Math 1A/B vs. 53/54

<p>Hi everyone.</p>

<p>I'm going to Calso on the 30th-1st and i'm having a debate with my friend as to which math to take. We are both considering premed, and with med schools' req of 1 year math, which set of freshmen math courses do you guys suggest? I heard about horrible curves in 1a/b but 53/54 will include more difficult material.</p>

<p>any advice? stories? </p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>I just got back from calso and the advisors and counselors all recommended that pre-meds take the 16 series because med schools require one year of math and they don't care about the difficulty.</p>

<p>I didn't take 1A at Berkeley, but I have taken 1B, 53, and 54. I think 53 & 54 would be easier than 1A and 1B. Though, if you're pre-med, it might be better to go with the 16 series.</p>

<p>is it possible to take the 1A part and then skip to the 53 part and still count that as one year of math?</p>

<p>Some med schools do not count math 54 as calculus so it doesn't fulfill the req.</p>

<p>I think MCB requires Math 1AB so if you are considering it as a major, Math1AB is better.</p>

<p>To the OP: I would say it really depends on whether you have tried AP Calc....if you have no prior CAl experience it is prbly NOT a good idea to jump into 1B or 53/54...In fact I have taken AP Calc BC passed with a 5 and also a CC's version of 53 and received a B with a notoriously difficult teacher and I STILL plan on going with 1A because I believe it will be a good foundation course while not as "fluffy" as 16 series...good luck:]</p>

<p>waiting4college: which 53 teacher was that?</p>

<p>misterreach: i took a 53 equivalent at a comm. college...while it was prbly not quite as rigorous as Cal's prbly will be we did use the stewart calc text they use for the course at Cal</p>