When I first received my acceptance to Dartmouth, I responded how I am sure many accepted students did — I researched groups, classes, contacted professors and tried to get a general sense of what I could do in my four years. In my three years here, I’ve been fortunate enough to take advantage of many of the opportunities provided by the College. However, I cannot say that one of these areas was mathematics. In the future, the College should revise and expand offerings in the math department so that a larger number of students can have the opportunity to succeed.
Growing up, I did not have the best education. My mother had a very rough life and her faith helped to carry her through. As a result, I went to small, Christian schools. The curriculum was lacking in many areas, none so much as math and science. I graduated high school having never taken trigonometry. Calculus was not even an option.
Coming to Dartmouth, I hoped to finally have the opportunity to pursue an interest in math with thoughts of minoring. I took the math placement test but was worried about not having any background in trigonometry. A math professor told me not to worry. My algebra was solid, so he suggested I take Math 3 and teach myself trigonometry during my spare time. Looking back, that idea was laughable. I had two pretty hard courses in addition to Math 3. I made an attempt and even had two wonderful friends do their best to help me through it. Maybe I could have done more to succeed, but I would have had to make this pursuit my sole focus of the term. Eventually, I dropped to Math 1. But it was too late, and I was too far behind. I withdrew from the course.
At Dartmouth, if you do not have a proper mathematics background, you are mostly on your own. When I took Math 3, it was a huge class that lacked a textbook and the tools to succeed. Yes, there are student tutors to help with your work under a strict schedule, but the help is insufficient. During my time at Arizona State University (Go Sun Devils!), there was a math-tutoring center open all day where a student could go any time and get help. Graduate students were available for office hours, and class sizes never crept above 30 students. Oh, and we had a legitimate textbook.
I understand that level of focus may be not be reasonable due to Dartmouth’s size, but if the College is going to increase its focus on STEM majors, it will be necessary moving forward to help all students succeed. I came from a pretty meager background, and I have met many students here from backgrounds more difficult than mine. Many of these students have dreams to be doctors, mathematicians, scientists and a host of other professions for which math is an essential skill. It is in the interest of the College to invest in these students and fully develop these individuals.
There are a few things that the College could do immediately to invite this change. For starters, Math 3 offerings could be overhauled and a greater effort could be made to provide students aid outside the classroom. Students with AP credits in the courses should be denied the option of taking lower-level courses for easy As. Tutoring hours could be expanded, and outside tutors with the skills to help students should be brought in. Long term, the department should be expanded with programs in place for students who enter Dartmouth lacking the skills to succeed in calculus. Over time, Dartmouth could create a math department accessible to all students.
