<p>I am entering college for the first time in the fall of 09, and so I was registering for classes, and I came across this problem. I am currently taking AP Calculus BC at my high school, and next year I have to decide between Calc I, II, and III for Engineers, which is different regular Calculus. What is the difference between these courses and regular calculus, and if I do well in Calculus BC, would I struggle with Calc II or III for Engineers?</p>
<p>The way it works at my school is that any math class labeled “for engineers” is a half credit course as opposed to a full credit course.</p>
<p>Stick with the regular Calculus if you can. When I took a specialized calculus by major course like that it was awful. Book really sucked especially. Had to take the traditional course to learn it.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on your school. I know the Mathematics for X Major" at my undergrad school were all really hard classes, but totally worth the work since you learned everything about what you’d need for your courses. The general math classes were alright, and we did a mix of proofs and problems. I wish my major had offered its own mathematics class, but since we were so tiny we just took the regular ones.</p>
<p>The thing is, I don’t have a choice; I have to take Calculus for Engineers. I am just having trouble deciding which Calculus level to go into after BC because I do not want to get overwhelmed by the application part, which was not covered in my course.</p>
<p>A common mistake of freshmen is to take advanced courses too soon. Take Calculus I for engimeers and protect/pad your GPA.</p>
<p>Even if you are bored it will be good practice for the incredibly ball busting Graduate Record Exam. And you thought you had cleared SAT type trials and tribulations (remark puncuated by maniacal laughter).</p>
<p>Yeah take the calculus I. You’ll feel more prepared for the next two courses. At Texas A&M it is strongly encouraged that you start at Calculus for Engineers I eventhough you may have AP credit for AB and BC.</p>
<p>Whatttt… don’t waste your time on Calc I! I took BC calculus in HS, did well on the AP exam, placing me in Calc III. I took it easy for a semester and took a specialized Calc II (with computer applications) instead. The math was nothing new, and although the applications were interesting, it wasn’t difficult at all. They also taught the “applications” in Calc III, so anyone who skipped Calc II wasn’t behind.</p>
<p>At least at my school, engineers are expected to start at Calc II. Anyone who started at Calc I had to take a special crash course to make it through all 3 semesters in 1 year. You’ll need Calc III and Diff EQ for your advanced engineering courses, and if you put these off for too long you’ll have to put off courses in your major, or you’ll struggle through them.</p>
<p>I’d <em>strongly</em> recommend starting at Calc II if you want an easier first semester, not Calc I.</p>
<p>If you were really strong in AP, go for Calc II. If not, go for Calc I. You do have the summer to fill in any holes too.</p>
<p>Hes talking about Calculus for Engineers. They teach you engineering principles and techniques used in engineering. Talk to an advisor because they might have a recomendation.</p>
<p>Often the department websites have a sample course listing by semester also… this can give you a good idea as to what calculus course is typical first semester. Don’t worry too much, calc BC is a great prep for freshman year of enginnering, and you’ll have opportunities to meet with current students, advisors, and professors during the registration period. If they allow you to place into Calc II or III based on your AP score, then you should be fine… they won’t let you skip anything that they really want you to take :)</p>