<p>Hi existential12. I am currently a third-year math major and can share some of my experiences with you. </p>
<p>If you are interested in comparing the curriculum of UChicago’s pure math track to that of other institutions, I have linked the mathematics page of UChicago’s course catalog below, and you should be able to find analogous pages for other schools through Google. In some cases, you can find more detailed information about specific courses by searching their course names, like “MATH 20300 UChicago,” on Google. </p>
<p>I have had nine different math teachers so far, and all of them have been accessible and friendly. Two of them were below-average lecturers, but both were good people who have since moved on to other positions. Six of them are currently senior faculty members, and being able to discuss math with them during office hours is a tremendous privilege. If you do end up studying math at UChicago, I highly recommend you go to your professors’ office hours whenever they are offered. The problems and texts will still be there after you graduate, but you may never again have the chance to do math live with mathematicians of equal caliber. Most of your upper-level classes will have a graduate student teaching fellow who will grade your assignments, offer office hours, and present a few lectures. I highly recommend attending their office hours as well.</p>
<p>If you are interested in participating in research, the department offers a R(esearch).E(xperience).(for)U(ndergarduates) program every summer. Participants attend mini-courses and prepare an (usually) expository paper in consultation with a graduate student mentor. Last year, the department secured funds to offer an additional REU-type program focusing on analysis which will continue to be to be held for the next few years, and I believe that next year there will be a similar program in topology and geometry. A stipend is usually offered for all of these, and if you have concerns about summer finances, Professor May makes himself easily available to discuss these issues. Most of my friends have also been successful in applying to REU programs offered by other schools, and during the school-year you can attend lectures and seminars where researchers will talk about their work. A few of these talks are specifically aimed at undergraduates. </p>
<p>If you want to study extra math outside of your classes, you can participate in the Directed Reading Program. This is a quarterly program run by graduate students that allows you to investigate a mathematical topic of your choice under the direction of a graduate student. You are given funds to purchase texts relevant to your topic.</p>
<p>There are many people available to help you when you have issues that affect your studies but are not directly related to classwork. For example, the librarians can direct you to borrowing resources to help you get text books for the quarter if you’re not in a position to buy them.</p>
<p>In response to the posts above, I’d like to mention that there is a new major in Computational and Applied Mathematics that is being offered from this year onwards. It requires many of the courses included in applied math tracks at other universities like programming, statistics, numerical analysis, numerical linear algebra, and differential equations. I have taken many of the required courses as electives or major courses for my math degree, and I think it’s going to be one of the most difficult majors in the college. I have linked the course catalog page for this degree below. It is very manageable to get a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.S. in C.A.A.M.</p>
<p>If you have any other questions about math at UChicago, feel free to post them here. Good luck on your applications :)! </p>
<p>Math Page on Course Catalog - <a href=“Mathematics < University of Chicago Catalog”>http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/mathematics/</a>
Computational and Applied Mathematics Page on Course Catalog - <a href=“Computational and Applied Mathematics < University of Chicago Catalog”>http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/caam/</a></p>