Jacob Haw
Major: Operations Research and Data Analytics
On the rigors of ORDA
“It’s a piece of cake. German Chocolate, cheesecake, Yellowcake Uranium, pick your poison. As with all things, success in ORDA depends on how much work you are willing to put in to understand the concepts and time management. There definitely have been long nights spent just answering two or three “simple” math questions for Network and Nonlinear Optimization or trying to debug my code for Computer Modeling Languages.”
On the applied learning aspect of this major
“The beauty of ORDA is that there are no labs! That’s why it’s often called the hidden gem of the Academy. The extent of my hands-on learning is when I put a pencil in my hands to take notes or type on my computer at an impressive 39 words per minute (T. rex speed according to the website I used).”
On the benefits of ORDA
“My teachers, of course. They are a complete joy to be around. I have no doubt that the faculty in the Math Department is the most competent group of teachers and mathematicians on this side of Mississippi. Their doors are always open, inviting you in to ask questions you may have about the material, or to offer a friendly ear if you have personal problems. They not only care about us as math students, but they want us to grow as decent human beings. When they ask how your day is going, they actually want to know.”
