<p>I was just thinking of comparing which is the most rigorous math course offered at the freshman level.</p>
<p>Tufts’ math 17-18 sequence is prett intense. It’s like elementary analysis with nothing but proofs. </p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Are you serious? You’re comparing the rigour of a Math course at Harvard with one at Tufts!</p>
<p>Which one do you think is more difficult?</p>
<p>Are you trying to undestimate the academic rigor at tufts. Do you know how exactly math 17 is? How condescending can you get based on impressions?!!</p>
<p>math 55 is supposedly the hardest freshman level math class in the country. It’s mostly has olympiad participants, from what i’ve heard.</p>
<p>It’s easy to compare the two sets of courses by going to the websites of the respective math departments. Tufts Math 17 has a prequisite of AB Calculus, which would make it similar in level of difficulty to Math 21 through Math 23 at Harvard. Math 25 and Math 55 require a score of 5 on the BC exam and Math 55 students typically have done math well beyond AP-Calculus.</p>
<p>Tufts requires AB calculus… while Harvard says on its math concentration site about math 55:</p>
<p>“A thorough knowledge of multivariable calculus and linear algebra is almost absolutely required, and any other prior knowledge can only help. Students who benefit the most from this class have taken substantial amounts of advanced mathematics and are fairly fluent in the writing of proofs.”</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but you’re making a fool of yourself by attacking people who laugh at your comparison. Math 55 enrolls a substantial fraction of the most accomplished young mathematicians in the world, all of whom generally find it quite challenging. How many IMO medalists does Tufts have? I think you’re just trying to provoke people.</p>
<p>To answer the OP’s question, Harvard’s Math 55 is harder by a wide margin.</p>
<p>This really doesn’t have anything to do with Tufts vs. Harvard; it’s about Math 55 being special. I don’t have any reason to think that Psychology 101 or Intro to Art History is harder at Harvard than at Tufts.</p>