Charlotte Terrel

Freshman Scholarship Essay

"Why I Want to be a Math Major"

I have always enjoyed math. The fact that an answer is exact and does not change from one person's interpretation to another has always appealed to the left side of my brain. Contrary to memorizing dates and facts, math flows from one line to the next. Figure out where to begin and the rest can be found through logic.

In elementary school I considered it more of a game, an easy way to win a piece of candy. In middle school, math became an exploration. My seventh grade teacher introduced me to algebra even though it was not a part of the curriculum. Whenever he would branch out from numbers into letters, I was one of the few in my class interested in what he had to say. He convinced me to join the UIL Number Sense team that year to expand my understanding of math and how everything ties together. I learned tricks, shortcuts, and connections that I had never thought about before. It was exciting and fun, exactly the way I felt math should be.

It was not until senior year, though, that I decided math was what I wanted to major in at college. I had had Mrs. Culp for PreCal my junior year and almost considered not taking Calculus just so I would not have to be in her class my senior year. Her boundless love for math and all things related had annoyed me out of my mind the year before. But, as I could not imagine a year without math, I went ahead and signed up. As it turns out, Mrs. Culp is the reason I want to be a math major. And, ironically enough, it was because of her boundless love for math and all things related. During class she would be so excited whenever we finished a problem or when we got to start a new section. Whenever comprehension dawned and someone would let out an audible "Ohh," her response was almost always, "Yes! I'm so happy you've got it now!" She taught us not only how to solve problems but what their practical applications were.

So besides playing to my strengths and likes, I had an influential person helping me decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. Now that I am here, I know the career options are boundless. There are so many things math can be used in that I am happy it is what I have chosen to be my major.