Retake same math class or take a different one?

[ion]

Back when I was at my community college, I took the entire calculus sequence, including differential equations.

Calculus 1 - 5 credit hours - B
Calculus 2 - 4 credit hours - A
Calculus 4 - 4 credit hours - A
Differential Equations - 3 credit hours - C

So in fear of that C screwing my chances of transferring where I wanted to transfer I retook it during the semester I applied. I got into my dream engineering school (among top 10), but sadly, got a D in Differential Equations the 2nd time around...not going to make excuses, I slacked off

To make up for this, I have two options that my school says will meet the requirements for graduation

1. Take 400 level 3 credit hour Linear Algebra class
2. Take 200 level 4 credit hour Differential Equations class


I have taken a few EE courses as well as a Quantum Physics course that involve a lot of differential equations, if that possibly influences your suggestions.

Considering that my transcript has a C and then a D in a 200-level, 3 credit hour differential equations class, which option is better?


Other info: my classes here at the university are ok...but gpa is around 3.1 so need to raise it..

Thanks!

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[strummin]

Back when I was at my community college, I took the entire calculus sequence, including differential equations.

Calculus 1 - 5 credit hours - B
Calculus 2 - 4 credit hours - A
Calculus 4 - 4 credit hours - A
Differential Equations - 3 credit hours - C

So in fear of that C screwing my chances of transferring where I wanted to transfer I retook it during the semester I applied. I got into my dream engineering school (among top 10), but sadly, got a D in Differential Equations the 2nd time around...not going to make excuses, I slacked off

To make up for this, I have two options that my school says will meet the requirements for graduation

1. Take 400 level 3 credit hour Linear Algebra class
2. Take 200 level 4 credit hour Differential Equations class


I have taken a few EE courses as well as a Quantum Physics course that involve a lot of differential equations, if that possibly influences your suggestions.

Considering that my transcript has a C and then a D in a 200-level, 3 credit hour differential equations class, which option is better?


Other info: my classes here at the university are ok...but gpa is around 3.1 so need to raise it..

Thanks!

I don't know the level of the linear algebra class, but considering it's 400 level, I'm assuming it's fairly advanced. I took linear algebra and I found it to be a very difficult class - DE was much much easier for me. But then again, my DE instructor was much easier than my linear algebra instructor. Advanced linear algebra is not an easy class at all, and you have to be very good at proofs. DE is more about computation. I prefer computation, which is why I did much better in DE.

Do some research and if you think you're going to like the material they cover in linear algebra, take it. Otherwise, I'd just re-take DE since you admit that you "slacked off" the second time you took it. Once you've had so much prior exposure to DE, it DOES become easier.

 

[Schemp]

I'm not sure how retakes work when you do worse - do you get the new grade regardless?

Either way, since retakes usually overwrite your old grade, I would go with the retake and do your absolute best to get an A in it. For your GPA, averaging a C or D (or both) with an A in a different class makes a much smaller difference than replacing a C or D (or both) with an A.

Medical schools won't care about the grades you got in higher-level mathematics classes, they'll just care about how it affects your cGPA and sGPA.

 

[Mattabet]

I'm not sure how retakes work when you do worse - do you get the new grade regardless?

Either way, since retakes usually overwrite your old grade, I would go with the retake and do your absolute best to get an A in it. For your GPA, averaging a C or D (or both) with an A in a different class makes a much smaller difference than replacing a C or D (or both) with an A.

Medical schools won't care about the grades you got in higher-level mathematics classes, they'll just care about how it affects your cGPA and sGPA.

For MD application, remember that there's really no such thing as retaking a class and overwriting a grade. It's as if you've taken two separate classes, and gotten two separate grades. I'd assume that DO will always take the highest of any number of grades, but by the third time through a class, they've got to be raising some eyebrows.

Assuming you have the capacity to succeed in the higher level math courses, I'd take the one for more hours, and do well, as that will do more to help your GPA. If you're not going to do well, I'd probably stop taking math. Your requirements (with the possible exception of stats) are met (and many schools don't have much of a math requirement). There are easier ways to get that GPA up than high level math.

Of course if you need to take one of those to graduate, then you should take one of them, but it's not really the 'best' strategy for padding a GPA, in my opinion.

 

[Knitress]

I'd only retake DE if I was absolutely certain I could pull an A or B.

With that said, if your thought process runs more towards proofs than application, you might want to take linear. You don't have to have DE before linear (in fact, I didn't) and there is no DE in linear.

Actually, linear could make DE a tiny bit easier later on, as it is used in a few places.

If you have time, and you need DE, I'd do linear first.

 

[shiftingmirage]

I took linear algebra, although it was like Math 260 or 270, so I don't know if 400 means it's a grad level or something, but I didn't think the class was hard, but I am a math person. At my school you needed multi I to take linear algebra.