<p>but it's so hard for them to tell what's advanced and what's not. I bet they go by course numbers a lot, which stinks...for example, in one department at my school, 243 and 343 are considered tough courses for the major, but 399 is an easier "readings" course. And sometimes the course titles don't help much, either. I think adcoms must really grasp at straws to figure out what's hard and what's easy, so getting letters of recommendation to specifically mention the hard courses you took might be a good way to go.</p>