<p>thinking about studying math..tell me everything you know about the wonderful math department :)</p>
<p>no responses..?
I know the math department is very flexible as well as academically rigourous...I'm just wondering if any current students had any thoughts they'd like to share?
Is it bad if I put down math as a prospective major in my application? I know Vassar is more known for the arts.</p>
<p>I doubt it would hurt putting down Math. Some theorize that colleges may look at prospective major listings as a way to promote diversity but I am skeptical. I think the courses you have taken and your test scores wil highlight a possible interest in math more than any major listed as many college students change their majors...even several times during their college career.</p>
<p>Classe are almost over so student postings may be scarce here until exams are over. Don't be put off if no Math majors get back to you for a bit.</p>
<p>You can explore class offerings and enrollment levels in Math over the last few years here:</p>
<p>Naturally the catalog and the Math department website are good resources
College</a> Catalogue - Vassar College
and
Vassar</a> College Department of Mathematics</p>
<p>You might also find it interesting to check the college bookstore to see what books are required for individual courses. As a parent I thought this was a good way to see what the courses offered at any college are really like though I admit that I am not sure that works well for Math courses.</p>
<p>Welcome</a> to Vassar College*Bookstore</p>
<p>Good luck. My D has not taken any Math courses at Vassar so I don't have anything of note to pass along.</p>
<p>Hey there... I'm a current sophomore at Vassar; however, I'm not a math major. I've taken one course in it (MATH-125, which is a review of Single Variable Calculus for those who have taken it before), but the professor I had no longer teaches here, so I don't think that me elaborating on that class would do you much good.</p>
<p>That being said, I can give you a few bits of knowledge I have about the department. First is that the department is, as you can probably imagine, on the small side. From what I've seen and heard, there are usually no more than ten math majors per class (there are also a smattering of math minors with majors in economics, physics, etc.). Generally speaking, it seems like a lot of the "foundation" courses are on the larger side and can be a bit impersonal because many of the students taking the introductory and intermediate classes are doing them to fulfill other requirements (pre-med, physics, computer science, economics, etc.). Of course, this issue can easily be dealt with if you establish contact with the professor early on and let him or her know that you're a potential math major. Once you move into the more advanced classes (the 300-level courses), however, the courses are usually quite small and, as a result, much more personal. To give you a sense of this, here's some information about how many students are signed up for the Spring semester Mathematics classes being offered which I got off of the Spring 2009 Course Registration Page...</p>
<p>[ul]
[<em>]100-level courses: 15 students in Introduction to Calculus (course number 100 in the Course Catalogue), 23 students in Single Variable Calculus (122), 25 students in Introduction to Statistics (141).
[</em>]200-level courses: 18 & 26 students in the two sections of Linear Algebra (221), 20 & 38 students in the two sections of Multivariable Calculus (222), 19 students in Discrete Mathematics (263).
[li]300-level courses: 9 students in the Senior Seminar (301), 6 students in Complex Analysis (324), 7 students in Theory of Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems (328), 11 students in Topology (339), 8 students in Mathematical Statistics (341), 16 students in Modern Algebra I (361). [/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>In summation, I would say that the Vassar mathematics department is excellent for someone who wants a highly personalized education. If you're looking for a place where you'll find a large peer group of math majors or a huge department with many course offerings, Vassar might not be the best option. </p>
<p>Also... one more thing I almost forgot: math majors at Vassar are oftentimes student interns for 100- and 200-level core math courses such as Single Variable Calculus (122 & 125), Linear Algebra (221), and Multivariable Calculus (222). Basically, they're a resource that students can use in studying and doing homework, if they don't want to go to the professor. The student interns have "office hours" where they answer questions and help on homework. That being said, they're not TAs in that they don't actually teach formal classes... they're more like study group leaders. The student intern position is also really nice in that it would allow you to, early on, get in touch with some other math majors and find out more from them about the different courses and professors in the department.</p>
<p>The math department is small but good from what I know.</p>
<p>are the math classes hard?</p>