Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bu-cs!cd From: cd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Clarence K. Din) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: Re: Computer Science: where it belongs Message-ID: <16216@bu-cs.BU.EDU> Date: Thu, 19-Nov-87 14:43:39 EST Article-I.D.: bu-cs.16216 Posted: Thu Nov 19 14:43:39 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Nov-87 02:29:39 EST References: <3355@ames.arpa> <3807@eecae.UUCP> Reply-To: cd@bu-cs.UUCP (Clarence K. Din) Organization: Boston Univ. CS Dept. Lines: 53 In article <3807@eecae.UUCP> lawitzke@eecae.UUCP (John Lawitzke) writes: > >Any body feel like commenting on the causes of the lack of math skills >of incoming freshman? Primarily those who get to college and can't do >trig or basic analytical geometry? > I know of several individuals in the computer science and engineering programs in Boston University who have never taken trigonometry in high school. These same individuals cannot grasp even the basic fundamentals of abstract math theory, including induction and fixed-point calculation. There is a remedial course here specifically for those individuals: MA 118 Algebra and Trigonometry. Since I was well above that level upon entering the university, I have no concrete proof of the difficulty of the course. However, I can tell you of the many complaints I have heard from people successfully completing the course as to its difficulty. These individuals have graduated from primarily liberal arts high schools (ie. private institutions). Some teach only the basics of certain subjects; others really pound the material into your skull. I know this because I have two younger brothers who were in private schools. I'm sure you've heard of Brooklyn Technical High School in New York. I received a good education there; my schedule usually included approxi- mately 7 subjects a day every day distributed over 8 periods of 45 minutes each. Among my courses were mathematics, three "pre-engineering," social science (such as economics or history), english, and an elective (which was usually forced upon the student). At Boston University, I found the level of mathematics above average to superb depending on the instructor you chose to take the course with. I'm in a combined BA/MA program in BU. My undergraduate requirements include a year of calculus, a year of discrete mathematics (combinatorics, probability, boolean algebra, functions, graphs, optimization... the works), one course in linear algebra (which included applications to differential equations and least squares fit), a structured programming language course (PASCAL), a data structures course (taught by an MIT PhD), systems programming, a core requirement of three theory courses, and four upper-level courses, which includes the possibility of graduate-level courses. At one time, BU gave me the option of taking multivariate calculus in place of either discrete math or linear algebra. For my graduate requirements, I am to complete 8 courses in computer science, including 5 in a specified core. I am also required to write a thesis. I am currently working on the graduate portion of my BA/MA. Could anyone disclose some undergrad or grad requirements to me from your respective school? Thanks. xxxx xxx xxx xxxxxx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xxxx xx xx Send responses to... xx xx xx xx xx xx xxxx xxx xxx xxxxxx cd@bu-cs.buacca.bu.edu ---- -- -- ------ -- - - -- - -- - - -- - ----- -- -- -----