Hi there. I am an incoming freshman at UChicago, and even though I haven’t had my advising appointment yet, I am wondering what math class would be best suited for someone like me.
I am majoring in anthropology. I took calculus last year, but my teacher wasn’t great, and I definitely don’t categorize myself as a math person or a person who’s good at math. I’m wondering what course is popular for liberal arts majors/non-math people.
I can’t link the article here but if you google uchicago reddit math, there is an article written by a 4th year (BTW UChicago does NOT use the term freshman, sophomore etc. but rather 1st year, 2nd year, etc. ) on math. The title of that very elaborate and helpful article is “Everything you need to know about math”. Read that carefully and that will help you out a lot in deciding what math class you should take.
Caveat: UChicago undergrad math classes come in many different flavors. But the more rigorous ones (which mean almost every class) will include some elements of theoretical math, i.e., proof. Don’t take any Honors math class just because you are used to taking honors classes in high school. It has been repeatedly pointed out that Honors math class at UChicago is a totally different (and much harder) animal than your high school BC Calculus or your local community college MV calculus class.
Have you taken the mandatory math placement test yet? I believe it’s due by July 19. They will use your score, plus your previous classes and grades to help you take the right class. Some humanities/social science based majors such as psychology require 2 quarters of Calc. The lowest leveled Calc classes are 13100 and 13200 I believe. They also offer a few math classes for the “non math types” who still need to meet the core requirements but won’t need advanced math beyond that. My D had her advising appointment today, and she was told that 90% of students will take Calc at UChicago. Good luck!
Calc 13100-13300 (130’s) might be an option if you wish to do Calc in college but don’t place into or want to take the standard 150’s sequence. My D took 131 and 132 and found it to be challenging, even though she got A’s in AP AB in high school. She had done fairly well on the placement test but not as well on her AP test which is likely why she was placed in 130’s. My son is thinking 130’s as well although he doesn’t have his placement results yet. Both are/will be non-STEM majors.
Calculus 130s is a five day a week commitment with tutorial on the days you don’t have a lecture. My daughter typically did not need to remain for the entire length of the tutorial since one of them was typically homework help and the other was a weekly mandatory quiz and additional help if needed. She felt she really “got” calculus after finishing 132. She also had several housemates also taking 130’s and they would study together, even if they weren’t in the same exact section, since all were taught at the same pace. That might be true for 150’s as well.
You should Google “UChicago college catalog” and check under the curriculum link to explore the core math options. Your summer advisor will have more information.
Good luck!
Chicago is a very math-y place. Even people who don’t like math, and who don’t need it for their majors, generally learn to love it a little because there is so much talk about it all the time, so many of their classmates are really into it, and it’s very important to more fields of study than you might assume, at least at Chicago. Possibly including anthropology.
But choosing a math class won’t be that hard. If you had a calculus class in high school, you are not going to be placed in remedial math. While there are ways of meeting the Core requirement other than taking calculus, it’s entirely possible that no one will mention them to you, because everyone is funneled into calculus unless they place out of it. So your choice will be between 130s and 150s calculus, and you will probably choose 130s because it’s less intense and generally doesn’t qualify as a prerequisite for going on to higher math, so the people who want to do a lot of math don’t take it and lots of humanities majors do.
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