<p>I just got back from STAR and I signed up for all my classes, my schedule is kind of a mess but I'm fine with it. However, my advisor tried to put me into Calc 3 because I received a 4 on my AP BC Calc exam. I asked to be put into Calc 2 because, I want to make sure that I have everything solid. My mom however, thinks that I should try and get into Calc 1. But since my advisor didn't even offer that option to me I don't see why I should try and switch? My mom thinks that it would be an easy A (GPA booster), I see her logic, but if I'm ready for Calc 2 based on my AP/CRT scores shouldn't I just take it? She also thinks that by switching from Calc 2 to Calc 1 I might be able to change my schedule around, being as I have two 7:30 classes and end everyday at 5:20...So what I'm really asking is would it even be a good idea to drop into Calc 1? Also how easy (or hard) would it be for me to get into a Calc 1 that fits into my schedule, since I already had a hard time getting classes that fit together because of the COM 114 and ENTR 200 classes that Purdue had preplaced me into because I needed them for graduation and my learning community...Sorry, this is so long! Thanks!</p>
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<li><p>If you feel comfortable with Calc I, don’t take it. As for easy A’s: I’ve see plenty of students take Calc I and think it’ll be an easy A, but end up with a C/D. My suggestion: seriously don’t waste time with classes you don’t need to.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s nice to be an upperclassman since we get to decide what classes we want to take, not our advisor. My suggestion: tell your advisor you don’t feel comfortable with Calc II and you would really like to take it to get a solid foundation. </p></li>
<li><p>It definitely sucks to have class at 7:30 and end at 5:30. Use the free periods well. Go to the library between classes and do all your homework. That way you’ll probably be done by 5:30 while all your friends who wake up at noon still need to finish their homework.</p></li>
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<p>Okay, thanks! I’m just going to stick with what I have. It would involve to much effort to change everything around and I’m sure I can manage in Calc II, even though my mom wants me in Calc I. That’s good advice! I don’t really want to have to walk back and forth to my dorm five times a day, so the library is a perfect alternative.</p>
<p>Is calc a core class for your major? It looks like you’ll be in engineering, so you’ll want to maintain high math grades for graduate/work opps, but even more importantly you want to have a solid math foundation to build on.</p>
<p>Your mom wants you to play conservatively b/c theres nothing more nightmarish than having your academics topple over at the start, but you know best. Personally, I’ve had a year off calc, so I’ll probably start with calc I.</p>
<p>oh, and what learning community you in that requires entr200?</p>
<p>Yeah, Calc is a core class I think. I just took Calc last year, so I shouldn’t be to rusty when classes start! </p>
<p>Entrepreneurship and Innovation! Or something along those lines!</p>
<p>oh, okay. just wondering.</p>
<p>Crazycat, what did you think about Entrepreneurship LC?</p>
<p>I agree with EuroBoilerMaker. Being a freshman as well doesn’t guarantee you the greatest schedule considering every other upperclassmen scheduled way before you other than transfers.</p>
<p>Honestly, if you got a 4 on the AP Calc BC exam, I would say go with calc 1 and make sure you pay attention and go to class. Purdue’s math department is difficult (much beyond any high school beyond those exceptionally rare prep academies), made even worse by their grading system (the number of people who gets A’s on the final is the number of people who can get A’s in the class). If you don’t have an outstanding grip on the difficulty of college-level math, you will get swamped away by calc 2 (I’ve seen it happen at Purdue, and it’s a significant portion of people who take the class). Also, your mother has some things right, you’ll want that GPA padding when you get to your higher level classes (statics, dynamics, physics E&M, thermodynamics, fluids, heat-mass transfer, etc. depending on your engineering). Also, there are lots of time slots for Calc 1, you shouldn’t have an issue getting one that fits. My biggest piece of advice would be: don’t assume you’re gonna be the smartest guy you know, or even in the smartest group of people you know. You won’t be. You really know nothing before you get to college and you should let yourself hit your stride before you start diving into difficult material that may overwhelm you.</p>
<p>I was in the same boat as you last year. I took BC calc junior year of high school and got a 4 on BC portion and 5 on AB portion. I thought it would be a great GPA buffer to retake Calc 2 in college since I thought I forgot everything senior year. If I were able to go back I would have taken Calc 3 upon entering college. Calc 2 at Purdue was very easy since you only had 3 exams and a final. I thought I was wasting my time because it’s pretty much the same thing as in high school except everything is curved. Calc 3 is also very easy, as long as you can do simple derivatives and integrals you will be fine because you learn partial derivatives and integrals in the beginning and you just apply that concept to a lot of things. The only difficult part is the last month where you learn stokes theorem, surface integrals and simliar concepts. The curves are also very generous because the average test scores are around 50 - 60%. A lot of people I’ve talked to thought Calc 3 was easier than Calc 2.</p>
<p>How about honors calc as an option?</p>
<p>Don’t take honors calc unless you have to.</p>
<p>@lilaznboi - Why?</p>
<p>I meant to say don’t take the accelerated version of calculus 2 (173). Most of the students are math majors and they kill the curve.</p>
<p>They don’t kill the curve in honors math! It’s true that most are math majors but it’s honors math for a reason. Averages hover between 30-40% and homework is a monster ordeal. My roommate sophomore year took honors calc 3 and he was swamped with work and only got a C to show for it, meanwhile other people got 45% averages and got A’s.</p>