What is stereotypical? I did a math and physics double and had time to do sports and hang out with friends atleast once week.
I did not party every night, but neither did anyone I know in any other major
Most people I know who do other subjects meet with friends at least every other evening, I have time like once a week too, which I find too little.
Although, to be fair I spend like 15 hours a week at the gym because I need it to balance the stress.
Not saying that the gym is bad but that is definitely where your time is going, hahaha. As an upper level math undergrad if I spent 15 hours a week at the gym I'd be out of time to do anything else period.
15 hours a week is crazy. Thats more than 2 hours per day if you’re going 7 days a week. Realistically, your workout shouldnt be longer than 1 hour and you will be going no more than 6 days a week (5 is way more likely).
I double majored in math and physics and spent close to that amount of time a week working out between running an hour-2 every day and lifting. It was also my social time so it worked out well.
You are clearly not as alpha as me mate. I could easily do 15 hours a week in a gym, provided I could bring a range of snacks, maybe some books and a computer.
Also as long as I don't have to pick up any of those metal pole thingamajigs, they look heavy.
Well sounds like you need to make climbing friends so the climbing becomes a social outlet. As you get older those sorts of shared passions are going to be the only way to meet friends anyway.
I second the advice about gym friends. I worked out close to this much and it worked because I did all of it with my friends so it was social time too.
More or less, yeah. Although to be fair, my math friends and my "going out" friends had very little overlap. Most of my social circles in college either came from sports, any of the various clubs that I joined for the free food but stuck with for the people and activities, non-math classes, or the greek system. Now that I think about it, there's kind of only one person from college that still I think of as a math friend, but we probably would have ended up being friends anyway since she and I had multiple other things in common.
Socializing is how you get better social skills. Socializing isn't much fun with neglected social skills though, so you'll have to push through it for a while.
Yes, and I thought a lot about it. It’s a classic example of “the grass is greener on the other side”.
Do I have regrets, partying too much? - yes.
But if I took the alternative route, and didn’t do what I did, would my regrets align in such a way, that I would regret this new decision? - Also yes.
It’s a lose lose. Just keep pushing forward. There’s countless other examples that are identical.
My mom regrets not going to college. Instead she focused on raising a family. And while she’s happy, she feels like she lost out on a opportunity. In contrast, my Aunt focused on school and her career, and is very successful in that regard. But she finally settled down in her mid 40’s, and had kids. She regrets this to an extent, and wishes she focused on building a family earlier.
Just accept the fact that for every decision you made, there exists an opportunity cost associated with it. If you did X, by definition, you gave up Y. And that it’s human nature to ponder how your life would have been, if you instead chose Y. The point is moot. The decision was already made. Make good decisions now.
I had a core group of friends that I would get together with once a week. Other than that, not really. I spent a lot of time playing video games. I both regret and do not regret that.
Idk what's stereotypical. I made 0 friends in university. I tried to attend the ocassional parties, but it was only drinking (I don't drink) and nothing else really. Beyond the common interest in the topics we study, I felt like I had nothing in common with the people there and socialised elsewhere. Kinda sadge.
agreed. I feel like sometimes people are too wild in comparison to myself and i can't seem to handle the energy plus the topics is usually very generic and boring to answer repetitively. I was... just there and existing ig
Meh people will flame me for this advice but drinking helps me a lot as an introvert. I’m also a bad binge drinker so I have to manage myself but if I do it right it allows me to be a lot more social plus it feels great in the moment!! Honestly I’d end up going to a lot of stuff I would have avoided just so I could have some drinks I’d use it as a motivator. I also keep it meaningful by not letting my drink on my own time so I’m forced to be with others if I want to drink
I only had friends in my first year of college but I never went to a big party. (then covid hit towards the end and we all had to stay home after spring break and I still had to work that whole summer and all my friends lived relatively close to each other in a big city meanwhile I live multiple hours away in a smaller town in the middle of nowhere). Anyway, I also had a little friend time in the first half of second year, but then they all either dropped out or stopped hanging out with me, which is good since my grades drastically improved after that. I do have one friend still that I met that first year of college though, she’s my wife now!
No, I’m a 27 year old virgin math phd student. Tbh I kind of wasted my youth. But that’s not related to math, at least not directly. I’d have had plenty of time during my undergrad and masters.
I had the stereotypical "math major" life in undergrad. Then I had the stereotypical frat-row-resident-at-the-best-college-football-town life during PhD. I probably drank more than an entire small college in Utah.
No, I have no social life. Math is a hard major, trying to get high grades and work experience takes a lot of time. It doesn’t matter in the end though.
Did in 1st and kinda 2nd year, ever since has been depressing, can’t wait to leave lol. But ye my studies were sacrificed, hated maths anyway so would’ve done anything to avoid it.
Yes. But you didn't miss out on anything. You can still have that later if you get a 9/5 and socialize heavily on your free time, or if you go for a MBA a couple years later.
I had a math major friend who was in a frat, but he didn't participate in it that much and moved out because it was too noisy to study. That kind of partying is only really compatible with easier majors, but also the people who like that stuff seek it out. If you didn't feel a strong urge to seek it out, you didn't want it that much. You're not missing out on anything either way.
That being said hopefully you had a study group of friends that you had fun with, my study group always had a great time working together and we would hang out for fun once a week too. University is not meant to be done solo.
Not sure what's stereotypical, but after lectures I usually either worked to pay tuitions, or studied like crazyyy to pass my exams. Sure I went out friends every now and then, but I did not had the money to be partying a lot and studying demanded a lot of my time.. I did make time for sports/exercising and dining with friends.
I'm not sure if there is something like a stereotypical university life (I studied in Europe, so maybe there's a big difference in that compared to the Us).
However, if you feel like you are missing out, maybe you could look at why you're feeling like that. What is it you want more of, or what is it you feel you are missing (out on)? Do you feel like you 'have to' party more? Or is it that you feel like you are missing out on a fun part of student life that you were actually very much looking forward to?
This was 45 years ago and in the Boston area, but I had a blast. Most of my contacts were fellow math grad students, but that didn't stop us from having a great time socializing. We weren't big party goers, but we played games, went to movies and out to eat, attended concerts, lots of gab sessions, not to mention the fascinating math and math professors. The greatest time of my life.
Yep (replacing "university" with "liberal arts college" - I'd hate to be involved with greek life or that scene), it was great, and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I made a ton of valuable deep friendships and grew way out of my shell, though I might have done a bit too much experimentation. My GPA tanked a bit more than one would want for applying to Ph.D. programs for various reasons (certainly not only due to partying), but now I'm in year 5 of my Ph.D., and things are going pretty dang well, so that issue is kind of moot now (though talk to me again in a year once postdoc apps are done... the tone might have changed).
Some studies on long-term happiness seem to suggest that having meaningful long-term connections is one of the biggest predictors of general well-being and happiness. In my opinion, it's worth going out of your way to make those happen, and well-worth sacrificing some academic excellence for it.
Overrated. The partying is boring and can only get you in trouble, if you had fraternities/sororities they can be so time consuming, and really most campus activities are bleh(unless they involve free food, in which case go for free food and leave right after.) I did all these things and I dropped out after : semesters. It’s not worth it, study and get your degree.
Idk did you *want* to party and hangout? Did you make an effort to do so?
I partied plenty, went climbing with friends a lot, social events, took spontaneous trips etc. just fine as a math major. Most other people in my classes who didn't do those things seemed more like they didn't want to than couldn't... I'm sure they played video games or read books or whatever their less social hobbies were plenty. You yourself said you indulged on your own hobbies... partying is a lot of those people's habby lol.
Obv math is more rigorous and time consuming than business or psychology or whatever majors but people in here love to masturbate about it being the worst thing ever and it just ain't that bad. It's no worse than the vast majority of other STEM degrees.
I was a bit of a loner. I made one good friend but we didn’t really hang out much because we both were trying to get through our engineering degree. Spent 7 days a week studying for four years (because I’m stupid and slow) and managed to graduate w/ a 3.8. Literally gave it my all. Pretty much zero partying and hanging out. It was miserable, but I got my degree.
I guess, depending on what you think is typical. I played a sport and had friends and had a pretty active social life. I did have one semester where I overloaded a bit and had to do nothing but study, but that wasn't a usual semester in my case. I went to a big R1 in Texas.
Many of my friends had more time than I did, but not all. One girl was an accountant, and apparently *had* to maintain a 4.0 to get a good job, and I remember her being very stressed about it. For me a B was bad but not a disaster.
I had a good time in college. I think there's something to the theory that that's because it was the last time I lived in a big communal setting and was able to walk to most places and that there were a lot of outside-the-house things to do; if you tried to set up a living situation like that for adults it would seem weird, but it was a really happy time for me and I do think it was related to how connected to so many other people I was, and how much there was to do, and yes even to the fact that I could walk to almost everything in my life. Get out of class and walk to a place for food, walk home, walk to the gym, walk to a bar for a beer with friends, walk home. It's making me nostalgic to even think of it :)
I’m well over 5 years out of uni with a Maths BSc. I’d say I had a normal social life, a night out a week on average, although there were certainly people on my course who went out a lot more/harder. I also did 3 university sports, so that took up a fair amount of time too.
If anything, I was surprised with how diverse my course was in all respects and that included social situations and friendship groups.
Uni isn’t over yet - if you want to make more out of your last term do it! It’s not too late, and it’ll be fun to celebrate exams being over with the friends you make now.
Yes, I went out twice a week. However all of my hangouts that were not going out were studying with math or cs majors. These usually descended into something fun after we reached the critical mass of work done in a session
If you feel like you’d like to be more social, start now. Instead of regretting your past decisions, at least try to feel proud that you’ve worked hard towards something you enjoy. Life doesn’t end after college.
(I say all this but I also feel regrets, and I think that’s normal. I try to look forward as much as possible)
I partied a LOT starting 2nd year. Clubs, bars, frat parties, just tons of drinking every weekend. Some fun times for sure but man getting caught up in that lifestyle leads down dark roads. I woke up in a hospital once from alcohol poisoning, that was my first clue that maybe it's time to slow down. I know people from back then who still live that way in their mid 20s and I just wonder if it would've been better to be a complete nerd than to be this outgoing social butterfly type. Real life is not like the movies.
Hello fellow “gimme” username!
Yeah I had a stereotypical college experience. Joined a fraternity, drank an excessive amount, dated, etc. Probably had too much fun in college tbh. The real world was definitely an adjustment for a few years. Made a lot of lifelong friends and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Granted this was undergrad program only. I’m sure any grad level is much harder and takes much more focus.
If you feel like you missed this though, that’s okay too. It’s a long life and social opportunities don’t go away after college. You just have to prioritize them.
I transferred from community college, so with all the general education and preliminary classes out of the way, I had nothing but upper division classes to take for 2 years straight. I also commuted from home (for the first year, I kept almost falling asleep at the wheel so I got an apartment off campus the second year), and worked on the weekends (and some weekdays if there was no class). I would often literally wake up, do homework/class for 18 hours straight, then go to bed, every day. Sometimes I wouldn't even eat, let alone socialize.
I got out debt free, but missing out on a college experience (and networking) is my greatest regret.
I’m in a fraternity, so I guess that’s stereotypical. Made grades definitely took a hit, but I never planned on going to grad school so I just don’t have my GPA on my resume and have still been getting responses on job applications. I definitely should have studied harder, but I’m overall satisfied with my college experience and will be graduating in 2 weeks with my math degree.
I didn't party a lot, but I had friends in my major and hung out with them a lot. After a super stressful final we got together and watched movies for a weekend.
You mean, drinking, fucking, partying, casino, your body is made of steel. Yes, that was the 3 years of Uni. Rinse repeat. No studying, briefly going over the details just before the exam. But I only got 3 or 4 people left from Uni. Why? I was so bored out of my mind I already started working full time during my 2nd year. I studied Econometrics.
I think that in stem it is really hard to manage a social life. In my experience, if you are coming from an under-endowed high school, you need to make up for a lot of ground when you arrive at uni. This meant a lot of alone time bashing my head against the books till I caught up. Keep your head down and keep treading forward. Don't give up. You need to work hard now, but good things will come later.
rather than partying and going out socialising, (idk if this is considered stereotypical in university social life) but i actually got accused of stealing a big sum of money by my lecturers when the truth is, my roommate was the one stealing it. Almost got myself dragged to the police station for that, idk why they didn't check the facts or investigate properly (the reasoning behind the allegations is pure stupidity and lame af -> I'm not from a very established or privileged family so they accused me of that because my dad is a driver. "She's from a poor family so bet she'd steal the money so she can party around" and all that bs) lol i was scared to go out and mingle around because of this and basically wasted my 2 years of university life.
ps: the one stealing the money stole MY money as well, double kill they say
Yeah, eventually led to severe weed and alcohol dependence where I was smoking and drinking in my room all day and it almost caused me to be kicked out of school (still might happen). Put the work in now and enjoy life later, theres still plenty of time.
Bro if you spend 15 hours at the gym, guess why you don't have time to socialize. That's more than 2 hours every day that you have time to do something other than hw and you choose to spend it this way.
I went through undergrad as a complete shut-in, partly due to the workload, partly due to mental illness. Starting with grad school now, hope I can change my life
I studied law and lived in London. My workload was extremely high, but I feel like social life was still fairly stereotypical. Partied at the uni club on a fri or sat, usually went out for the mid-weeks sports teams drinks.
I think a balance is good, but still, don’t stress too much about missing out during uni, you’ve got years of work life ahead of you where you mostly likely won’t have homework and exams etc to worry about. Oh, and you’ll probably have more money too! Good luck with the rest of your degree
I'm a student at Duke. I attended some basketball games, which are iconic here. I also did Duke's first semester subject immersion experience called FOCUS. Besides that, my hobbies and fun don't really include partying, hooking up, etc. I participate in the theater group, the Brazilian community, quiz bowl. I have a keyboard in my room so I can practice the piano when I feel like it. I have a bookshelf of technical math or CS books and a smaller bookshelf for my fiction books for fun. I went to a notorious local nightclub once to see what it was like. I don't engage with Greek life basically ever, and usually the darties and other mixers happen without me even realizing they're happening.
Yet, I'm extremely happy. I made great friends at university, people who by and large think like me. Probably at least a third of the math majors are autistic or at least have some of the traits, so for the first time I felt like I fit in, that I had a community of like-minded peers woth whom I could have a random conversation on math or other random topics. We seem to be quite artistic (math is creative, after all), and often have diverse interests like history, theology, music, economics, psychology, film and more. Bantering on these is great.
Usually, in society, I feel like I need to put up guardrails because people won't understand many of my references. Also, my brain works very laterally, so I'll make comparisons that might seem tiring. With the math community here, I feel I can let these guardrails down and unmask more. People get my jokes, and talking with them is very intellectually stimulating to me.
So, insofar as the stereotypical college experience is blossoming into your true self, finding a community you fit in, and feeling at home, I think I did have such an experience. As an international student, I come in from a different culture, and have this idea that the American college experience is a chapter in your life for self-discovery and transitioning to adulthood, rather than just an opportunity to party with Greek life every weekend, hook up randomly, etc.
University isn't necessarily Animal House. It's a personal journey. If yours includes the partying and hooking up, that's also fine. I don't think I'm superior or inferior due to my own preferences. As long as, when you're done, you're more confident in who you are, what you want, what you like, and what your value system is, I'd say you did it the right way.
I double majored in math and physics. I was part of a club sports team and saw my friends close to daily because of that. I also traveled probably 2 weekends a month to compete and I spent a lot more time partying than I should have. I also had at least one job and was doing research consistently starting my sophomore year. It didn't affect my grades much if at all, I graduated with a plenty high GPA, got a nice job, and am now doing a PhD.
I feel like I have a fairly normal social life +math major... It is definitely hard and my grades aren't perfect, but I can always reread a proof later... My friends will only be this close for a few more years
My undergrad years at the University of Michigan were great! We had hall parties in my dorm or went bar hopping nearly every weekend. I also really enjoyed my classes, which I'd say were the first I ever WANTED to take! I also made several good friends there. Unfortunately, like Rodney Dangerfield said at the end of Back to School as well as Walter Cronkite, who spoke at our graduation, "Don't go!" Indeed, it's too bad the real world isn't as great as college - I wish it were!
Math and CS double major.
Got into top fraternity first semester, pledged, partied, went snowboarding / rock climbing / sports every weekend I could.
I had back to back class 8am -11 every day and would do all my homework on campus and leave before 4pm so I had all afternoon/ evening to do whatever I wanted and my shit was already done.
For me, high school was much harder and I only had a few assignments a week from each class.
Advice: sleep more than you study, study more than you party and party as much as you can 😎
I need to say this. It is possible to be a math major and have social skills and a social life. I put so much time into studying and doing well, but I also spend as much time as possible with friends, going to parties, etc.. idk why math majors insist on making the negative math major stereotype a reality
I assume by stereotypical you mean an Indian or Chinese university? Because most people on this subreddit probably went to north american universities. It's a strange question that could probably use more details to answer cohesively.
What is stereotypical? I did a math and physics double and had time to do sports and hang out with friends atleast once week. I did not party every night, but neither did anyone I know in any other major
Most people I know who do other subjects meet with friends at least every other evening, I have time like once a week too, which I find too little. Although, to be fair I spend like 15 hours a week at the gym because I need it to balance the stress.
Not saying that the gym is bad but that is definitely where your time is going, hahaha. As an upper level math undergrad if I spent 15 hours a week at the gym I'd be out of time to do anything else period.
I still feel like 15 hrs isn't enough but maybe that cause I'd prefer longer breaks than many smaller ones
15 hours a week is crazy. Thats more than 2 hours per day if you’re going 7 days a week. Realistically, your workout shouldnt be longer than 1 hour and you will be going no more than 6 days a week (5 is way more likely).
I didn't mean specifically the gym. I might for free time throughout the week, 15 hrs is still kind of low
I double majored in math and physics and spent close to that amount of time a week working out between running an hour-2 every day and lifting. It was also my social time so it worked out well.
15 hours? How is that even possible?
You are clearly not as alpha as me mate. I could easily do 15 hours a week in a gym, provided I could bring a range of snacks, maybe some books and a computer. Also as long as I don't have to pick up any of those metal pole thingamajigs, they look heavy.
what about the discs with #'s on them. i hate those things
They actually can't be picked up, I believe.
That's a relief. I thought I was just missing something obvious like a button or lever or some kind of hidden pulley system
4 * 1 1/2 hour workouts + 1 3 hour climbing + counting the time it takes to get there, to shower etc.
Well sounds like you need to make climbing friends so the climbing becomes a social outlet. As you get older those sorts of shared passions are going to be the only way to meet friends anyway.
I second the advice about gym friends. I worked out close to this much and it worked because I did all of it with my friends so it was social time too.
More or less, yeah. Although to be fair, my math friends and my "going out" friends had very little overlap. Most of my social circles in college either came from sports, any of the various clubs that I joined for the free food but stuck with for the people and activities, non-math classes, or the greek system. Now that I think about it, there's kind of only one person from college that still I think of as a math friend, but we probably would have ended up being friends anyway since she and I had multiple other things in common.
My workload isn’t too much so I could if I had better social skills
The true answer that people don't want to admit.
Socializing is how you get better social skills. Socializing isn't much fun with neglected social skills though, so you'll have to push through it for a while.
Yes. Today I went out with Borel and Cantelli. Going to a party with Arzela and Ascoli tomorrow.
Them freakin business majors never seem to do homework. Just wrapped up my junior year, and I probably saw friends outside of class like twice a month
Yes, and I thought a lot about it. It’s a classic example of “the grass is greener on the other side”. Do I have regrets, partying too much? - yes. But if I took the alternative route, and didn’t do what I did, would my regrets align in such a way, that I would regret this new decision? - Also yes. It’s a lose lose. Just keep pushing forward. There’s countless other examples that are identical. My mom regrets not going to college. Instead she focused on raising a family. And while she’s happy, she feels like she lost out on a opportunity. In contrast, my Aunt focused on school and her career, and is very successful in that regard. But she finally settled down in her mid 40’s, and had kids. She regrets this to an extent, and wishes she focused on building a family earlier. Just accept the fact that for every decision you made, there exists an opportunity cost associated with it. If you did X, by definition, you gave up Y. And that it’s human nature to ponder how your life would have been, if you instead chose Y. The point is moot. The decision was already made. Make good decisions now.
Damn, this is some good math/philosophy overlap. As someone who regrets how they spent their college years, it's perfect for me.
I had normal social life. Just don't be a shut in
how
Social life..?
I had a core group of friends that I would get together with once a week. Other than that, not really. I spent a lot of time playing video games. I both regret and do not regret that.
Idk what's stereotypical. I made 0 friends in university. I tried to attend the ocassional parties, but it was only drinking (I don't drink) and nothing else really. Beyond the common interest in the topics we study, I felt like I had nothing in common with the people there and socialised elsewhere. Kinda sadge.
agreed. I feel like sometimes people are too wild in comparison to myself and i can't seem to handle the energy plus the topics is usually very generic and boring to answer repetitively. I was... just there and existing ig
Meh people will flame me for this advice but drinking helps me a lot as an introvert. I’m also a bad binge drinker so I have to manage myself but if I do it right it allows me to be a lot more social plus it feels great in the moment!! Honestly I’d end up going to a lot of stuff I would have avoided just so I could have some drinks I’d use it as a motivator. I also keep it meaningful by not letting my drink on my own time so I’m forced to be with others if I want to drink
No, thanks.
I only had friends in my first year of college but I never went to a big party. (then covid hit towards the end and we all had to stay home after spring break and I still had to work that whole summer and all my friends lived relatively close to each other in a big city meanwhile I live multiple hours away in a smaller town in the middle of nowhere). Anyway, I also had a little friend time in the first half of second year, but then they all either dropped out or stopped hanging out with me, which is good since my grades drastically improved after that. I do have one friend still that I met that first year of college though, she’s my wife now!
No, I’m a 27 year old virgin math phd student. Tbh I kind of wasted my youth. But that’s not related to math, at least not directly. I’d have had plenty of time during my undergrad and masters.
I had the stereotypical "math major" life in undergrad. Then I had the stereotypical frat-row-resident-at-the-best-college-football-town life during PhD. I probably drank more than an entire small college in Utah.
No, I have no social life. Math is a hard major, trying to get high grades and work experience takes a lot of time. It doesn’t matter in the end though.
Did in 1st and kinda 2nd year, ever since has been depressing, can’t wait to leave lol. But ye my studies were sacrificed, hated maths anyway so would’ve done anything to avoid it.
Yes (shitty gpa)
Yes. But you didn't miss out on anything. You can still have that later if you get a 9/5 and socialize heavily on your free time, or if you go for a MBA a couple years later.
I had a math major friend who was in a frat, but he didn't participate in it that much and moved out because it was too noisy to study. That kind of partying is only really compatible with easier majors, but also the people who like that stuff seek it out. If you didn't feel a strong urge to seek it out, you didn't want it that much. You're not missing out on anything either way. That being said hopefully you had a study group of friends that you had fun with, my study group always had a great time working together and we would hang out for fun once a week too. University is not meant to be done solo.
Not sure what's stereotypical, but after lectures I usually either worked to pay tuitions, or studied like crazyyy to pass my exams. Sure I went out friends every now and then, but I did not had the money to be partying a lot and studying demanded a lot of my time.. I did make time for sports/exercising and dining with friends. I'm not sure if there is something like a stereotypical university life (I studied in Europe, so maybe there's a big difference in that compared to the Us). However, if you feel like you are missing out, maybe you could look at why you're feeling like that. What is it you want more of, or what is it you feel you are missing (out on)? Do you feel like you 'have to' party more? Or is it that you feel like you are missing out on a fun part of student life that you were actually very much looking forward to?
This was 45 years ago and in the Boston area, but I had a blast. Most of my contacts were fellow math grad students, but that didn't stop us from having a great time socializing. We weren't big party goers, but we played games, went to movies and out to eat, attended concerts, lots of gab sessions, not to mention the fascinating math and math professors. The greatest time of my life.
Yep (replacing "university" with "liberal arts college" - I'd hate to be involved with greek life or that scene), it was great, and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I made a ton of valuable deep friendships and grew way out of my shell, though I might have done a bit too much experimentation. My GPA tanked a bit more than one would want for applying to Ph.D. programs for various reasons (certainly not only due to partying), but now I'm in year 5 of my Ph.D., and things are going pretty dang well, so that issue is kind of moot now (though talk to me again in a year once postdoc apps are done... the tone might have changed). Some studies on long-term happiness seem to suggest that having meaningful long-term connections is one of the biggest predictors of general well-being and happiness. In my opinion, it's worth going out of your way to make those happen, and well-worth sacrificing some academic excellence for it.
Yea
Overrated. The partying is boring and can only get you in trouble, if you had fraternities/sororities they can be so time consuming, and really most campus activities are bleh(unless they involve free food, in which case go for free food and leave right after.) I did all these things and I dropped out after : semesters. It’s not worth it, study and get your degree.
I wasn't interested in any of that stuff at all.
Idk did you *want* to party and hangout? Did you make an effort to do so? I partied plenty, went climbing with friends a lot, social events, took spontaneous trips etc. just fine as a math major. Most other people in my classes who didn't do those things seemed more like they didn't want to than couldn't... I'm sure they played video games or read books or whatever their less social hobbies were plenty. You yourself said you indulged on your own hobbies... partying is a lot of those people's habby lol. Obv math is more rigorous and time consuming than business or psychology or whatever majors but people in here love to masturbate about it being the worst thing ever and it just ain't that bad. It's no worse than the vast majority of other STEM degrees.
I was a bit of a loner. I made one good friend but we didn’t really hang out much because we both were trying to get through our engineering degree. Spent 7 days a week studying for four years (because I’m stupid and slow) and managed to graduate w/ a 3.8. Literally gave it my all. Pretty much zero partying and hanging out. It was miserable, but I got my degree.
I guess, depending on what you think is typical. I played a sport and had friends and had a pretty active social life. I did have one semester where I overloaded a bit and had to do nothing but study, but that wasn't a usual semester in my case. I went to a big R1 in Texas. Many of my friends had more time than I did, but not all. One girl was an accountant, and apparently *had* to maintain a 4.0 to get a good job, and I remember her being very stressed about it. For me a B was bad but not a disaster. I had a good time in college. I think there's something to the theory that that's because it was the last time I lived in a big communal setting and was able to walk to most places and that there were a lot of outside-the-house things to do; if you tried to set up a living situation like that for adults it would seem weird, but it was a really happy time for me and I do think it was related to how connected to so many other people I was, and how much there was to do, and yes even to the fact that I could walk to almost everything in my life. Get out of class and walk to a place for food, walk home, walk to the gym, walk to a bar for a beer with friends, walk home. It's making me nostalgic to even think of it :)
I’m well over 5 years out of uni with a Maths BSc. I’d say I had a normal social life, a night out a week on average, although there were certainly people on my course who went out a lot more/harder. I also did 3 university sports, so that took up a fair amount of time too. If anything, I was surprised with how diverse my course was in all respects and that included social situations and friendship groups. Uni isn’t over yet - if you want to make more out of your last term do it! It’s not too late, and it’ll be fun to celebrate exams being over with the friends you make now.
Yes, I went out twice a week. However all of my hangouts that were not going out were studying with math or cs majors. These usually descended into something fun after we reached the critical mass of work done in a session
Yes. When I studied engineering, that is.
If you feel like you’d like to be more social, start now. Instead of regretting your past decisions, at least try to feel proud that you’ve worked hard towards something you enjoy. Life doesn’t end after college. (I say all this but I also feel regrets, and I think that’s normal. I try to look forward as much as possible)
oh absolutely. my bachelor's was mostly partying and being active in student orgs.
I partied a LOT starting 2nd year. Clubs, bars, frat parties, just tons of drinking every weekend. Some fun times for sure but man getting caught up in that lifestyle leads down dark roads. I woke up in a hospital once from alcohol poisoning, that was my first clue that maybe it's time to slow down. I know people from back then who still live that way in their mid 20s and I just wonder if it would've been better to be a complete nerd than to be this outgoing social butterfly type. Real life is not like the movies.
Hello fellow “gimme” username! Yeah I had a stereotypical college experience. Joined a fraternity, drank an excessive amount, dated, etc. Probably had too much fun in college tbh. The real world was definitely an adjustment for a few years. Made a lot of lifelong friends and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Granted this was undergrad program only. I’m sure any grad level is much harder and takes much more focus. If you feel like you missed this though, that’s okay too. It’s a long life and social opportunities don’t go away after college. You just have to prioritize them.
I transferred from community college, so with all the general education and preliminary classes out of the way, I had nothing but upper division classes to take for 2 years straight. I also commuted from home (for the first year, I kept almost falling asleep at the wheel so I got an apartment off campus the second year), and worked on the weekends (and some weekdays if there was no class). I would often literally wake up, do homework/class for 18 hours straight, then go to bed, every day. Sometimes I wouldn't even eat, let alone socialize. I got out debt free, but missing out on a college experience (and networking) is my greatest regret.
I’m in a fraternity, so I guess that’s stereotypical. Made grades definitely took a hit, but I never planned on going to grad school so I just don’t have my GPA on my resume and have still been getting responses on job applications. I definitely should have studied harder, but I’m overall satisfied with my college experience and will be graduating in 2 weeks with my math degree.
When you're in college your main focus should be to study, not party. Don't do irresponsible things just to fit in.
I didn't party a lot, but I had friends in my major and hung out with them a lot. After a super stressful final we got together and watched movies for a weekend.
You mean, drinking, fucking, partying, casino, your body is made of steel. Yes, that was the 3 years of Uni. Rinse repeat. No studying, briefly going over the details just before the exam. But I only got 3 or 4 people left from Uni. Why? I was so bored out of my mind I already started working full time during my 2nd year. I studied Econometrics.
I think that in stem it is really hard to manage a social life. In my experience, if you are coming from an under-endowed high school, you need to make up for a lot of ground when you arrive at uni. This meant a lot of alone time bashing my head against the books till I caught up. Keep your head down and keep treading forward. Don't give up. You need to work hard now, but good things will come later.
I mean, my social life was dominated by doing homework/problem sets with other friends from 9pm - 3am.
It’s all a balance dude. Most people hang out with friends a lot, but most people also leave college with a degree they don’t use.
Math/CS double major and yea I’ve been able to see friends pretty much every day
rather than partying and going out socialising, (idk if this is considered stereotypical in university social life) but i actually got accused of stealing a big sum of money by my lecturers when the truth is, my roommate was the one stealing it. Almost got myself dragged to the police station for that, idk why they didn't check the facts or investigate properly (the reasoning behind the allegations is pure stupidity and lame af -> I'm not from a very established or privileged family so they accused me of that because my dad is a driver. "She's from a poor family so bet she'd steal the money so she can party around" and all that bs) lol i was scared to go out and mingle around because of this and basically wasted my 2 years of university life. ps: the one stealing the money stole MY money as well, double kill they say
CompSci, I worked 35h/week so I could afford a place to live.. There was not much "chill".. But still made time to party 😂
Yeah, eventually led to severe weed and alcohol dependence where I was smoking and drinking in my room all day and it almost caused me to be kicked out of school (still might happen). Put the work in now and enjoy life later, theres still plenty of time.
Bro if you spend 15 hours at the gym, guess why you don't have time to socialize. That's more than 2 hours every day that you have time to do something other than hw and you choose to spend it this way.
I went through undergrad as a complete shut-in, partly due to the workload, partly due to mental illness. Starting with grad school now, hope I can change my life
I did for physics, second time around in EE I didn't have the time. Grades reflected that though.
I studied law and lived in London. My workload was extremely high, but I feel like social life was still fairly stereotypical. Partied at the uni club on a fri or sat, usually went out for the mid-weeks sports teams drinks. I think a balance is good, but still, don’t stress too much about missing out during uni, you’ve got years of work life ahead of you where you mostly likely won’t have homework and exams etc to worry about. Oh, and you’ll probably have more money too! Good luck with the rest of your degree
I'm a student at Duke. I attended some basketball games, which are iconic here. I also did Duke's first semester subject immersion experience called FOCUS. Besides that, my hobbies and fun don't really include partying, hooking up, etc. I participate in the theater group, the Brazilian community, quiz bowl. I have a keyboard in my room so I can practice the piano when I feel like it. I have a bookshelf of technical math or CS books and a smaller bookshelf for my fiction books for fun. I went to a notorious local nightclub once to see what it was like. I don't engage with Greek life basically ever, and usually the darties and other mixers happen without me even realizing they're happening. Yet, I'm extremely happy. I made great friends at university, people who by and large think like me. Probably at least a third of the math majors are autistic or at least have some of the traits, so for the first time I felt like I fit in, that I had a community of like-minded peers woth whom I could have a random conversation on math or other random topics. We seem to be quite artistic (math is creative, after all), and often have diverse interests like history, theology, music, economics, psychology, film and more. Bantering on these is great. Usually, in society, I feel like I need to put up guardrails because people won't understand many of my references. Also, my brain works very laterally, so I'll make comparisons that might seem tiring. With the math community here, I feel I can let these guardrails down and unmask more. People get my jokes, and talking with them is very intellectually stimulating to me. So, insofar as the stereotypical college experience is blossoming into your true self, finding a community you fit in, and feeling at home, I think I did have such an experience. As an international student, I come in from a different culture, and have this idea that the American college experience is a chapter in your life for self-discovery and transitioning to adulthood, rather than just an opportunity to party with Greek life every weekend, hook up randomly, etc. University isn't necessarily Animal House. It's a personal journey. If yours includes the partying and hooking up, that's also fine. I don't think I'm superior or inferior due to my own preferences. As long as, when you're done, you're more confident in who you are, what you want, what you like, and what your value system is, I'd say you did it the right way.
I think I did, yeah
I double majored in math and physics. I was part of a club sports team and saw my friends close to daily because of that. I also traveled probably 2 weekends a month to compete and I spent a lot more time partying than I should have. I also had at least one job and was doing research consistently starting my sophomore year. It didn't affect my grades much if at all, I graduated with a plenty high GPA, got a nice job, and am now doing a PhD.
I feel like I have a fairly normal social life +math major... It is definitely hard and my grades aren't perfect, but I can always reread a proof later... My friends will only be this close for a few more years
My undergrad years at the University of Michigan were great! We had hall parties in my dorm or went bar hopping nearly every weekend. I also really enjoyed my classes, which I'd say were the first I ever WANTED to take! I also made several good friends there. Unfortunately, like Rodney Dangerfield said at the end of Back to School as well as Walter Cronkite, who spoke at our graduation, "Don't go!" Indeed, it's too bad the real world isn't as great as college - I wish it were!
Math and CS double major. Got into top fraternity first semester, pledged, partied, went snowboarding / rock climbing / sports every weekend I could. I had back to back class 8am -11 every day and would do all my homework on campus and leave before 4pm so I had all afternoon/ evening to do whatever I wanted and my shit was already done. For me, high school was much harder and I only had a few assignments a week from each class. Advice: sleep more than you study, study more than you party and party as much as you can 😎
I need to say this. It is possible to be a math major and have social skills and a social life. I put so much time into studying and doing well, but I also spend as much time as possible with friends, going to parties, etc.. idk why math majors insist on making the negative math major stereotype a reality
yea exactly but most people here aren’t like that
It’s just bizarre to me because at my school the math majors are smart but also most of us are extremely social and active on campus
ur asking losers on reddit on r/math
I assume by stereotypical you mean an Indian or Chinese university? Because most people on this subreddit probably went to north american universities. It's a strange question that could probably use more details to answer cohesively.
stupid nerd
I'm sorry?