Question about math department

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>How good is Harvard's math? I'm talking about general math, not applied math. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Are you the same "filletwho" who posts on AoPS? Everything I hear there and here suggests that Harvard is one of the very best places in the whole world to study pure mathematics as an undergraduate or graduate student.</p>

3

<p>Yep, the same. Except I usually only post in the MI forum. I recognize you from AoPS too!</p>

<p>Ah, my friend told me the same thing, but I wasn't sure because I hadn't heard anything about Harvard math before. Thanks!</p>

4

<p>Math 55. 'Nuff said... ;)</p>

<p>Check out the AoPS college forum that tokenadult moderates if you haven't already done so. There will probably be a lot more specific information. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/index.php?f=143%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/index.php?f=143&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>Harvard's math department Web site </p>

<p><a href="http://math.harvard.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://math.harvard.edu/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(whoa! newly redesigned) </p>

<p>gives quite a lot of information about Harvard math courses. The undergrad information section of the site </p>

<p><a href="http://math.harvard.edu/undergrad/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://math.harvard.edu/undergrad/index.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>includes many useful links, including descriptions of some of the harder first-year courses, including the legendary Math 55. </p>

<p>Applied mathematics at Harvard </p>

<p><a href="http://www.seas.harvard.edu/academic/undergradstudy/appliedmathematics/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.seas.harvard.edu/academic/undergradstudy/appliedmathematics/index.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>is a distinct program from Harvard's mathematics program, which definitely has a pure-math emphasis.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
How good is Harvard's math? I'm talking about general math, not applied math. Thanks!

[/quote]

It's unnecessary for me to chime in here, since tokenadult has posted what really needs to be said, but let me just add my voice to the chorus and say that asking "how is Harvard's math?" is a little like asking "how is MIT's engineering?" -- the only uncertainty in response will be in how enthusiastically everyone answers "very good."</p>

7

<p>Sure, but the implied question was how Harvard's level of very good compares to other very good options that would immediately come to mind, such as MIT or Princeton's brand of very good, the Duke-on-a-scholarship brand of very good, the state-school honors program very good option, good to very good programs at no-name institutions supplemented by summer research programs, and so on.</p>