Engineering majors-testing out of Calculus

<p>Want to get some feedback from engineering majors at Marquette who have scored high enough on AP tests to test out of at least one semester of Calculus.</p>

<p>First off, those who did score high enough, tested out of first semester Calc, and are now taking second semester Calc to start, how are you doing? Are you keeping up, or do you wish you had started with Calc I?</p>

<p>On the other hand, what about those of you who did well enough on AP to test out of first semester Calc, but are taking it now? </p>

<p>Are you bored? Do you wish you had gone right into Calc II? </p>

<p>Or are you happy to have the refresher course? Are you finding that you are learning new things that you didn't cover in your high school AP course and are so happy that you're taking Calc I?</p>

<p>My son is taking Calc AP AB right now, and wants to major in Biomedical Engineering at Marquette. He's been mostly a B student in math through high school, has a borderline A/B in Calc right now, and no matter what he scores on his AP, I would like him to take Calc I at Marquette to start off. </p>

<p>What are your feelings on this? </p>

<p>Thanks for any advice</p>

<p>Hi Montegut,</p>

<p>Want to start off by saying I don’t check these forums ever, I just remember doing this thing when I was off to college and wanted to see if anybody ever posts in Marquette (which they do). I just saw your question and made an account quickly to answer.</p>

<p>Yes, Marquette Engineering recommends you don’t use your AP calc credit for calc 1. I myself AP’ed out, but I also took a calc 1 class at a comm college because I was afraid of marquette’s warning. Anyway, long story short, calc 1 is not really applicable to engineering. Most of it focuses on limits…calc 2 gets you started in derivatives and integration, which is the nuts and bolts of most engineering majors (except civils, they hardly use any calculus at all).</p>

<p>If your son can get out of calc 1, I don’t think it will be a setback one way or the other. Calc 2 I don’t recommend skipping, but seeing as your son is taking A/B that isn’t an issue.</p>

<p>I would recommend skipping calc 1 for BME. I didn’t do this, even though I had credit. Calc 1 is SOO BORING, and not very useful. Very easy A, though, and I was a B/B+ kid in math during high school. And I’ve heard calc 2 is basically review of calc 1 for the first test from a couple of friends that took it. </p>

<p>As BME, we have to take a special “calc 2/3” that is really just calc 2. But other engineers get to take a separate calc 3, that actually covers calc 3 stuff. Then we take differential equations sophomore year… that class is not fun. I’m taking it right now.</p>

<p>Do you think you’d do better in differential equations if you had taken the separate calc 2 and calc 3, rather than the BME Calc 2/3?</p>

<p>In other words, do you think you missed things taking the BME calc course rather than the general engineering calc course?</p>