Emma Knoesen ‘17
Dual Economics & Math Major
What made you choose this major?
I first chose to be a Math Major because I enjoyed the analytical framework of math and the beauty of manipulating formulas and definitions for a sometimes unexpected outcome. I decided to also major in Economics since I find it interesting how the analytical aspects of math can be applied in economics.
What is your favorite part of this major? What is your least favorite part?
My favorite part of my Math major is when my professors challenge me with proofs that are not particularly straightforward. While at first it can be frustrating to not clearly see the outline of the proof from the start, it’s always exciting when you’re working on it and the logic clicks. My least favorite part would be the lack of community amongst math majors. Unlike other STEM majors, we don’t take any classes through Keck. The major is not overly popular and many of those in the major are in different courses so often, you don’t know other Scripps majors in classes.
What career do you see yourself having in the future?
I haven’t completely decided, but I know that I want to apply my analytical skills in business. At the moment, I am thinking that I would like to work as a consultant applying data analytics to different business situations.
Have you done any internships or research during the summers?
This past summer I worked as a research associate in the Agriculture and Resource Economics Department at UC Davis. While the subjects I [was] working on were economic ones, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of math I was able to use. A lot of the data analysis that I did was statistics based, and I also worked on some theoretical papers with mathematical frameworks.
What advice would you give to young women who are also considering choosing a STEM field?
I would tell them to not be intimidated by the lack of female role models. While at times it will feel like a very male-dominated field — mostly because it is — there are a lot of really good female mathematicians both at the Claremont Consortium and elsewhere that go out of their way to support women in math.
Libby Mannucci ‘15
What made you choose this major?
I think biology is a beautiful way of learning about the world
What is your favorite part of this major? What is your least favorite part?
Favorite part: learning how organ systems communicate and work together. Least favorite: all the memorization of terms
What career do you see yourself having in the future?
Veterinarian
Have you done any internships or research during the summers?
I volunteered at an equine hospital last summer. That was really fun.
What advice would you give to young women who are considering choosing a STEM field?
If a STEM field captures your imagination, just listen to that and you will find people who love it as much as you do.
Tatiana Bradley ‘15
Math Major, Computer Science & Economics Minors
What made you choose this major?
I chose Math pretty late in the game; I was originally going with Economics. I ended up majoring in Math because I wanted more rigor, and once I realized what upper-division math was (theory), I really liked it
What is your favorite part of this major? What is your least favorite part?
I like the fact that higher-level math is based much more on logic, reasoning and creativity than on rote computation or memorization — I had no idea this was the case coming into college. One thing that is too bad is that Scripps doesn’t have a very big Math department, so a lot of courses have to be taken off campus, and it is sometimes hard to get to know the other majors.
What career do you see yourself having in the future?
I want to be [a] programmer/software engineer.
Have you done any internships or research during the summers?
I did research last summer with Professor Towse (a Math professor at Scripps) about mathematical cryptography, which tied in math and computer science.
What advice would you give to girls who are considering choosing a STEM field?
Don’t be afraid to try out new classes, even if you think they will be hard.
Also, even if one of your courses isn’t your favorite, it doesn’t mean that the whole major will be like that!
Elizabeth Kumar ‘16
Math Major, Computer Science Minor
What made you choose this major?
I came into college fairly sure I was going to enjoy upper division math and I was right; I love proving things and math lectures. I like the intricacies of algebra and stuff like that.
What is your favorite part of this major? What is your least favorite part?
The professors are the best! At Scripps and the rest of the 5Cs, there is a huge range of smart and fun professors in the mathematical sciences. Getting to know them has been a blast. However, I hate how inaccessible the best math classes are to people who come to Scripps without a strong calculus background. There are so many hoops you have to jump through. If you didn’t take BC Calc in high school you have to take at least three semesters of relatively-boring math before you’re qualified for your first proof-based class... As a result, it gets a little lonely being one of only a few math majors at this small school.
What career do you see yourself having in the future?
I’m not sure. I will probably get a graduate degree at some point. I am trying to take a wide range of math and programming classes that will prepare me for a career in something like software engineering, data science or finance.
Have you done any internships or research during the summers?
No, but I’m planning on taking on a research project next semester when I’m abroad in Hungary.
What advice would you give to young women who are considering choosing a STEM field?
Don’t be scared off by boring prereqs. You’ll get to the good stuff eventually. Ask an upperclassman who the good professors are in your department. Also, for math majors, unless you’re gunning for a PhD, don’t forget to take a couple of “useful” math classes (stats, probability, computer science) to make yourself employable after school, as well as some fun ones.