Princeton Undergraduate Math

TheMoment.I
Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:57:28 +0000

From what I know, caltech’s undergrad math is quite odd. There are more requirements, including differential equations and probability, some of which some math people would find odd. Without getting into details, Princeton’s math program stands out in the following ways:

The flexibility. There is no one class every math major needs to take; To join the math department, you only need to have taken one proof-based math class. Any other math classes for will do. After the introductory level, there are only 3 topics that a math major must cover to major in math at Princeton (Algebra, Real and Complex Analysis), and there are at least 2 different courses that cover each of these topics. Even if a student finds he does not like a certain sort of math, he/she rarely needs to take it. And if it happens to be one of the 3 required ones, he/she is not required to take the hardest version of it. Overall, you can come to study math as you would like it, learning the sort of math you want at whatever level you want.

The attention and welcoming attitude. The math department is one of the most welcoming departments on campus. This is not really easily seen, because the classes are usually very difficult, which turns people off even before they see what the department is like. There is tea every day, and professors come and talk to whatever students are around. If you’re having trouble on the homework, professors almost always give extensions, no questions asked. When you are a Junior, you choose to either write a short paper of be in a seminar. In the former, you work one-on-one with a professor, learning some new topic; I have heard very, very few stories of anyone ever being rejected by a professor to write such a paper. In the latter, a professor teaches a course (usually one the professor specializes in) with around 8 math majors in the class. It is usually a very conversational, easy-going course with little to no homework, and more talking about the math. When I brought a friend of mine from high school to Princeton, we sat down and talked with John Conway for a while, and all the other Professors were welcoming, and they didn’t even know my friend!

The teaching. This is definitely my favorite. The math department at Princeton teaches AMAZINGLY WELL. With the exception of one, maybe two, professors, the department is filled with professors that teach is such a way that the material is presented as clearly as possible. Even after that, they are always willing to stay after class and talk about anything that wasn’t clear in class. And even after that, they have office hours in which they make themselves free during some day just so students can come with questions. And, of course, you could always just write and e-mail, and they’ll answer. In the end though, the magic is in the classroom, when you get to those proof-based math major courses. The Professors talk about the material like it is part of their blood, giving explanations one way and another, and then explaining the wrong way to think about it that most people think of the first time they see the material. And then coming up with thought-provoking examples. Sure, the homework is tough, but you are getting as good of an education as you can possibly get.

There are other reasons why I feel the undergrad math program at Princeton is amazing, but those are some of the ones I feel are the best. Caltech is great, of course, and I really don’t know enough to criticize it. However, I know plenty about the math program at Princeton, and, at the very least, I absolutely KNOW that your son will not regret going to Princeton for math.