Is Calculus at all like Organic Chemistry or easier?

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skrolls

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I've always struggled with math and avoided it like the plague. I failed Precalculus and even basic Statistics was a daunting class for me. It's always been frustrating and ironic because chemistry's always come easy to me, and I breezed through both semesters of General and Organic Chemistry and managed to ace them, but I just can't seem to defeat the monster that is mathematics... I plan on taking Calculus I in the spring and doing well to redeem my failed Precalculus grade and am curious if the logic behind it is at all like that of chemistry, or if anyone else has had this experience.

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I think you can take calc I at a cc just fine. From what I've read Adcoms don't care about calc that much unless you plan on applying to a top tier school.
 
I'm mostly taking it to make up for the failed Precalc grade. I got a 1.6 in it the first time, then retook it at a cc and got something like a B- in it.
I think you can take calc I at a cc just fine. From what I've read Adcoms don't care about calc that much unless you plan on applying to a top tier school.
 
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If you failed Precalculus, you might not want to take Calculus until you master it... It will be a struggle. I can do Precalculus in my sleep but had to work harder in Calculus.
 
If you failed Precalculus, you might not want to take Calculus until you master it... It will be a struggle. I can do Precalculus in my sleep but had to work harder in Calculus.
It was 4 years ago now but it was mostly trig functions that tripped me up, I think. I planned on practicing it independently or going over Precalculus until I take it in May.
 
If you failed Precalculus, you might not want to take Calculus until you master it... It will be a struggle. I can do Precalculus in my sleep but had to work harder in Calculus.
Or is it really even necessary to take?
 
Or is it really even necessary to take?
Maybe at your institution it's required in order to take higher level science courses. It's not necessary unless you plan on applying to top tier schools. Stats is more important.
 
Maybe at your institution it's required in order to take higher level science courses. It's not necessary unless you plan on applying to top tier schools. Stats is more important.
It's not. I got a 4.0 in Stats but the 1.6 from Precalculus is still there and not really made up for.
 
It's not. I got a 4.0 in Stats but the 1.6 from Precalculus is still there and not really made up for.
If you're really concerned, I think you can retake the course. MD averages the grades, DO replaces grades.
 
I think you can take calc I at a cc just fine. From what I've read Adcoms don't care about calc that much unless you plan on applying to a top tier school.


Math profs I have had and enrollment here tell me that the curriculum is more difficult to ensure the likelihood of transferring. No idea whether this is actually true or not.
 
It was 4 years ago now but it was mostly trig functions that tripped me up, I think. I planned on practicing it independently or going over Precalculus until I take it in May.

I'm in the same boat as you where I've never been very good at math. I was 4 years removed from any type of math course and when I started taking classes this past semester I attempted Calc A. I struggled so much that I had to take a WD. My main problem mostly being that like you, I already had a weak mathematics background but that ON TOP of not seeing any math for 4 years and thus, pretty much forgetting everything I once understood, just made it a terrible idea. I was completely overwhelmed. I'm now going back to the beginning starting at algebra and I'm going to rebuild until I'm comfortable enough to take Calc A

I'm not trying to discourage you. But if you do decide to take it, I would at the very least, review the material months in advance before attempting. Would hate to see you make the same mistake I did.
 
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In terms of intellectual difficulty, Organic Chemistry >>> Calculus I.

In Calculus I, you can literally just mindlessly memorize a few rules to do differentiation and integration (e.g., memorize power rule, chain rule, etc.)
In Organic Chemistry, you need to memorize a lot (read: at least 10x) more rules (and to do well, likely to have some baseline understanding for why the rules exist).
 
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I've always struggled with math and avoided it like the plague. I failed Precalculus and even basic Statistics was a daunting class for me. It's always been frustrating and ironic because chemistry's always come easy to me, and I breezed through both semesters of General and Organic Chemistry and managed to ace them, but I just can't seem to defeat the monster that is mathematics... I plan on taking Calculus I in the spring and doing well to redeem my failed Precalculus grade and am curious if the logic behind it is at all like that of chemistry, or if anyone else has had this experience.

Had As in precalc and Cs/Bs in calculus. Precalc is way easier, retake that before taking any calc.

I had all As/Bs in Gen Chem/Orgo (mostly As).
 
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Calculus and O-chem are completely different courses. I love both calculus and organic chemistry but studied completely different for both. As @justadream stated calculus is all about memorizing rules whereas O-chem is all about memorizing mechanisms and also understanding the reason for chemical changes in those mechanisms. Organic chemistry is difficult in it's own way, you will have to read the book and understand every concept to do well. In calculus you can still do well even if you don't understand the concept. I think general chem has more math than organic chem. Also, calculus requires much more practice.
 
In terms of intellectual difficulty, Organic Chemistry >>> Calculus I.

In Calculus I, you can literally just mindlessly memorize a few rules to do differentiation and integration (e.g., memorize power rule, chain rule, etc.)
In Organic Chemistry, you need to memorize a lot (read: at least 10x) more rules (and to do well, likely to have some baseline understanding for why the rules exist).

As a math major, I would STRONGLY recommend against this attitude. Though it worked for the poster and others, memorizing f''(x)g(x)+g'(x)f(x) and thinking you understand calculus is one of the main reasons why our mathlab gets flooded with students at the end of the semester, desperately trying to learn the subject at the last second.

Differential and Integral Calculus, like all computational math, requires constant practice, much like organic chemistry. Furthemore, a successful calculus student will not just mindlessly find a derivative of a function, but will understand the meaning of the step, and its implications. Expect word problems and other questions asking you to demonstrate an understanding deeper than the chain rule.

Like others, I also strongly recommend against taking calculus until you have mastered precalculus. A thorough knowledge of algebra, trigonometry, as well as a certain level of developed mathematical intuition, is suggested. I can't tell you how many students evaluate a triple integral in Calc III and then flub the algebra at the end, or still don't understand trig other than having memorized the unit circle. If you want to make up for the bad grade in precalc, I'd retake the course and ace it, and then move on.

You can do it OP, you are obviously very bright! Many students in the mathlab have had bad experiences with math, and have convinced themselves that they will never understand it. While understandable, it is almost always not true, and with hard work their feelings are eventually reversed. If you retake precalc, I'm positive you will feel that lightbulb finally turn on, and you will understand the material at a deeper level; sometimes it takes a second pass. Good luck!
 
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They're similar in that if you find yourself with a carbocation you're probably doing something wrong.
 
I've always struggled with math and avoided it like the plague. I failed Precalculus and even basic Statistics was a daunting class for me. It's always been frustrating and ironic because chemistry's always come easy to me, and I breezed through both semesters of General and Organic Chemistry and managed to ace them, but I just can't seem to defeat the monster that is mathematics... I plan on taking Calculus I in the spring and doing well to redeem my failed Precalculus grade and am curious if the logic behind it is at all like that of chemistry, or if anyone else has had this experience.

Math and chemistry both follow an analytical approach to solving problems, and this is mastered by doing a lot of practice problems. A possible reason why you struggle with math is that you really aren't learning properly. Imo, precalculus and basic statistics are something basic that's done in high school, but you really don't need to master either to do well in calculus.

All you need to do to succeed in calculus is understanding how the basic concepts of limits, derivatives and integrals work and how you can use various formulas to solve problems. That's it. And there are many resources available to guide you. Some knowledge of algebra may be necessary but that can be done with a quick crash course in a day. All those crazy triangles and trigonometry formulas are useless for calculus.

Chemistry is done the same way. Simple concepts used to solve many complex problems. You can't construct multistep syntheses if you don't know how functional groups work, and you can't understand functional groups if you don't know what electronegativity and bond polarity are. Same applies for math.
 
Both require lots and lots of practice problems.

I got a C in ochem I, but changed my study habits and was able to earn an A in ochem II and calculus

I'd say calculus was definitely easier for me than ochem I
 
Don't worry about redeeming yourself with Calc. It'll be ok.
If you struggled in pre calculus it isn't worth the heartache of doing calculus.
 
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