<p>This isn't a "chance me pretty please!" post, I swear. I'm just wondering about the Mathematics focus at MIT. I'm currently a junior in a very competitive high school and I'm hoping to apply to MIT next year, although I'm not sure about my admissions chances. But that's not the point of this post! I want to know if, assuming I got in, I could handle the math classes.</p>
<p>I've always been in "honors" math and have always done well, but I've definitely never been top of my class. I'll have AP Calc AB credits to transfer when I apply to college, but that's the highest level that I'll get to before graduation. Is this a huge detriment to my chances of success with both acceptance and the math classes at MIT? Many people from my school are dual-enrolled at a university and end up in 200-, 300-, and even 400-level classes by their senior year of HS. </p>
<p>Can someone enlighten me? What is math at this university like compared to other universities? I want to double major in Business and Computer Science, the latter of which I assume would be very math-based.</p>
<p>CS classes won’t be very math-based unless you look at very specific ones. Some probability/stats and discrete math could be useful, but you can learn that once in college. You should come to your degree with the right mindset - it will be hard for its own reasons, not because of math. Knowing how to think and wanting to do well at what you are doing is most crucial.</p>
<p>^^ If you’re 6-3 (which is straight computer science), you’ll be required to take at least 3 proof-based classes - 1 discrete math class and 2 algorithms classes. This will require a degree of “mathematical reasoning” that you probably haven’t really experienced before. While perhaps not “math-intensive” for a math major, it was a lot more proving things and a lot less coding than I was expecting coming to college.</p>
<p>That being said, the highest level math I had taken before college was Calc BC and I was totally fine.</p>
<p>I guess that’s another dimension to take into account - I was under the impression that at least a good chunk of people in a discrete math class will have not too much exposure to proofs and it would ease you into whatever else. If scared of the people taking the class who had experience writing mathematics, pick up a book and try your hand early, and try to get feedback from people who have more experience. If your high school is competitive, and you are motivated and have been a strong student (not necessarily the top one), you will be fine.</p>
<p>If you really want a pointer, know how to prove things by induction (useful for discrete math, or so I believe, having never taken a class), review/learn epsilon/delta definition of limits in calculus and write some proofs that the limit of this is that (more just for getting a feel, not because you will have to do this in discrete math), know modular arithmetic and how to manipulate the laws, review the non-axiomatic set theory stuff. Not now, but before you take your first class involving proofs.</p>
<p>Well, you have to do the core EE classes so you need to be good at physics.</p>
<p>As far as math, you need to take differential equations, which isn’t that challenging. I’d say it’s easier than calculus, although it’s more important to do the homework in that class since it is less conceptual and more application of methods. The math classes you might take as a CS major are more on the discrete side, so a number theory book would give you a good indication of what you are in store for.</p>
<p>^^ That’s…also not true. Under the new curriculum, the only required 6-3 classes that include ~any EE are 6.01, 6.02, and 6.004, none of which require knowing anything beyond V=IR / some very basic circuits. 6.004 conceptually discusses transistors, but you definitely don’t need to know any actual theory in order to get an A.</p>
<p>If you’re 6-3, you can also take 18.06, which is linear algebra, instead of 18.03. I suggest that you check out the required classes and see what’s cross-registered in 18 (the three classes I mentioned earlier all are) if you’re actually curious about how much math is involved.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help everybody. To the poster who mentioned physics - without acting high and mighty, I have to say I have a knack for the subject, especially the conceptual side of it. I’m taking a “computational physics” class and independent studying for the AP Physics B exam this year. I would try for the Physics C but I don’t know multivariable calculus so that’s kind of a problem…</p>
<p>Anyway, I feel a bit more confident now about the CS required math. Although I have to say I’m terrified of proofs. I’ve never experienced college proofs before and in general I’ve never been very good at the whole concept…but I’m sure I could improve if I put some work into it. </p>
<p>Hmm…everything that I’ve heard says it is. Or maybe “multivariable calculus” is just the wrong terminology? The minimum is Calc BC for any chance of success according to my physics teacher. The only kids I know who’ve done well on that exam have college calculus under their belt (higher than Calc BC). This year one kid (of three total) taking Physics C is in Calc AB, and he’s surely going to get a 1 or maybe a 2. Even the teacher cracks jokes about him…</p>
<p>You will need to do things like calculate the electric field at points a vertical distance above the center of a flat disk with charge distributed uniformly across. That means many variables are seemingly there, but you only really care about one when doing calculus. Having had MVC would possibly make it less intimidating but really this level of calculus is in any average textbook, although some calculus teachers may skimp on the hard problems and that results in less confident students.</p>
<p>Pick up a basic book like Halliday and Resnick and do lots of problems. Then do the problems in a test prep book. Question your understanding and strengthen it everywhere. Then you will find the test easy.</p>
<p>Collegealum, I am aware that Calc BC is not multivariable calculus. Thank you for the attempted enlightenment though, I know it was well-intentioned. In my above post I did a poor job of explaining that I hear “multivariable calculus” thrown around a lot as necessary for success in Physics C, but that Calc BC usually works out just fine.</p>
<p>mathboy, I can’t help but ask…did you read the thread? I’m not taking Physics C, I’m taking Physics B. This thread was created to ask about math curricula at MIT, and went off on an AP Physics tangent. Although I’m sure a future forum member will appreciate your advice when they frantically search the boards about how to survive Physics C.</p>
<p>Sorry if I was unclear, but this made me feel you were not sure about what you are doing. I STRONGLY disagree MVC is even something to be placed in the ‘recommended’ category, and you could just as well self study and take Physics C. Whether you do so is up to you. Apparently you are self studying for B anyway, so it is not inconceivable you might want to know about the other option.</p>
<p>I am not sure what you mean, as I think I answered questions about math posed at the beginning, in fair detail. I can expand on anything that was unclear.</p>
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<p>You do not need material from BC that is not in the AB level with barely one possible exception. Know how to take integrals, solve basic word problems using integrals and derivatives, and that is all the math. Calculus BC covers sequences and series, Taylor expansion, some extra fancy integrals, calculus of functions of polar coordinates. The few times you need to take a complicated integral, I bet if you did all the rest correctly, and left the integral mostly unevaluated, you would get a 5 anyway.</p>
<p>Basically I think things posted here are giving quite the wrong impression. Now AB students may lack maturity, but that is again for the individual to judge.</p>
<p>Part of the confusion may be that Calc AB sometimes refers to Calc I (with Calc BC = Calc II). Other times, Calc AB means a less rigorous treatment of calculus than calc BC but the same basic concepts.</p>
<p>True - I answer questions assuming we are talking of AP Calculus, where the syllabus is governed by the ETS and available online, to be safe. Ultimately a school’s AP course may measure up poorly against what it is meant to cover, but I would say this poster seems confident his high school is competitive - hopefully that means that at least the bare minimum syllabus is covered.</p>