Admissions Blog

Breaking Down the Quantitative Requirements for Incoming Students

By CATHERINE BORN
Posted Jun 26 2022
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The SIPA core curriculum requires several quantitative courses which are building blocks to effective policy making, so taking some time over the summer to brush up on math is helpful as you embark on your SIPA career. SIPA offers new students several opportunities to brush up on their math skills before starting classes. We have received a lot of questions about what is required or how to prepare, so I am here to break it down for you!

Summer Math Tutorial



This summer math tutorial was created by SIPA faculty to help new students prepare for the quantitative coursework. This is available through your Canva account and is meant to give you a leg up on the first year curriculum. It also will help you prepare for a math test during orientation week (more on that later). Admitted students who have confirmed their enrollment and paid the deposit were sent access to an online math tutorial. You can access it anywhere that you have Internet. Before I started at SIPA, I printed it out and worked on it while traveling! It was helpful in preparing me for math camp, since math camp is so fast-paced. When there were concepts that I wasn’t familiar with, I used Khan Academy to review.

Math Camp



During orientation week (which takes place the week before classes) students attend a fast-paced “math camp.” Math camp is taught by SIPA faculty, and offers new students an opportunity to review and revise the concepts learned in the summer math tutorial. My math camp course was taught by one of my future economics professors. It was interactive and was a great opportunity to meet my peers. In fact, I met some of my closest SIPA friends during math camp! You can read more about math camp here.

Math Placement Test



This placement test is a take-home math exam that students complete over the Labor Day weekend. Note that the placement test is required for all incoming students! It is used to identify gaps in students’ math knowledge and place students in the appropriate microeconomics course.

Quantitative Provision for Conditional Admits



If you have received conditional acceptance for quant, you will need to complete the math tutorial, math camp, and the placement test in addition to your summer quant coursework. Rachel breaks down the quantitative provision for conditional admits in her blog post here. If you are in this boat, make sure to check it out and reach out to Admissions if you have any questions!