<p>How would the quality of undergraduate math differ at, say Rutgers' honors math track vs. cornell/uchicago? I know rutgers is a state school and all but its math department is top 20 for graduate schools and i guess that would trickle down into the Rutgers honors program? Is there that much of a difference, especially at the undergrad level? And would I receive more personal attention from Rutgers because of the honors' math track?</p>
<p>what exactly does the honors track at rutgers provide? a quick glance at the course listings shows no honors math courses beyond an underclassman seminar and the calculus sequence. there are more stringent graduation requirements and perhaps somewhat better advising, but there does not seem to be a lot of ‘meat’ to the program.</p>
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<p>beyond that, i find the general notion of ‘trickle down’ quality troubling. is there really any reason to suspect that a highly accomplished number theorist is going to do a better job teaching an intro to proofs or basic number theory class than a moderately accomplished number theorist? its like setting expectations for your algebra 1 class based on how well the teacher did in his upper-level linear algebra course in college… and, to be frank, im not so sure id prefer having someone with a great grasp of proof-based linear algebra trying to teach basic math to eighth graders.</p>
<p>in the end, the quality of undergraduate mathematics classes is going to depend most heavily on the expected quality of students in the class and the interest on the part of the professor teaching it. if rutgers is anything like penn state, the quality of students in many upper-level courses is not great as the department is heavily populated with students pursuing secondary ed certification (of course, its not their fault that they have to pass analysis and abstract algebra to teach high school geometry). expectations for faculty teaching quality are also likely to be quite low, though there are some fantastic teachers in the department.</p>
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<p>all that said, rutgers does have a wonderfully gifted faculty, especially on the discrete side of the coin. between that faculty quality and the substantial opportunities to pursue quality graduate-level work before beginning formal graduate study, theres no question that a motivated undergraduate mathematics student can be successful at rutgers. its just going to take substantially more initiative–not much more overall work, just initiative to go well beyond what is required–to be as prepared (and successful) as a student from chicago or cornell.</p>
<p>They have enough honors courses to carry you through to courses that will have mostly math majors.</p>
<p>I know someone who studied CS at Rutgers and was impressed by the academics.</p>
<p>Rutgers is a great school to go to for math because you’ll probably be taking classes like Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis, etc. during your sophomore year. If 3 of your 4 years are in taking graduate level courses, and you’re at a top 25 institution, you’re set :)</p>
<p>UChicago or Cornell would be more ideal, but Rutgers has those coneys where they put fries on the hotdogs and wrap them together. Sooo delicious.</p>