Liberal arts college for math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll throw my knowledge into this. I am an academic in an area adjacent to math, so this is second hand.

Me too. I liked pure math, but later found great applications in an adjacent area. Math provides great support for physics, cryptography, economics, actuarial science, management science and logistics, and finance. These days, most math majors are actually applied math majors or joint computer science. There is also statistics and data analysis.

It is unrealistic to expect an undergrad to complete all the Ph.D. core courses. Only a small minority of talented kids end up competing in Math Olympiads and becoming professors in something useless like number theory. Go someplace with lots of math majors and opportunities to explore interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll throw my knowledge into this. I am an academic in an area adjacent to math, so this is second hand.

Me too. I liked pure math, but later found great applications in an adjacent area. Math provides great support for physics, cryptography, economics, actuarial science, management science and logistics, and finance. These days, most math majors are actually applied math majors or joint computer science. There is also statistics and data analysis.

It is unrealistic to expect an undergrad to complete all the Ph.D. core courses. Only a small minority of talented kids end up competing in Math Olympiads and becoming professors in something useless like number theory. Go someplace with lots of math majors and opportunities to explore interests.

Colleges offering the interdisciplinary major of data science may enhance such opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll throw my knowledge into this. I am an academic in an area adjacent to math, so this is second hand.

From what I’ve heard, math PhD admissions is all about taking hard courses and getting good recommendation letters. Surprisingly, research doesn’t matter as much because real research is too hard for most undergrads.

So, your kid should go somewhere where they can take lots of advanced courses, impress the professors in those courses, and get them to write excellent recommendation letters. Keep in mind that applicants to top programs are usually expected to have completed graduate courses in the core areas of math, so you should ideally be taking grad courses starting sophomore or junior year.

If you want an LAC, this is possible through consortiums at the following: Claremont Colleges, Tri-Co colleges, Amherst+Smith? (not sure on that one). Williams and Reed don’t have consortiums, but they do run advanced courses regularly. Wesleyan has its own PhD program, so there’s that too.

Again, this is for pure math. I think that expectations are slightly lower in applied math and statistics.

I am a mathematician who did my undergad at one of the consortium SLACs mentioned by this poster and did my graduate work at MIT.
As this poster mentioned, I studied pure math although now am in industry doing more applied math.
I think the colleges mentioned by this poster are great. I'd add to the list Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr consortium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll throw my knowledge into this. I am an academic in an area adjacent to math, so this is second hand.

From what I’ve heard, math PhD admissions is all about taking hard courses and getting good recommendation letters. Surprisingly, research doesn’t matter as much because real research is too hard for most undergrads.

So, your kid should go somewhere where they can take lots of advanced courses, impress the professors in those courses, and get them to write excellent recommendation letters. Keep in mind that applicants to top programs are usually expected to have completed graduate courses in the core areas of math, so you should ideally be taking grad courses starting sophomore or junior year.

If you want an LAC, this is possible through consortiums at the following: Claremont Colleges, Tri-Co colleges, Amherst+Smith? (not sure on that one). Williams and Reed don’t have consortiums, but they do run advanced courses regularly. Wesleyan has its own PhD program, so there’s that too.

Again, this is for pure math. I think that expectations are slightly lower in applied math and statistics.

I am a mathematician who did my undergad at one of the consortium SLACs mentioned by this poster and did my graduate work at MIT.
As this poster mentioned, I studied pure math although now am in industry doing more applied math.
I think the colleges mentioned by this poster are great. I'd add to the list Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr consortium.

Please note that these represent the Tri-Co schools, mentioned in the earlier post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not a mathematician, so actual mathematicians can correct me on this if needed. But my understanding is that the math offerings at LACs like Mudd, Pomona, Williams, Reed, and Swarthmore will be more than enough for the vast majority of math majors. If your kid is a true savant (not just the best mathematician in their high school), however, then they should consider a university's deeper grad school offerings. A university might also be preferable if a kid is interested in a niche mathematical area. But most kids at these LACs tend to get humbled pretty quickly when they realize that most of their fellow math majors also took Calc BC by their sophomore year of high school and are incredibly intelligent.

What are you trying to say here? That all of the Math majors at SLACs are smart so the smart kids will be humbled by each other? My kid is a Math major at a SLAC discussed here far too often and the Math offerings are fine from her perspective. Research opportunities have been excellent as well with professors reaching out proactively to recruit for research projects, summer jobs, TA opportunities etc. She's not looking for academia so this is all that she needs.

I think y'all were agreeing with each other. From the perspective of a high school student who is exceptionally strong at math, it's natural to wonder if a LAC will have enough curriculum depth--after all, your high school probably didn't. But when you're on campus, you realize that the other math majors were also that student at their respective high schools, and the LAC curriculum is built out plenty for the vast majority of strong math students. Only a small handful of students actually need to access the classes that would be available at MIT but not at Swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Welp, that was a huge formatting fail, sorry. Was trying to quote the conversation from earlier.

[Anonymous]

My son is on track to finish Linear Alg and MultiCalc when he graduates high school. Would a SLAC have enough advanced math classes to challenge him as an undergrad?

[Anonymous]

Certainly. Math is one of those fields not dependent on technology or any sort of capital. It was literally invented by dudes meditating in a cave. You can be mathematically challenged anywhere, actually, as many people around me continue to demonstrate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math is the largest major at Amherst (sometimes alternating for 2nd with economics), and advanced students can take graduate classes at UMass.

This is important as some math students need more than is offered by the typical LAC curriculum. One reason that OP's student should give serious consideration to U Chicago or any other National University.

How many math major at Amherst College ? TIA

You wouldn’t have this issue at Pomona.

I'm not a mathematician, so actual mathematicians can correct me on this if needed. But my understanding is that the math offerings at LACs like Mudd, Pomona, Williams, Reed, and Swarthmore will be more than enough for the vast majority of math majors. If your kid is a true savant (not just the best mathematician in their high school), however, then they should consider a university's deeper grad school offerings. A university might also be preferable if a kid is interested in a niche mathematical area. But most kids at these LACs tend to get humbled pretty quickly when they realize that most of their fellow math majors also took Calc BC by their sophomore year of high school and are incredibly intelligent.

What are you trying to say here? That all of the Math majors at SLACs are smart so the smart kids will be humbled by each other? My kid is a Math major at a SLAC discussed here far too often and the Math offerings are fine from her perspective. Research opportunities have been excellent as well with professors reaching out proactively to recruit for research projects, summer jobs, TA opportunities etc. She's not looking for academia so this is all that she needs.

I think you may be reading something into my post that isn't there. I'm saying that LAC math at the schools I mentioned is more than adequate for the vast majority of high-performing math students. I think there's a perception that kids who were math superstars in high school will run out of classes at LACs. In reality, virtually all the kids majoring in math at schools like Pomona or Mudd were math superstars in their respective high schools and they still thrive in their college programs. So, while the Terrance Taos of the world may be better off at Princeton, most other math prodigies will be fine at such LACs. FWIW, my kid is at an LAC and I'm a fan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math is the largest major at Amherst (sometimes alternating for 2nd with economics), and advanced students can take graduate classes at UMass.

This is important as some math students need more than is offered by the typical LAC curriculum. One reason that OP's student should give serious consideration to U Chicago or any other National University.

How many math major at Amherst College ? TIA

You wouldn’t have this issue at Pomona.

I'm not a mathematician, so actual mathematicians can correct me on this if needed. But my understanding is that the math offerings at LACs like Mudd, Pomona, Williams, Reed, and Swarthmore will be more than enough for the vast majority of math majors. If your kid is a true savant (not just the best mathematician in their high school), however, then they should consider a university's deeper grad school offerings. A university might also be preferable if a kid is interested in a niche mathematical area. But most kids at these LACs tend to get humbled pretty quickly when they realize that most of their fellow math majors also took Calc BC by their sophomore year of high school and are incredibly intelligent.

What are you trying to say here? That all of the Math majors at SLACs are smart so the smart kids will be humbled by each other? My kid is a Math major at a SLAC discussed here far too often and the Math offerings are fine from her perspective. Research opportunities have been excellent as well with professors reaching out proactively to recruit for research projects, summer jobs, TA opportunities etc. She's not looking for academia so this is all that she needs.

Name the school.

Why would I do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Berkeley would fit if he can get in (I assume Stanford is too much of a reach).

Berkeley is only a fit if you're USAMO level and can get into top research lab through pure intellect.

DS transferred out of Berkeley after one year. Great if you are ok with TAs and overcrowded dorms. It’s great for graduate education but the undergrad experience leaves a lot to be desired.

+100 And you lose access to those overcrowded dorms quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math is the largest major at Amherst (sometimes alternating for 2nd with economics), and advanced students can take graduate classes at UMass.

This is important as some math students need more than is offered by the typical LAC curriculum. One reason that OP's student should give serious consideration to U Chicago or any other National University.

How many math major at Amherst College ? TIA

You wouldn’t have this issue at Pomona.

I'm not a mathematician, so actual mathematicians can correct me on this if needed. But my understanding is that the math offerings at LACs like Mudd, Pomona, Williams, Reed, and Swarthmore will be more than enough for the vast majority of math majors. If your kid is a true savant (not just the best mathematician in their high school), however, then they should consider a university's deeper grad school offerings. A university might also be preferable if a kid is interested in a niche mathematical area. But most kids at these LACs tend to get humbled pretty quickly when they realize that most of their fellow math majors also took Calc BC by their sophomore year of high school and are incredibly intelligent.

What are you trying to say here? That all of the Math majors at SLACs are smart so the smart kids will be humbled by each other? My kid is a Math major at a SLAC discussed here far too often and the Math offerings are fine from her perspective. Research opportunities have been excellent as well with professors reaching out proactively to recruit for research projects, summer jobs, TA opportunities etc. She's not looking for academia so this is all that she needs.

I think you may be reading something into my post that isn't there. I'm saying that LAC math at the schools I mentioned is more than adequate for the vast majority of high-performing math students. I think there's a perception that kids who were math superstars in high school will run out of classes at LACs. In reality, virtually all the kids majoring in math at schools like Pomona or Mudd were math superstars in their respective high schools and they still thrive in their college programs. So, while the Terrance Taos of the world may be better off at Princeton, most other math prodigies will be fine at such LACs. FWIW, my kid is at an LAC and I'm a fan.

PP: Yes! It was this sentence that threw me "But most kids at these LACs tend to get humbled pretty quickly when they realize that most of their fellow math majors also took Calc BC by their sophomore year of high school and are incredibly intelligent."

I completely agree with you. She is at one of the WASP/NESCSC/5C schools that is always talked about here and feels challenged. If she had a gripe it is that you have to be thoughtful in course selection because many courses aren't offered every semester. Her interestes do lean towards Applied Math (her dad was an Applied Math major) rather than pure math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS wants a liberal arts college strong in math but doesn't want to be in the middle of nowhere for 4 years. Is the quality of the following schools anything like Williams: Pomona, Swarthmore/Haverford, Reed, Occidental, Macalester. He can't imagine himself in a small town for college, but we may have to steer him towards universities like Uchicago for the type of math education he is seeking.

Reed and Harvey Mudd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Villanova has a track record for math majors.

Hahahaha yup

Villanova:The Papacy :: Bucknell:The Street

some guy did it once and now everyone keeps talking about it? Yeah, that checks out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is a math/comp sci major at Davidson. The math department and opportunities are exceptional. He is working at a large consulting firm this summer.

Can you be more specific as to how exactly they're exceptional?