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Hello,

this is my first post on mathoverflow so excuse me if this is not the right kind of question.

My situation is the following, without delving into reasons and *should've*s *would've*s I got kicked out of university before starting my final year of an undergraduate mathematics degree. The problem is that this has nothing to do with me not being able to do well in maths or having lost passion for it. Therefore, I would like to continue my studies into the subject. I was wondering if anyone knew someone in a similar situation and could give me some advice on how to go about it.

Obviously, I can still get books and find structured courses on-line but I am afraid that this might be very inefficient as I have no one to show my workings on the problems. I can occasionally post a slightly more interesting question somewhere on the internet and without a doubt I would get the answers that I seek but what about all of the exercises that you have to go through in order to learn new subjects? I would never know if I got them right, my expression will end up underdeveloped and arguably I will pick up bad habits on the way. And it would be really difficult to judge my own progress and know if I actually understand the subject that I learn. Plus I would end up having lots of holes in my knowledge without someone questioning my every step while I'm studying.

Also, this is probably case by case and even depends on local laws (I'm currently in UK and was studying here) but do you know what happens in a situation like this? Grad schools probably won't even consider me, while going after a bachelors degree might mean having to take a lot of known subjects for a second time.

flag	asked Sep 16 2011 at 9:17 bubl 51●1

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Well, you are right that this is probably not the right kind of question for MO. However, I personally think this one deserves some attention and advice (that I can't give unfortunately) from people here as I can't see where else you might get help. – Daniel Larsson Sep 16 2011 at 9:29

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If you haven't burned all your bridges - if there is still someone in Mathematics you can talk to at that university - you'll probably get much better (because more personalized) advice that way than you will get here (and that's not meant as a knock on the people here). – Gerry Myerson Sep 16 2011 at 9:32

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I'd suggest that you consider participating actively in our sister site at math.stackexchange.com. There are questions at all levels there and you may find that you can answer some of them. People will comment on your answers and that way you will get some feedback. – Neil Strickland Sep 16 2011 at 9:34

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Depending on the situation, course credit can be transferred between institutions. If you are interested in mathematics then the "path of least resistance" is getting a BA at a university. – Sam Nead Sep 16 2011 at 10:01

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You might also consider the Open University - you can see their rules on credit transfer at www3.open.ac.uk/credit-transfer/index.shtm – Neil Strickland Sep 16 2011 at 10:43

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Mathematics outside of university

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