<p>I'm scared that if I self study AP Calc BC right now as a sophomore, I'll take Calc III in junior year and differential equations senior year. My school requires a math/science each semester, so I don't have to option to put either one off. I'm worried that by the time I get to college, I'll forget a lot of the calculus material I learn this year and essentially struggle with my mathematics classes.</p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>I self-studied Calculus BC, so if you have any specific questions about that I might know something. </p>
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<p>If it’s possible for you to “forget a lot of” math, you’re probably doing something wrong. Learning math doesn’t require a lot of memorization. Once you go over a concept a couple times and really understand it, it should stay with you forever. You might have to review calculus again before college, but I don’t think you’ll completely forget it. </p>
<p>What’s your math background (are you coming from pre-calculus or Calculus AB)? Are you planning to major in math? What math classes would you be taking in college? Would you be retaking Calculus III and Differential Equations, or taking something more advanced?</p>
<p>I’m not talking about the conceptual stuff. I’m talking about the formulas and how to do the problems, in general.</p>
<p>I’ve self-studied pre-calc and have taken up to advanced algebra (includes alg. I, II, geometry, and trig)</p>
<p>I plan to major in biomedical engineering, mol bio, or biochemistry. I dunno, actually. I was wondering whether I’d have to retake Cal III and/or diff eq if I got into an Ivy. If I don’t, I hope to take something more advanced.
I want to go to medical school, if that helps.</p>
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<p>So am I. In theory you should be able to derive the formulas when necessary.
For the most part, derivative rules aren’t nearly as hard to memorize or derive as trig identities, though.</p>
<p>If you get a 5 on the BC exam, you place out of Calc II at many colleges (Princeton, at least). If you’re majoring in engineering, you will definitely need to take a lot of math. At my school, you’ll need Calculus I, II, and III, along with linear algebra and differential equations. Now, if you got that 5, you would start with multivariate (though you might be able to talk to the math department to see about placement - we have two multivariable calculus classes, one that’s more applications-based and one that’s proof-based). </p>
<p>I know I’m not that good at math and I have mostly forgotten stuff from Calc II and multi. I still remember some of the techniques of integration, but that’s about it - nothing about series. Some people just naturally are not good at math - I know I wasn’t able to derive many of the formulas, especially for Green’s Theorem and Stokes’ Theorem and all that fun stuff. Essentially, you either have to memorize the formula or write out a proof for it - not fun stuff.</p>
<p>Hey TeamRocketGrunt, I’m in the same situation as you but I’m a rising junior. I self-studied AP Calc BC 3 months before taking the exam and got a 5. This year I’m in MV Calc at a local college.</p>
<p>However, as of right now, I forgot basically all of the formulas. I seriously was thinking about it today, and I realized that I didn’t remember the derivative of sin(x). Or the integral. Some stuff stuck, like the concepts. Most of it didn’t.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that the first week of MV calc will refresh my memory. And I think that you will forget a lot of the formulas in time for college. Just refresh yourself a week before, no big deal. The concepts should stick. </p>
<p>If that doesn’t work out for you, just retake Calc I+II in college. It’ll be easy, and you’ll solidify your foundation (only if you really need to).</p>
<p>^Solid advice.</p>
<p>Hm…I guess I’ll just self-study the material of BC with a tutor and strengthen my fundamentals. I’ll take Multivar junior year and Calc IV or diff. eq senior year. I don’t think I’ll have trouble conceptually or in terms of problem solving, seeing as how I’ll essentially start Cal now and keep doing it until I graduate, but I’ll probably forget the formulas, as you said. I might just do that (take Calc I and II in college again). After all, med schools look for two years of math, I think.</p>
<p>I can just use the BC score to indicate that I took a “rigorous” courseload on college applications.</p>
<p>Hang on. I just saw a post that said that Cal III is a review of I and II, but with a third dimension added. So, in essence, you just need to get your head around the addition of another dimension, and it’ll be relatively easy.</p>
<p>Is that true?</p>
<p>In a small sense, yes, but essentially, no. Perhaps for those aspiring math majors or people who are just naturally good at math, yes. But for the rest of us peons, no. A lot of Calc III is the third-dimensional form of differential and integral calculus. The simple derivatives and integrals in the third dimensional are not that difficult, but more difficult than doing them in two dimensions. They are also painstaking, as you have to do the same thing several times. </p>
<p>In the second half of the course, you’ll hit flux/curl/divergence, etc. and get into Green’s Theorem, Stoke’s Theorem, and Divergence Theorem. Those are very hard concepts to wrap your head around - at least they were for me and most of the rest of my class. </p>
<p>So, in a sense, Calc III is everything from Calc I and II in three dimensions, but it is also very difficult.</p>
<p>I see. </p>
<p>I’ll try some Calc III after I take my AP exam this May just to see how it’s like. </p>
<p>I really want to take higher mathematics classes in college, though. I’ll be going to med school, of course, and they only require one year, but I just want to learn harder stuff idk</p>
<p>I’m sure it’s not above you. I know several people who took multivariate in high school and all seemed to do well. I’m guessing the exams are slightly easier in high school as well, but at least you will be exposed to some of the material before college.</p>
<p>Yeah, I tried doing some Calc III after the AP exams in May, but I chose to sleep and eat and play computer games instead.</p>
<p>I think it was because the first few chapters of Calc III are very boring. They deal with vector math, dot products, cross products, etc.</p>
<p>Well, I’ve started with the studying. Halcyonheather, if you don’t mind, what was your score, and how often did you study? When did you start?</p>
<p>I plan to finish up BC by February-March, review/take pracs through April, and then just take the test May. I’ll do some review of BC over the summer and start some multivar to prep for my junior year.</p>
<p>Why do you want to self study BC?</p>
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<p>I got a 4, which isn’t especially good because the test has like an 87% pass rate. My AB subscore was also 4.</p>
<p>I started learning calculus a year before I took the test, but I didn’t start actually studying for the AP test until a month or so before it. I ended up with only a basic understanding of the random stuff at the end of the syllabus. </p>
<p>(Also, I haven’t taken a math class since Algebra II, so I’ve been all “blind leading the blind” with math for a couple years. I don’t know pre-calculus as well as I should, and on some level that’s affected me in calculus.)</p>
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<p>FWIW, I self-studied it because my school didn’t offer it and I wanted to take more advanced math classes through dual enrollment in my senior year. (My school doesn’t even have AB…just a regular calculus class where they barely get into integration.)</p>
<p>^Ah, I see. Most universities, at least Johns Hopkins, seem to accept either a 4 or a 5 on the BC exam, so I think you’re good. I’m actually in the same boat as you. I did a bit of calc a few years back, but it was only limits and basic derivation/integration. I’ve gotten a tutor who’s started teaching me. We’ve done parametrics so far.</p>
<p>If you were talking to me, stressedout, I’m self studying it because I don’t feel like going through the ridiculous pre-requisites my school imposes. Well, that, and the fact that the cal offered is AB, not BC. Also, the teachers at my school are idiots.</p>