<p>I'm currently a senior who's finishing up some AP exams and has a few questions regarding placement at Cornell. To start off, I plan on studying either math/physics, math/compsci, or physics engineering with a math minor. I have just finished the AP calc BC test and I don't feel too confident about my BC score--i self-studied the BC material the week before-- but my AB score is definitely a 5.
My question begins with whether I should try to master the BC material over the summer, take the cornell placement exam, and move to multivariable calculus or w.e is next in the math serires? What kind of depth exists in the math courses at Cornell? I would really like to work on my theoretical/abstract math principles in the form of proof writing to begin. I was looking at the math sequence and think that Calculus 2 honors would be a nice class to start off with, any thoughts/suggestions? </p>
<p>Furthermore, about how advanced are the math/science students at Cornell? Is there ample putnam preparation provided by professors/TA's? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>The only topics that calculus I at Cornell goes over that Calc AB doesn’t is sequences and series, taylor polynomials and expansions, that type of stuff. The only difference is the way that Cornell teaches math is very different from high school math. The focus isn’t on solving problems or plugging in equations. It’s much more understanding concepts and being able to prove things from a fundamental definition.</p>
<p>I don’t think it would be terrible to self study the BC material and go straight into MATH 2230 Theoretical Linear Algebra and Calculus (MQR)*</p>
<p>That’s a notoriously hard class though, so you better be sure you can keep up with it.</p>
<p>The math/science students are advanced, and in especially theoretical math/science classes, you will find very advanced students.</p>
<p>If you are talking about the putnam competition, there is no practice specifically by professors/TA’s but if you approach them you could probably ask for help. There are multiple resources outside of classes, and especially in the Math library. [Putnam</a> Competition at Cornell](<a href=“http://www.math.cornell.edu/~putnam/]Putnam”>http://www.math.cornell.edu/~putnam/)</p>
<p>Good luck on the putnam exam haha. i’ll be impressed if you get a question right. theres no preparation so you got to prepare yourself with cornell’s resources. </p>
<p>the math at cornell is similar to math in high school. but math in cornel goes faster cause its not lecture everday. i suggest just take BC in cornell if you aren’t in a rush. studying BC by yourself is fine too though. wont make much of a difference if you do it well.</p>
<p>Yeah i think i might try to study some BC this summer along with several math books from artofproblemsolving on discrete math to prepare somewhat for the putnam. I looked at the past tests and it looks really difficult, however i did find that one of the cornell assistant professors was a Putnam fellow; that’s a potential source of tremendous help. Hopefully Cornell will have a good math crowd so that we can help each other out and form study groups in an attempt to steal some putnam glory from caltech or –<em>crosses fingers</em>– harvard.</p>