- #1
wil3
- 179
- 1
Hello. I'm a recently graduated high school senior who is attending an Ivy next fall (I don't know if there's a forum decorum issue about naming which one). I need advice on what career path to take.
I'm currently planning on majoring in physics, since I feel that physics and chemistry are the two things that I really "get" when it comes to material/coursework.
Here's my problem: I'm good at math. I can do math well, and I can apply it to physics problems accurately. However, I'm not a math prodigy. I'm not one of those kids who won international math competitions from the cradle or who scrawls mathematical proofs on the back of napkins. I like math, and I like learning math, but outside of some sort of application to the real world, it loses my interest.
I feel like a lot of the major, groundbreaking discoveries that are left to be made in physics involve brilliant mathematical reasoning, which is something that I just don't have. I feel like, unlike a lot of the more talented physics students I'm sure I'll encounter next year, my interest in physics has more to do with experimentation. I built a Tesla coil my freshman year, and I do all sorts of crazy home science projects. I'm more inspired by the people like Tesla and Faraday, who just played around with things and discovered new phenomena, than I am by Maxwell, Heaviside, or other more theoretical scientists.
I don't know what to do, because, at least at the school I'm going to, physics is not something I can just switch in and out of. I know this sounds cliched, but I want to actually invent and discover new things. I feel like I won't be able to do this if I pursue physics because of my lack of math genius. Engineering doesn't seem right to me, since I am more interested in the hard science, I just prefer it in the context of making/discovering new things.
Any suggestions on what to do? If you think physics is still appropriate, what degree/career path should I consider?
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for any replies.
I'm currently planning on majoring in physics, since I feel that physics and chemistry are the two things that I really "get" when it comes to material/coursework.
Here's my problem: I'm good at math. I can do math well, and I can apply it to physics problems accurately. However, I'm not a math prodigy. I'm not one of those kids who won international math competitions from the cradle or who scrawls mathematical proofs on the back of napkins. I like math, and I like learning math, but outside of some sort of application to the real world, it loses my interest.
I feel like a lot of the major, groundbreaking discoveries that are left to be made in physics involve brilliant mathematical reasoning, which is something that I just don't have. I feel like, unlike a lot of the more talented physics students I'm sure I'll encounter next year, my interest in physics has more to do with experimentation. I built a Tesla coil my freshman year, and I do all sorts of crazy home science projects. I'm more inspired by the people like Tesla and Faraday, who just played around with things and discovered new phenomena, than I am by Maxwell, Heaviside, or other more theoretical scientists.
I don't know what to do, because, at least at the school I'm going to, physics is not something I can just switch in and out of. I know this sounds cliched, but I want to actually invent and discover new things. I feel like I won't be able to do this if I pursue physics because of my lack of math genius. Engineering doesn't seem right to me, since I am more interested in the hard science, I just prefer it in the context of making/discovering new things.
Any suggestions on what to do? If you think physics is still appropriate, what degree/career path should I consider?
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for any replies.