MATH 2022 (Linear Algebra II) Debriefing
This course is preceded by its reputation. We all know the lore about how difficult this course is. I completed it over the winter semester, and I want to give a debriefing that I think will be helpful.
I've heard a pure math major say it is the hardest math course below the 3000 level. I've heard applied math, physics, and comp sci majors say it is the hardest math course they've ever taken. Period.
The lore surrounding this course is terrifying, and I went in appropriately scared.
In the end, I did well in the course, and I actually don't think it was the toughest course below the 3000 level, but... it was the toughest exam below the 3000 level. That's just my take, and here are my four main takeaways:
- Just be prepared: Much of the lore surrounding how brutal this course is comes from people who did MATH 1025 (Applied Linear Algebra I) instead of MATH 1021 (Linear Algebra I), and otherwise were not prepared for this course. You want to make sure you have the solid foundations related to proofs and linear algebra before doing this. That will make a world of difference.
- The tests aren't that bad: I was relieved to find that the tests weren't that bad. Keep in mind, I'm a pure math major, and you are not getting the opinion of the median student in that class from me; nonetheless, I felt like the tests were very manageable, and I did not have to work overly hard in order to do well on them. This is because the tests cover narrow subject matter that a person can feasibly learn in a few weeks.
- The final exam is brutal: I spent anywhere from 1 week to 1.5 weeks studying for the final exam non-stop. I knew I had to do this because the final covers so much disparate material that is all really quite varied. Taking the tests a few chapters at a time is fine; combining them all together at the end is something else entirely. It was so intense studying for that thing, and it took a physical toll on me. Before going into the final exam, I listened to the war chant from the new trailer for Dune pt 3. That song honestly came to mind. That was the mood. It was so intense.
- The concepts are the hardest part: I spent a week, maybe more, getting my mind around the change of basis and the "magic rectangle."
So one strategic takeaway is to prepare for tests at all costs, and don't miss tests at all costs. If your prof does assignments, be grateful for that. You do not want the weight on the final exam for this course.
edit: if I really had to choose, I would give a hot take for the hardest math course below 3000 level as MATH 2030!! It is conceptually straightforward, and conceptually it differs little from first-year stats or even something like AP stats, which high schoolers take. But alas, the problem-solving is brutal. We are talking brutal brain teaser-style word problems.