Preparation Before AAP Appointment

Welcome to All Aboard Purdue! I am excited to be serving as your academic advisor for your math/stat/physics degree.

To maximize your appointment and help us develop the best plan of study for you, prepare answers to the following BEFORE we meet:

• Based on your AP/dual/transfer credit, what level of calculus do you think you will be able to start with?

• What is your computer programming background (language proficiency, overall experience, etc.)?

• Which lab science (biology, chemistry, physics, earth science) do you like most? Dislike most?

• For domestic students only: What foreign language/culture option suits you best?
  Options include:

  • Two semesters of a foreign language plus one culture course.

  • Three culture courses.

  • An approved study abroad experience.

  • One language course, one culture course, and a short-term study abroad.

• What non-STEM areas would you be interested in using for your general education courses?

• For math education students: Are you interested in teaching MS or HS? Any areas besides math?

Calculus 1 Readiness

Completing a math/stat/physics majors in 4 years requires that you are ready to start in calculus 1 (MA 16100/16500; not  MA16010!) during your first semester at Purdue. The cutoff scores for SAT/ACT/ALEKS/Purdue courses are listed below.

If you cannot start in calculus 1, you can start in either precalculus (MA 15800) or college algebra (MA 15300). 

If you need to complete the ALEKS assessment to be calculus 1-ready, complete at least your first attempt before your AAP appointment!

(Better yet, get your score of at least 85 before we meet!)

The official appointment topics start below this line:
You may find it helpful to read the outline below to see what we will be discussing during the appointment!

Personal Introductions

Let's get to know each other a little bit! (If you're reading ahead, you can examine my advisor profile.)

The Student/Advisor Partnership

• YOU (the student) are responsible for your education.

• Your advisor is your PARTNER in your education.

The biggest differences from high school (in terms of things that are now your responsibility) are noted in red boldface text below.

Academic Resources

Purdue STEM majors are difficult! It is completely normal to need extra help from time to time!

• In general, the pace will be 2 to 3 times faster than high school.

• Most learning takes place outside of the classroom.

• Learning is your responsibility.

• A semester has highs and lows in terms of responsibilities: maximize your time during the "lows" to save time during the "highs!"

Tracking Degree Requirements

Degree Progression Guides: 4-year plan assuming you are ready for calculus 1 with no AP/IB/TR credit.

• Physics classes are only offered once per year; must take requirements when they are listed in the DPG

• FALL ONLY MA/STAT classes: CS 314, MA 421, MA 432, MA 440, MA 450, MA 460, STAT 47501

• SPRING ONLY MA/STAT classes: STAT 250, STAT 311, MA 349, MA 428, MA 442, MA 482

myPurduePlan (mPP): Tracks your personal degree requirements. Your AP/dual/TR credit will eventually post here (once sent to Admissions).

To graduate from the College of Science, you will need to complete and/or earn:

• Minimum 120 credits

• 32 upper-level credits taken at Purdue (includes courses taken at regional campuses)

• Overall GPA of at least 2.0 (2.5 if in math education)

• All University Core Requirements 

• Civics Literacy Proficiency

  • One pathway (course, events, podcasts); most choose podcasts if not bringing in a course.

  • Passing score on the Civics Knowledge Test

  • See here for how to select a pathway

• All courses required for your major(s) with an appropriate major GPA

• All College of Science Core Requirements 

We will go over each requirement as we look through your mPP.

Let's examine what transfer credit you are bringing in and where it will fit in your plan of study.

Main Pathways for MASA/PHYS Majors

These are the ordinary pathways through each degree plan starting from the beginning (calculus 1/mechanics).

Typical First-Year Schedules

Your schedule will vary from the below if you are bringing in large amounts of AP/dual/transfer credit.

You should aim for between 15 and 16 credits in your first semester.

To check calculus preparation, take some calc 1 (MA 161/165), calc 2 (MA 162/166), or calc 3 (MA 261) finals from the past exams archive!

• There will be some topics that your AP calculus course did not cover that Purdue does and vice-versa.

You might consider the math advanced credit exams if you have calculus, linear algebra, or differential equations credit that didn't transfer.

Registration Seasons: Batch and Open

Batch registration season runs from until the CRF close date.

• Summer-to-Fall CRF close: 7-15-25 @ 5 PM Eastern time

• Fall-to-Spring CRF close: TBD

Open registration season begins about a week after batch registration closes. Time ticket is in your student profile.

• Summer-to-Fall: Begins week of 7-28-25.

• Fall-to-Spring: TBD

Future Appointments/Continuing the Partnership

We will meet once per semester (September-November for Fall; January-April for Spring) to pre-register you for classes.

• Invitation will come in late August for Fall and late January for Spring.

• First-year appointments are in-person (our building is HAAS).

• Only one guaranteed appointment time! You are marked as a no-show if you miss or are more than 5 minutes late.

If you are marked as a no-show, you will have to wait until after the CRF closes to meet with me. 

No-shows will be building a schedule from scratch during the open registration period. This is inadvisable: keep your appointments!

Contacting Me

If you need my help outside of registration season, contact me ASAP. Normal business hours are 7 AM to 4 PM. 

Emails are answered within 48 business hours. (I am usually faster than this, but 48 business hours is the expectation.)

• Email: For quick questions. Most issues are solvable through email.

• Drop-Ins: Held 3 to 4 hours per week in my Zoom room. Weekly email will list drop-in times for the week.

• 30-Minute Appointments: Held on part or all of my remote day. For non-registration purposes. Schedule in Boiler Connect.
  (If you schedule one of these for registration, your appointment will be cancelled.)

Post All-Aboard Communication

Within 24 business hours of our appointment, I will send you an email with follow-up information. You will also receive:

• A copy of the DPG for your major

• A backup of the advisor course recommendation form (ACRF) with your PIN.

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to:

• Check your Purdue email regularly

• Send any AP/IB/TR credit to the Office of Admissions.

• Send me any of the following items we may have discussed today:

1. Your Foreign Language Placement test results.

2. Your signed math advanced credit exam form(s).

3. Your ALEKS placement test results (if applicable; need score of 85 or higher to be calculus-ready).

4. Syllabi for previous math/stat/physics courses if requested.

• Submit your final Course Request Form (CRF) on/before the deadline if you need to make changes. Email me if changes need to be made.
  You should only be making changes if:

  1. • Your AP scores came in higher or lower than you expected and you need to add/remove/modify a course.

     • You have unexpected dual/transfer credit that has come in after our meeting.

     • You have results from a language placement test.

     • Your want to start at a lower level of math than you originally decided to.

Q & A

What questions do you still have that I did not answer?

If your questions relate to any of the following topics, the listed office in parentheses will have the best information:

• Housing or Meal Plans (University Residences)

• Scholarships or Student Loans (Division of Financial Aid)

• Honors College requirements (contact your Honors advisor)

• International Student Information (contact ISS)

Once Batch Schedules Post

Batch registration schedules will be available for viewing:

• By 5 PM Eastern time on 7-24-25 for Summer-to-Fall AAP students

• By TBD Eastern time on TBD for Fall-to-Spring AAP students

Due to the random nature of batch registration, your schedule may not exactly match your Course Request Form (CRF).
This is normal and not cause for concern because:

• True registration emergencies are rare (see exceptions below).

• You’ll have ample time to adjust your schedule before fall.

• Many students will make changes next week potentially opening up space.

• You still have many semesters to take any missed courses.

If there is a course you are missing, your best option will be to look for space in the course during open registration. You can look for seats:

• Manually using Scheduling Assistant

• Using a seat-tracker such as Coursicle

To modify your schedule during open registration:

1. Find your time ticket on your student profile. This tells you when next week you can begin to make changes.

2. In myPurdue, navigate to the "Register for Classes" card and select "Scheduling Assistant."

• Do NOT select "Course Request Form" as that is only used during batch registration.

3. Select Fall 2025 (PWL) for your term if prompted.

• Do NOT select Fall 2025 (PIN); this is for Purdue Indianapolis!

4. Enter your PIN number from your ACRF.

5. Make changes to your schedule as needed. Links to various tasks are below:

• Add a Class

• Drop a Class

• Waitlist a Course

• Request an Override

• Swap Sections

• Swap with a Waitlist Request

More information can be found in "Open Registration Tips" on the "Registration/CODO" page on my Google site. To summarize the results of that page:

• All changes are space permitting: no space = no change.

• I can't get you into or take you out of classes.

• You may have to wait one (or more) semesters before you can take a class (e.g. MA 261/calc 3, EAPS 111/112, foreign language, etc.).

• When modifying your schedule, LOCK all courses you want to keep or you are liable to lose them.

• Professors do NOT control space in classes, so don't email them asking for it.

The situations below are the few exceptional cases where you should email me:

• First-year MA/STAT/PHYS majors: You requested calculus 1 (MA 161 or 165) and did not get it.

• First-year PHYS majors starting from 172H: You requested PHYS 172H and did not get it.

• First-year PHYS majors or transfer students starting from 344/340/306: You requested calculus 3 (MA 261), PHYS 344, 340, and 306 and did not get one or more of them.

• Transfer students who have calc 1 and 2 credit: You requested calculus 3 (MA 261) and did not get it.

• First-year math ed students: You requested EDCI 205 and EDST 20010 and did not get one or both.

FAQ

These are based on questions I frequently encounter.

Q: What level of calculus should I start with?

A: That is entirely up to you! I would strongly recommend taking one or more final exams for the course(s) you are intending to skip from the past exams archive to make sure you have learned the material at the level it is taught at Purdue. The calculus courses are:

• Calculus I: MA 161 or MA 165

• Calculus II: MA 162 or MA 166

• Calculus III: MA 261

In my opinion, a score of at least 80-85% on the final exams would be sufficient to demonstrate mastery. If you are well below that threshold, skip the course(s) at your own risk.

Q: What is the easiest class I can take to fulfill (insert requirement here)?

A: Ease of a course is completely subjective! For me, STAT 512 would be an easy course though I would venture that the majority of my students who take it find it very difficult. If your approach to your education is based on the questions, "What is the easiest?" or, "What requires the least amount of work?" then I recommend rethinking your views on learning!

Q: Do you have quick links to the College of Science "list" pages (for culture courses, computing options, etc.)?

A: Yes! They are on the advising quick links page under the "College of Science Lists" section. I also copied them below:

• Culture Course List

• Gen Ed List

• Great Issues List

• Lab Science/Math/Stat/Computing

• Team-Building/Collaboration

• Tech Writing/Presentation Options

Q: I have no programming experience! How do you recommend I satisfy the College of Science computing requirement?

A: We have two sequences that are designed for students with no programming background:

• CS 177: Programming with Multimedia Objects (4 credits; Python)

• TDM 101 and 102: The Data Mine Seminar I and II (1 credit each; Python and R)

You will need to contact The Data Mine to be added to the general cohort before you can register for TDM 101/102.

Q: I have some experience with programming, for example, taking AP Computer Science A in high school. Should I take CS 180 or CS 159?

A: CS 180 is the entry requirement for CS/DS/AI majors and students who want to CODO to those majors. In addition, CS 180 is almost always the first requirement taken for the CS minor. It can only be taken by students outside of CS/DS/AI in Spring or Summer. It is a very competitive course. CS 159 is taken mainly by students in FYE, so it is also competitive. If you have extensive experience in Java (CS 180) or C (CS 159), you could consider them.

Q: What do you recommend I take for my two semesters of lab science? What did you take for your lab science?

A: Physics majors use CHM 11510+20 and CHM 11610+20 for this requirement. Math/stat majors can choose between biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/atmospheric sciences. The general opinion of students I have is that the EAPS 111-112 sequence is "easiest." However, it is also requested the most frequently, so it may take a few semesters before you are able to find space. Beyond that, PHYS 172/272 uses the most amount of math, followed by PHYS 220/221, followed by CHM, 115/116, followed by BIOL 110/111. 

I chose BIOL 110/111 for my lab science because (a) I wanted to complete the requirement quickly and (b) EAPS was full. I was a reluctant biologist, so I did not like it very much (that doesn't mean you won't like it!). In retrospect, I wish I'd taken physics instead since I needed it when I taught calculus. Math ed students may want to consider PHYS 172/272 or 220/221 if they plan on teaching upper-level HS.

Q: How should I fulfill my team-building and collaboration requirement?

A: Some majors will fulfill this automatically through a course taken at Purdue that is required for their major. These requirements are:

• PHYS 172/172H: 172H is required for physics majors. 172 is taken by some of our math/stat majors.

• STAT 47201: Required for actuarial science majors.

• EDCI 49800: Required for math education majors.

Beyond these classes, the other options are:

• CS 177: Taken by many majors for the programming requirement. (AP CS A or CSP credit does not satisfy team-building.)

• CS 180: Taken by students minoring in CS or students who want to CODO to CS/DS/AI.

• TDM 101/102 and two semesters of corporate partners

If none of these options work, you will most likely need to fulfill team-building with your Great Issues class. (The other options that qualify for team-building that are not Great Issues classes are either rarely offered or not open for enrollment for most math/stat/physics students.)

Q: How should I fulfill my technical writing and presentation requirement?

A: There are three course-based options:

• COM 21700

• EDCI 49800

• A UCore oral communications class + a technical writing class

Math ed students will satisfy the requirement with EDCI 498. Most students in the College of Science take COM 217, although it may take a few semesters' worth of batch registrations to get it. If you are bringing in UCore oral communication from high school or transfer credit and don't want to do oral presentations, then the third option may be better for you. For an explanation of non-course based options, see the College of Science website.

Q: Am I required to take a foreign language? I took Spanish/French/German/Latin/etc. in high school and hated it!

A: No. Domestic students can fulfill the language/culture requirement by completing three culture courses, of which at most one course can be 100-level. International students or domestic students with extensive international experience (e.g. speaking multiple languages at home) are only required to take a single culture course. You can also meet the requirement through the completion of certain study abroad options. See the language/culture requirement page for more information.

Q: I was accepted for math/stat/physics but I really want to CODO to FYE or CS/DS/AI. What can I do?

A: FYE only accepts CODOs in Spring or Summer. CS/DS/AI accepts CODOs in Fall, Spring, or Summer but requires that you take CS 180, which non-majors can only take in Spring or Summer. Review CODO requirements carefully:

• FYE CODO requirements (for 2025-2026 catalog)

• CS/DS/AI CODO requirements (from department website)

I cannot (and will not) speculate on the likelihood of you achieving a CODO to either discipline. If space is exhausted, even students with 4.0 GPAs may be denied.