To the Editor:
This letter is intended to complement Deniz Ilgen's '13 opinions column on Tuesday ("Advising — Is less really more?" Nov. 16). I usually am adviser to six freshmen and three or so sophomores with an interest in math and try to make the following points:
1. Math and science courses are designed to be taken in the proper sequence (the concepts build on previous ones) and so careful planning is needed. Allowance must also be made for developing one's own interests and choices, so this planning cannot all be done at one time, certainly not by any "tool."
2. It is essential to also study some related science (or social science) courses, e.g. physics, computer science, economics, etc.
3. To graduate as a well-educated person, one needs a non-trivial program of humanities courses: literature, history, philosophy, etc.
Brown University does not do a good job on points two and three. I see too many very good students who take a very strong program in their concentration but neglect the closely related areas (which would give them essential insights into their own concentration) and humanities (which would enrich their own lives). Humanities students probably often avoid science. What Brown might do, to deserve a reputation as a liberal arts school, is to make up several "suggested courses of study" as guides to students.
Bruno Harris
Professor Emeritus of
Mathematics
Nov. 16
