Conference rusure::math

    you might also want to try to post this in  REFINE::COLLEGE notes file.

    To me the choice is obvious.  Go with the U.Mass.  Although you want to
    keep your options open and apply for both.  If your goal is to get into
    grad. school, it is crucial that you choose U.Mass. over Fitchburg
    State.
    
    Eugene

    I am am currently working on a BS in Applied Math.  When I decided that
    my occaisional coures shoul lead to some sort of degree, I looked
    arround.  I specifically looked at Fitchburg State, because I live in
    Leominster, and was not that impressed.  
    
    I was mainly looking at part time continuing education types of
    programs and was flexible when considering majors (EE, CS, and Math).
    I did not look long at Fitchburg, but those I talked to all suggested
    if I wanted to go on beyond the BS, I should hunt for a better 
    program.  I did, and am now at U Lowell dispite the fact that it 
    requires a lot more driving.
    
    I would suggest U Mass for you,  but serriouslly suggest you talk
    to possible grad schools about it now rather than later.
    
    -Joe

    Now I am getting curious as to the rankings of math dept. in U.S.
    I will venture a guess that the top ten list contains the following:
    
    Harvard
    Princeton
    MIT
    Berkeley
    Standford
    Chicago
    Yale
    Cal Tech
    Columbia
    Brown
    
    Anyone need the ratings of the top 50?
    
    Eugene

    Yes Eugene, That list  would be interesting to see.
    it looks like the first 3 you listed up on the list are also the
    3 most expensive schools in the country .
    does then mean it is true, you get what you pay for?
    thanks,
    /naser

    When I was in college (~10 years ago) and considering applying to
    graduate schools, I reviewed several of the rankings of Mathematics
    dept.s in the U.S.
    
    The University of Chicago was the highest rated in all of the lists and
    had been for some time.  The rankigs (as I can vaguely recall them) were
    something like:
    
    Chicago
    Berkely	\	These two might be reversed
    MIT		/
    Cal Tech.
    Stanford
    ...
    
    The ratings of undergraduate depts was nearly the same.  The only real
    'suprises' to me were, in the grad. depts, the U.of Wisconsin, and in
    Undergrad.'s the U.of Waterloo.  As I recall, Northeastern also had
    very good undergrad. ratings.
    
    --  Barry

    re .5,
    
    Uh Naser, ya don't really pay for grad. school.  Most of the time, if
    you are top of the cream, they give you a tuition wave and an
    assistantship or a fellow ship.
    
    re .6,
    
    I think Chicago has come down quite a bit.  I didn't list the top ten
    in the right order.  I think strictly speaking the top fives are:
    
    Berkeley
    Princeton
    MIT
    Harvard
    Stanford
    
    Again, anyone know the top 50 list in the right order?
    
    Eugene

here is some second hand info.
my daughter is finishing her second year at U.Mass.
she is not a math major but has had 5 math courses there, calc 2, calc 3,
linear algebra (235 i think), & probability/statistics for math/science/eng,
(51x,51y i think).  this is what i think she experienced.
all were taught by full time profs, not assistants.
the prob/stat is by a visiting prof, apparently a big name in the field.
class size of 20-40 for all.  all of them covered everything in the syllabus.
of the 4 teachers, two sounded very good at teaching, 1 pretty good,
and one not good.  i think she felt the math majors got more attention from him.
3 of 4 were very willing to help during office hours.
the linear algebra course covered far more than when i took it during the
mid 60s at IIT.  most of the a&b students in the prob/stat course spend
over 15 hours/week on the problem sets, including the grad students.
her math friends say the abstract algebra/foundations courses are hard.
i have no info on graduate admissions.  call them.  everyone she has
talked to has been very helpful, much more like a small college than a
huge, impersonal, state bureaucracy.
incidently, every one of her profs taught during the recent involuntary,
unpaid, 2 day furlough.

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

UMass/Amherst it is.   Just have to wrap things up at the office,
do some intense reviewing this summer, and it's back to school in 
September.  Looking forward to it!
						- Dave