My D has been invited to take Honors Calc 16100 or she can start in Calc 15200. Can anyone comment on the practical difference between honors and regular, in terms of problem set work load, student types, i.e is honors mostly students keen on math intensive majors or super math nerds, the professors, etc?
As background: My D is currently thinking of majoring in the sciences (bio, chem, ME) but I wouldn’t be surprised if she changes her mind to focus on an art history/language/culture based field. Her high school Calc BC teacher’s style was just ok for her (not as well matched as previous years) and did not cover all BC topics thoroughly; she scored a 4 on the BC exam with no prep beyond class work.
PS Sorry if this has been covered before - I searched but did not find a previous thread.
I just wanted to add that apparently 15200 is taught primarily by grad students and 16100 is taught by either grad students, Dickson instructors, or sr lecturers - this is according to my D.
Either one will prepare your daughter for her majors, but the 160s will take her an extra quarter. I’m making a similar decision between 160s or starting at 153 and saving myself some quarters for electives but I’m not sure what to do. I’d like to live the life of the mind but also have enough space to comfortably double major.
Take 160s if you really like math; it’s not that complicated. If you don’t and just want to get the prereq out of the way, there’s no shame in taking 150s. Your daughter’s RAs, O-aides, etc. should be able to give her advice on things like this, she should consult them - she almost certainly has one studying bio, chem, or ME.
To some extent, I think it depends on how interested she is in math and higher level math applications. The Chicago math department is really proud of the 160s sequence, and basically they wish everyone could/would take it. It’s their basic gateway into higher level math. Lots of students take it – you can actually check in the course registrations, but I think it has about the same enrollment as 150s, in the hundreds (with lots of sections). Current students can correct me, but I think there’s a wide range of students who take it. More aspiring math nerds than there will be in 150s, but nothing like a sharp difference in the range of students. One of the advantages of 160s is that if she does well she could qualify for Honors Analysis, a famous, super-challenging course. You lose that potential opportunity if you take 150s. But only a relatively small number of students really want that opportunity in the first place.
If she’s just trying to meet math requirements for her major, 152/153 will be fine, with somewhat less work but still rigorous and fast-moving, and one less quarter required.