Math, oh Math
I'm not sure if I should feel guilty for taking an easier schedule than my peers in grad school.
At Western, short of a few classes like Fourier Series, Modeling, Prob&Stats, I took the most difficult classes available (though those may be just average by other program standards).
Now at UW, one of the most commended Applied Math programs in the world I feel like maybe I'm copping out. I've structured my year of material for 3 main subjects: Required Courses (Complex analysis, ODEs, PDEs), Scientific Computing (w/ some Numerical Analysis), and Optimization of many types.
My peers are taking Applied Analysis, ODE Analysis, PDE Analysis, the continuation of the Numerical Analysis series, Fluid Dynamics, and a bevy of other difficult topics. My interests do not lie in any of these fields. I have no investment in the expanding of my theoretical understanding, growing my analytical abilities. But these are the difficult, challenging, and high level aspects of many classes.
I'm surrounded by phD students and Masters students with aspirations to continue on to a doctorate. They sit in circles reading textbooks and published papers, doing independent research to build a foundation for a potential phD application or project. I just want to start working, and in a field I'm interested in. So I can take solace in the fact that I have hopefully constructed a schedule for this year perfect for my goals. But I can't help feeling that I'm not pushing myself to reach my max potential.
At Western, short of a few classes like Fourier Series, Modeling, Prob&Stats, I took the most difficult classes available (though those may be just average by other program standards).
Now at UW, one of the most commended Applied Math programs in the world I feel like maybe I'm copping out. I've structured my year of material for 3 main subjects: Required Courses (Complex analysis, ODEs, PDEs), Scientific Computing (w/ some Numerical Analysis), and Optimization of many types.
My peers are taking Applied Analysis, ODE Analysis, PDE Analysis, the continuation of the Numerical Analysis series, Fluid Dynamics, and a bevy of other difficult topics. My interests do not lie in any of these fields. I have no investment in the expanding of my theoretical understanding, growing my analytical abilities. But these are the difficult, challenging, and high level aspects of many classes.
I'm surrounded by phD students and Masters students with aspirations to continue on to a doctorate. They sit in circles reading textbooks and published papers, doing independent research to build a foundation for a potential phD application or project. I just want to start working, and in a field I'm interested in. So I can take solace in the fact that I have hopefully constructed a schedule for this year perfect for my goals. But I can't help feeling that I'm not pushing myself to reach my max potential.