Math Department Announces that all MAT Courses Will Hereby be Prerequisites for Themselves

By Abby Czuchlewski '28

On Tuesday morning, the Princeton Math Department announced on their official website that “all courses under the MAT heading will now require that students already have taken the course (such that MATxyz will now require that students have taken MATxyz already, where x, y, and z ∈ Z ∩ [0,9]).” When asked why, a spokesperson for the math department explained, “How could a student do well in a mathematics course if they know none of the material? No, it is best that students who wish to truly understand any concept we teach already have a strong familiarity with that concept.” While many undergraduate math majors have already left the department following the news, some are scrambling to rework their schedules to accommodate the change. One student told reporters “I’m going to employ a system where for one semester I am both taking and not taking MAT300, and then the following semester I will definitely be taking MAT300,” which she said would require her to figure out how to physically be in two places at once by harnessing quantum superposition. Another student reported that she would “sneak into a math class and remain hidden for the whole semester, only to reveal herself on the last day of the course and then enroll again in the Spring.” When asked for comment, the Math Department could not confirm that either of these methods would follow the stated guidelines. The Math Department indicated that this is a move towards their eventual goal of requiring a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in order to apply to Princeton as a Math Major. Some students suspect a different reason for the switch. One undergraduate, who wishes to remain anonymous, told reporters “I heard that the professors are trying to make the department so hostile that students will no longer take their classes and distract them from their research.”