College math advice.

[kiril89]

I took math in high school, calculus and advanced functions, but I failed miserably. I screwed up in hs, so I'm taking it now. Now, I'm doing much better, but I realized that I absolutely abhor math. I know that eventually I'll have to take high school calculus and then University calculus.

I'm kinda rusty in math. I'm pulling off a 90 right now, but I feel as though I have a shaky foundation in math, and that calculus will pick me up, eat me, regurgitate me, eat me again and then crap me out.

After HS math & calc. I'm planning on not taking calc. in 1st year and just practicing my tush off on the side with a tutor to ensure that I can get a A in calc. in uni.

Does this sound like a good idea or should I just take calc. and get it out of the way?

A friend of mine did this and suggested it to me.

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[Cogito ergo es]

I took math in high school, calculus and advanced functions, but I failed miserably. I screwed up in hs, so I'm taking it now. Now, I'm doing much better, but I realized that I absolutely abhor math. I know that eventually I'll have to take high school calculus and then University calculus.

I'm kinda rusty in math. I'm pulling off a 90 right now, but I feel as though I have a shaky foundation in math, and that calculus will pick me up, eat me, regurgitate me, eat me again and then crap me out.

After HS math & calc. I'm planning on not taking calc. in 1st year and just practicing my tush off on the side with a tutor to ensure that I can get a A in calc. in uni.

Does this sound like a good idea or should I just take calc. and get it out of the way?

A friend of mine did this and suggested it to me.

Well, taking a year to prepare for calc. could help you as much as it could hinder you. You'll have time to practice but you'll be further away from what you've learned before. I would suggest taking a look at some calc. course material to see if your fears are legitimate.
In any case, a tutor is a great idea though.

 

[MilkmanAl]

If you're doing calc for med school, you won't need anything past Calc 1, so it shouldn't be all that much different than what you learned in high school. If you're pulling a 90, I'd go ahead and take calc in college ASAP so it's still relatively fresh in your mind.

 

[thRob]

understanding calculus (not necessarily being able to implement it, but that will help) is something you should focus on, not getting the "A". If you want to get into medical school and succeed, you need to learn how to learn.

 

[kiril89]

@ Milk man: Really? I only need to take Cac. I? I thought I had to take Calcl. I&II. Phewww, talk about a relief.

@thRob: yeah, that's why I wanted to get a tutor, so that I can get a better understanding on the material I'm learning.

@Cogito: Yeah, that makes sense, but if I spend a year preparing for Calc. I, wouldn't I also cover what I already learned?

I have some friends in University, I'll ask them about it.

 

[Cogito ergo es]

@ Milk man: Really? I only need to take Cac. I? I thought I had to take Calcl. I&II. Phewww, talk about a relief.

@thRob: yeah, that's why I wanted to get a tutor, so that I can get a better understanding on the material I'm learning.

@Cogito: Yeah, that makes sense, but if I spend a year preparing for Calc. I, wouldn't I also cover what I already learned?

I have some friends in University, I'll ask them about it.

It would, but unless you do lots of it very frequently you might end up at the same point, only a year later. :S At the moment, the advantage is not to have to refresh the older stuff as it is already relatively fresh in memory.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Yep, Harvard is the only school that wants Calc 2, and I think it's only a recommended course. Some want both stats and Calc 1, but Calc 1 is as far as the calc requirements go.

 

[kiril89]

@Cogito: Yeah, that makes sense, but I still have about 8 months to a year until I have to take calc. I, so I was deciding whether or not I should get a tutor in the mean time. In the mean time, I will also be taking high school calculus.

@Milkman: Lol, I'm not going to Harvard so..NO CAL.C II!!!!!

 

[salinger]

If you're worried about "shaky foundations," why not just take a pre-calculus course at whatever university college you go into? This will firm up your math basics before taking calculus. Just a thought

 

[kiril89]

If that course will cover everything from grade 9 and up, then I'll look into it. But chances are, a university course wouldn't be that helpful.