Major: Math or ORFE?

ec1234
Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:59:34 +0000

What type of math do you like doing? If you want to do applied math you could probably major in either department, but for the more theoretical stuff you would really need to be in the math department. I also think that if you want to go to graduate school in math, then the math department is the better place to be. But either way, its worth waiting until you get to princeton and take some classes in both departments until you decide. The students in each are very different. The math department has the more classic math students, while many orfes are people looking for a job in finance or a slightly easier engineering major (not that it’s easy… just a stereotype). That makes the classes have a different feel. The math department is also much much smaller than the orfe department.

Depending on AP credit, you might not have that many requirements to take to start on the BSE track, and the higher math courses should count towards the orfe major and will fulfill bse gen ed requirements. SO my advice would be to wait until sophomore year, once youre here, to decide which track is better for you