While many community college students look forward to transferring to a four-year university, their majors change many times. The majority claim to be working towards the most satisfying job, while others search for the occupation that pays most. Many students would be surprised to learn of the benefits of an education in mathematics.
Not among the top ten most popular college majors, mathematics still provides income and job satisfaction unsurpassed by many other majors. A study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education states a 37.7 percent salary increase of mathematics majors over English majors.
According to the Jobs Rate Almanac, an occupation as a mathematician is also rated 5 out of 250 in job satisfaction. Additionally, the occupations rated higher than 5 in the study were mathematics-related. The benefits of a major in mathematics, apparently, are exponentially higher than that of other majors.
To encourage students to pursue such a difficult, yet rewarding subject, Yuba College has enlisted the help of the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program.
Assisting math-based majors who are educationally disadvantaged, MESA offers workshops, assistance in transferring to universities, career advising, a student study center stocked with computers, course textbooks and student supplies, as well as tutoring. The MESA program also offers fieldtrips and scholarships. For mathematics-related majors, signing up for MESA has been a perpetual arrow in the quiver.
The program has proved its methods, boasting that 50 percent of the California MESA students who transferred to four-year institutions went to a CSU. One hundred percent of these students entered as a science or math major as indicated by The 2003 University Eligibility Study.
To sign up for MESA, students must meet their simple requirements and criteria. There are currently about 75 students in the MESA program at Yuba College, and the program is on the lookout for more.
For students who desire assistance with their math, the Hard Math Café is also available. It is a tutoring/study center with teachers available to assist students with those difficult equations. Help is available for anyone who needs help with his or her pre-algebra through calculus classes.
Both MESA and the Hard Math Café are located in room 700. The MESA program is in operation Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Hard Math Café offers help Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
All students are welcome.
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