The Douglass Houghton Scholars Program is for freshmen at the University of Michigan who plan to major in math or science, and who will be taking two semesters of calculus in their first year. It is co-sponsored by the Math Department and the LSA Dean’s Office. Its central piece is a workshop class that students take alongside the regular calculus classes. In the workshop we do hard calculus problems in groups. The workshop has no exams, no grades, and only a little homework.
More broadly, DHSP is a small learning community within a large university. There are approximately 36 Douglass Houghton Scholars each year, out of about 1500 students taking calculus. We do all our work in groups, so we’ll get to know each other well. Many Scholars end up working together outside class as well as in, and have made connections and friendships which last well past freshman year.
All freshmen who will be taking Calculus 1 and 2 are eligible for DHSP, and are invited to apply. We especially encourage applicants who come from an educational, cultural, geographic, or socioeconomic background that is under-represented in graduate study in math and science.
The other pages on this site contain details about the program. You can get to them from the menu at the top of each page. On the side of each page are some quotes from former students. Click on a thumbnail picture to read the quote. There’s also two pages with lots more quotes, and a page where you can apply. We suggest continuing now to the Workshop page.