<p>Any information on math at swat (possibly pure math) would be helpful for junior getting his colleges-to-see list together.</p>
<p>Math is very good at Swarthmore. Math majors who go on to graduate school generally do quite well, so I’m told. It is almost always possible to arrange independent study or directed reading if there is a subject you are keen on that is not offered that year. S1 who was an honors math major feels very well prepared at his top 20 pure math PhD program.</p>
<p>BUT</p>
<p>From what I have observed, it is difficult to get in to a top math graduate school without a track record (i.e. grades) of having taken graduate level math classes as an undergraduate. While Swarthmore may like to think that the math honors seminars are quasi graduate level (and they are apparently great preparation for grad school), math graduate programs evidently don’t view them as graduate level courses. While the college might arrange for students to take grad courses at Penn, for example, that could destroy the honors math program if the top math students took most of their senior year math courses elsewhere. So I think the department is unlikely to take that approach.</p>
<p>One way to look at this is to compare the performance of Swarthmore in getting students into grad schools in Math vs. Physics. Over the past 7-8 years a similar number of students have gone directly from Swarthmore to a PhD program in Math vs. Physics. The Physics department has a good track record of getting students into top Physics PhD programs. The Math department does not. See this link if you are interested in the details.
<a href=“http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/careerservices/Post-Graduation%20Plans%20by%20Major%202004-2012(0).pdf[/url]”>http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/administration/careerservices/Post-Graduation%20Plans%20by%20Major%202004-2012(0).pdf</a></p>
<p>On the other hand, the number of entering students who will end up wanting to go to grad school in pure math is very small - perhaps 2-3 per year. So does it make sense for the college to revamp its approach in the math department? Well, one of the reputations of Swarthmore is that it is great for getting people into grad school. And in the academic world, there is a big difference between having your graduates go to Harvard or Berkeley versus UC Davis or University of Illinois, Chicago. It is generally very hard to go up the food chain - your first academic job is often one or two rungs below your graduate school. As mentioned above, the Physics department does a great job, perhaps because Physics grad schools understand the quality of Swarthmore Physics grads. Mathematics grad schools seem to put great emphasis on things that Swarthmore does not provide its graduates - graduate math courses as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>Bottom line, I think Swarthmore is a great place to study and learn math. But if you are really really sure you want to get a PhD in pure math, seriously consider going to a university where you can take grad courses as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>Note that I am a Swarthmore alum (math minor) and father of 2 alums (one a math major). I’m generally very positive about the college, but think applicants should have a clear view of the situation. The math department is well aware of the problem, but as I noted above I don’t think they know what to do about it.</p>
<p>I second dadx3’s view, and say the case is symmetric for Econ PhD too, FYI. [e.g., Econ PhD want to see graduate micro, econometrics; doing such grad courses at Penn, though they may be easier (!!), interrupts honors.]</p>
<p>Although of little relevance for today’s applicants, this situation is a big change from 30+ years ago, when Swarthmore’s top math and economics majors were accepted at many top 5 PhD programs.</p>