Math Department Information for Incoming First Year Students
For any questions about the Calculus courses, email calculus@math.harvard.edu
Scroll down this page for information about the following:
1. How to make sense of your Math placement score
2. First year Math courses at Harvard
3. Should I take Math 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 55, or AM22?
4. Math Ma, 1a, 1b, 21a, 21b first meeting times and sectioning information
5. Resources for AP Math review
6. Links to Harvard Math events and community
| HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF YOUR PLACEMENT SCORE AND MATH PLACEMENT ADVISING There will be a Zoom webinar and question/answer session titled ‘Making sense of your placement score’ on August 4 (2025) starting at 12:30pm (Boston time). Here is a link to join the webinar. The webinar will explain the placement rubric and then the host will answer questions. More information about math placement can be found here. Students enrolled in Math Ma, 1a, 1b, 18a, 21a or 21b must take a skills check test on September 2 to refine the initial placement. Appointments to consult with placement advisors can be made after that skills check test. |
| FIRST YEAR MATH COURSES AT HARVARD This PDF document has almost all the information that a person at Harvard needs with regards to courses for the start of the first semester. It describes the basic courses, how to distinguish them, how to sign up for them and who to contact for further advice. For even more about Math courses, see the Undergraduate Courses and Concentration Information web page. |
| SHOULD I TAKE MATH 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 55 OR AM 22? If your Math Placement Recommendation says one of Math 18a—55a or AM 22a, and you are confused as to which to take after reading this PDF document, then come to the Zoom information/question-answer session on Thursday, August 7 from 4-6pm (Boston time). Here is the Zoom link for the meeting. |
| MATH MA, 1A, 1B, 21A, 21B FIRST MEETING TIMES AND SECTIONING INFORMATION Except for an early morning meeting on Wednesday, September 3 (see below for the times and rooms), the teaching in these courses is done in small ‘sections’ which meet at the same time on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. After you register for one of these courses, you will be prompted to enter a meeting time request for one of the course’s sections. You will then attend that section throughout the year. The Wednesday, September 3 meeting times and rooms are listed below: Math Ma: 8:20-8:50 in Science Center lecture hall D Meeting times and rooms of all other courses can be found in their Course Catalogue entries. |
| MATH PRACTICE AND REVIEW See this PDF for links to tutorials, practice and review of the AP material. See this other website for warm-up exercises and review for Harvard’s Math 1a and Math 1b. |
| MATH EVENTS AND COMMUNITY Below are links to Harvard Undergraduate Math Organizations, Math Events Calendar and the monthly Math Memo Harvard Gender Inclusivity in Mathematics: harvardgiim.org Harvard Undergraduate Math Association: harvardhuma.org Harvard Mathematics Department Undergraduate Events Overview Math Table and the Open Neighborhood Seminar. Undergraduate Directed Reading Program Harvard Math NightFor more information regarding the greater Math community, see the Math Community page website. |