<p>Hello guys,
I'll be beginning my college as a freshman from this fall, and I'll be taking the pre-med track and probably be majoring in Biology (perhaps Economics double major). But, I am confused about which maths class to take. I have heard many people saying Calculus II is the hardest class in calculus, even more so than Calculus III (Multivariable Calculus), while some other people say that Calc. III is relatively harder than Calc. II. I know it depends on type of the student, but still, in general, what do you guys think? Which one of these two calculus courses is relatively easier and recommended for pre-med students? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’'m not a pre-med student but I’m really into math. Calculus II is pretty easy. At its core, its really just few more (I would say 5-10) techniques. The real work will be understanding them and practicing them so they stick.
Calc 3 is more about vectors, 3-d space, surfaces, with a few new types of integrals and even derivatives. From what I understand, calc 3 finds its application more so in physics. I have a multivar textbook and for every lesson it has a page showing how it applies to physics.
I’ve never seen a physics page in EVERY lesson in the cal 2 books ive seen.
Also, keep in mind that the lessons in Calc 3 are longer. So, a lesson in calc 2 are usually 3 pages in total. In cal 3, each lesson is usually 5 pages (sometimes 6).</p>
<p>Calc 2 is easier in general because its really just a supplement or addition to calc 1. Very few to no radically new concepts. Calc 3 is all new (unless you’ve taken physics) and expands on a few concepts in pre-calculus. Also, cal 3 has a lot of formulas to remember =(.</p>
<p>My personal suggestion would be to take take calc 2 and avoid calc 3 if you can and simply start taking your pre-med courses.</p>
<p>Have you taken BC calculus? If you have, and you scored a 4 or 5, then you can probably skip Math 1b. As a pre-med, you really don’t need any more math than that, though if you are interested in economics, math 21ab (the applied math versions) are probably good classes to take.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you only had Calculus AB, then you should take Math 1b.</p>
<p>A good rule of thumb is, if you are really unsure, then just trust the placement test to put you in the right class. The placement tests are pretty good (though not perfect) indicators of your level of knowledge.</p>