Hi I need some perspectives - here’s my stats. I got a B in BC calc in hs. I took the Michigan placement for Calc and got an 85% ISLE and I got a 4 on the BC AP exam. Right now I am scheduled to start with Calc 116. Is it going to be crazy hard or am I making the right choice. I would hate to loose credits and take Calc 115 but I don’t want to mess up my grades either. Opinions? Anyone have the same set up?
Calc 2 (MATH 116) is one of the most failed courses at Umich. This is not because calc 2 is difficult, but because most people who struggle at math don’t take any math classes beyond calc 2. Calc 3 (MATH 215) is significantly harder. If you really want to know what a crazy hard math class at Umich is, take MATH 217 and/or MATH 451 sometime in your undergrad career.
Are you saying that you got 85 percentile on the placement exam? I would say that if you think you can handle it, you can go ahead an try calc 2 first, but be prepared to drop if you are not keeping up in the first two weeks or so.
If you NEED to take calc 2 at some point, just jump right to it calc 1 wont help you much unless you cant do the basics, and if thats the case you should just drop engineering/math right away
If you dont NEED calc 2 dont take it. Its not worth the chance you will fail, and yes I know a bunch of people who failed it. Although if you study it really isnt that hard at all
In answer to your question regarding placement scores. I am not really sure how they are read but it basically says 85% ISLE. Which I am guessing was in the 85% percentile of takers or its a score of 85% out of 100%. either way it basically says I am ready for Calc 115 or higher depending on my ACT and AP scores. I am trying for Engineering so it sounds like I should just go for Calc 2 and give it my best shot. No one is really saying take Calc 1 over it will help you in the long run etc.
Unless you really don’t know the material for calc 1, I’d say it’s not worth your time retaking math 115. Just go into math 116, and if it really gets to the point where you need to drop, don’t be afraid to do it. For your first semester at Umich, you won’t get a W for dropping, even for weeks 4-9.
http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/courses/115/index.html. Take a look at the past exams. If you feel like you can do most of the problems, then you are ready for calc 2.
If you have taken Calc BC and get a 4, you should be at the level of Calc2 already. My D got a 5 in BC and started with Calc3 in freshmen. You should not waste your time to retake Calc1 which is at the level of CalcAB.
I’d say go for 116. 115 is going to bore you half to death for the first part of the semester because it’s all pre-calc review. After that it focuses completely on derivatives and integration, while mixing in some more in-depth material with it. I’ll be the first to vouch for the fact that the way math is taught at Michigan is definitely not the best, but you’ll like it if you luck out with a decent GSI. I didn’t and HATED 115 (and to top it off, I didn’t take any calc in high school), but I’m not a math person and never intended to go past 115. However, if you can do the basics in your sleep, there’s no point in taking 115 - start with 116.