<p>@Cardgames: The current book you are referring to is “Advanced Engineering Mathematics” right? I took math 240 last semester and I actually thought the textbook was pretty good (all my friends did too!). Some of the vector calc sections (notably the surface integrals) could be explained more clearly but I thought the book did a great job in the linear algebra and differential equations sections. I would recommend buying the book only b/c it will make it easier to follow the syllabus. I will say that the key to passing the placement test is to look at the past final exams on the math 240 site. Penn math has a tendency to keep reusing variations on those problems. When I took the course, i had a horrible professor so I never read attended class and basically just self-studied. I used the practice finals to study and ended up getting an A+ on the final and class. Therefore, I would recommend buying the book but definitely look into those practice finals as well!</p>
<p>sory if you have answered this already…but i’m debating taking either MATH 114 or MATH 116. I got a 5 on Calc BC and i really like math. I’m not going to be an engineer and i probably won’t even major in math. I’ve been told that there is no point in taking MATH 116 since it’s essentially the same as 114. My schedule works better with 114, but 116 is a smaller class and i guess discusses more thoroughly math principles. My worry is that MATH 114 is not going to be too much of a challenge, considering that i took a semester of multivariable calculus last year…idk can you give me advice?</p>
<p>@koolkat12</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, Math 114 is nothing like Math 116. I took 114 but I had friend who took 116. According to them, 116 is MUCH more conceptual and theoretical (not surprisingly). They do not cover as broad of material as 114 but then go into much more depth. There are many proofs involved and they almost never do computation. If you are considering a science major (i.e. physics for example), 114 would be a lot more practical since it focuses on application. Math 116 is generally for math majors and in my opinion, it is only worth taking if you are a math major and/or genuinely interested in math. If you want, you can register for 116 and try the class for maybe 2 weeks. If you find it is too difficult/not worth it, you can always drop down to 114 (that’s what one of my friends did). Another option is that you can register for both, attend a few 114 and 116 lectures, and then decide which one you want to take. The good thing is that Penn offers a very long drop period so there is definitely time to “test” classes out first!</p>
<p>Math 116 is basically a proof based introduction to analysis. It is not anything like math 114, which is really meant for engineers. A few of my friends took math 116 and really enjoyed it, I kind of wish I took it. Although it is very helpful to be comfortable with computations, math 114 is often so terribly taught that you may essentially be teaching yourself the material. I wish there was a course that took more of a middle ground between 114 and 116 conceptually.</p>
<p>My advisor strongly recommended me not take calc II because she knows no freshman that takes it and those who have the credit retake calc I. but i do hear of freshman taking calc ii. I took Calc AB junior year, Calc BC senior year and I don’t really want to start at the beginning again. She said for me to trust her on this, though.</p>
<p>So should I take math 104 or math 114? :/</p>
<p>@neorobie</p>
<p>Really? I find that very weird. My advisor advised me and a number of people to take calc 3 first semester (we aren’t even engineers or math majors), so I don’t see why taking calc 2 is so astounding. Just take math 114 immediately if you know your single-variable calculus well. Many, many people advised me to avoid math 104 for three reasons: the material is obfuscated, the grading sucks, and the teaching isn’t that good (a common problem in the calc courses, apparently). While the teaching in math 114 isn’t praised often either, at least the exams are straightforward. Again, take 114 if you know your single-variable calculus well.</p>
<p>Yeah me too. I told her I took AB AND BC. AB i got a 4. BC i got double 5’s (so on ab subscore as well). I definitely don’t want to start with learning from
the beginning again.</p>
<p>I see on the fb page many people on their mock schedules taking calc ii.
I just hope she doesn’t take it as a personal insult if I do take Calc II as when I questioned why, she said trust me, i have been in this for many years… etc. :/</p>
<p>@neurobie: I agree w/pretty much everything @Cardgames said. You are better off taking math 114 as long as you’re ready for it. In many ways, math 104 can be more difficult to attain a good grade than math 114; the material is harder, there seem to be a lot more hw problems assigned (but I guess that also depends on who you have…), the curve is tougher, most of the engineers are in that class freshmen yr fall semester, etc. Math 114 consists of mostly vector calc (planes, triple integrals, green’s theorem) but the test questions are generally very straightforward (it’s only when you get to 240 that the vector calc becomes more tricky) The general consensus from people who have taken 104 and 114 is that 114 was significantly easier for them. I honestly don’t understand why your advisor is saying that but I would just go with 114</p>
<p>Okey dokey Math 114 it is!</p>
<p>and my next question is… what is Harnwell’s Annual Sapphire Ball like?</p>
<p>What is the process for a incoming freshman to the engineering school to transfer community college credits. (I took some classes at the local community college in high school) I know that college students use XCAT. Is it the same for engineering students?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Couldn’t agree more. Even DeTurck frequently went into strange tangents in 114, and he’s supposed to be the “best” one. To anyone who’s considering 114 vs 116, take 116. Unless, of-course, you like to teach yourself from a terrible textbook (they changed it just last year for some unknown reason).</p>
<p>Oh dear. Now I am scared for Math114.</p>
<p>@nebbalish
Because of all the scary stories I heard, I also was terrified of math 114. One alumnus I know told me how he had A’s and A+’s in all his math courses except math 114, in which he received a C. I crapped my pants. This guy is a real nerd who graduated with both a bachelors and a masters in engineering with a 3.9ish GPA (in 4 years, by the way). If he says the course sucks, you better believe it. </p>
<p>Hoping to avoid the course, I decided to self-study it and spare myself the headache. I bought a textbook (Early Transcendentals international student version) and began reading the chapters. After completing multiple integrals and line integrals, I thought “how is this hard?” Looking at Upenn’s finals, I was shocked to see how the questions on the test were very basic and straightforward applications. Actually, a few questions matched my textbook’s questions verbatim. </p>
<p>To keep it short, math 1114’s tests and material are not difficult. What makes the course difficult is the professor’s obfuscated teaching methods. I think you should just ditch the lectures and use MIT Open Course Ware (I suggest Professor Denis Auroux’s videos). After that, solve the questions in the textbook and you should be okay. For reference, I finished the math 114 material in about 2 weeks of intensive study (to be honest, that was a little too intensive). You can take a slow pace and finish it in a month, in my opinion. The same story applies to math 240, too (almost done with it).</p>
<p>@nebbalish:</p>
<p>I assure you that there’s nothing to be scared of when it comes to Math 114. Yes, I agree with @iamanapp that it is a very poorly structured and taught class. However, it is very possible to achieve a good grade through self-study. When I took the class fall semester, I had the worst professor out of the 4 professors teaching it. I basically never went to class (except for midterms) and I self-studied the course using the textbook and practice finals. The practice finals are an invaluable resource for studying for 114…the professors basically recycle the same basic types of questions each year and if you can master how to do the practice final problems, then you should be absolutely fine on the final! In addition, the curve is actually quite generous (contrary to what many people believe). In our class, 50% of people ended up w/ some form of an A and in my friend’s section 65% of people did. </p>
<p>In summary, yes, math 114 is a poorly taught and structured class. However, if you are worried primarily about your grade/GPA, then I assure you that it’s entirely possible to do well in the class!</p>
<p>@Cardgames and @GoldOwl</p>
<p>That actually relieves me. I’ve looked through the practice finals and the questions are quite basic for the material taught! I’ve already started flipping through some Calculus textbooks I have a home (the one I’m looking at is Stewart’s Early Transcendentals). </p>
<p>So lectures it seems aren’t very valuable, even detrimental. But I am hesitant to start skipping class so early in my university career (I never skipped in high school, call it what you want). I guess I’ll see how bad the lectures are. To self study, did you just look at the syllabus and learn all the pertinent sections? </p>
<p>If the lectures aren’t valuable, what about the recitations? How did you use the recitations while you self studied?</p>
<p>@neballish: No need to be scared. It’s not a particularly difficult class, just a frustrating one.</p>
<p>My TA wasn’t very helpful, tbh. Most 114 recitations aren’t graded (some profs ask TAs to conduct weekly quizzes, although most don’t care), so, often, most people don’t even show up.</p>
<p>So your marks basically come from the midterm and the final? And a tiny bit from the quizzes if your TA bothers to give them?</p>
<p>Are there any popular SSH classes in the College for freshmen that are taught by well known professors?</p>
<p>@benzua</p>
<p>PSCI130 (Intro to American Politics) is taught by John Dilulio, who worked under the Bush administration. He is quite well-known, and I’ve heard rave reviews for the class. Also, taking it during election season should be especially interesting.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yup. You’ll have multiple mid-terms; Most profs schedule 3-5 mid-terms. And once you grasp the concepts, they’re all pretty straightforward.</p>