The Quantitative Readiness Assessment and Science Placement Assessment are used to help students determine which math and science courses they should take during their first year at Lake Forest College.
How does Lake Forest College determine my math recommendation and science placement?
Our goal is to place students in courses where they are appropriately challenged, succeed academically, and stay on track toward their intended major. Students who successfully complete their recommended coursework will remain on track to graduate within four years in their chosen field of study. Math recommendations and science placements are informed by many years of data on thousands of Lake Forest College students.
Math recommendations are made using several academic indicators, including but not limited to Quantitative Readiness Assessment (QRA) scores, high school coursework and grades, AP/IB coursework and exam scores, Dual Credit coursework, and a student’s intended major pathway.
Science placements are determined using factors such as the Science Placement Assessment (SPA), QRA results, AP/IB coursework and exam scores, and Dual Credit coursework, as well as prior math coursework and performance.
Questions? Please contact your academic advisor.
What should I do with my math recommendation?
Are you interested in majoring in a field that requires calculus or statistics? If so, check out the different possible pathways for each major and the math course descriptions and talk with your advisor about the best starting point for you. If your recommendation is for COLL 151 Fundamental Quantitative Problem Solving or HLTH 115 Math for Health Professionals, we’ll automatically enroll you in this .5 credit course to make sure you have the foundations you need for success in your intended major.
If you are not interested in majoring in a field that requires calculus or statistics, you do not need to take a quantitative reasoning course during your first semester and you might be interested in some of our other offerings, such as CSCI 112 Computer Science I, CSCI 107 Intro to Web Programming, and PHIL 156 Logic and Styles of Arguments. Your advisor can help you decide when to take a quantitative reasoning class and which course interests you the most.
What should I do with my science placement?
If your science placement is for CHEM 115 Chemistry I and/or BIOL 120 Organismal Biology for the fall semester and you are interested in a major that requires these courses, we encourage you to list both courses as options for the fall semester. If you don’t take BIOL 120 in the fall, we’ll pre-enroll you in the course for the spring.
If your science placement is for neither CHEM 115 or BIOL 120 for the fall, and you are interested in a major that requires these courses, don’t worry! Just let your advisor know which majors you’re considering, and we’ll pre-enroll you in BIOL 120 in the spring. You can talk with your advisor about other biology course options for the fall. You’ll take CHEM 115 your sophomore fall.
Confused? Your advisor is here to help!
Math courses
COLL 151 Fundamental Quantitative Problem Solving: COLL 151 is designed to enhance problem-solving skills essential for quantitative studies at Lake Forest College, particularly for students pursuing majors in economics, business, and finance [and environmental studies]. Students engage with problems that require the application of algebra, probability, and statistical concepts. This course is 0.50-credits and meets during the first half of the semester. Note: COLL 151 is only offered in the fall semester and is typically taken on top of students’ other 4 courses for a total of 4.5 credits (no additional charge). It fulfills the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) requirement of the Forester Fundamental Curriculum (FFC)).
HLTH 115 [previously COLL 115] Math for Health Professionals: This course is designed for students interested in pre-nursing or pre-health programs. The course focuses on developing problem-solving skills essential for quantitative courses in the health professions. Students apply mathematical concepts to real-life examples from health care settings. Note: HLTH 115 is a 0.5-credit course that meets throughout the semester and is offered only in the fall. This course is typically taken on top of students’ other 4 courses for a total of 4.5 credits (no additional charge). It fulfills the QR requirement of the FFC.
MATH 160 Math Methods with Applications: (Mathematical Methods with Applications) Topics from applied mathematics, including equations, inequalities, functions and graphs, and basic properties of logarithmic and exponential functions. Introduction to limits, derivatives and antiderivatives. Applications to business, the social sciences, and the life sciences.
MATH 108/109 Calculus Ia/b: (Calculus Ia: Introduction to Calculus.) The calculus of rational functions of one variable. Limits, continuity, differentiation, and applications; a brief introduction to integration. Related topics in college algebra also are reviewed, including pertinent aspects of functions, polynomials, and rational expressions. This course is a required skills-building course for students desiring to complete Math 109. (Calculus Ib: Transcendental Calculus.) This course is a continuation of Math 108 that further develops the concepts of calculus, such as differentiation and integration, to exponential, logarithm and trigonometric functions. Related topics in exponentiation and analytic geometry are covered as needed. Satisfactory completion of both Math 108 and Math 109 is equivalent to the satisfactory completion of Math 110. Note: MATH 108 is only offered in the fall semester and MATH 109 is only offered in the spring semester.
MATH 110 Calculus I: The calculus of functions of one variable. Limits, continuity, differentiation, and applications; a brief introduction to integration.
MATH 150 Intro Probability & Statistics: Designed for students in the social and life sciences. Discrete probability theory, distributions, sampling, correlation, and regression, Chi square and other tests of significance. Emphasis on the use of the computer as a tool and on applications to a variety of disciplines. Not open to students who have taken ECON/BUSN 180 or ECON/BUSN/FIN 130.
ECON 130/BUSN 130/FIN 130 Applied Statistics: This course covers three standard topics in statistics at the introductory level: probability theory, statistical inference, and regression analysis. Among the individual topics covered are descriptive statistics, probability rules, discrete probability distribution functions including the bivariate and binomial distributions, continuous density functions including the Normal and t distributions, sampling, hypothesis testing, test statistics, p-values, correlation versus causation, and an introduction to multivariate linear regression analysis. All topics are applied to techniques important to analyze economic, business, and financial behavior. Students who have taken this course will not receive credit for MATH 150.
Calculus flow chart
|
Major |
Path 1 |
Path 2 |
Path 3 |
Path 4 |
|
BMB – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
MATH160 & MATH 110 & MATH 111 |
MATH 108/109 & MATH 111 |
MATH 110 & MATH 111 |
|
|
Business |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 (Calculus is not required) |
MATH 160 (Calculus is not required) |
|
|
|
Chemistry |
MATH 160 & MATH 110 & MATH 111 |
MATH 108/109 & MATH 111 |
MATH 110 & MATH 111 |
|
|
Computer Science |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 108/109 |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 110 |
MATH 160 & MATH 110 |
MATH 108/109 or MATH 110 |
|
Data Science |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 108/109 |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 110 |
MATH 160 & MATH 110 |
MATH 108/109 or MATH 110 |
|
Econ and Finance |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 110 |
COLL 151 & MATH 160 & MATH 108/109 |
MATH 160 & MATH 108/109 |
MATH 108/109 or MATH 110 |
|
Mathematics |
MATH 108/109 & MATH 111 & MATH 210 |
MATH 110 & MATH 111 & MATH 210 |
|
|
|
Physics |
MATH 110 & MATH 111 |
|
|
|
Statistics flow chart
|
Major |
Path 1 |
Path 2 |
|
Biology |
HLTH 115 & MATH 150 (Calculus is not required) |
MATH 150 |
|
Business |
COLL 151 & ECON 130 |
ECON 130 |
|
Data Science |
COLL 151 & MATH 150 |
MATH 150 |
|
Environmental Studies |
COLL 151 & MATH 150 (Calculus is not required) |
MATH 150 (Calculus is not required) |
|
Neurology |
Calculus is not required. PSYC 221/222 sequence later on fulfills Stats requirement |
|
|
Pre-Nursing/Pre-Health |
HLTH 115 & MATH 150 or ECON 130 or (Calculus is not required) |
MATH 150 or ECON 130 or (Calculus is not required) |
|
Psychology |
Calculus is not required. PSYC 221/222 sequence later on fulfills Stats requirement |
|