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
@pichirisu
Ай бұрын
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
29 күн бұрын
Of course! I'm glad this helped you! What is your favorite math subject?
@pichirisu
29 күн бұрын
@@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
25 күн бұрын
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
25 күн бұрын
@@MathematicalToolbox For sure, I'll get back to you later down the road. It'll be a good one.
@chasefoxen
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
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!
@TranquilSeaOfMath
29 күн бұрын
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.
@anaghganguly8999
Ай бұрын
Been a while MT, good to see you again!
@MathematicalToolbox
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@MathematicalToolbox thank you so much!
@j.r.goralczyk4182
Ай бұрын
Needed to hear the part about not moving the goal post. Thank you.
@MathematicalToolbox
Ай бұрын
Indeed. Thank you for sharing!
@walter274
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
Spot on summary! What was your major and/or field of math?
@walter274
29 күн бұрын
@@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
29 күн бұрын
@@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
29 күн бұрын
@@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
29 күн бұрын
@@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.
@saidneder41
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
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!
@user-zx9zc2sk8y
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
100%! Thank you for sharing!
@naakatube
Ай бұрын
I'm sorry to hear that you went through all that struggle: university can be tough. To come out in front of your audience and tell the things as they are, was very brave from you, my respect. I ask myself: you tried so many paths... wasn't there a degree that interested you? You know, almost nobody enjoys every class and subject, it's a normal thing to have to grind through uninteresting stuff. Also i don't understand why you dislike university so much. It is true that there are some terrible professors, and some have a very bad an preposterous attitude, but there are also excellent teachers that really "nurture" young people and help them learn and achieve success in life. Don't you think in retrospective that maybe the situation (for exemple being pressured by your parents to enroll) led you to living the university so badly? Maybe in different conditions you would enjoy it! University has also such a cool social aspect to it, i really enjoyed my time there
@MathematicalToolbox
Ай бұрын
Thank you for saying that. It actually was a little tough! In short, I think that university asked more of me than I was willing to give. I can attribute many things to why I disliked university: 1. I was lazy 2. I was undisciplined 3. I lacked perspective 4. I had a terrible attitude 5. I was not doing what I wanted to be doing 6. ADHD In short, I am sure there would have been something that I would have enjoyed if I would have given it an honest shot. I actually really liked chemistry when I took chem I. I enjoyed the coursework and I really enjoyed lab. It was challenging, but it was appropriately challenging. But I would need to do more research before I could realistically say that I liked the subject as whole. There are a lot of subjects that interested me, but nothing interested me enough to put in that amount of work for 4+ years. Was there anything in life that interested me that much right out of high school? Maybe making money? Even if it wasn't a good paying job. I think I just wanted to make any amount of money and have some sort of autonomy. In general, I just had a bad attitude. School was hard for me and instead of trying, I said "this is stupid" (giving up). But at the same time I truly was not doing what I wanted to be doing. Is this a legitimate excuse to do poorly? I am not sure. I know if I could go back as a mature adult I would try much, much harder, or just leave and return when I knew I could succeed. But getting a degree was never my goal, and while I do feel like the mathematics curriculum "got one over" on me, it still is not my goal to get a mathematics degree. As far as the social aspect goes, quite honestly I was a social recluse after I left my community college and went to university. Which also did not help. What social aspects of university did you partake in? I'm sure that given the same set initial conditions, there exists a world where I do enjoy university. Just not this world. I could push through these emotions and mindsets and force myself to love university, but there are other things in life that I have always enjoyed. Some of these things are talking to people about cool and interesting stuff, such as martial arts and mathematics. I also like doing martial arts and mathematics. My current goals are to grow the channel, cultivate a healthy home environment for my child on the way, become a black belt in Judo and open up a Judo school in my region. The nearest Judo school is two and a half hours away from me, but this IS a goal that I could see myself putting the work in to accomplish. Lastly, I do have ADHD. It was undiagnosed until about 2021. I used to take a prescription medication for it, but I stopped taking the medications as they gave me pretty bad anxiety. Their fixes for the anxiety were always antidepressants, which I do not like to take. So I just stopped taking the medications. You can clearly see when this was that I stopped too. The uploads on this channel were not as frequent. I believe I stopped back in March. I enjoy just being me and not dealing with anxiety, although I did enjoy being efficient. There's always more work to be done as far as discipline goes. But what about yourself? Care to tell your story/experience with your degree/university? Thank you!
@naakatube
Ай бұрын
Cool video i am busy now but I'll check it out later
@guilhermecadori
Ай бұрын
Nice takes, my dude. Also, bro's into BJJ. Pretty cool!
@MathematicalToolbox
Ай бұрын
Indeed! It's been a lot of fun. How long have you been training BJJ for?
@guilhermecadori
Ай бұрын
@@MathematicalToolbox Just over three years. I'm still a blue belt. It's been a painful and rewarding experience, just like pursuing mathematics.
@sp123
Ай бұрын
This journey is normal for people who attempt math degrees because public mathematics education in America is terrible.
@MathematicalToolbox
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@MathematicalToolbox teachers don't have time to teach math because they are focused on kids passing standardized tests
Пікірлер: 41