Have I wasted my youth? (I need advice Please)

[luxhydrus]

I am a 19 year old First year university student.

Ok well this is my story
I always had a gift for mathematics, without doing homework or learning it by book i would still get an A+ in all my math classes,

I always asked for harder problems and more advanced material when i was in elementry/high school, but all the teachers at my small school didn't bother in guiding me. (didn't have ib or Ap, ect.)

Now that i am in university as a science student, and I'm still acing all my math classes too easily.. (im switching to math)

However there are these other students the same age as me who took all these advanced AP courses and independent mathematical studying since the beginning of high school, and i feel that i am wayyy behind them in terms of material (not intellect).

i've also read the biographies of over 60 prominant mathematicians and they all started really early.

Is there still a chance for me to make it big in mathematics, or am I at a huge disadvantage?

 

[Theorem.]

I don't see how you are at a disadvantage at all... University is not geared towards teaching strictly IB and AP taught students. Although, you will have to put hard work in (just like they will), especially in higher level classes. Math doesn't stay "easy" forever, the elementary courses are focused more on computation, once you enter the more rigorous mathematics things get much more interesting (if you put the work in). Just keep your head up and put the work in. Good luck

 

[Pengwuino]

Did any of those biographies mention jack squat about the subjects high school preparation? How well you do is just based on... well, how well you do! How good of a *whatever* you are is based mainly on how much time you put into it, not whether or not you took some class years back when no one cares.

 

[lisab]

Sounds to me like you have passion and talent for math. Go for it, don't worry about things you can't change now, and best of luck to you!

 

[Choppy]

Seriously?

You're 19 years old and you have the opportunity to study a subject that you have a passion for at a university - something the vast majority of the people in the world will never have.

It almost sounds to me like you're fishing for an excuse not to push yourself. If other posters came on these boards and reinforced the notion that if you hadn't taken advantage of special programs in high school, you won't really have a chance to do anything useful in university than it give you an easy out. You still get to be a member of the 'intellectual elite' but you don't have to work to get there because you didn't start under a very particular set of initial conditions.

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. Sure, other kids have been exposed to 'special' programs and they may have some advantages that you didn't get. But there's no point in seeing the advanatges of others as a disadvantage for yourself. There's no reason you can't learn everything you need to in order to be successful - especially at 19 years old.

 

[pzona]

If you love the topic and have some innate ability to do it well, there's no reason you can't be just as successful or even more so than anyone else who's much better prepared than you are. Plenty of the best mathematicians never had AP classes (or even formal training) in their childhood. A great example is Srinivasa Ramanujan, who you may have heard of in your readings.

Anyway, my point is that if you put in the time and effort, and actually care about what you do, you'll be fine. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

Seriously?

You're 19 years old

"

The general theme here is actually pretty common around here, the response?: don't compare yourself to Pascal, Erdos or anyone else that was a child prodigy. There's no need - you are who you are; you're not the next Pascal, you're the next you. If you enjoy maths and find it easy, then great, keep at it.

 

[Jokerhelper]

Yes, you've wasted your entire life. So what?

 

[chiro]

I am a 19 year old First year university student.

Ok well this is my story
I always had a gift for mathematics, without doing homework or learning it by book i would still get an A+ in all my math classes,

I always asked for harder problems and more advanced material when i was in elementry/high school, but all the teachers at my small school didn't bother in guiding me. (didn't have ib or Ap, ect.)

Now that i am in university as a science student, and I'm still acing all my math classes too easily.. (im switching to math)

However there are these other students the same age as me who took all these advanced AP courses and independent mathematical studying since the beginning of high school, and i feel that i am wayyy behind them in terms of material (not intellect).

i've also read the biographies of over 60 prominant mathematicians and they all started really early.

Is there still a chance for me to make it big in mathematics, or am I at a huge disadvantage?

Hey there and welcome to the forums.

Its pretty common here that people, especially newcomers and young ones pretty much ask the same question.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about trying to become the next Gauss. If that is a priority to you, then you are probably going to be miserable. Let's look at the possibilities:

1) You don't end up being the next Gauss

In this case you end up miserable and may even have a breakdown psychologically of some sort.

2) You do become the next Gauss.

Ok so now you're famous and everyone is calling you a genius, but then what? What happens after that? You've got everyone calling you a genius, patting you on the back, talking about your work but what happens when it wears off? Chances are you're going to be miserable as well once that charade dissappears.

I guess what I'm trying to say is to do something you like doing and don't bother about where you stand socially in the scheme of things because you will be constantly evaluating and comparing yourself to others which will probably make you miserable at some point in the future.

Sure its ok to admire others, its good to be surrounded by ambitious people who share your interests and values, but you have to be comfortable with yourself and your achievements. Its a shame, and I see this a lot, that young minds are flooded with stories of people who climb everest, invent relativity, become invincible sportsmen and so on that, as a result, makes the young people view themselves as something less than human unless they can be the next genius, warrior, or something of that nature.

So yeah in a nutshell, learn to be comfortable with yourself and know that you have talents, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that many people don't: have a positive attitude and you will attract more positivity in your life.

 

[Donaldson]

Oh yeah, 19 years old, your life is over. Nowhere to go but down hill from here.

 

[staddum]

Oh yeah, 19 years old, your life is over. Nowhere to go but down hill from here.

that was sarcasm.

 

[Donaldson]

that was sarcasm.

Whats that?

 

[mathwonk]

as a 68 year old, talking to a 19 year old, no, you have not even spent your youth yet. much less wasted it.

 

[pongo38]

It is said that advertisements to make you buy things exploit one or more of (1) vanity, (2) fear, and (3) greed. You have demonstrated all of those, like everyone else has. Now think what three words or phrases would be the opposites of those and develop those in yourself. It's quite a challenge, but so worthwhile.

 

[cobalt124]

All I can say is - Wowwwwww!. You are nineteen and you have all that potential to fulfil ahead of you. Go for it, dummy, I'm jealous.

Most of what I would say to you has already been said. I think it's sad that children today are under so much pressure to grow up quickly that when they get to nineteen they end up feeling like this. Though in your case you are probably reading about Galois (not the best example!) and so on and where they were at nineteen. I would disregard the biographies as anything other than entertainment and if you mean E.T. Bells biographies, which have inspired so many people I believe, they give no insight into what it means to be a mathematician day by day, he gives a very romanticised account.

You are nineteen, a teenager, still a kid! Don't give yourself milestones set in stone. Use your potential, be flexible, be honest and realistic, and enjoy it all. Enjoy being nineteen, it won't happen to you again.

Just so you know, I've never been in academia, I'll never be a good mathematician, but I have some little experience on wasting my potential.

As for your thread title, no you most definitely have not.

 

[CrossFit415]

No, I've read posts on this forum about the elderly getting their degrees in engineering. I've seen them in my chemistry classes. We re not old to pursue goals, we ve got roads ahead.

But I'm also in the same boat as you... I'm in school for years not knowing what to aim for..

But now I know what I'm aiming for.

 

[c03rcion]

Look, people don't just wake up and say "You know what?--I am going to derive an equation that shows that no heat engine has an efficiency that reaches unity!". Sadi Carnot derived such an equation in the early 1800s, but its not because he decided to do it on a whim. He just went about his business doing what he enjoyed. You should do the same. I experienced the same concerns you have expressed and all I can say is, if your passion for the subject is sincere, don't quit on yourself. I graduated in December with a Chemistry degree. I met many math majors along the way. Many students choose math because they find the computations easy, and when they take their upper level classes they panic because they have finally been confronted with a challenge that doesn't involve solving for a number.