College admissions and Blair high school courses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

No. My concern is that my kid has already done a lot of the classes available in the math departments at many colleges.

Not a brag, not a humblebrag, just a statement of fact and a request for input.

Um, no. You don’t have much experience with college math, do you? I doubt he’s even scratched the surface.

Just a statement of fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

No. My concern is that my kid has already done a lot of the classes available in the math departments at many colleges.

Not a brag, not a humblebrag, just a statement of fact and a request for input.

Um, no. You don’t have much experience with college math, do you? I doubt he’s even scratched the surface.

Just a statement of fact.

Actually, I was a math major, and have a lot of experience with both college math and graduate classes in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

LOL. College courses are at a different level than HS classes. Don't get fooled by course titles.

Yup. The hardest math classes sound like elementary school classes.

[Anonymous]

Fellow Blair parent here. I do think our kids are doing college level work. My best guess (as a non-mathematician) is my DC completed most of the math which UMD requires for a math minor, although they require coursework to be taken there. My child doesn't go to UMD and isn't interested in a math minor, so it's moot.

I haven't researched specifically, but I imagine that any school with a graduate program would be able to provide a math course of study for Blair alums. They would just move on to upper level classes early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

No. My concern is that my kid has already done a lot of the classes available in the math departments at many colleges.

Not a brag, not a humblebrag, just a statement of fact and a request for input.

Um, no. You don’t have much experience with college math, do you? I doubt he’s even scratched the surface.

Just a statement of fact.

Actually, I was a math major, and have a lot of experience with both college math and graduate classes in math.

Then you should know that the bolded sentence is utter BS, regardless of how bright you think you DS is.

I’m from Virginia, so I know a lot of TJ parents, and they can be pretty arrogant. But you Blair folks take it to another level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fellow Blair parent here. I do think our kids are doing college level work. My best guess (as a non-mathematician) is my DC completed most of the math which UMD requires for a math minor, although they require coursework to be taken there. My child doesn't go to UMD and isn't interested in a math minor, so it's moot.

I haven't researched specifically, but I imagine that any school with a graduate program would be able to provide a math course of study for Blair alums. They would just move on to upper level classes early.

I took linear algebra and multi-variable calculus as a sophomore in college. I doubt any run-of-the-mill magnet kid could pass the final exams in those classes. Not saying there aren’t true prodigies out there, but that’s pretty rare.

[Anonymous]

Former Blair parent whose DC is at MIT. If your kid aspires to go to MIT, then they should take the hardest classes available at Blair in order to get into a highly selective college. Many former Blair students find the intro college classes very easy or that they already know the material. My strongest recommendation is that your DC apply only to schools with a graduate program in their area of interest so that they can take those classes during college if they run out of courses at the undergraduate level. My DC did this and so have many of his buddies from Blair in their respective schools. His friend who attends a SLAC without a graduate program is running out of classes to take.

[Anonymous]

There are some LACs with an extremely robust math program, like Williams and the combined Claremont Colleges (Mudd + Pomona in particular). Let's not generalize so sweepingly broad and say "apply only to schools with a graduate program".

[Anonymous]

The kid that I am talking about goes to Harvey Mudd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kid that I am talking about goes to Harvey Mudd.

The "SLAC"ies will come by and beat you up for it for talking down a top SLAC. SLACS are the best thing since sliced bread. You must not know what you are talking about! What's 2+2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

No. My concern is that my kid has already done a lot of the classes available in the math departments at many colleges.

Not a brag, not a humblebrag, just a statement of fact and a request for input.

Um, no. You don’t have much experience with college math, do you? I doubt he’s even scratched the surface.

Just a statement of fact.

Actually, I was a math major, and have a lot of experience with both college math and graduate classes in math.

Really? And you think Blair math is same as college math major courses? Did you go to school in this country?

[Anonymous]

Seriously? Is this kid already a graduate level student? Sorry, but I don't believe you.

Let's talk about Mudd a bit. They're the #1 producer of math PhDs on a size adjusted basis- yes, above MIT and Caltech. Their department is extremely accomplished and has a track record of sending students to the top graduate programs. Pomona, a consortium school, is in the top 20 as well nationwide for math, amplifying the opportunities.

Everyone at Mudd is required to take a heavy core curriculum consisting of physics, chem, engineering, CS, biology, and math courses. They also have to take about a third of their courses in the liberal art social science and humanities. That leaves only about 20 courses that a Mudd student will take per their own volition.

I took a look at the 5C course registration for unique mid and upper-division math courses offered (ie. anything after Calc III, Vector Calc, and Intro Linear Algebra) in the past two years:

Spring '18: Engineering Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics, Intermediate Linear Algebra, Intermediate Diff EQs, Intro to Analysis, Combinatorics, Fourier Series, Math Analysis I, Graduate Analysis II, Seminar in Differential Geometry, Topology, Probability, Statistical Inference, Bayesian Statistics, Stochastic Processes, Intermediate Probability, Statistical Linear Models, Scientific Computing, Numerical Analysis, Algorithms, Abstract Algebra I, Abstract Algebra II, Advanced Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Combinatoric Group Theory, Partial Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, Stochastic Operations Research, Deterministic Operations Research, Convexity, Independent Study, Undergraduate Mathematics Forum, Mathematical Biology

Fall '17: Putnam Seminar, Math of Finance, Advanced Mathematical Biology, Principles of Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Real and Functional Analysis I, Differential Geometry (lecture), Algebraic Topology, Intro to Polyhydra, Statistical Theory, Computational Statistics, Complexity Theory, Representation Theory, Calculus of Variations, Matrix Analysis (graduate level), Finite Fourier Analysis (graduate level), Seminar in Mathematical Exposition, Game Theory and Evolution Cooperation, Research Circle in Math

Spring '17: Graph Theory, Boundary Value Probability, Geometric Modeling, Topics in Geometry and Topology, Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials, Time Series, Stochastic Processes (graduate level), Monte Carlo Methods, Spatial Statistics, Data Mining

Fall '16: MCM/ICM Seminar, Modern Geometry, Knot Theory, Algebraic Geometry, Mathematical Modeling, Algebraic Topology (graduate level), Big Data I (graduate level), Parallel and High Performance Computing (graduate level), Advanced Topics: Coding Theory (graduate level)

That's at least 60+ courses. You could do independent study and research circle every semester. Not to forget the Budapest Semester in Mathematics study abroad offered by both Mudd and Pomona, letting students take courses not offered across the five colleges. How in the world would one run out?

If your kid is a math prodigy who has won international acclaim, sure, send them to MIT and Princeton and UChicago over a LAC. If your kid just took a few math courses that would usually be taken as a first year or sophomore in college, no, you can't just blanket assume that a LAC will be poorly equipped to offer courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? Is this kid already a graduate level student? Sorry, but I don't believe you.

Let's talk about Mudd a bit. They're the #1 producer of math PhDs on a size adjusted basis- yes, above MIT and Caltech. Their department is extremely accomplished and has a track record of sending students to the top graduate programs. Pomona, a consortium school, is in the top 20 as well nationwide for math, amplifying the opportunities.

Everyone at Mudd is required to take a heavy core curriculum consisting of physics, chem, engineering, CS, biology, and math courses. They also have to take about a third of their courses in the liberal art social science and humanities. That leaves only about 20 courses that a Mudd student will take per their own volition.

I took a look at the 5C course registration for unique mid and upper-division math courses offered (ie. anything after Calc III, Vector Calc, and Intro Linear Algebra) in the past two years:

Spring '18: Engineering Mathematics, Discrete Mathematics, Intermediate Linear Algebra, Intermediate Diff EQs, Intro to Analysis, Combinatorics, Fourier Series, Math Analysis I, Graduate Analysis II, Seminar in Differential Geometry, Topology, Probability, Statistical Inference, Bayesian Statistics, Stochastic Processes, Intermediate Probability, Statistical Linear Models, Scientific Computing, Numerical Analysis, Algorithms, Abstract Algebra I, Abstract Algebra II, Advanced Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Combinatoric Group Theory, Partial Differential Equations, Dynamical Systems, Stochastic Operations Research, Deterministic Operations Research, Convexity, Independent Study, Undergraduate Mathematics Forum, Mathematical Biology

Fall '17: Putnam Seminar, Math of Finance, Advanced Mathematical Biology, Principles of Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Real and Functional Analysis I, Differential Geometry (lecture), Algebraic Topology, Intro to Polyhydra, Statistical Theory, Computational Statistics, Complexity Theory, Representation Theory, Calculus of Variations, Matrix Analysis (graduate level), Finite Fourier Analysis (graduate level), Seminar in Mathematical Exposition, Game Theory and Evolution Cooperation, Research Circle in Math

Spring '17: Graph Theory, Boundary Value Probability, Geometric Modeling, Topics in Geometry and Topology, Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials, Time Series, Stochastic Processes (graduate level), Monte Carlo Methods, Spatial Statistics, Data Mining

Fall '16: MCM/ICM Seminar, Modern Geometry, Knot Theory, Algebraic Geometry, Mathematical Modeling, Algebraic Topology (graduate level), Big Data I (graduate level), Parallel and High Performance Computing (graduate level), Advanced Topics: Coding Theory (graduate level)

That's at least 60+ courses. You could do independent study and research circle every semester. Not to forget the Budapest Semester in Mathematics study abroad offered by both Mudd and Pomona, letting students take courses not offered across the five colleges. How in the world would one run out?

If your kid is a math prodigy who has won international acclaim, sure, send them to MIT and Princeton and UChicago over a LAC. If your kid just took a few math courses that would usually be taken as a first year or sophomore in college, no, you can't just blanket assume that a LAC will be poorly equipped to offer courses.

I am guessing that poster was a parent of incoming student. Kids (and parents) all come to magnets with big heads filled with hot air. Same thing happens when kids transition to college until they learned the lesson of "the more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

LOL. College courses are at a different level than HS classes. Don't get fooled by course titles.

Exactly! Many of these high schools are rushing kids through courses (mostly because the parents want it). The learning is much more superficial than the in depth they will do in college. I tend to think this practice misleads kids into thinking they know more than they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is he in the magnet?

I would think that is what MIT wants to see - that he has taken the most challenging courses available to him.

Another question re: magnet students: My DC is taking the most challenging magnet classes available. As we look at colleges, we are seeing that many schools' offerings don't go that far beyond what the Blair magnet offers and what DC will have taken by the time graduation rolls around.

Is that really true? If so, do Blair students who want to study math in college need to winnow their choices down to schools that offer very high levels of math instruction, beyond what is typically seen in most college course catalogs?

So, your concern is college math classes may be too easy for your blair kid?

LOL. College courses are at a different level than HS classes. Don't get fooled by course titles.

Exactly! Many of these high schools are rushing kids through courses (mostly because the parents want it). The learning is much more superficial than the in depth they will do in college. I tend to think this practice misleads kids into thinking they know more than they do.

Not just kids. Parents too.