Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
1/ I recently had a conversation with someone who majored in physics at UChicago. He initially started in math & thought he was prepared having taken AP Calculus BC, but he got smacked in the face by the level of abstraction and proof-writing ability that was assumed.
Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
2/ He couldnât keep up with his classmates who had already done proofs while taking even MORE advanced courses in high school. So he switched to physics where proofs were less frequent & the playing field felt more level in terms of prior knowledge that classmates had coming in.
Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
3/ He would have liked to study math if he had more time to catch up, or if he knew earlier how far behind he was â but he did great in his high school math classes & was recognized as one of the âsmart kids,â so he never suspected he was actually behind the curve.
Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
4/ If youâre an aspiring math major & you want to avoid the same fate, you should really consider taking @_MathAcademy_ âs Methods of Proof (MoP) course the summer before heading off to university: https://mathacademy.com/courses/methods-of-proofâŚ
Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
5/ MoP covers many different types of proofs in many different contexts. You see the whole zoo. You develop tons of experience with concrete examples that get built upon in more advanced subjects like real analysis & abstract algebra, & even more niche stuff like number theory.
Justin Skycak @justinskycak 2024-06-24
6/ Anyone who takes MoP will feel a seamless transition into serious math courses as opposed to the typical shock & overwhelm. Seriously, if every aspiring math major took MoP the summer before heading to university I bet it would cut the math major drop rate by more than half.