Most thought the content of 18.701 is a necessary prerequisite.
Subject Matter
Most thought it was more theoretical, and gave students a better understanding of fields in algebra.
Course Staff
Friendly, approachable, and patient.
Course staff were approachable, and TAs were helpful in putting in the effort to help students.
Lectures
Most students believed that lectures were engaging and well-organized.
Some mentioned that the lectures may be a bit fast and difficult to follow.
Problem Sets
Pset problems were problems from the textbook.
Some students believed that the psets were reasonable and fair in reviewing what was learned in lecture, but others felt that they were uninteresting.
Exams
Time pressure
Most students felt that the exams were mainly stressful due to the number of problems that needed to be solved in a short period of time.
The exams were considered to be at a good level, and more straightforward than the psets.
Resources
Many students referred to Artin’s Algebra textbook as a good source for the course.
Occasional lecture notes were posted.
Lectures were recorded.
Grading
Reviews on grading were mixed
Some felt that the grading was harsh and grade cutoffs were unclear. There were no lateness/forgiveness policies for psets.
Advice to Future Students
“Take this stuff seriously. But also try to enjoy it because it is some pretty cool stuff in hindsight, although it can be painful when you are trying to learn it in a certain timespan”
“I found the first three weeks (on representation theory) especially challenging and a large increase in difficulty from 18.701. I spent many hours those weeks rereading the textbook, taking notes, and reviewing the lecture notes. Afterwards, the pace and difficulty seemed to decrease a bit.”
”Be prepared in demonstrating a confident set of knowledge from 18.701”