Elizabeth Donker
Contributing writer
When it comes to math and music, what do the two even have in common? “A lot, but nothing,” says math and music double-major Hannah Swann (C’23).
Hannah Swann started her freshman year thinking that she would be a chemistry major, but she quickly changed her mind after one semester. She said that after that, she didn’t really know what she wanted to do with her life, so she just took classes that she enjoyed. One of these classes was Calculus 1 in the Spring of 2020, which she really enjoyed, and it led her to then take Calculus 2 the following semester. Swann says that math for her “is secondary,” something that comes easily, and she can do a lot with it in terms of a career. Despite enjoying math, she admits that she’s “not a mathematician,” and is considering moving onto something like accounting school after graduating.
While she is majoring in math for practicality, Swann is also a music major, which she says “doesn’t feel academic, it feels fun.”. Swann says she has always been a music person, from being in marching band in high school, to taking piano lessons for ten years. She took music theory her freshman year at Sewanee and from there she continued to evolve her musical interests. She became a music major with a focus in theory and composition, and for her music major applied credits she plays the percussion in orchestra. Even with her plans to have a career in math, possibly accounting, Swann says she plans on continuing music for fun, even just as a hobby. She says music is “fulfilling” in a way that math is not.
Swann’s time at Sewanee hasn’t been without its challenges, as she had to medically withdraw for a semester. Despite its difficulties, Swann says she has come to terms with being a semester behind, and she is glad to have the extra time to study for her GMAT and GRE exams, which she has to take before going to graduate school. Swann is still comping on time, and only has to take an extra semester worth of classes to catch up her credits. Despite their differences, Swann has found a way to integrate both music and math into her major and time here at Sewanee, and has otherwise proved that not only do C’s get degrees, but so does a double major with “a lot, but nothing” in common.