Mathmatics and Statistics at Vassar 2025/26: 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. A 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. As a reminder, there was a significant change last year. Math 126 is no longer offered. Instead, the department offers Math 125, a full-semester course covering the second semester of college calculus. Math 127 is still being offered for students who have had a substantial calculus course (such as AP Calc AB) in high school, but which did not cover of sequences and series. 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 Vari- able Calculus), which begins with first principles. Students planning to major in the sciences or mathematics/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:

Quick summary: Students are placed into Math 121, Math 125, Math 127, or into the 200-level. Students placed into Math 121 will need to take Math 125 to qualify for 200-level math or stat courses. Students placed into and completing Math 125 or Math 127 are eligible to take 200-level math and stat courses as well.
Math 121 is not open to students who have received a score of 4 of 5 on either AP Calculus exam.
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.

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). They are not permitted to enroll in Math 141 or Math 240.
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 preregister for Math 141 if they’ve not had any calculus or Math 240 if they’ve had calculus.

Notes:

Important: Math 240 is the proper choice (instead of Math 141) for students interested in further study of statistics at the 200- or 300-level. In the case of no or insufficient calculus background, the student should first take calculus courses before Math 240.
Math 141 is not offered in Fall 2025. It will be offered in Spring 2026.
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.

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. Interested students should contact the de- partment 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 28, 2025, from 9:00 a.m.– noon in Rockefeller Hall 305 and from 10 a.m.–noon 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, Jan Cameron, can be reached at (845) 437-5527 or jacameron@vassar.edu.