<p>Just got my 1st mid-term results back today and got a low D, I haven't been doing much better in the class otherwise. It's only going to get harder and im worried i might fail or get a D. Ive maintained a 3.95 GPA through the Fall Quarter and i was postive before this class that i would be able to transfer to several of the business programs between UCR, UCSB, Santa Clara, UCD, UCI, UCLA, Cal Poly, and perhaps Berkeley. UCSB, UCLA, Santa Clara, and UCI require 2 quarters of Calculus. So i was planning on taking Calculus 1B in the spring quarter but if i withdraw from 1A and retake that in the spring quarter how will that affect my chances of getting admitted?</p>
<p>The last date to withdraw is February 25th and i plan on dropping at that date if I cant raise my grade enough by then.</p>
<p>The first exam for calc1 is always the hardest. the 2nd is the easiest, the 3rd is easier, the final shouldn’t have anything from the first exam.</p>
<p>That’s assuming the 1st exam is about limits (definition), 2nd is about derivatives, the 3rd is about max/mins.</p>
<p>Calculus doesn’t get any easier. I’m not sure how some people are saying limits are more difficult than integrals. If you are struggling with the first exam you are probably going to struggle with the class. That being said you can always adjust your approach and come up with a better study strategy.</p>
<p>If your major requires two semesters of Calculus, unless you change your major to something that does not require Calculus, I do not see how dropping it now and taking it in the Spring is going to improve your situation and will probably make it worse since you will only have one of the two semesters you need by the end of Spring term. You have to just man up and do whatever it takes to learn the material well enough to at least get a C in the course. Getting a poor grade on the first test is discouraging but you can not let it defeat you since the Calculus requirement is not going away. </p>
<p>I have been in your situation and know the panic and frustration you are feeling. Many years ago I had an advanced optics Physics lab with the toughest Physics professor at the University of Maryland College Park. There were 18 students the first day, the experiment was very difficult and he graded lab reports very harshly and basically publicly humiliated people doing poorly on the experiments. Nobody did well but I had the lowest grade in the class, a solid F. The next experiment was pretty much the same story. The students were terrified of the professor and started dropping out of the course. However, in order to graduate I needed to pass that course that semester and dropping the course or failing it was just not an option. I worked harder than I had ever worked before and as the weeks went by my performance improved. As tough as this professor was though he said our final grades would depend on how we were doing at the end of the semester rather than at the begining which gave me hope that if I could just keep improving I might pass the course. For the last experiment of the semester of the 18 students who had begun the course only five of us were still left, everyone else had dropped the course, and for the most part we were not among the stronger students when the course started, we were just the most determined. All five of us passed and I received a B for the course. </p>
<p>You are going to have to do the same thing with your Calculus course. It may be a horrible experience for you now but someday you may look back upon it as one of your proudest achievements.</p>
<p>What was your Math SAT score? Have you taken any other Math classes at your cc and if so how did you do in them. If not, what was the highest level Math course you took in high school? This information, particularly your Math SAT score, would be a good indicator of whether passing a college level Calculus course is a realistic expectaion for you.</p>
<p>edit: the tests/quizzes have been overwhelming. the concepts are not too difficult to understand but the teacher’s questions go beyond basic or even intermediate understand of the information. my test score was around the median for the class.</p>
<p>I do not think you are in as much jeopardy as you think. You said you received a low D on the Calculus test which I would think would be about a 62 but then you said your grade on the test was around the class median. If the median grade was about 65, when the grades are curved a 62 would be around a C+ or B- since the professor is not going to give more than half the class a D or F.</p>
<p>An SAT score in Math of 600 would be somewhat marginal and getting at least a C would be difficult if you were taking the three semester Calculus sequence for Math, Physical Sciences and Engineering majors with the Stewart Calculus text that most UCs, CSUs and CCCs seem to use for those students. However as a Business Major requiring only two quarters of Calculus you are probably in a course that is somewhat less demanding and using a less rigorous text that is intended for Business majors. Someone who scored a 600 on the SAT should, with a fair amount of effort, be able to get at least a C in such a course but you are not likely to be able to get anything higher than a B. Once you have finished the two required two quarters of Calculus you will never see Calculus again as a Business major. I realize a C or even a B is going to bring down your GPA but Calculus has always been a GPA killer and you have to take it to transfer to a four year school and get a degree in business. It is not going to be any easier next quarter so I really think you should try to finish the course and particularly if you are getting grades on tests around the class median there is no reason to drop the course.</p>