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Comment on my choice of course for this summer

Jack Van

Joined
3/29/12
Messages
8
Points
11
I'm graduating with a computer science degree and I want to strengthen my background in math so I applied and was accepted to the Quantitative Studies for Finance Certificate at Columbia (pretty much a rubber stamp application process). I have Calc I/II, introductory statistics, and linear algebra under my belt. I've also written a paper about numerical methods in PDE approximation (by virtue of taking a class in numerical analysis). I'm able to skip some of the calculus sequence to take one of the following courses at Columbia,

- Ordinary Differential Equations
- Probability
- Introduction to Modern Analysis
- Analysis & Optimization

Given my background, what would you recommend?

ODE seems like it would be useful but since I've already had experience with approximating PDEs, I thought it may be less useful for me. The analysis course sounds interesting and it would also strengthen my application in an area I don't have much experience in, pure mathematics, but would that be looked upon favorably?

Suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
 
Yes, my programming skills are strong, especially in C.

I have a job for the next few years and I would like to take these courses to eventually go back to school for an MFE.

I haven't taken Calc III but they're letting me skip it so I can take a more advanced course instead and I would like to know which would be best (or, alternatively, should finish the calculus sequence/does it matter to adcoms?).
 
Personally, I think you should take Calc III. I don't understand why you would want to skip that. You may be able to learn it on your own, but I think strengthening your foundation would benefit you more in the long run since Calc I-III knowledge is so widely assumed.
 
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