First Year Students FAQ | Mathematics at Dartmouth

AP/IB/A-level info

Suggested Courses

Questions

Who is the department's advisor for First-Year students?
Answer
Professor van Erp is the advisor to First-Year students regarding matters of mathematical placement and credit. After consulting these web resources and the Math Placement system on Canvas, you should direct any further questions to him at fyadvising@math.dartmouth.edu.
Do I have to take any mathematics at Dartmouth?
Answer
No. Are you surprised?! Well, you didn't ask whether we thought you should take any mathematics. Anyway, College degree requirements include one course in quantitative and deductive science (QDS), and one course in technology or applied science (TAS). All math courses count towards one of these requirements. The majority of courses count towards the QDS requirement; Math 30, 33, 36, and 53 count towards the TAS requirement. Most students take at least one math course, and Math 3 and 10 are highly recommended for all students not going on in mathematics or in a science. Math 10 is especially useful for those planning a business career.

Did you know that all of the departments Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Government, Mathematics (of course), Physics, Psychology, Quantitative Social Science have math requirements for some of their courses and majors? Culled from the ORC (College bulletin) are more details about the departments requiring math.
Which placement/credit examination(s) should I take during orientation week?
Answer
There are two types of exams which are given: A Math 1 diagnostic exam, and various exams on advanced material which can give you credit for Math 3, 8, 13, 22, 23 or 25, and appropriate placement based upon your work.

The calculus advanced placement/credit exams are designed for students who have had some calculus in high school, and either did not take an ETS exam to obtain AP credit, or whose scores on IB or British A-levels are not what they want, but wish to try for a more advanced placement than they would receive based upon their scores. To check what credit or placement you will automatically recieve, look at our related web page on AP/IB/A-Level Information.

Of course the definitive source for placement information is the Dartmouth Mathematics Placement System page.
If I pass an advanced placement/credit exam, do I get credit for those courses I skip over?
Answer
Yes and no. You will receive a notation on your transcript that you have received credit for courses X, Y or Z. This notation will serve as credit to the outside world including graduate and medical schools, and will serve internally for courses needed as prerequisite to others. The only caveat is that these credits do not count for the total course count towards graduation nor towards the satisfaction of distributive requirements.
Is it possible to transfer credit to Dartmouth for courses taken at another college before matriculation?
Answer
No. However, it is possible to receive a higher placement (and transcript course credit for use as a prerequisite and acknowledged by the outside world) for knowledge previously acquired by taking a final examination from the equivalent Dartmouth course during the fall term of your first year. Make special arrangements for this with the Department's Advisor to First-Year Students Professor van Erp. These arrangements must be made before the last day of classes in the fall term of a student's first year.
It is possible, although sometimes not advised, to start at a more advanced level than Math 13 without taking such a special final exam, but in this case you do not receive even transcript credit for the courses which you skipped. In any event, you should discuss this thoroughly with the advisor to first-year students.
Which courses for first-year students involve the computer?
Answer
Practically all of them involve the computer to some extent. The computer is a far more powerful and useful tool than a graphing calculator, and many courses give you an introduction to ways in which you can use the computer to enhance your understanding of your courses. No prior knowledge of the computer is assumed in these courses.
If I only want to take one Mathematics course at Dartmouth, what should I take?
Answer
Good question! There really are a number of options, depending upon your background..
- For the physical sciences, calculus will be essential, and linear algebra is of growing importance. For example, linear algebra is fundamental to stoichiometry and the conservation of matter in chemistry, hydrology and atmospheric dynamics in earth sciences, cell growth and population dynamics in biology, quantum mechanics in physics, and image processing in computer science.
- For social sciences as well as quantitatve aspects of physical sciences, statistics will be a valuable tool; Math 10 covers basic statistics.
- Even for those in the humanities, there are first-year seminars (Math 7) or the Exploring Mathematics course (Math 5) which are specifically targeted at using mathematics or statistics as the basis of a reading and writing course.
- And of course for those with at least Math 8 as background, and wanting to gain some view of topics which occur in more advanced mathematics courses, Math 17 is a great course.
Can I get advanced placement and credit for more than just one-variable calculus courses?
Answer
Yes. it is possible to receive credit for knowledge previously acquired by taking a final examination from the equivalent Dartmouth course during the fall term of your first year. Make special arrangements for this with the Department's Advisor to First-Year Students Professor van Erp. Placement and credit exams must be completed before the last day of classes in the fall term of a student's first year.
I have advanced placement credit and have been placed into Math 11. Is there any alternative to taking calculus at this time?
Answer
Yes! If you are interested in mathematics beyond calculus, you can take Math 17, Introduction to Mathematics Beyond Calculus. The subject matter of Math 17 changes every year and is meant to give students experience with higher level mathematics that they might not otherwise see until later in their undergraduate careers.
You could also take Linear Algebra with Applications Math 22. Linear algebra is fundamental to stoichiometry and the conservation of matter in chemistry, hydrology and atmospheric dynamics in earth sciences, cell growth and population dynamics in biology, quantum mechanics in physics, and image processing in computer science