Math summer orientation

Math summer orientation

Help for students in mathematical majors

planning the

Fall 2014 schedule.

Your adviser today

You will be advised today by one of

•Alison Champion, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies

•Dr. Bob (Professor Robert Muncaster), Director of Undergraduate Studies

Proficiency tests• A placement exam helps us choose courses; a

proficiency exam can earn you college credit.• Note that on THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1-2:30

PM, 314 Altgeld Hall, is a Calculus I proficiency exam for new students. No sign-up needed. If you have learned calculus but do not already have official University of Illinois credit for Math 220, please sit for this exam. There is no penalty if you do not pass. Calculators are not permitted, but the exam is multiple-choice, so you may be able to pass even if you don’t have time to study before the test. Please bring your i-card and a pencil to the exam. Results are available in 313 Altgeld Hall from 1-4 pm on Friday, August 22, in person.

• There is another proficiency exam date available for almost any math class, but you must sign up online by 5pm, Monday, August 25, to take the 3-hour long-answer exam from 7-10 pm on Thursday, August 28. No calculators. Only one exam may be taken on that date.

Credit for Transfer Courses

• If your DARS audit lists any of your courses as “LAS 1—” or “ENG 1—” or “TRAN 1—” then the course is being counted for university credit but has NOT been reviewed by the appropriate department.

• Such courses can count for elective credit but NOT for specific requirements until they are properly reviewed.

Transfer articulation

• To start the transfer articulation process, please get a copy of the course syllabus. A syllabus usually has a list of lecture topics, information about the textbook used, and information about grading.

• If the syllabus is in a language other than English, an official translation is usually required.

Transfer articulation

• You may submit electronic versions at

• https://secure.admin.illinois.edu/Admissions/eAdmit/OnlineSyllabus

• Submit your paper syllabi to Admissions, CCAU, 901 West Illinois St, Urbana IL 61801, USA

• This process is slow—please do it as soon as possible!!!

Composition I

• Several different ways to complete this freshman writing requirement

• ESL 111+112 or ESL 115 composition courses, based on English Placement Test score

• Rhetoric course, depending on ACT English score

• CMN 111/112 (strong English skills and strong ACT English score). Short speeches + writing.

ESL Composition

• Students who complete ESL do NOT need to take Rhet courses; ESL 112 or 115 completes the Comp I requirement.

• ESL instructors have special training to help with writing issues of non-native speakers of English AND general composition.

• Rhet instructors are NOT qualified or trained to help non-native speakers of English

ESL Composition

• Some students are required to take the English Placement Test (EPT)

• Other students may choose to take the EPT, even if they are not required to do it.

• ONLY students who take the EPT may take ESL composition courses.

English Placement Test

• If English is not your native language, you can sign up for the EPT at

http://go.illinois.edu/ept

Transfer Writing

• Transfer students who have credit for “UCI” or “UCII” partial Composition I credit can fulfill BOTH Composition I and Advanced Composition by taking Rhet 233, Principles of Composition.

• This option is only available to transfers with UCI or UCII credit.

Advanced Composition

• Must be done AFTER Comp I

• Learning to write well in a specific discipline

• Math majors with Calculus III credit might like Math 348

• BTW 250, Principles of Business Communication, is also a good choice

• Usually NOT done in freshman year.

• Math 348 is full at this time.

Language Other Than English

Ways to fulfill this requirement are…

• 4 years’ study in high school (one language)

• 4 semesters’ study in college (one language)

• Reach 4th level another way

• Reach 3rd level of two languages

• Proficiency exam here on campus

Language Other Than English

• Not exempt if you are a native speaker of another language

• Proficiency exams available

• EALC department offers Japanese, Korean, Chinese exams in August (22nd)

• Spanish offers exam in August

• Many other departments arrange individual exams

Language OtherThan English

• If you wish to continue with a language you started in high school, you MUST take the placement exam.

• You MUST start with the course you’re placed in, even if it’s lower than you expect

• Example: Placed in Span 103 after 4 years of Spanish in high school. Cannot jump to 4th level Spanish.

General Education

• General education gives you breadth in your studies

• Gen ed courses can be spread throughout your time here, but it’s good to cover most of them before junior year

General Education

Requirements

• 6 hours of Humanities & Arts (Historical/Philosophical and Literature & Arts)

• 6 hours of Social & Behavioral Sciences

• 6 hours of Natural Sciences & Technology (Physical Science and Life Science)

General Education

• 1 Western/Comparative Cultures course

• 1 Nonwestern or U.S. Minority Cultures course

• These two courses may “double-dip” with the previous 18 hours if chosen carefully

• Courses listed for both Western and Nonwestern may be counted for one, not both! (You choose which one.)

General Education

• Many general education classes fill up quickly

• Some general education courses have sections reserved for special groups. Those sections are not available unless you’re in the special group.

• Please identify many courses which you might like to take!

Transfer orientation

• LAS 199 Transfer Advantage

• Orientation for transfer students

• 1 credit hour, not difficult to earn an A

• Nice way to meet other transfer students

• Nice way to find out how Illinois rules may be different from your previous school

Electives!

You must complete 120 credits to graduate. Your major and general ed courses use less than 90 hours, so you MUST take some courses just for fun!

Consider a minor, learning a new language, exploring courses which look fun or interesting...

Computer Science

• CS 101: Programming for science/engineering (3 hrs)

• CS 125: Programming for CS majors, Math/CS, Stat/CS, CS minors (4 hours)

• No space available in CS at this time.

Computer Science

• CS 101 recommended for math majors. Weekly labs, two major programming assignments. Currently uses Matlab and C.

• CS 125 required for Math/CS, Stat/CS, CS majors. Weekly labs, 7-8 major programming assignments. Uses Java.

Math Courses

• Math 220: Calculus – limits, derivatives and basic integrals

• Math 231: Calculus II - more integration, infinite series, parametric equations

• Math 241: Calculus III, multivariable calculus

Advanced Placement

• AP Calculus AB: score of 4 or 5 gives credit for Math 220.

• AP Calculus BC: score of 4 or 5 gives credit for Math 220 & Math 231.

• AP Calculus BC score of 3, AB subscore of 4 or 5 gives credit for Math 220.

• Lower scores give no credit

Advanced Placement

• If you don’t see credit for AP scores in your Illinois records, check your score report to see whether you sent your score to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• College Board will send scores for a fee. Priority/rush service is NOT necessary.

A-levels

• Advanced Level Certificate with grade of C or higher in Mathematics earns credit for Math 220.

• Students with A-level credit may consider proficiency exam for Math 231, Math 241, depending on background.

• Original A-level certificate must be submitted to International Admissions when you get it.

Advanced Math

• Math 347: Intro to Proofs (Math 231 prerequisite, Math 241 even better). Intro to reading advanced math and to writing proofs in a variety of areas of math. Transition from calculus to advanced math.

• Honors section available (now) to extremely good students with Calculus II credit.

Advanced Math

• Math 416, Abstract Linear Algebra

• Required for math majors

• Prerequisite: Multivariable calculus

• Math 347 also good prereq

• Honors section available (now) to extremely good students

Advanced Math

• Math 441, differential equations for math majors

• Math 442, partial differential equations

• Math 453, number theory

• Math 402, non-Euclidean geometry

Mathematics major

• All students do “Core” courses

• Also choose a Concentration

• Supporting coursework

Math Concentrations

• General Math: most flexible, most popular choice

• “Graduate Prep”: actually PhD prep for students who wish to go directly to a doctoral program after completing B.Sc. Most intensive option.

• Note that any option will prepare you for a master’s program.

Math Concentrations

• Applied Math: engineering oriented

• Operations Research: business/optimization

• Applied Math & Operations Research are both good for financial engineering.

• Teacher Education: for those who wish to teach grades 6-12.

• Choose a concentration within 1-2 semesters of completing Math 347/348

Supporting Coursework

• Required of all math majors

• Purpose: specialize in an area outside of math

• 3 choices: second major, ANY minor, or 12 credit hours of approved supporting coursework


• “Supporting coursework” is a single math-related area outside of mathematics.

• Must take at least 12 credits in the area

• At least some of the courses must be advanced (300-level or 400-level)


• Examples:

• Physics

• Economics

• Philosophy (logic or science-oriented Phil courses)

• Another science

• Computer Science (CS 101/125 not counted and courses listed both in Math and CS not counted)


• Other areas possible if you can justify how they’re related to math.

• Supporting coursework requires adviser approval.

Math Advisers

• Ms. Alison Champion

• Ms. Shannon Schwarb

• Ms. Jiwon Lee

• Prof. Robert Muncaster (Dr. Bob)

All in 313 Altgeld Hall, which is the Math Undergrad Office.

[email protected]

Deadlines

• August 25: First day of class.• September 8: Last day to add a

semester-long class. • October 17: Last day to DROP a

class. Before this date you can drop any class as long as you have at least 12 credits. After this date you must petition to the College of LAS and have documentation of extenuating circumstances such as extended illness, mental health issues, or other outside problems. A committee will review the petition but may force you to stay in the class and not drop/withdraw.

Schedule

• You must register for 12-18 hours. 14-16 is recommended for your first semester.

• You must have at least 12 credit hours by the first day of the semester.

• Final exams run December 12-19. Plan to be on campus through December 19!! There are exams 7-10pm that day.

Schedule

• For students taking calculus, 1 math class is enough.

• For students beyond calculus, 2 math/stat classes are recommended.

• Students who take 3 math/stat classes in one semester usually earn very poor grades. If you wish to try this, wait until you have completed a semester with A or A+ grades in two tough math classes.

Helpful websites

• http://courses.illinois.edu

Information about current courses, general education, all majors/minors, and link to register!

• http://las.illinois.edu

Helpful information and forms

• http://registrar.illinois.edu

Financial info, transcripts, DARS audit

Registration

• Have a long list of classes which interest you—math AND general education AND electives!!

• Have your passwords set, including Enterprise password!!

• Read up on the classes you want at the CLASS SCHEDULE at http://courses.illinois.edu

Registration errors

• ALWAYS check the Class Schedule when you get a registration error.

• Registration program has little helpful information. Class Schedule has MUCH detail not found anywhere else!

• Error messages mean that there’s an error, but the messages themselves may be wrong!

Scheduling

• Many classes which are full now may have seats available later when other students change their schedules.

• Keep trying!

• If you add a new class after the semester begins, it is YOUR job to contact the instructor to ask about material and assignments/quizzes you have missed and how to catch up.

Documents

Math summer orientation