Mathmatics and Statistics at Vassar 2024/25: A Guide for Advisors

First-year students may wish to study mathematics and statistics for a variety of reasons. It is absolutely essential that each student get placed in the most appropriate first course, a choice for which they turn to their pre-major advisors to sort out. The student with too little experience will flounder in a course that is too advanced, and a student with too much experience will be bored in a course at too low a level and potentially intimidate appropriately placed students.

The following is an outline of introductory math and stats courses and the level of preparation expected for each. If there are any questions about applying these rules of thumb, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the department for further clarification. Please note that there is a significant change from past years, as the department has brought back Math 125, a full-semester course that covers similar material to Math 126/127. See below for more details.

Introductory Calculus Courses

There are two advanced placement exams for calculus, labeled AB and BC. Please use the following guide to advise students interested in calculus classes.

Students who have taken little or no calculus should preregister for Math 121 (Single Variable Calculus), which begins with first principles. Students planning to major in the sciences or mathemat- ics/statistics should take Math 121 followed by Math 125 during their first year.
Students who received a score of 1 or 2 on an AP Calculus exam might also select Math 121 but should consult with the department.
Students who received a score of 3 on the AP Calculus AB exam should preregister for Math 125 (Topics in Single Variable Calculus), which is the second semester in our calculus sequence.
Students who received a score of 4 on the AP Calculus AB exam should preregister for Math 127 (Calculus IIB: Sequences and Series), a 6-week course that is offered in the second half of the semester.
Students who received a score of 5 on the AP Calculus AB exam or 3 on the AP Calculus BC exam might preregister for Math 127 to shore up their knowledge of sequences and series before moving on to the 200-level. They might also preregister for Math 220 (Multivariable Calculus) but should consult with the department before making this choice.
Students who received a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam should preregister for Math 220.
Students who took an AP Calculus course in high school but did not take the exam and students who took a non-AP calculus course should consult with the department. Depending on their situation, they might preregister for Math 125, Math 127, or Math 220.
Students with an unusual background, are unsure of their placement, or have any other concerns should confer with the department.

Notes:

Students will frequently want to enroll in a class at a lower level with the idea of having a review before taking the course at the appropriate level. Please discourage them from doing this and refer them to the department if they are resistant.
Math 121/125 (or the equivalent) is a prerequisite for all 200-level mathematics courses.
The department also offers Math 126 (Calculus IIA: Integration Theory), a 6-week course, for students who place out of Math 121 and are unsure if they want to complete a full semester of calculus. Students who want a full semester should enroll in Math 125, not Math 126/127. This is a change from last year.
Math 121 is not open to students who have received a score of 4 of 5 on either AP Calculus exam.

Introductory Statistics Classes

Please use the following guide to advise students interested in statistics.

Students who received score of 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam should preregister for Math 242 (Applied Statistical Modeling).
Students who received a score of 3 or lower on the AP Statistics exam should preregister for Math 141 (Introduction to Statistical Reasoning) if they’ve not had any calculus or Math 240 if they’ve had calculus.
Students interested in statistics who have not had any exposure to statistics should prereg- ister for Math 141 if they’ve not had any calculus or Math 240 if they’ve had calculus.

Notes:

Math 141 is not offered in Fall 2024. It will be offered in Spring 2025.
Math 141 and Math 240 are not open to students who have received a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam. Math 121/125 or the equivalent is required to enroll in Math 240. A score of 4 or 5 on the AP Statistics exam together with Math 242 counts as satisfying the statistics gateway requirement of the major.
Math 240 is the proper choice (instead of Math 141) for students interested in studies of statistics at the 300-level. In the case of no calculus background, the student should first take calculus courses before an introductory statistics course.

Credit

One unit of advanced placement credit is awarded with a score of 4 or 5 on either the AP Calculus AB or Calculus BC exam, or the Statistics exam. This unit of credit does not substitute for a Quantitative Course for the QA requirement.

The Calculus Credit Exam

The department also administers a calculus credit exam for students who did not earn advanced placement credit via the AP exam. This will be given Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 3:30–5 pm in Rockefeller 305. Interested students should contact the department administrative assistant, Ms. Underhill (Rockefeller 306 or (845) 437-5525 or e-mail addressed to cunderhill@vassar.edu). No student may receive more than one unit of advanced placement credit for mathematics or statistics.

QA Requirement

All mathematics and statistics courses fulfill the requirement.

Further Questions

Departmental advising will take place on Thursday, August 29, 2024 from 9:00 am–12 pm in Rockefeller Hall 305 and from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences atrium.

If you have any questions concerning any topic discussed above, please feel free to contact any member of the department. The chair, Benjamin Lotto, can be reached at (845) 437-7437 or lotto@vassar.edu.