<p>I have taken Multivar (grade= 98%) and am about to complete Linear Algebra with a near perfect grade. I took these courses at George Mason U. What math class should I take as a freshmen at Stanford? Would you recommend me retaking multi and linear or moving ahead to diff eq?</p>
<p>ill ask at admit week.</p>
<p>Move on if and only if you are confident (look at Math 51, 52 websites) – see if they look doable) – people at admit week may or may not give the best advice.</p>
<p>i am confident but, i don’t know how Stanford teaches mathematics. is it proof based?</p>
<p>wrt to admit week… im going to direct my questions to random undergrads in the dorms. hopefully they will be honest.</p>
<p>ya id ace 51+52… o ok the math site recommends math 53. for students entering with multi/linear</p>
<p>The Honors first-year series is proof-based (51H, 52H, 53H) and ordinarily catered for the Honors designation in Math.</p>
<p>ya. like i know greens theorem stokes… divergence… </p>
<p>i will talk to the math dept as well as undergrads… i just don’t know if a 98% in multi/linear means anything to stanford.</p>
<p>GeekNerd, the color of your city is gold or silver? Is it somewhere in California?</p>
<p>You may not get the transfer credit from George Mason U, though you probably should. However, I found out very quickly that prereqs mean nothing here- you can jump into any class that you want. I took Math 51 last quarter and I thought it was a breeze without any linear algebra or Multi knowledge going in, so if you have taken both it would be a waste of time. I haven’t taken 52 yet, but I have heard that it is quite trying so if you want a good mathematical basis you should probably retake 52 but if you don’t want it to be a bother you should try to get the transfer credit. The math 50 series is supposedly “proof-based” but I really didn’t find the proofs to be that trying or anything, at least for 51 which is supposed to be the most proof-based of the 50 series. It’s stuff like proving simple identities of vectors, showing that something is a subspace, showing that something is not a subspace, proving properties of matrices given their determinants, proving something is a basis, just “showing” stuff in general. That’s the “proof-based” part. If you want a real intense proof-based course you should take the 51h series-though that is an extreme jump in difficulty. Lastly, I would not necessarily rely on the math 50 stuff you found online if it’s too old (more than 2-3 years old)</p>
<p>I don’t think Math 51, 52 or 53 is especially proof-based, but the H series would be. Try those out. Probably a good number of people in those already have exposure to the standard material from a course like 51. If you take the H series, then you get a nice exposure to more challenging material, and also they’ll not ask for any transfer credit. </p>
<p>It also depends on your major. If your major is not mathematics, then you may not care so much about the proofs anyway. If it is, you should get a firm grounding in the proofs.</p>
<p>ok thanks!</p>
<p>lol i like that i understand what you’re saying. ya ive done lots of proofs for basises and subspaces. anyway thats cool that stanford lets you take w/e . it makes sense, who’d voluntarily+ consistently put themselves in classes that they couldn’t handle?</p>
<p>ill talk to more undergrads at admit week… but ya i may end up doing the h series… they seem like more of a refinement opportunity than a simple refresher.</p>
<p>Yeah, either jump into 53 (transfer credit or no) or start the H series. The H series is taught with the assumption that a significant number of the students will have had the regular 50 series material before. H series is much more than a refinement opportunity; you’ll learn math there that some students wouldn’t learn until grad school.</p>
<p>ya im going to sit in on some H series during admit week… or at least ask undergrads about it.
sounds fun</p>
<p>Also, there’s usually some sort of Math Department presentation during AW. They’ve run it in the past as a mini-Putnam seminar, where the previous fall’s top performers present solutions to as many problems as we get time for. I assume there’s also time for faculty and students to take questions.</p>