<p>So my parents fear that I'll be behind the curve in the Core classes for Calculus and Physics and want me to take an extra DiffEQ class and physics course at a nearby university second semester. I've been reading the Helpful Columbia threads concerning the workload for SEAS students and I haven't been able to find how difficult some specific courses can be. </p>
<p>Anyways, I'm just wondering if the diffeq and physics class would help me any. I took AP Calc BC as a junior and scored a 5 on the exam. I scored a 4 on the AP Physics B exam. </p>
<p>Is there a mathematics course that SEAS freshmen usually take? What would prepare me for let's say, Calculus III? What about for physics? Any suggestions?</p>
<p>with a 5 on bc you should be good to take calculus iii. however, if you are really apprehensive and want to prepare for the content at a local university next semester, you can take a course comparable to calculus iii - that is, first semester multivariable calculus, which is also known as 'multivariable differential calculus'.</p>
<p>from my experience and observations of my classmates, it seems that the first year calculus sections are not much harder than those you'd find in summer or commuter university calculus classes.</p>
<p>i dunno physics ain't that bad. if you feel like you're not as strong as other students in physics, take the easiest sequence - the phys 1400s. a lot elect to begin with this.</p>
<p>ODE/DiffyQ/whatever you want to call it, would not help you for calc 3 or 4. a bunch of engineering majors dont even need it tho so i wouldnt waste my money until i knew what i was going to be...</p>
<p>as for physics, it all depends on the professor as to the quality of the class. having more preparation beforehand is obviously a good thing but it's certainly not a prerequisite to getting a good grade. </p>
<p>bottom line: if you got into columbia, you will be able to perform here.</p>
<p>the physics course might be well-advised if your current physics curriculum only prepared you for the Physics B exam - and you only got a 4. You should feel comfortable enough to take the 1600 level physics course, and have the option to drop down to 1400 if you're not up to it. don't set yourself up in a situation where you're over your head.</p>
<p>I would tell your parents that several real columbia students - and they can call me - say that you're already well-prepared, but if you were going to do part of what they suggest, the physics course might be the only thing you would really benefit from.</p>
<p>some SEAS courses, like freshman Chem, or Ordinary Differential Equations, have a pace that has been compared to trying to drink from a fire hydrant. a calc course at a local college isn't going to affect your preparedness at all, it will just make you more tired of school and less motivated to head into CU and kick butt.</p>
<p>do well enough in your HS classes to avoid the "stop being a f--kup" letter, and spend the rest of your time doing things you actually WANT to do. Maybe that's video games. Maybe that's weed. Maybe that's biology research at a local hospital which is what you put in your application. I don't know. But these next 9 months are the last time you're going to have no real pressure to keep you stressed in your life, for the next 4 years. So enjoy them. Take a few days off school with your parents' permission and go on a roadtrip. Get your friends together this summer with some lumber and tools and build the greatest treehouse anyone has ever seen. Learn a programming language, hire yourself out and make 3x the money your friends make working retail, while sitting on your butt at a computer. </p>
<p>Do whatever seems like a good use of your time, but for christ's sake don't keep doing what other people expect of you, do what you WANT to do. In August, your parents will no longer be able to tell you what to do, and they're going to have to come to that realization sooner rather than later. Starting in August, you will have nobody who is enforcing that you do something. there will be benefits to certain things, penalties for not staying on a certain schedule, but the details - the when, where, and how - will be entirely up to you. that's a freedom you're not used to, and most freshmen abuse it and their grades reflect it. If you can, get used to a little more freedom so you're not unprepared by it when the actual crunch time hits.</p>