<p>I keep reading these horror stories about the difficulty of Calc 115 and 116 and that the finals are ridiculous. I have already taken Calc. I and II as "dual credit" courses at my high school and was granted college credit because we used college textbooks and curriculum. (We didn't have AP Math courses.) However, Michigan won't accept the credit because I was not competing against college students. So, I'm wondering if I'm better off taking Calc 115 or should I ask my B-School advisor if I can take some other "equivalent" course. (I don't know what the equivalent courses are.) Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I have a similar question. I took AP Calc BC and got a 4, which passes me out of both Calc I and Calc II; however, is that acceptable at the B-school. I am applying to the B-school at the end of freshmen year and will they want to see a grade for a University Calc class or will a 4 on the AP test suffice?</p>
<p>You could probably talk directly to the math department about this...email them or something (/I personally like clicking my email every 5 minutes to see if they've answered my bombardment of questions...it's fun).</p>
<p>Anhydrosis, if you are comfortable with the material taught in Calc I and Calc II, and are confident that you can cope with the material in Calc III (math 215), just contact the Math department, explain your situation and thell them you would like to place out of 115/116 and go straight into 215. They will most likely let you do so by passing a small placement exam.</p>
<p>Knows, a 4 on the AP BC should be more than sufficient. Are you up for math 215 (Calc III)? If so, go for it. Calc III at Michigan is generally very well taught and easier than Calc I and II.</p>
<p>I don't think the b-school will look down on your using AP credit rather than michigan courses, but if you think you could use some additional calculus knowledge, then take them. If you feel like your background is sufficient, go for calc III.</p>
<p>I'd also recommend taking the math placement prior to orientation. When in doubt...take the test is the rule apparently. It doesn't lock you in to a particular class, but it'll give you an idea of where you should be mathwise...</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, although math is my strongest area, my gut tells me my Calc I and II courses were not nearly as rigorous as comparable Michigan courses. I guess that it was the placement exam is for - to tell me if I can handle Calc III. Is this placement exam different than the one given at orientation (I assume so)? If so, do you know when the Calc III placement exam would be offered?</p>
<p>on placement.....you MUST take the online math practice exam PRIOR to coming to orientation...the chem and language placement tests are done at orientation...but math you need to do before hand at home....</p>
<p>There is one general placement exam, and depending on how you do on that they will make a recommendation as to which class you should take.</p>
<p>Thanks. My mistake - the test must be taken before orientation and, I thought, after May 26th (at least that's what my handwritten note says on my orientation brochure). The Summer Orientation brochure says, "Your score on the online test is combined with data from your college admissions test scores (the math subsection of either the ACT or SAT) and your high school grade point average to DETERMINE what mathematics course you should take. You will be able to discuss your placement with your advisor when you meet with him or her on campus during your Summer Orientation program." </p>
<p>I wonder how much flexibility the student has. It almost sounds like the numbers spit out the answer for you. Is this the case? (It's kind of strange that the on-line exam only tests pre-calculus material and is used to determine readiness for upper level calc courses.)</p>
<p>I can't wait to take the test. ;)</p>
<p>After doing some further research, it seems the pre-orientation test is NOT used for upper level calc placement. (See quote below.)</p>
<p>"Because this information does not include material from calculus, the test is not used to place students into Calculus II (Math 116) or higher-level courses. Those placements may, however, be obtained by scoring well on the AP calculus test."</p>
<p>Anhydrosis, the pre-orientation test is not intended to place students out of calculus, it is indended to determine whether or not a student is ready for college level math (115). You have to go to the math department and speak to the profs about placing out of Calc I and II. You will not get credit for it I am affraid, but if the math department feels that you can handle Math 215 (Calc III), I am pretty sure they will let skip math 115 and 116.</p>
<p>Thanks, again, Alexandre!</p>
<p>Well, I am not that fond of math, in fact I don't really like it at all. Since I got a 4 on the AP calc BC test, do I have to take Calc III?</p>
<p>knows,</p>
<p>the prerequisites, as you probably already know, are Econ 101, Math 115 (Calc 1), and English 124/125 (or Greatbooks/Classical civ honors). They're going to pay attention to the grades in these courses because everyone will be taking these courses as prerequisites. They're pretty much supposed to demonstrate how well you did compared to other applicants who took these same classes. So if you AP out of Econ 101 and Calc 1 and take just easy courses to try to bring up your GPA, they won't know how competitive of a student you are. If you can, I say you should move on to the next level of these prerequisite courses if you APed out of them just to show that you are capable of handling the college level math and economics. If you move on to Calc 3, you'll show the admissions people that you are quantitative and analytical at the college level. That's just what I think.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice redhare317. My only worry is what if I do not do well in Calc III (by not well I mean not an A/ get a B) in the class will that severely hurt my B-school application? My other question is do I still have to take the math placement test for orientation even though I am passing out of Calc I and II with AP credit?</p>
<p>You really need to feel comfortable with the material from Calc BC. If you do, then Math 215 shouldn't be too tough, assuming you give it the right amount of attention. But Ross will not look down on a B in Math 215. Most Ross students don't go beyond Math 116, so making it to 215 is an accomplishment. Obviously, you want to aim for an A or A-, but if you get a bunch of As and A-s in other classes, a B in Math 215 will not hurt your chances.</p>
<p>hmm...i don't think material from BC calc is used that much in calc 3. In fact, it mostly building up on material from Calc 1. Calc 3 is basically partial derivatives, multiple integration, and being able to think well in 3D. Not much of BC stuff at all.</p>
<p>Cherrybarry, I agree. But if one isn't comfortable with Calc I and Calc II, Calc III could be difficult.</p>
<p>I APed out of Math 115 (I took the AB, not BC) but decided to move on and take Math 116 to show that I wasn't taking the easy way out for the math prerequisite. I got a B+, and I hope it's not bad by B school standards. (I'll find out by July 31 whether I got in.) I didn't like the class so much, but after, I didn't regret it either. I guess my situation is different because there is a big difference between completing just Calc I (me) and both Calc I and II (you), so there might not even be a need for Calc III for you. Maybe they will get the idea that you've done enough math. Some people don't like the idea that college math requires more than just hw and going to class. There are also little projects (math problems) that you have to complete as a team. Calc III also has some lab part where you have to learn how to use this computer program. So college level math is more work than HS, and some say it is a big jump. If you don't want to take it, that's fine. As I said, you probably won't even have to if you have Calc I and II already done.</p>
<p>But I heard from most people that Math 215 is easier and a better educational experience than the former ones because the classes are taught be professors, most of them good ones. I also heard that all you need is Calc I and that Calc II doesn't really come into play since it's only building on the differentiation and integration principles.</p>