<p>Could a current Princeton student describe the possible math sequences for a (hypothetical) matriculating freshman who has completed BC Calculus? From the Princeton course catalogue, it looks as if there are three options available to him or her: the 201/202 series, the 203/204 series, or the 214/215 series. Is this correct?</p>
<p>yes, that is correct.</p>
<p>i know some math majors who just did math 215 for fall semester of freshman year. it doesnt necessarily come in pairs.</p>
<p>People normally don't take both 214 and 215. The typical honors sequence is 215 in the fall and 217 in the spring.</p>
<p>I see. Do you happen to know how they would match up with Harvard's or Stanford's math sequences? Harvard has four post-BC calc options (21, 23, 25, and 55 series) whereas Stanford only has two (51 and 51H). I assume that the 215/217 series is comparable to Harvard's 25 and Stanford's 51H...would you agree?</p>
<p>Harvard's Math 25 does seem roughly comparable to 215/217; it too does linear algebra (Artin) analysis (Rudin) and also a little calculus on manifolds (Spivak).</p>
<p>55 at Harvard is in a league of its own. Harvard 25 and Stanford 51H jump right into linear algebra and MVC with less emphasis on the basic principles that 215 covers. One of my friends here took 51H at Stanford in high school. He says that the class was very good, but that certain topics such as topology are treated in greater depth in Princeton 215. If you want to take honors MVC at Princeton (some students just skip it), you will take 218 most likely in the fall of sophomore year. This course rigorously proves the fundamental theorems of MVC (Stokes, implicit function, etc.). Stanford 51H and Harvard 25 are more similar to each other than either of them is to 215/217. The linear algebra component is the same, but the Princeton sequence spends far more time on introductory analysis. All three are excellent freshman sequences. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that after freshman year, the courses at Harvard and Princeton are a good deal better than the Stanford courses. Princeton's four semester analysis sequence, for example, is very highly regarded.</p>
<p>I am taking 215 this semester and will be taking 217 in the spring. I kind of wish we had jumped right into MVC like Harvard and Stanford, but I know that the added experience writing rigorous proofs will come in handy in the future.</p>
<p>Hey I know this thread is quite old, however I was recently admitted to Princeton and am contemplating majoring in either math or physics. What prior experience does a student thinking about the 215/217 series have? Are they usually USAMO regulars? Can a high school student who has completed Calc BC and basic differential experience use a summer to catch up to the level of math aptitute these students usually have?</p>
<p>I, too, had a similar question. I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but if anyone could answer it, I’d be grateful. I’ve finished BC and then MVC (stewart), lin. alg. (poole…book sucked), real analysis (rudin), and ODE (boyce, diprima). What is the right math track for me at princeton?</p>
<p>Something I’d like to know: Princeton seems to have a fairly limited selection of math courses. Does anybody ever run out of courses <em>that they like</em> to take? Like are people forced into certain classes because those are all that are available? Or am I looking at just the undergrad course listing? ([Timetable</a> of Courses « Office of the Registrar](<a href=“http://registrar.princeton.edu/timetable/]Timetable”>Course Offerings | Office of the Registrar) => quantitative reasoning classes) If so, where can I find a full course listing?</p>
<p>If I’ve completed MVC, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations at FIU before I apply next year as an undergrad, what math courses are available? If the credit doesn’t transfer, am I allowed to test out of a course provided that I know the material?</p>
<p>Oh, to find a better list, just go to the timetable of courses, highlight math, and see the full list there. It is also good to keep in mind that there are MANY math courses that are taught only in the spring and some that are only taught in the fall. </p>
<p>The math department here is very flexible. Most, if not all, professors will let you take their class, even if you don’t have the prerequisites. </p>
<p>I highly recommend taking 215, as it was a really good course; I skipped linear algebra, because I had that background in highschool. I am currently taking math 218, and up to just now it was not too bad; however, we just started differential forms, and it is pretty difficult now. </p>
<p>OccamRazor - you really don’t need to do any studying over the summer. The USAMO kids usually skip into 218 their first semester - most kids in 215 will be prospective math majors.</p>
<p>Rupac - If you are comfortable with your math background, then feel free to start taking 300-level math courses. When I came in, and the placement professor told me I could take 300-level math courses, but I felt it was important to take the some 200 level classes first.</p>
<p>trominos : There are a lot of applied math courses in the MAE department and in ORF eg MAE305 (which is essentially ordinary diff eq), MAE306 (partial diffeq), ORF405 (regression, time series) etcetc.</p>
<p>An0maly : partial diffeq (MAE306)? Haha, that’s as far as I ever got. You can meet with the department and get their permission to take higher level classes.</p>
<p>btw, An0maly, you dont need to “test” out or anything. You can just take whatever courses you want in the math department.</p>
<p>Just to reiterate what TheMoment…I said,</p>
<p>OccamRazor</p>
<p>The 215/217 sequence will be populated by students who are in the same boat as you – i.e. they have just completed BC Calculus and have a strong interest in pure mathematics. There may be a few former USAMO participants in there, or there may not. You’ll find that it doesn’t matter either way as the material covered in these classes isn’t high school “contest” type mathematics and success in the course does not require that kind of mathematical ability.</p>
<p>Rupac</p>
<p>If you’ve taken (and actually retained the knowledge) from linear algebra and Rudin’s Principles of Mathematical Analysis, then MAT 217 and 218 may be redundant for you. Although the courses may cover some topics (like multilinear operators, differential forms, analysis on manifolds) that are not covered in Rudin or may not be familiar to you. One option is to audit those courses and enroll in a 300 level course. Then if the 200 level course is boring for you, you can drop it and if the 300 level course is too difficult, you can switch to the 200 level course officially.</p>
<p>trominos</p>
<p>This does sometimes happen. Especially since some of the 300 and 400 level classes can be offered sporatically. The course selection in the math department is not as wide as, say, Harvard or MIT’s math departments, and taking grad classes at Princeton is not as easy (this word meant to be taken relatively) as it is at other schools because they are almost all insanely advanced.</p>
<p>But the department is small enough that they will offer a class, even if only 3 or 4 students are interested in it (I took a 400 level class with 3 students in it). So if you talk to a professor about offering a class that you’re interested in you can usually get it offered.</p>
<p>How is the teaching quality at Princeton of the professors? I have heard that several of them are not fluent in English and comprehension can be tough.</p>
<p>so if i took BC calc in high school and i have no higher level math bg, then what would one suggest I take freshman year for math (engineering major). Because I’m good at chemistry and physics, and i’m okay at math too, but definitely not USAMO or even AIME or really even AMC 12 good.</p>
<p>An0maly wrote: “How is the teaching quality at Princeton of the professors? I have heard that several of them are not fluent in English and comprehension can be tough.”</p>
<p>This will be true anywhere. I assure you.</p>
<p>Overall, I thought the teaching quality was very good. I took 14 math classes, two Junior Seminars and a senior thesis from 9 different professors. I would say 4 of them were outstanding, 3 were very good, 1 was just okay, and 1 was terrible. Granted, this was almost 10 years ago, but nearly all of those professors are still there and teaching.</p>
<p>I only had two professors who I would say had “accent” issues. One of those professors is now retired and the other is no longer at Princeton.</p>
<p>t-san wrote: “so if i took BC calc in high school and i have no higher level math bg, then what would one suggest I take freshman year for math (engineering major). Because I’m good at chemistry and physics, and i’m okay at math too, but definitely not USAMO or even AIME or really even AMC 12 good.”</p>
<p>You can’t use those contests to really judge readiness for college mathematics. If you are interested in mathematics for engineering you should consider the 201-202 series or the 203-204 series. Nearly all engineers take these courses. Three of my roommates were engineers. One took 201-202 and two of them took 203-204. All were well prepared for engineering from these courses.</p>
<p>Note: There is also a sequence of integrated math and physics classes within the Engineering Department (ENG 191-192-193-194). They sound good and the professors listed are good, but I don’t know anything about them.</p>
<p>Most engineers take 201-202 freshman year. I did, and thought it was well taught and prepared me well for upper level engineering classes.</p>