<p>In the past I took the AP Calc BC exam and scored a 4, which places me out of Math 1A. I am also interested in pursuing Computer Science (L&S), of which a required lower div course is Math 1B. I think I am allowed (can someone confirm this) to take Math 53 (I am currently very familiar with Math 1A and 1B concepts, and think that I'll do fine in 53, despite the aberration that is my AP score; I have self-studied the material) with a 4 BC score, but this doesn't actually place me out of 1B, only 1A. My question is, can I still elect to be a Computer Science major after starting at Math 53 and skipping 1B?</p>
<p>i’m not going to run around the cs website for you, but if the major does not have 1B as a prereq for the major, then as long as you complete 53 (by whatever means, sneaking onto the enrollment list, talking to the prof about letting you into the class, or juts bypassing a lazy system that is supposed to boot you out of the class if you have not completed 1B) you will be fine for declaring the major.</p>
<p>if on the other hand the major itself lists 1B as a prereq/req in blatant text, then obviously you need to take it.</p>
<p>^Or you can get it waived with help from your advisor, assuming that you somehow provide a legitimate reason to pass out of it (credit-by-exam, higher course, etc.).</p>
<p>L&S Computer Science DOES have Math 1B as a pre-requisite. I am wondering if there is a method of fulfilling that pre-requisite other than taking 1B; that is, if I can somehow demonstrate competency in 1B material and thereby waive that requirement.</p>
<p>You’d have to declare the major, and then ask your advisor on getting the requirement waived. Since you can’t possibly do that yet, try asking the director of student services at the CS department. They can direct your problem if needed. It may or may not be more trouble than it’s worth, but as for now, it won’t hurt to shoot a couple e-mails.</p>
<p>i don’t think it will fly, but here’s a chance to polish your silver tongue.</p>
<p>i mean, you obviously haven’t PROVED that you should <em>not</em> have to take 1B or equivalents in the eyes of the CS dept. Whether fair or not, there were plenty of 5’s on the BC tests who get to pass out of it. colleges hate the AP program-- it steals money from them, in the form of students graduating early if they have enough AP creds to skip a substantial chunk of LD classes/prereqs. that’s why they only give the “pass” to the highest AP scorers. </p>
<p>still try to wiggle out of it though, you’ve got nothing to lose.</p>
<p>L&S CS’ math requirements are 1A, 1B, and 54 (not 53).
[Undergraduate</a> L&S CS Students | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/#petitioning]Undergraduate”>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/#petitioning)</p>
<p>You may want ask them your question.</p>
<p>You may also want to check your knowledge against the Math 1A and 1B final exams found here:
[Choosing</a> an Appropriate First Math Course — UC Berkeley College of Engineering](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/new-students/choosing-an-appropriate-first-math-course.html]Choosing”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/new-students/choosing-an-appropriate-first-math-course.html)</p>
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<p>Actually, Berkeley and other public schools probably want in-state students to make maximum use of AP credit to graduate as early as possible, since each in-state student costs money due to the substantially discounted in-state fees. Texas even pays in-state students $1,000 to graduate within four years having attempted no more than 3 more than the minimum units needed to graduate.
<a href=“Cost & Tuition Rates - Texas One Stop - University of Texas at Austin”>Cost & Tuition Rates - Texas One Stop - University of Texas at Austin;
<p>staying past 8 and definitely 9 sems certainly hurts the school, but univ’s probably wouldn’t like it if everyone graduated in 6 sems.</p>
<p>on a related note, what do you think the stats for graduating on time look like for in-states vs out-of-staters? sounds like the info may be interesting.</p>
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<p>The economic incentives for the universities differ for public and private schools. For public schools, the incentives also depend on whether the student is in-state (discounted / subsidized price) or out-of-state (full price). An out-of-state student paying full price for another semester or year may help, but an in-state student staying for another semester or year means another semester or year worth of subsidy.</p>
<p>Note that spring freshman admission is probably a way to balance out enrollment each semester, since those who graduate in fall would leave unused capacity at the school if their spaces were not refilled with spring admits. (Note that FPF for those spring admits only offers courses that are inexpensive to teach – freshman level, no labs or art studios or other expensive support needed.)</p>
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<p>[University</a> of California: StatFinder](<a href=“http://statfinder.ucop.edu%5DUniversity”>http://statfinder.ucop.edu) has the answer…</p>
<p>For Berkeley in most years reported, OOS students have tended to have a higher 4-year graduation rate than overall (predominantly in-state) students, although they have a slightly lower 6-year graduation rate. International students are even higher than OOS domestic students in 4-year graduation rate for most of the years reported.</p>
<p>Elapsed years to degree shows a similar trend. For those who entered as freshmen in 2002, the overall average is 4.2 years. But OOS domestics averaged 4.0 years, and internationals averaged 3.9 years.</p>
<p>Seeing as 53 is not a lower division requirement for Computer Science, is it appropriate to just go into 54?</p>
<p>^ Yes. You won’t need 53 concepts for 54 at all.</p>
<p>^ “at all” is a little much (i took 54 before 53 so i had to practice partial derivatives on my own for a little since i had never seen it before) but the courses are certainly not dependent on each other, so go ahead</p>
<p>So 53 and 54 are largely unrelated… would it be wise to just skip 53 entirely? Or maybe just take it in case I want to major in, say, math later on.</p>
<p>I would take it because it’s a brilliant class. Out of the classes I’ve taken so far at Berkeley, 53 was definitely my favorite (probably because I had Professor Auroux). But you don’t need to take it if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>i only took 53 b/c i saw auroux teach it last fall and decided i needed to learn how to draw 3D like he does. </p>
<p>let it be known, i learned more about sketching 3D in math 110. which is pathetic. frenkel wasn’t the best artist around…</p>
<p>whatever.</p>
<p>skip 53.</p>
<p>If I completed Math 54 with a high grade, but without a 5 on BC, would that help me get my requirement for 1B waived? How typical, or easy is it to do so? Worst case, the department would just make me take 1B or retake the BC exam, right? I just really don’t want to take 1B seeing as I know the material and it is purported to be unnecessarily difficult.</p>
<p>You could always just take Calc 2 at a community college over the summer if they don’t let you get out of it. Just take 54 for now and see what happens.</p>
<p>I am in a very similar situtation as petrovich… I also scored a 4 on AP BC and want to skip to Math 54. Do you really recommend that in my situation I “take 54 for now and see what happens”- the adjustment period on telebears just began and I am still unsure on whether I should take 1B or 54.</p>
<p>I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, math here is largely dependent on the professor, not the material. I had absolutely no problem getting an A in math 1B because I was smart about choosing the professor. On the other hand, I made the biggest mistake at Berkeley by taking Math 53 with a GSI over the summer instead of waiting for Auroux in the fall. The point is, just do your research. 1B doesn’t have to be that hard if you don’t want it to be.</p>
<p>Yes, take 54 for now and see what happens. If you end up needing 1B later, you can just take it later.</p>