Poor calculus grades

[emttim]

Alright, so I'm thinking I'm probably only going to get a B in calc 1 judging by the trend so far...failed first calc quiz, 90% on second calc quiz, probably failed the third calc quiz today that I took....teacher drops your two lowest calc quizzes....first exam was an 86%, second exam an 86% as well. So as it stands, I've already used up my two drop quizzes, and I'm at a solid B average for the course, so I'm guessing that's probably what I'll end up with, which I'm not too concerned with.

However, I hear that calc 2 is more difficult than calc 1 by a fairly large amount, and the only teacher that offers the calc 2 class that I need to take next semester from what I hear is an even ****tier teacher than the one I have (and this teacher I have now is worthless, so the next one will be far worse). So my question is, if I get a B in calc 1 and say a C in calc 2, is that necessarily going to be /that/ bad when it comes applying to med school, given the fact that all my science classes will probably be A's? (I'm great at science, I just don't like math classes).

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[Revenant]

Contrary to popular belief on this board a single B or C will not kill your chances of getting into Medical School.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I got a C in Calc 1- I also got a C in a chem class that semester but I was in a car wreck that totaled my vehicle and left me doing physical therapy for back/neck damage 🙂

But in all seriousness don't stress over a B... move on and get an A in something else.

And btw- why are you planning to take Calc 2... my school doesn't require that so I am staying CLEAR!

 

[thoffen]

I would agree that Calc II is more difficult than Calc I, but that's not a straightforward assesment. They really are different subjects. I would say that Calc II is a lot more abstract. It requires working with series and multiple dimensions and matrix math. You could brush up on working with these and give yourself a leg up. Personally, I had a first-time professor who spoke with a heavy German accent and had little experience with the American education system, so I had to figure out the concepts for myself. Hopefully your experience will be better!

 

[dontwakeme]

Calc II is hard. Don't take it if you don't have to. Unless you're into math, it'll cause nothing but pain and suffering.

From my experience, the concepts aren't all that difficult and it's really easy to feel confident. But then the exam comes out of nowhere and you can only answer 1 or 2 questions out of the 8 questions correctly. However, the curve is pretty sweet.

 

[bsax007]

I got a C+ in Calc I and a C+ in Diff. Eq, along with B in Multivariate Calc and a C+ in Physics II. I'm was in an engineering program with some pretty harsh classes and wasn't originally planning on med school, so at the time I wasn't too worried. I've interviewed at several schools now and have been accepted at one--not a single interviewer has asked me about my grades. I wouldn't make a habit of getting low scores, but I don't think you have as much to worry about as you might think from the SDN boards.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Drogba]

2 things. One, Calc II is not required by most med schools so if you really don't feel confident with math don't take it. I think a C probably would not look great at all and I wouldn't risk it. Two, if you are a good book learner you can easily teach yourself calculus and not depend on the teacher. I never attended as single class of calculus I or II. I don't believe this has to do with intelligence but simply learning style. I would end up reading the book anyway and going to lecture was a waste of time. Read the book understand it and do as many of the problems as you can and do your practice tests and you should do fine.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Contrary to popular belief on this board a single B or C will not kill your chances of getting into Medical School.

A "B" isn't even a poor grade, OP. Also, get a copy of the MSAR and see that the average GPA at most schools is between 3.6 and 3.75 meaning that students at those schools probably had a handful of Bs and maybe a few Cs.

 

[emttim]

Well, to the majority of posts saying just don't take calc II, I would if it wasn't a requirement for my major (marine biology), but I don't have that option. I don't necessarily think I can teach myself the calculus from the book, because quite frankly, I'm starting to think our president wrote my calculus book (I know that's an impossibility because he's not literate to begin with, but you get what I'm trying to say) because it's complete gibberish and can't really string anything coherently together.

But yeah, I guess SDN's probably not representative of most of the applicants, I was just curious about the impact of one or two C's since the general idea I hear/read over and over is "mostly A's, nothing less than a B". Although hell, most of the pre-meds I've met at my college don't give a crap, and one doesn't even do any homework at all, and is convinced since it's a crapshoot he has just as good of a chance of getting in with crappy grades as someone with good grades, hence why he's not even trying. *shrugs*

 

[Drogba]

I think resigning yourself to a C is a bad idea. If you really anticipate this much trouble use the tutoring services your school offers or find another way to learn the material. If despite your best efforts you still do poorly then atleast you did everything you could.

 

[anxioushiker]

I wouldnt worry about it unless it is consistent with many of your other grades. I got a C in Calc. I but I maintained a gpa near 3.8. I got my first acceptance yesterday, so I doubt it hurt me at all.

 

[emttim]

Well Drogba, I agree, I just don't foresee being able to do much more than pass the class if I finish calc 1 with only a shaky foundation of calc.

That's good to hear Anxioushiker, congrats!! I have an overall GPA of 3.94 and a BCPM GPA of 4.0 right now, although after this semester I'm sure calc 1 will knock it down to a 3.8ish if I get a B, but yeah it won't be representative of my other grades; I just don't care for math, and a ****ty teacher doesn't help.

 

[Drogba]

From what I remember calc II is almost a completely different subject. If you havent mastered calc I it doesn't mean you won't be able to do well in Calc II. At the end of the day though the important thing is to not stress out. Just do the best you can. You have a long road ahead of you and no one can say where it will take you.

 

[AnesthesiaMD]

Well, to the majority of posts saying just don't take calc II, I would if it wasn't a requirement for my major (marine biology), but I don't have that option. I don't necessarily think I can teach myself the calculus from the book, because quite frankly, I'm starting to think our president wrote my calculus book (I know that's an impossibility because he's not literate to begin with, but you get what I'm trying to say) because it's complete gibberish and can't really string anything coherently together.

But yeah, I guess SDN's probably not representative of most of the applicants, I was just curious about the impact of one or two C's since the general idea I hear/read over and over is "mostly A's, nothing less than a B". Although hell, most of the pre-meds I've met at my college don't give a crap, and one doesn't even do any homework at all, and is convinced since it's a crapshoot he has just as good of a chance of getting in with crappy grades as someone with good grades, hence why he's not even trying. *shrugs*

sorry, GWB has nothing to do with whether or not you should take calc II and a comment like that is kinda mean.

 

[Wylde]

Well, to the majority of posts saying just don't take calc II, I would if it wasn't a requirement for my major (marine biology), but I don't have that option. I don't necessarily think I can teach myself the calculus from the book, because quite frankly, I'm starting to think our president wrote my calculus book (I know that's an impossibility because he's not literate to begin with, but you get what I'm trying to say) because it's complete gibberish and can't really string anything coherently together.

But yeah, I guess SDN's probably not representative of most of the applicants, I was just curious about the impact of one or two C's since the general idea I hear/read over and over is "mostly A's, nothing less than a B". Although hell, most of the pre-meds I've met at my college don't give a crap, and one doesn't even do any homework at all, and is convinced since it's a crapshoot he has just as good of a chance of getting in with crappy grades as someone with good grades, hence why he's not even trying. *shrugs*

You're absolutely correct, the leader of a country (especially the United States of America. Last time i checked, this country is "a pretty big deal".) is a complete and illiterate *****. Leading 300 million people takes no intelligent whatsoever and you definitely can't read if you want to be reelected.

People who can barely pass calculus are much more qualified and intelligent, especially when it comes to governing the most influential and "powerful" country in the world.

ignorance is bliss.

 

[curlywurly]

I got a B in calc 1 and a C in calc 2. Don't sweat it. If you're really nervous about your grade see a tutor or your TA to make sure you understand the concepts well enough to apply them. Oh, and if there's any way you can get out of taking calc 2, do it!

 

[emttim]

Well, it doesn't surprise me that a couple people took my analogy of calculus being hard out of context, seeing as there's idiots everywhere and pre-meds are no exception.

Anyhow, it actually doesn't really bother me if I get a B in calc 1 and C in calc 2 like you (and im sure plenty of other people who don't care for math) did curly, providing that it doesn't significantly impact me. Granted, I don't see why one mediocre grade would, but the admissions process obviously has a nasty habit of making people paranoid.

The only way I could get out of taking calc 2 is if I switched majors, and for one class, I'm not necessarily sure that's worth it. Although to be fair, I'm getting a major that isn't really marketable (marine biology), but I don't think the other major I'd consider (business economics) would be that much more marketable either, so not much of a reason to switch solely to avoid calc 2 since marine bio should be fun.

 

[premedmind]

I am taking Calc II now.........it's definetly really tough. I am trying to hang in there. Calc I was a breeze, I got an A. Calc II turns into a monster.

 

[foreverLaur]

i'm required to take calc II for my science major. i did fine in calc I and i'm dropping calc II after getting a 10% on the first exam.

 

[fashafosho]

nevermind poor calculus grades...what if you never took calculus?!?! and youre in your final year and have no room for it?! will highschool calc count?

 

[foreverLaur]

nevermind poor calculus grades...what if you never took calculus?!?! and youre in your final year and have no room for it?! will highschool calc count?

no, but most schools that have a specific requirement tend to require calc or stats. just get the MSAR for the year you apply and make sure not to apply to those schools that require calc - there aren't a lot.

 

[Livingapparatus]

If you do not need to take calc II do not! It has been by far the hardest class i have taken. calc III was easier than II and in order to succeed in calc 2 you must have absolute mastery of calculus I. If you do not have a 100% understanding of differential techniques you will be running uphill from the very beginning. But i wouldnt stress at all about a B.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

Alright, so I'm thinking I'm probably only going to get a B in calc 1

typical, neurotic, (do i even need to finish)

 

[tdkneo]

Alright, so I'm thinking I'm probably only going to get a B in calc 1 judging by the trend so far...failed first calc quiz, 90% on second calc quiz, probably failed the third calc quiz today that I took....teacher drops your two lowest calc quizzes....first exam was an 86%, second exam an 86% as well. So as it stands, I've already used up my two drop quizzes, and I'm at a solid B average for the course, so I'm guessing that's probably what I'll end up with, which I'm not too concerned with.

However, I hear that calc 2 is more difficult than calc 1 by a fairly large amount, and the only teacher that offers the calc 2 class that I need to take next semester from what I hear is an even ****tier teacher than the one I have (and this teacher I have now is worthless, so the next one will be far worse). So my question is, if I get a B in calc 1 and say a C in calc 2, is that necessarily going to be /that/ bad when it comes applying to med school, given the fact that all my science classes will probably be A's? (I'm great at science, I just don't like math classes).

are you talking about quarter or semester sequence of Calc......at my school, we go by the quarter system so, it's actually Calc I, Calc II, and Calc III, and Multivariable Calculus is in a whole new section.........the only hard part about the calc sequence is when u get to the shell/disk/washer rotation....besides that, everything's a breeze........

 

[HumidBeing]

I have a question. I know nothing about calculus. A bio major here only requires a single class of Elem Calc for the Life Sciences, which I'll be taking next semester. This semester I've been doing finite math, but I'm also going to squeeze in a trig course because I've never had that wish I knew it (my physics class would be going so much easier) Then I'd like to take the regular calc sequence just because I WANT to know this stuff. It might come in handy for things I want to understand later.

Someone on the thread said that Calc II has a lot of series and matrices. There's quite a bit of that in the Finite Math course, and I've really enjoyed those sections. My question is that if a person enjoys playing with matrices, is calc II likely to be easier? Obviously, I'm grasping for straws of hope about a subject that gives me a bit of trepidation.

 

[Arjunsi]

You're absolutely correct, the leader of a country (especially the United States of America. Last time i checked, this country is "a pretty big deal".) is a complete and illiterate *****. Leading 300 million people takes no intelligent whatsoever and you definitely can't read if you want to be reelected.

People who can barely pass calculus are much more qualified and intelligent, especially when it comes to governing the most influential and "powerful" country in the world.

ignorance is bliss.

"Maybe" if I keep putting "quotes" randomly on my "words", people will mistake my logically faulty appeal to authority as an actual valid argument.

 

[thoffen]

I have a question. I know nothing about calculus. A bio major here only requires a single class of Elem Calc for the Life Sciences, which I'll be taking next semester. This semester I've been doing finite math, but I'm also going to squeeze in a trig course because I've never had that wish I knew it (my physics class would be going so much easier) Then I'd like to take the regular calc sequence just because I WANT to know this stuff. It might come in handy for things I want to understand later.

Someone on the thread said that Calc II has a lot of series and matrices. There's quite a bit of that in the Finite Math course, and I've really enjoyed those sections. My question is that if a person enjoys playing with matrices, is calc II likely to be easier? Obviously, I'm grasping for straws of hope about a subject that gives me a bit of trepidation.

I'm the one who said that, and I will say yes that will make it easier! However, this was my experience with my curriculum. It's not likely to mirror your school's exactly, so I'd look into the topics! Things in Calc II for me included Taylor Series, eigenvectors/eigenvalues, etc. If you're familiar with those topics, then that will help you out a lot. I liken it to a painting theory class. You will learn a lot, and it will be challenging. But, it will be a whole lot easier if you've done a few portraits and everyone else has just been finger painting!

 

[foreverLaur]

I have a question. I know nothing about calculus. A bio major here only requires a single class of Elem Calc for the Life Sciences, which I'll be taking next semester. This semester I've been doing finite math, but I'm also going to squeeze in a trig course because I've never had that wish I knew it (my physics class would be going so much easier) Then I'd like to take the regular calc sequence just because I WANT to know this stuff. It might come in handy for things I want to understand later.

Someone on the thread said that Calc II has a lot of series and matrices. There's quite a bit of that in the Finite Math course, and I've really enjoyed those sections. My question is that if a person enjoys playing with matrices, is calc II likely to be easier? Obviously, I'm grasping for straws of hope about a subject that gives me a bit of trepidation.

I'm at a quarter school and this is the description for our Calc II

"ntegrals, area, fundamental theorems of calculus, logarithmic and exponential functions, trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions, methods of integration, applications of integration, polar coordinates."

 

[thoffen]

I'm at a quarter school and this is the description for our Calc II

"ntegrals, area, fundamental theorems of calculus, logarithmic and exponential functions, trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions, methods of integration, applications of integration, polar coordinates."

Eeep. That's completely different then. Mostly that was Calc I for me, sorry. I guess your Calc I was mostly limits and differentials then? Integration is just the reverse of differentiation. Just think working backward and you'll be fine! There are some intricacies (definite vs indefinite integrals, constants), but it's pretty simple! Trig ain't so bad if you have a little background. If you've got the pythagorean theorem and SOH CAH TOA down, everything else is just a derivation from that. Polar coordinates are fun. Hopefully you'll just learn how to use them instead of how to do calculus with them, because that's more of a Calc III topic in my experience. Instead of saying a point is 3m over to the right and 4m up from where I'm standing, I tell you that it's x degress from this axis and 5m out (sorry I don't have a calculator to tell you the degrees).

 

[Wylde]

"Maybe" if I keep putting "quotes" randomly on my "words", people will mistake my logically faulty appeal to authority as an actual valid argument.

those quotes are not random.

"a pretty big deal": I just read someone saying this about a guy in his research project, people say it all the time and I put quotes around it to emphasize that fact, because i find it funny/ just a cool phrase. Quoted because its said all the time, mocking/emphasizing that point.

"powerful": Not everyone would consider the United States the best country, or a remotely good country, or a powerful country. It depends on how you interpret the word.

 

[foreverLaur]

Eeep. That's completely different then. Mostly that was Calc I for me, sorry. I guess your Calc I was mostly limits and differentials then? Integration is just the reverse of differentiation. Just think working backward and you'll be fine! There are some intricacies (definite vs indefinite integrals, constants), but it's pretty simple! Trig ain't so bad if you have a little background. If you've got the pythagorean theorem and SOH CAH TOA down, everything else is just a derivation from that. Polar coordinates are fun. Hopefully you'll just learn how to use them instead of how to do calculus with them, because that's more of a Calc III topic in my experience. Instead of saying a point is 3m over to the right and 4m up from where I'm standing, I tell you that it's x degress from this axis and 5m out (sorry I don't have a calculator to tell you the degrees).

Yeah I took Calc I at a semester school so the first half of Calc II here at a quarter school is a repeat : )

 

[thoffen]

Yeah I took Calc I at a semester school so the first half of Calc II here at a quarter school is a repeat : )

Well then I hope that helps 😛. BTW your profile pic looks very much like a girl I went to high school with and also went to Georgia Tech.

 

[foreverLaur]

Well then I hope that helps 😛. BTW your profile pic looks very much like a girl I went to high school with and also went to Georgia Tech.

ooh maybe i have a long lost twin 🙂