How I ended up graduating with three majors, two minors
Scott Stewart
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Opinion
When I realized UC Berkeley would cost something like $100,000 for an out-of-state student, my plans immediately changed. UNO would be my home after high school and I would be studying computer science.
I was still interested in quantum computation, though, so I decided to take some physics classes while doing my general education and introductory programming courses. Two C's later, I was glad I wasn't majoring in one of the most difficult physics departments in the world. Nevertheless, I decided to finish out a minor in physics because science held a soft spot in my heart.
While coming to realize the hard sciences weren't for me, I discovered the joys of theoretical mathematics. Yeah, I'm serious: Math can be rewarding and fun when you have spent hours puzzling over a theorem only to finally see the light and understand how to write a proof, or when you complete pages of manual calculations, only to find an elegant, simple solution to a complex problem.
I decided I might as well pick up a second major in mathematics, taking a few theoretical mathematics courses along with my computer science program. For a while, my academic career was figured out again, as I explored different areas of mathematics and learned more than I wanted to know about the C/C++ programming languages.
Finally, I realized I didn't enjoy the different areas of mathematics as much as I enjoyed manipulating the underlying symbolic logic. Something about the simplicity of the handful of logical rules forming the basis of so much of our knowledge struck me as appealing, similar to how the potential revolutionary impact of quantum computing initially drew me to the Durham Science Center.
As simple as it seems on first blush, though, logic is arguably one of the most interdisciplinary areas in academics - with its two primary homes being in mathematics and philosophy. Accordingly, I decided I should check out a course in logic from the Department of Philosophy and enrolled in symbolic logic.
I was still interested in quantum computation, though, so I decided to take some physics classes while doing my general education and introductory programming courses. Two C's later, I was glad I wasn't majoring in one of the most difficult physics departments in the world. Nevertheless, I decided to finish out a minor in physics because science held a soft spot in my heart.
While coming to realize the hard sciences weren't for me, I discovered the joys of theoretical mathematics. Yeah, I'm serious: Math can be rewarding and fun when you have spent hours puzzling over a theorem only to finally see the light and understand how to write a proof, or when you complete pages of manual calculations, only to find an elegant, simple solution to a complex problem.
I decided I might as well pick up a second major in mathematics, taking a few theoretical mathematics courses along with my computer science program. For a while, my academic career was figured out again, as I explored different areas of mathematics and learned more than I wanted to know about the C/C++ programming languages.
Finally, I realized I didn't enjoy the different areas of mathematics as much as I enjoyed manipulating the underlying symbolic logic. Something about the simplicity of the handful of logical rules forming the basis of so much of our knowledge struck me as appealing, similar to how the potential revolutionary impact of quantum computing initially drew me to the Durham Science Center.
As simple as it seems on first blush, though, logic is arguably one of the most interdisciplinary areas in academics - with its two primary homes being in mathematics and philosophy. Accordingly, I decided I should check out a course in logic from the Department of Philosophy and enrolled in symbolic logic.
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Josh
posted 11/17/09 @ 4:12 PM CST
Congrats on finally graduating, I can't think of many people who haven't taken a class with you, worked with you at the Gateway, or been affected by you in someway at UNO. (Continued…)
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