kramer733 said:
This really got me discouraged because what's carried me through math was because i was always willing to work at it and work hard at it. So bottom line, is this really true?
No one can really give you a straight answer. Natural ability has some effect on how you do in higher level maths, but no one really knows how much. I have never seen a person who really felt math was interesting who wasn't able to do it. This may of course be because they have dropped out earlier for some reason, but this is purely anecdotal.
However I have seen a number of people arrive at university and find that they have no idea what math really is. That math is barely about calculations.
If i can't do this, i don't know what to do at all with my life.
Perhaps you should talk with someone with a bit more perspective on the matter than you. Maybe a guidance counselor at your school (if they have those), or maybe your parents. There are lots of alternatives that require skills that are close to that of mathematics. For instance I find that mathematicians or people thinking about choosing mathematics often find the following areas interesting:
- Physics (or other science-related subjects like chemistry, biology, etc.)
- Engineering
- Computer science
- Statistics
- Software engineering (programming)
What do you think about doing after college? If you just want a "regular" math degree (by which I assume you mean bachelor) there is not much chance of doing research mathematics so you will have to find something else you like (whether it's some applied form of mathematics, or something a bit more remote). I'm not saying math is not the right thing for you, but perhaps you should think a little more about the alternatives before committing to one subject.
Or is all you need hardwork?
Probably, but different kinds of people needs different amounts of hard work and if you need 23hours/day, then of course you won't be able to make it. However with some intelligent study habit and an interest in the subject I believe you would probably be able to succeed in
mathematics.
In many ways academics are elitists and a lot of people who went through some kind of degree like to think that not many people could have done that. People like to feel special. Given that their social groups like to as well it's easy to provide positive feedback in a social group that ultimately results in everyone having an exaggerated sense of how hard their degree is. I believe this to be part of the reason why it's common for people to delude themselves into thoughts like "only a select few can do <x>". If you are reasonably hard-working and able to study smartly, then you will be able to get a bachelors in mathematics.