<p>My son is a serious mathematician and plans to major in math, possibly with a minor in something computer related. He would like to go to school in the northeast (non-negotiable for a variety of reasons) and would do best in a school whose math department is supportive and nurturing to young mathematicians, with the availability of graduate level courses. He doesn't need a "big name" school, but does need one where he will find other talented math kids.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any suggestions? Hidden gems we might not think of? Places to avoid?</p>
<p>Is your son younger than most in his class? </p>
<p>Does he know about the art of problem solving website? There is a lot of math-specific discussion there.</p>
<p>Like the previous poster, I am having a hard time grasping what you are looking for. If the graduate level courses are a requirement, you'll have to look at a larger school. Mathematicians branch off during their advanced studies, and it is very hard to predict what the end of the educational road will look like. We looked at many math departments; I would second the endorsement of Carnegie Mellon, especially for business applications. and, of course, the University of Chicago (not quite northeast, I know.) My son is a math/computer science major at Cornell, if you have specific questions about that school.</p>
<p>HYPM have large impersonal math departments, from what I can tell (I'm happy to have someone tell me I'm wrong.) Olin doesn't have theoretical math. As I wrote, it doesn't have to be a "top 10" math department - just large enough to have a decent selection of math courses. As an example, Brandeis seems to be at the lower end of the size that would be adequate. As a h.s. senior, he is currently taking Intro to Abstract Mathematics. He is very interested in is probability and related areas. </p>
<p>Thank you for information on the art of problem solving website.</p>
<p>EDIT: Sorry, totally ignored the north-eastern part. Maryland's pretty close...</p>
<p>JHU has a decent pure math department, top 20 or so, and is small in terms of student body (there are about 10 a year), but there is a large faculty (comparatively) and a large number of courses offered at both the undergrad and graduate level. The professors I've talked to love it when students are interested in math.</p>
<p>Also, since he is interested in probability, there is a great Applied math and State department in the Engineering school. I'm in a 300 level Statistics and probability class right now and it's great. This is also a small department, with about 15 students a year majoring in it, but with a very comprehensive schedule and faculty.</p>
<p>It is possible to do a double major, or major in one and minor in one, or just take courses as you choose. </p>
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I used to know someone who worked at Williams College who raved about the math dept there.
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The Math Dept. at Williams is nationally competitive when it comes to teaching awards. For example, I count four current faculty that have received Haimo</a> Awards from MAA. These prizes "honor college or university teachers who have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful and whose teaching effectiveness has been shown to have had influence beyond their own institutions."</p>