<p>This is a question for current students or if anyone knows anything about classes at penn.</p>
<p>I was wondering if it is harder to take the math 104 class or to get a five on the calc BC exam?</p>
<p>The class is harder than the AP.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/1068175-aps-take.html?highlight=calc[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/1068175-aps-take.html?highlight=calc</a></p>
<p>Apparently math 104 is a big weed out class.</p>
<p>MATH104 is much harder than BC Calc.
A.) My friends tell me the material is much harder.
B.) The curve is terrible. </p>
<p>Get a 5 on BC calc, and you will not regret it.</p>
<p>That said, if you are going to be going through the MATH sequence (104 –> 114 –> 240 –>241), or at least if you are going to take MATH114 at some point, be very careful. A 5 on Calc BC will probably mean that you’re ready for MATH114, but if you don’t get a 5, DON’T jump right into the course. Take 104 first; it will make 114 much, much easier for you.</p>
<p>if im only planing on taking math 104 and 114, would taking 104 at penn help me with 114?</p>
<p>Yes, but if you get a 5 on the AP BC test, it would be a bit of a waste to take 104 since you would need to have an understanding capable of getting you a pretty solid grade in 104 in order to get a 5 on the AP test.</p>
<p>If you get a 5 on Calc BC it would probably be best to start with 114. The material is really not any harder (I would actually say it’s easier if you have a good background) and it seems the class is much less stressful. From what I have heard from my friends, 104 is not an enjoyable class and the curve produces a lot of anxiety. Math 114 is also curved too, the number of As on the final determine the number of As given in the course. This semester, over half of the kids in the course received As on the final, therefore more than half of the kids in the course received some sort of A in the class. This was higher than usual, but I hear it’s still usually around 30-40%.</p>
<p>I got a 5 on BC last year and am currently taking Multivariable Calc at my high school which is based off of 114 (my teacher taught 114 at Penn as a TA a few years ago). Would it be better for me to try to get credit for it next year or just take 114 essentially again?</p>
<p>If you feel comfortable after looking at some of the old finals, I would just go on to 240 and get retroactive credit for 114 (which will happen if you get a C or higher in 240 without having to take any sort of placement exam). 114 is a useful class for people in the sciences, but the material is not presented in an overly insightful or interesting way. It is entirely from the textbook (which does happen to be a very helpful one), so it is very possible to learn everything by yourself which is what a lot of people do. However, if you are very interested in math and want to learn the theory behind it, you should look into Math 116, which is honors math. Math 116 and Math 260 are supposed to correspond to 114 and 240 but they are actually pretty different in that honors math is entirely proof based. A few of my friends took 116 and really enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Thanks, Poeme! I know some kids from my high school who went right into 240 without studying and did well, so I think I may just do that. My textbook is the same as 114’s, and as of right now, I can already do over half of what’s on the old finals. I’m not a huge fan of proofs.</p>