Welcome to PUMP!
Mathematics underpins many aspects of our daily life. Do you want to improve your math skills? Boost your experience and confidence? The Preparing for University Math Program (PUMP) can help you do this through a thorough review of crucial math topics. If you master PUMP, you are ready for first year calculus and statistics.
PUMP offers two non credit courses run by the Department of Mathematics on the St. George campus of the University of Toronto. Our experienced instructors are excited about mathematics and willing to address all questions with an earnest desire to deepen your understanding and help train you to think.
What are the advantages of PUMP?
- PUMP provides the necessary foundation upon which the greater generality and abstraction of university mathematics is based.
- PUMP is a non-credit course. Because it does not count towards a degree, the stress associated with course marks is reduced and students can better concentrate on their learning.
- PUMP participants are given an inside view of what to expect in their future university math courses, how to cope with the demands of courses, and what their prospects are. In short, successful PUMP students will have better insight into which first-year math course(s) to choose and will be generally better prepared for university.
- PUMP has regularly-scheduled assessments that reflect university standards. Students will have the opportunity to measure their own progress throughout the course.
- PUMP is now available at two levels: PUMP Level 1 and PUMP Level 2.
PUMP Level 1 is ideal for:
- High school students who will be starting a university level education in an upcoming semester and who need grounding in pre-calculus topics.
- University level students engaged in studies outside the field of mathematics who desire to become functionally literate in mathematics.
- People who wish to learn (or re-learn) high school pre-Calculus
- Any student who intends to register for MAT133Y1 or MAT135H1.
PUMP Level 2 is ideal for:
- People who want a quick review of high school pre-Calculus followed by an introduction to logic, problem solving and methods of proof.
- Any student who intends to register for MAT137Y1 and MAT157Y1.
Important Note about U of T Programs that Require Calculus before Admissions:
Ontario high school students applying on the 101 application form are expected to present MCV4U - Calculus and Vectors for admission to all science, math, and commerce programs in the Faculty of Arts & Science, St. George Campus. PUMP Level I and Level 2 cannot be used as a replacement for this admission requirement.
Current and Upcoming PUMP Sessions
Meet your course instructors
PUMP I Instructor: Sebastian Gherghe
"My full name is Sebastian Tudor Gherghe and I was born and raised just outside of Toronto, ON. My parents are immigrants from Romania and I've spent quite a bit of time there as well (my parents made sure that I have dual citizenship). I did my undergrad at UofT in math and physics as well as a masters in math and I'm currently chasing down my PhD! Some of my hobbies include sports (I am a huge soccer fan, but I also enjoy bouldering, powerlifting, salsa dancing) and video games (I love Fromsoft games). Last fall I had a bad knee injury playing soccer and managed to tear my meniscus and ACL, so the last year has been pretty rough for me. I'm looking forward to playing sports again soon!
Fun fact about me: Even though I was born in Canada, I started off school as ESL for half a year because my grandparents never learned English!"
PUMP II Instructor: Saeyon Mylvaganam
My name is Saeyon Mylvaganam and I am a PhD graduate from the University of Toronto in Mathematics. I was also an undergraduate student at UofT, where I studied mathematics and physics. I enjoy playing chess, lifting weights and going to trivia nights. I also play the bamboo flute. In the fall, I will be moving to Greece to continue my research in General Relativity at the University of Crete.
