Calc. II

[DrewFromVA]

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I'm currently taking calc 1 and I just barely have an A in it. I was planning on taking calc 2 next semester to prepare for calc. based physics, but I read some of the comments in this forum that say algebra based physics is sufficent for the MCAT, so now I don't think I'll take calc. physics. Do I need to take calc 2 for any other reason besides calc physics? I am NOT very good with math and do not intuituvly grasp it like some people. Therefore, I would like to avoid a possible C in calc 2 unless I need it for something else.

 

[Original]

You dont need it at most schools. However I think at UCLA you are required to have 2 semesters of Cal. Also certain programs like Harvard Health Science Technology requires math through differential equations and recommends advanced cal. In a nut shell, cal 1 is more than enough for 99% of schools. You'll be fine.

 

[E'01]

Oh man...this is my nightmare. I have applied to Wash U and Harvard, both require a year of calc. If I get interviews there, then I'll take Calc II, but I took Calc I in the summer of '96 and don't remember a thing!! Any tips for reviewing??

 

[Original]

E'01:
It depends on how you did when you took cal 1. If you did well, then it wouldn't take you long at all to remember the stuff. It's natural to forget math. Several math professors will have to look up integration by parts or product rule for partial derivatives. I didn't know WashU required 1 yr of Cal. Good luck.

 

[FLY]

yeah... take it at a local college or a community college somewhere it is not really competitive where you can pull off an easy A.. Its OK to take it at a local college b/c Med. Schools really don't care about about where you took the math classes but they really do care about what you made in it.....

 

[FLY]

Well I wasn't talking about Harvard or anything... I was just talking about friends who have gotten into Wake, UNC, Duke... etc etc....

 

[Mossjoh]

I had Calc I and II, but that was back in my freshman year of college. To be honest, I remember none of it!!! 🙂
I quit math after calc II because I felt the teachers were beginning to make that crap up. Anyway, best of luck. Some med schools do require a year of Calc though, for the MCAT, no calc was necessary.

Mossjoh

 

[E'01]

Originally posted by Original:
•E'01:
It depends on how you did when you took cal 1. If you did well, then it wouldn't take you long at all to remember the stuff. It's natural to forget math. Several math professors will have to look up integration by parts or product rule for partial derivatives. I didn't know WashU required 1 yr of Cal. Good luck.•

Um suppose one didn't do well in Calc I. Is II impossible to do?

😕

 

[Original]

E'01:
Certainly not impossible. It might actually be easier cause it's more technical (mostly messing around with formulas) than Cal 1. Cal 1 requires more intuition; and can be really abstract for first timers.

 

[E'01]

Thanks Original 🙂 I'm going to attempt to at least crack open this calc review book and start going over some topics in case I do take Calc II

 

[Original]

You're most wellcome. Good idea!

 

[lilninja]

Here's an aside:
if you like math and think you can do reasonably well in it, it can help a lot in distinguishing you from other candidates.
I spoke with an admissions director last year to see if I had what it took to apply, and she really seemed to notice that I took some upper level math courses and did well in them (I did better in those classes than o-chem, in which i did not do well at all!). She told me that most people find those math classes hard, so if you do well, it shows you are able to do well in something difficult (similar to doing well in o-chem I guess).
She thought that was a particular strength in my application, and said I should go ahead and apply.

 

[nashtrash]

hey E '01--I just wanted to let you know that I'm kinda going through the same thing as you. I'm in the process of taking calc II right now--I took calc I in HS (used AP credit) and now i'm a senior in college!! it has definitely been really strange being in a math class again, but I honestly don't find it to be that bad. I would recommend refreshing the basics of calc I (i mean like derivatives/integrals and stuff--you'd be surprised how much you can forget in 4 years!) but don't worry about too much more. i would recommend talking to your professor before hand if you do actually end up taking the class, and he/she would probably be able to give you more advice. don't worry, taking calc II won't be the end-all--it was a little challenging and intimidating at first but I've gotten A's on both my tests (with minimal extra effort), and I wouldn't even say math is my strong point. anyway, don't stress!

nashtrash

 

[E'01]

Aww man I really needed to hear that nashtrash. Thanks so much for the encouragment!!! 🙂

 

[Dylann FMD]

To E'01 and others:

One thing to keep in mind about calculus I, II, etc, is where you take it. Calculus at the different colleges is widely, widely different. I took through calculus III, but with a year break between I and II and a two year break between II and III. The way my college sets up fine, the year break between Calc I and II was really hard, because they both are heavy "pure calculus", whereas calc III really didn't build on calc I or II, and was mostly a linear algebra class. The math department at my college won't let most students who took calc I or II from other universities into the upper calc courses because the different calc courses can be so different. From how they explained, calculus at two schools is never the same.

 

[gooloogooloo]

listen to my story, I took Cal 1 and Cal 2 each twice. What I got?
Cal. 1 by teacher ONE - C
Cal. 2 by teacher ONE - F
Cal. 1 by teacher TWO - C
Cal. 2 by teacher THREE - A

For teacher ONE, Our grade based on 4 quizs and one final and 10 homeworks.
So the Cal. 1 I got my tests grades accordingly: A, B, C, D, F.
The reason I got such bad grades was because I missed too many classes. (more than 2/3)
(I was a really bad student in my first 1.5 years of college, but then I chose to be a premed and add one more year to my college.)
Anyway, then in my Teacher ONE cal. 2, I continued to miss the 9AM classes and not understood due to the missing link from Cal.

I cried after turning in my Cal. 2 final.
I remembered exactly my conversation with my teacher that day.
"How was it?" She asked
"...... Oh man." i said
I went out the classroom and recalled a song,
"...to so faithful a friend, to so loving a king..."
then I cried.
So my second time taking cal. 1, was an evening class. Well, I just hated that teacher. I cutted classes often, cause it was just boring. In the beginning I knew the stuff, but then I continued to missed out. Eventually I was grateful that I got a grade not lower than the first one.... (pathetic)
But Cal. 2, I have to say that, I eternally appreciate what this GREAT instructor had taught me.

In fact, he was just a PhD student in UVa, a TA in fact. But HE, HE rescued my math. I found out how simple Calculus actully is. I interested in his class.

Before I always felt inactive and careless in the class. But in his class, the first thing he did in the first day was asking us to introduce ourselves.

His style was calling our names and asked us to answer questions. I felt being "PARTICIPATED". I only missed 3 times!! (broke my own record) I totally loved and respected him. He was really a nice and potentially awesome teacher. His name is Aaron by the way.

No kidding, I was the only person got an A in that class. (There were less than 10 people at the end of the semester.)