Should I dive back into a math degree after burning out at EPFL?

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate some perspective from people who’ve been through something similar.

A few years ago, I studied mathematics at EPFL. My experience there was extremely difficult. I was overwhelmed, overworked, and eventually fell into a deep depression. I was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I’m now stable, but at the time, everything felt like it was collapsing.

Math became a source of real suffering for me.

I remember sitting for hours in front of a single problem, completely stuck, unable to make any progress. Sometimes I didn’t even have the time to spend that long, but I couldn’t move on. There were moments where I would literally cry over exercises. I would go to the library, stay all day, and leave without having solved anything. Day after day, I would go home feeling like I hadn’t moved forward at all.

What made it worse was the constant pressure I put on myself. When I failed the first time and had to retake courses, something strange happened: exercises that once felt impossible suddenly became manageable, even intuitive. I ended up scoring very high (6/6 in analysis, 4,75/6 in mechanics). But mentally, I was broken. I became paranoid about success, obsessed with not missing any detail, constantly comparing myself to others. My relationship with studying—and especially with math—became deeply unhealthy.

At some point, I felt like I was forcing myself to love math, and that made me start hating it.

Now, my situation is very different.

I’m currently studying in a business school, which already offers strong career opportunities. My goal is to get into a top PGE program and potentially move toward quantitative finance later on. I’m also interested in developing strong skills in Python, statistics, and mathematical modeling.

I’ve always had a deep interest in science, mathematics, technology, and philosophy. Even if math wasn’t my “passion,” I used to genuinely enjoy it when I was younger. And today, I can see how going back to math could be very useful for my future.

That’s why I’m considering doing a math degree (or something close, like applied math) alongside my business studies.

But I’m scared.

  • I’m afraid of falling back into the same patterns
  • I’m afraid of losing control again
  • I’m afraid that math will once again become a source of anxiety instead of curiosity

At the same time, I feel like my environment is now much healthier:

  • less pressure
  • more flexibility
  • more maturity and self-awareness

So here’s where I need advice:

  1. Has anyone here returned to math (or a demanding field) after burnout or mental health struggles? How did it go?
  2. How can I rebuild a healthy relationship with math?
  3. How do you avoid perfectionism?
  4. How do you deal with being stuck without spiraling?
  5. How do you study math efficiently without overdoing it?
  6. When do you stop working on a problem?
  7. How do you balance depth vs progress?
  8. Do you think it’s a good idea to start with self-study (books, online resources, small projects) before committing to a full degree?

My current idea is:

  • start slowly (1 hour a day max)
  • combine math with Python and practical projects
  • avoid pure theory overload at the beginning
  • test whether I can enjoy the process again before committing fully

I’d really appreciate any honest feedback, especially from people who’ve struggled with similar issues.

Thanks a lot 🙏

Author: sound_digger