A retrospective look at college math

I recommend the post What I Wish I Had Learned More About in College Mathematics, written by Sabrina Schmidt, a former math undergrad at Vassar who now works as a data manager. My favorite quote:

I wish that I had been introduced earlier and more often to applications, as they would have provided me with a better idea of potential areas of specialization after graduation.

She goes on to mention PageRank (which I usually cover in my numerical computation courses) as an application of linear algebra, and e-commerce as an application of number theory. She also has other STEM courses, statistics, and computer science on her wish list for her former self.

Good read.

Toby Driscoll
Toby Driscoll
Professor of Mathematical Sciences

My research interests are in scientific computation, mathematical software, and applications of mathematics in the life sciences.