Calculus Problem (Kinda Special Case)

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I finished Calculus III my junior year of high school at a legit state university (not a cc). I'm now at college and my major only requires a year of Calculus 1. Same with pre-med reqs but I heard Multivariable is preferred. Should I take Calc 1 for the easy A at my college and send the transcripts from my hs-years to show that I finished Multi at a university and therefore I pursued a rigorous course of study?

Also I'm at a very competitive college right now and want to get into top tier med schools like UCLA, etc.

Originally Posted by AirplaneFruit

I finished Calculus III my junior year of high school at a legit state university (not a cc). I'm now at college and my major only requires a year of Calculus 1. Same with pre-med reqs but I heard Multivariable is preferred. Should I take Calc 1 for the easy A at my college and send the transcripts from my hs-years to show that I finished Multi at a university and therefore I pursued a rigorous course of study?

Also I'm at a very competitive college right now and want to get into top tier med schools like UCLA, etc.

Not all that many schools required Calc 1 when I was applying (4y ago), and I think only 1 required calc 2. I wouldn't worry about it. There really is no reason to require calculus for medicine, we barely use algebra......

If I was in your shoes, I would retake calc 1 to boost your GPA. You may even consider taking Calc II or III as that would also boost your GPA and make your schedule look tougher (even though it will be easier for you). If anyone were to say "look, you have credit for this, why did you take it twice" you could just say something about the credits not transferring or your adviser recommending it - that shouldn't be a problem.

So yes, take Calc 1 again. It will boost your GPA and it won't look bad. If Calc II and Calc III fit into your schedule (and you're interested) take them too for the easy A.

A word of caution: don't do what I did......I took all that stuff in high school. I knew I was going to get my degree in physics so I decided I would retake them so that I would solidify my base knowledge of calculus (I thought they would be harder/cover more material - they don't). I thought "hey, I know calculus, I don't have to go to class." I took every test and got a high 'A' on every test.....I didn't, however, show up to class often enough to take many quizzes. I got enough 0's on the pop quizzes that I ended up with a B in the course...one of only two in undergrad. Seriously, go to class, you don't want to get a B in a class that you should get an A in.

thanks man

Whoa there man... just because you took it in high school, doesn't mean it's gonna be an easy A in college. It really depends on how hard calc is reputed to be at your university. I would ask around before you assume it's gonna be an easy A.

Originally Posted by ShenanigansMD

Whoa there man... just because you took it in high school, doesn't mean it's gonna be an easy A in college. It really depends on how hard calc is reputed to be at your university. I would ask around before you assume it's gonna be an easy A.

I disagree. If you know how to solve the problems in math, you shouldn't miss any. That's like saying "be careful, addition is harder at school x" - people just get intimidated when they hear the word calculus.

Calc is calc is calc. As long as your previous prof didn't do you a huge disservice by not covering all material and you are a math person (if you took that much calc in high school, you are), you'll be fine.

Originally Posted by FSU2013

I disagree. If you know how to solve the problems in math, you shouldn't miss any. That's like saying "be careful, addition is harder at school x" - people just get intimidated when they hear the word calculus.

Calc is calc is calc. As long as your previous prof didn't do you a huge disservice by not covering all material and you are a math person (if you took that much calc in high school, you are), you'll be fine.

Yeah... but teacher quality changes from institution to institution. There's no harm in asking around first.

Highschool AP calculus was the same as college calculus. Math is math. It doesn't change.
I got a 5 in AP calc and got an A in college calculus. Take it to boost your GPA!

Alright fine, you guys win. I just had the experience where in high school I worked hard and got A's and did good on the AP, then in college the profs threw in this huge curve which adversely affected most "normal, hard working" students. It really depends on where you go.

Originally Posted by FSU2013

I disagree. If you know how to solve the problems in math, you shouldn't miss any. That's like saying "be careful, addition is harder at school x" - people just get intimidated when they hear the word calculus.

Calc is calc is calc. As long as your previous prof didn't do you a huge disservice by not covering all material and you are a math person (if you took that much calc in high school, you are), you'll be fine.

Truth.

It's important to note this disservice even enters at the university level. I knew people who sought out "easy" professors and got C's in calc I while they could not integrate. Meanwhile, my professor made us know epsilon-delta theory of limits. Which was the only thing I learned in Calc. I at college (long story made short: 5 AP Calc AB exam, college advisors argued I wasn't ready for calc I much less II O.o ).

OP: Since you already took it, don't bother retaking it. If you like math, take more fun classes, e.g. linear, logic and proof, ect.

Originally Posted by FSU2013

I disagree. If you know how to solve the problems in math, you shouldn't miss any. That's like saying "be careful, addition is harder at school x" - people just get intimidated when they hear the word calculus.

Calc is calc is calc. As long as your previous prof didn't do you a huge disservice by not covering all material and you are a math person (if you took that much calc in high school, you are), you'll be fine.

I disagree with your disagreement.

Calc may be calc wherever you go, but the classes, professors, TAs are NOT. Retake it all. Worst-case, you won't have to work terribly hard, and you'll cushion your GPA (A's in three high credit-hour math courses will seriously help out our cGPA and your BCPM GPA).

Originally Posted by fmannan93

I disagree with your disagreement.

Calc may be calc wherever you go, but the classes, professors, TAs are NOT. Retake it all. Worst-case, you won't have to work terribly hard, and you'll cushion your GPA (A's in three high credit-hour math courses will seriously help out our cGPA and your BCPM GPA).

Ummmmm what? I said retake it?

If you can integrate and derive, it doesn't matter who is writing the test....