<p>I'm really bad at math. Okay, not really bad, but I'm not that good at it. I hate math, in fact. But that's not my point. My point is, what classes would current students recommend for an English major (or any other type of humanity) that would fulfill the QR requirement? I want to take it my freshman year while it's fresh in my mind.</p>
<p>I did take Calculus last year, but regular, not AP. And I despised it (though I managed to make an A until the last quarter, where I got a B).</p>
<p>Well, there's "Math Alive." But the engineers will laugh at you. ;-)</p>
<p>Actually, I think a bunch of people also take Astro, which if I'm not mistaken is a QR and not an ST. Whatever you do, don't take calculus, thinking you just did. Plenty of people who've had calculus take 103 because they think it will be easy for them because they've already had it... but that makes it a cruel, cruel curve. Or so I hear... I'm an engineer, so I went straight to 104...</p>
<p>If you're interested in policy, <em>please</em> take some kind of stats. Future policymakers who don't understand data scare me.</p>
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Whatever you do, don't take calculus, thinking you just did. Plenty of people who've had calculus take 103 because they think it will be easy for them because they've already had it... but that makes it a cruel, cruel curve.
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<p>litho - would you advise against taking 103 if you're doing calculus for the first time? :eek: and as an engineer - how are you finding the 5 courses? Is it a huge burden or do you still have time for other stuff?</p>
<p>chichi - They have a "Computers in our World" course which sounds quite cool and is a QR req specifically for social science/humanities students. You could also take a Freshman Seminar that fulfills the QR requirement...</p>
<p>also a lot of people take "computers in our world" or something like that, which is a computer class for people who have never used a computer, yet it is one of princeton;s most famous cs teachers who teaches it.</p>
<p>I heard that there are two economics tracks- one for math people and one for non-math people. What is the least amount of math that an econ major would have to take?</p>
<p>If you haven't had calculus, yes, take 103. Part of the reason I give the advice to avoid it is in hope that some of the people who should really go into 104 will, and give the people who haven't had any calculus a break. Also, the math department does not give the best instructors to the introductory math courses. I'd recommend that you "shop around" for instructors the first week... everyone does, and it's one way to make sure your experience is the best possible.</p>
<p>Five classes? Depends. I like to think that five courses in the fall is equal to four in the spring, and four in the fall is equal to three in the spring... It's so much harder in the spring because you don't have any breaks equivalent to Thanksgiving or the three-week winter holiday break to catch up. That's my experience. Some people swear there's no difference, but I notice it. It mostly depends which courses those are. People tend to look for things that will "make a good fifth course" -- that's for a reason. People often PDF fifth courses. Engineers spread the fifth courses around, since we have to do one every other semester, and we don't want to have any left during our senior year to interfere with our theses... similarly, ABs try to get their one semester of five courses done before JPs and theses come into play. Basically, five courses is as easy or hard as you make it. I've done it three times now and still manage to be involved. It also gets easier with time. The amount of work I do now would have killed me as a freshman. At least for your first year, I would err on the side of being less ambitious in course selections -- both number and difficulty -- simply because free time is nice. It keeps you sane, and there's more to life than your classes. Even from the standpoint of classes themselves, wouldn't you rather learn more and do better in fewer classes than less and worse in more?</p>
<p>For the non-math track Economics major, the minimum math required is Math 103 (Calc I). Math-track majors have to go through at least Math 201 and 202 (or, alternatively, just complete Math 200). Also, I think all econ majors have to have some sort of statistics class.</p>
<p>litho - i had AP CALC AB in my junior year of high school and got a 5 on the exam. My high school didn't offer BC so I took AP Stat senior year. I can recall basic elements of calc such as power rule and basic integration, but I forget a l lot of the details since I took it junior year. As a freshman at princeton, should I take 103 or 104?</p>
<p>Sounds like 104's best for you, assuming you know your basic derivative rules. With a 4 in AP Calc AB my senior year, I was fine. MAT 104 starts with integration techniques beyond inspection/substitution, and continues with sequences and series. I've heard it's a little less competitive than 103 because most of the people taking it are on the same level. Also, if Adrian Banner is still doing the review sessions for 104, you'll really be fine, because he is a master teacher. If he's not, e-mail me (PM to get it)... I still have copies of his amazing notes, which are near textbook quality. If you're an engineer, try to get in Dean Klawe's section (assuming she is teaching it again this year; she did last fall, and her students loved it).</p>