<p>Is there anyone out there who can tell me about their experience in honors calc, 275-276. I was invited to apply to the honors sequence and I was accepted, but the information that came along with the acceptance congrats sounded almost like a warning...just curious to hear from someone who completed the honors sequence.</p>
<p>A few things:</p>
<p>1) It sounds like a warning because the school sort-of assumes all incoming freshmen need to be warned that academics in college isn’t like high school (trust me, it’s not one bit the same).</p>
<p>2) Make sure you actually like math/calc, problem-solving and proofs before taking this. I did the sequence and it’s pretty much the same as 221-222, except it’s a LOT more proof-based, slightly more abstract and delves deeper into the origins and logic of formulas/theorems.</p>
<p>HW is challenging and requires a lot of critical thinking + practice to get good at. You have to actually ENJOY problem-solving and coming up with different ways of solving integrals and such…otherwise you will end up banging your head against a wall in frustration. This is probably the biggest thing.</p>
<p>3) It is fast-paced. Don’t overload yourself with more than two weed-out classes (especially your freshman year) in your schedule.</p>
<p>4) Work hard. Once you nail math, everything else will just “click” into place (seemingly complicated concepts from other classes and such…).</p>
<p>If you’ve been accepted, you’re clearly ready. Just don’t slack and treat it like “just another math class”.</p>
<p>Thanks. Is the honors class really small compared to 221-222? If so, I see that as a big advantage. How many were in your class when you took it? Do you still have a discussion section with a TA or is is just the prof?</p>
<p>I’m trying to get into the honor calc sequence too, though the 375-376 sequence. Sent in application over 3 weeks ago yet still no word. I qualified for USAMO and breezed through all my math and science classes in high school including Calc BC and am now looking to take a challenging math class, but looks like I might have been rejected seeing that acceptances have already been sent out; currently wondering if I should contact the professor. Anyways, I was told by a friend who took this class that this sequence is much smaller than the regular sequence and a big portion of students who enroll drop this class within the first few weeks. There’s a discussion section with a TA and course material does go much deeper than the regular sequence.</p>
<p>jkp544, I’m still waiting, too, and I applied to 375-376. I really, really want to take the class, so I really hope they accept me, but I haven’t heard anything yet, either. Beanblossom, were you notified by mail or e-mail?</p>
<p>I was notified by email yesterday, but I was invited to apply for the sequence starting with 275/6. I had AP calc in high school and scored 100% on my math placement for the UW system…I had a 35 on my ACT math portion (missed one question). I didn’t know their was an option to apply for 375-6, but I am fine with taking the entire series.</p>
<p>I received a letter in the mail today that said that I would be accepted into the Honors sequence. So if anyone applied but never received an e-mail, make sure to watch your mailboxes. :)</p>
<p>Parent here. Son did the honors sequence although he got the 5 on the AP exam et al. My understanding is that it is more proof based as opposed to the problem solving needed by others. There are 4 semesters in the series. Taking the first 3 includes the material of the first 3 semesters of the regular calc plus the linear algebra course material so you don’t “lose” a semester by starting with the first semester. </p>
<p>The max number of students in the lectures/discussions can be found by clicking on the sections once you have found the course in the course guide (this works for every UW course). Around 50 max in the lecture, divided into discussions.</p>
<p>btw- did you know UW’s math dept ranks around 15th nationally per US News and World Report? ie, a good dept- and math majors often take some grad level courses before they graduate. AP calculus, comparable to perhaps an average-college course, is not as comprehensive as any UW calc course- expect to work hard at UW.</p>
<p>I took this class my freshman year, 3 year ago, and it was miserable. Maybe it was the professor, but exams with proofs are literally impossible to study for. It’s basically if you can figure it out, great, but if not it’s really hard to get partial credit.</p>
<p>These classes are just calc 1 and calc 2 taught in proofs. If you took AP Calc, 275 is basically AB and 276 is BC (I think–I never took 276). In terms of the class size, from what I remember we had a lecture of about 50 people (much less by the end, people drop out of this class like flies) but 2 discussions of 20-25 people each. You get these types of discussions for 221-222 anyway so I wouldn’t really view the class size as an advantage.</p>
<p>I’m an actuarial science major, so I’ve taken some pretty tough math courses, but I’ll tell you this was far and away the hardest math course I’ve ever taken in my life. The bad thing about this class is that it’s 5 credits, so if you bomb it, it really pulls down your GPA. I’m always regretting not dropping this class–I somehow pulled out a B on the 2 midterms but failed the final (like I said, impossible to study for) and finished with a C. On several occasions I recalculated my GPA with this class, and as times it would’ve been .15 higher had I dropped it. Hell, I’m a Senior now and had I dropped it my GPA would be .088 higher. This is obviously less and less significant as you move on and take more credits, but with applying for internships in the fall of junior year and only 3 semesters to make up for that grade, it hurts a lot.</p>
<p>This class is not for most people. I don’t want to scare you, though, because some people really enjoyed this class. It takes a certain person to be able to do well in this class, and if you are that kind of person, great, but otherwise I’d steer clear. This class will really challenge you; you might think you’re ready for college work but this is a true test. Like I said, not to scare you because I definitely slacked a bit my freshman year, but most people do slack their freshman year. I suggest seeing how you like it the first couple weeks and dropping if it doesn’t seem like your thing (trust me, it won’t get better). I’d take 18 credits and if you like this class, drop the least interesting one, and if you don’t like this class, drop 275.</p>
<p>Good luck either way. Let me know if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>Nagle was excellent from what I heard. A challenging class for those who love math. It could be worthwhile starting over despite high scores on HS calc courses- you will not have had the proof based material/background. Those who want problem solving should take the regular series instead.</p>
<p>My son took the 375/376 sequence as a freshman last year after being invited to do so. He told me the first semester there were about 40 to 45 students initially, but a fair number dropped it. The second semester had about 30 students and fewer dropped it.</p>
<p>He said they were very tough courses that required a lot of study, but “you get the hang of it.” Still, he got an A/B and then a B, and those were the only grades below an A he has received, so that probably says something, and the other courses he took as a freshman were also very tough. He’s not planning to be a math major, however, and was quite satisfied with making it through the sequence successfully.</p>
<p>Sorry to bring this thread to life after so long but it seems the most relevant. Well, its like this. I was also notified by email and I want to apply. However, I wanted to ask a few questions. Firstly, will Madison give me any British Alevel credits for Math, and if yes how will that affect my honors course? Will I go directly into 375, 376 (like Milwdad’s son) or will I have to do 275/276.</p>
<p>Ask the UW math department in an email. Only they can tell you what credit you can receive for prior work.</p>