TL;DR: How different is university maths to high school maths?
the background:
I spent a couple years improving scores and making up for being a shit student in highschool and I'm trying to get into CS in a good uni in my country.
I'm currently in a sort of pre-academic year (high school maths, physics and "writing" taking place in a uni) and I emailed the uni I want to ask if they can consider the fact I'll get some of my scores after application is closed, and the lady who answered me said CS applications already closed.
She also said that I have scores of my equivalent to the SATs that are enough to be accepted automatically into a maths degree, so I don't have to wait for my current course's scores.
If I go for it I can take a lot of CS electives, and if I get a certain average in a few subjects I can transfer in the second year to CS (the first year in maths and CS is identical if I take the right electives).
I'm almost certain I'll go for it because I have a decent chance of transferring and even if I don't a maths degree like this would open the same doors to programming as a proper CS degree, maybe even more.
From a quick glance at the courses available in any of these options there are very few CS courses I'd be missing entirely, so I think I could still do actual learning in my desired field if I don't transfer.
My only concern is that me and maths were never good friends, it doesn't come easy for me, particularly things like recalling equations (or facts in geometry), recognizing when something should be solved with what equation and pluses and minuses getting mixed up halfway in.
I understand the use of maths in programming (at least, in any form of interesting programming) and I'd even go as far as say I can appreciate it's beauty and simplicity, but I just can't "relate" to it in the same way I can to programming.
a lot of people say uni maths is more theoretical than applied and practical, is that true? could it be enough to save me?
the background:
I spent a couple years improving scores and making up for being a shit student in highschool and I'm trying to get into CS in a good uni in my country.
I'm currently in a sort of pre-academic year (high school maths, physics and "writing" taking place in a uni) and I emailed the uni I want to ask if they can consider the fact I'll get some of my scores after application is closed, and the lady who answered me said CS applications already closed.
She also said that I have scores of my equivalent to the SATs that are enough to be accepted automatically into a maths degree, so I don't have to wait for my current course's scores.
If I go for it I can take a lot of CS electives, and if I get a certain average in a few subjects I can transfer in the second year to CS (the first year in maths and CS is identical if I take the right electives).
I'm almost certain I'll go for it because I have a decent chance of transferring and even if I don't a maths degree like this would open the same doors to programming as a proper CS degree, maybe even more.
From a quick glance at the courses available in any of these options there are very few CS courses I'd be missing entirely, so I think I could still do actual learning in my desired field if I don't transfer.
My only concern is that me and maths were never good friends, it doesn't come easy for me, particularly things like recalling equations (or facts in geometry), recognizing when something should be solved with what equation and pluses and minuses getting mixed up halfway in.
I understand the use of maths in programming (at least, in any form of interesting programming) and I'd even go as far as say I can appreciate it's beauty and simplicity, but I just can't "relate" to it in the same way I can to programming.
a lot of people say uni maths is more theoretical than applied and practical, is that true? could it be enough to save me?
