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Application deadline: January 24, 2008 The Mathematics Department has participated in the Cambridge/MIT Exchange program since 2001. Cambridge UniversityThe MIT-hosted CME website has much information about Cambridge University and the Cambridge-MIT exchange program. (The main site has more administrative and newsy information.) At Cambridge you will belong to both a department and a college. You live and take most meals in your college, and participate in atheletic and social activites there.The Mathematics faculty at Cambridge University is one of the very best in the world. (There are in fact two departments, the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Mathematical Physics, which share the teaching of undergraduate courses.) The mathematics faculty occupies an amazing new complex, the Centre for Mathematical Sciences. For a general guide to life in Cambridge, take a look at An MIT Student's Guide to Cambridge, written in September, 2004, by Oneil Bhalala, Rajini Haraksingh (both Mathmos) and other CME alumni. What's different about the Cambridge academic system?Undergraduates at Cambridge University study only courses in their major field. There are over 200 undergraduates studying mathematics in each year.There are no graded homework assignments or course examinations. Instead, there are four three-hour exams at the end of the year. All courses are taught in lectures. You are expected to arrange for "supervisions" in most of these courses. Supervisions are a unique and highly successful component of the Cambridge system. A fellow (usually a graduate student or young faculty member) in your college will meet with you and, usually, one other student, to discuss material from a specific course. In preparation for each meeting you will have submitted "Example sheets," i.e. homework. This homework is not graded; rather, it is intended to serve as a basis for discussion. This system results in much better integration of understanding than the MIT system does. What will I study there?For an overview of the Cambridge undergraduate mathematics program, see here.Normally our juniors will fit well into the second year course at Cambridge, which is called Part IB. For a full listing of the Part IB courses, see this pdf file, and for Part II see this one. If you are significantly ahead, the third year course, Part II, may be appropriate. Because of the integrated nature of the year end exams, it is best to adhere basically to one program or the other, though there are provisions to make some replacements. See here for detail on course credits. The syllabus shows that the Cambridge Mathematics syllabus has a physics slant, and consequently several of the courses are approved for MIT physics course credit. What preparation will I need?Material is generally taught in a fairly rigorous manner, so you should be comfortable with inventing and writing out proofs, using epsilon/delta arguments and the like, and with linear algebra. Ideally you should have taken 18.700 and 18.100B. Probability is part of IA, so having taken 18.440 is helpful, but if you don't have it you can take the IA probability course instead of the IB statistics course that depends upon it.How will this year abroad affect completion of my Institute requirements?Since you will be studying mainly mathematics, you will in all likelihood complete your mathematics degree requirements there. Last year most of our exchange students completed their CI-M requirement by modifying CATAM writeups. Several students have taken advantage of the excellent humanities offerings at Cambridge.But most students find it just as well to behave as much like a regular Cambridge student as possible, and follow a straight math curriculum. This means that you should be up to date or ahead on your HASS requirements. Special information for Math MajorsHere is a link to the PDF documentBEING A 'MATHMO' AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY A GUIDE FOR MIT STUDENTS How do I apply?An application will be available in the UMO, 2-108, in early February. It includes a statement from you, a letter about you from someone in the MIT community who knows you well, and a copy of your MIT transcript. We will also want to talk with you individually.The Mathematics Department will host an information session for the CME student exchange later this winter. The real scoopRajini Haraksingh (2003-04): “It was a great year. I'm really glad I decided to go.”Aaron Marcus (2003-04): “The best thing about Cambridge was being able to work on Math without pressure. The Centre for Mathematical Sciences is a bright, open, happy place. ... A fantastic experience. I'm definitely glad I did it.” Aaron's full testimony is here. Here is a report from the front, from Tilke Judd (2001-2002). And here is her response to questions from The Tech. In the converse direction, you can read thoughts about MIT from a Cambridge mathematics student, Dan Abramson, here 2002-2003,
MIT students taking the Maths Trips under CME
ContactFor questions please feel free to contact Professor Haynes Miller, 253-7569, hrm@math.mit.edu. |
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