r/nus • u/herminegrang42 • 7d ago

Question Questions about math courses

Hey! I'm a European student considering applying for an exchange semester through my school.

Would anyone be able to help me out with some of these questions?

I am studying mathematics, going into my 4th semester in my bachelors this spring. I'd like to take subjects such as real analysis, abstract algebra etc. 

  1. Do you have small math classes? (under 30 people in the room) If so, which ones?
  2. Is any academic help available? For instance: sessions where PhD students help us with questions about problem sets. If so, are these 1 or more times weekly?

Edit: I did see something called tutorials. But can you go to both TUT 1 and TUT 2 to get more help, and how does it work, is it another place you 'perform' through discussions etc., or is it more like everyone sits working by themselves in a room and you raise your hand to get help by the TA?

Edit: also, in general, how is the helping eachother culture in math? Is it common to ask classmates to help you out in breaks? Or just your close friends? Or even that?

3.Are some classes interactive? Do some professors ask students to provide their answer to some questions before lecturing the answer themselves?

4..Is graded assessment continuous, like for instance weekly graded problem sets, or just 1-2 monitored exams in the semester?

Edit: if things depend, any specific examples/courses help:)

Would appreciate any pointers!

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u/LibraryCryptid131 7d ago

classes are generally lecturestyle, but smaller tutorial groups can be quite interactive. some professors love doing cold calls or using polling apps (like PollEv) during lectures to test concepts before diving into the formal proofs, though they won't put u on the spot in a mean way.

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u/herminegrang42 7d ago

Thanks! Do you know if I can go to both tutorials in a class (so that it's 2 hours in total weekly)?

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u/how2fish 6d ago

No point in going to two tutorials because they will cover the exact same content. Different class timings is simply to cater to students' differing schedules.

Tutorial questions are typically released a few days to a week before the tutorial (maybe earlier). You're expected to attempt the qns before class, and during class the tutor may call on students to present or just go through the qns, depending on their teaching style.

I find it pretty easy to ask strangers / my seat buddy for help during tutorials.

Assessment styles vary from course to course. Typically it's tutorial / lecture participation (about 5-10%) + non-timed assessments (about 10-15%) + midterm & final exams (the remainder).

MA2101 and MA2108 may be up your alley.