perspective. How do you see it?

[@sp123]

@@MathematicalToolbox teachers don't have time to teach math because they are focused on kids passing standardized tests