<p>I want to take Calc I and Calc II at my community college instead of AP calc at my HS b/c school only offers AB course. Well, i could self-study to take BC test but I don't want such shallow "studying for THE exam" and I want to be thoroughly prepared for higher level math later on. </p>
<p>So...the only worry I have is.. will Harvard accept the CC credit for calculus if I am accepted and attend? or do they only accept AP tests?</p>
<p>It seems like the courses at cc cover the same topics as bc exam...possibly more...
and my school's calc teacher is pretty horrible...</p>
<p>They definitely don’t accept CC credits (or credits from any school, unless you’re a transfer) - why not just take the BC test when you’re done w/ the CC class?</p>
<p>silversuz1 is absolutely right - but it’s probably helpful to take the AP test for placement purposes, even if you don’t plan on doing advanced standing. Harvard has a lot of experience knowing where an AB 5 or BC 4 should put you.</p>
<p>Harvard does have a placement test. D completed Calc AB in HS and got either a 4 or 5 (can’t remember now) on the AP exam. Took the placement test and was placed into Math 19 (basically third semester). We and D were shocked. Nervous, she spoke w/ the professors and they concluded that if she would be more comfortable she should drop down to Math 1b (basically 2nd semester). D took one class of it and dropped all the way down to Math 1a. She has been struggling with the calc this whole year - first 1a and now 1b. So… I am not so sure the value of the placement test. She obviously did not have the skills to be placed in Math 19 yet this was the test’s recommendation.</p>
<p>At this point, D has wished she took the Math 19 and killed herself that one semester and then never had to face calc again (the concentrations that she is considering require you to complete through math 19 or Math 21). I have pointed out that these skills are an important foundation for her studies and that she is doing the right thing for her future. :)</p>
<p>More on placement tests. D is terrible in Spanish despite all her years of studying it (I think she got a 2 on the AP exam and was really happy about it). She placed out (thankfully) while her friend from the same HS, who is very skilled in Spanish, did not. Odd.</p>
<p>Placement test may not be that accurate if you haven’t thought about calc for a summer, but would be able to pick it up quickly once class started.</p>
<p>smoda’s D’s experience (taking 1a/1b expecting them to be easier, and ending up really frustrated) is a common one. 1a/1b is the same fundamental material as AP Calc AB/BC, but taught in a much more challenging way. I recommend taking 19/20/21 if you can swing it…</p>
<p>Harvard’s Math system, for the first three semesters (1a/1b/21a) is bizarre. If you place out of a semester or two, you are best off taking it. You want to minimize exposure to these three courses (1a/1b/21a) at all costs, as they present material in the most difficult way possible and often times have terrible teachers. Nobody is comfortable with the material, even if you are actually prepared, because of the way it is taught. For instance, if you place out of 1a/1b and have to take 21a for whatever reason, you would best be off taking 21a even if you feel uncomfortable with the material in spite of your preparations. One semester of bad math class is better than three.</p>
<p>@TheMatrix I’ve heard from some people that 21a isn’t too terrible (isn’t Oliver Knill pretty good?).</p>
<p>Applied 21a is sometimes good as well, and it’s taught in lecture format, so you can shop it (although it was the worst class I took at Harvard for me… the professor was terrible).</p>
<p>IMO, having math phds or grad students teaching intro calculus is a horrible idea. Harvard should just hire some long term lecturers based purely on their teaching ability to lead these classes.</p>
<p>Yeah, intro math at Harvard is not very good. One thing that you’ll learn after a few semesters here, though (for better or for worse) is that you can take pretty much any course you want if you’re just persuasive enough with the profs. And once you’ve talked your way out of the 1a/1b or the 21a/21b sequence and taken a higher-level course, they can’t make you retake it. That said, it’s not always a good idea to skip…math gets deadly very quickly. A friend of mine who was trying to avoid 21b (after a terrible 21a experience) took Math 121 without any prior knowledge of linear algebra and was absolutely miserable.</p>