<p>At Calso I caved in to the counselers and signed up for Math 16a rather than Math 1a (I am a prospective MCB major), yet perusing the mcb site i saw that math 1 is required for the major and that once completed then 16 won't yield any credit. I am ok at Calc (5 BC and A's both semesters this year).</p>
<p>So my question is would it be worth dropping 16 for 1 before phase I ends or should I just stick out with 16 to get used to calculus for my first year at Cal and then be better prepared for 1 next year? </p>
<p>My other classes are Chem 1a,aL, Mcb 32a, and Classics 10a for this semester.</p>
<p>seriously why would you even consider taking the 16 series? I can’t even see why any counselor would tell you not to even take 1A after a 5 on BC</p>
<p>With a 5 on BC, if you want to take a math course, check your knowledge of calculus with the Math 1A and 1B final exam questions here, then choose appropriately:</p>
<p>Taking Math 16A is almost certainly a waste of time and tuition in your situation (especially since you intend a major which requires Math 1A and 1B).</p>
<p>The counselors make me so angry, it’s ridiculous. I highly recommend Math 53-54 if you need to satisfy med school requirements for math. Otherwise, you don’t need to take math at all.</p>
<p>The whole speech they gave us was “GPA above all else” and so I was feared into taking 16 versus 1, it was only recently that I learned 1 was an actual major requirement and that i got a 5 on BC. I think 1a/1b is enough for medical schools and I don’t need to go beyond and take 53 or 54 (yet, multivar does seem very interesting). And so I’ll try and transfer from 16 into that. Thanks for your replies!!</p>
<p>I found here it says that “. If you have taken the Math 16A/16B series, you can supplement that coursework by working directly with the Department of Mathematics to take MCB 49, Supplementary Work in Lower-Division
Mathematics.” </p>
<p>I haven’t found any information on “MCB 49” so while that seems like a viable option, I am still thinking 1a/1b would be easier and then be done with math.</p>
<p>Yes, medical schools don’t care that you took harder or more advanced courses when comparing your GPA. So a lot of pre-meds repeat courses that they aced the AP test for so that they can get an “easy A” (though the grading curve may be harder than they think because so many others do that).</p>
<p>Some (not all) people actually find Math 53 easier to handle than Math 1B, so if you think it is interesting and know the Math 1B material well (see those old final exams), you may want to just go for it. Besides, you may decide you like math enough to switch to a math major (which you can still take the pre-med courses around).</p>
<p>Multivariable calculus was definitely the most enjoyable out of all the calculus courses. It really is a fun class and i think you would be bored out of your mind if you decided to take 1A and it would be even worse if you took the 16 series</p>
<p>Another option for the OP is to not take math at all first semester and defer the decision on taking a math course until later.</p>
<p>If you end up not doing pre-med, then you may not have to take any more math at all for many majors (e.g. MCB without pre-med accepts a 5 on BC for the entire math requirement). Or if you change to a different major, you can take math as needed for that major without worrying about what medical schools want to see if you end up not doing pre-med. With a 5 on BC, you will not be “behind” even if you wait until sophomore year to take Math 53, 54, and/or 55, if any of these are needed for your major.</p>
<p>If you do continue with pre-med, you’ll have more time to research medical schools’ requirements on math courses to see which are required and accepted (some require nothing, some require statistics, some require calculus, some accept AP credit, some do not accept AP credit, etc.).</p>
<p>The advantage is that you are less likely to “waste” a slot in your schedule taking a course that you may not need, or repeating material you already know (which is a waste of time and tuition).</p>
Hi: I just graduated from MCB (Immunology) am applying to med school currently and can give you a few tips. Assuming that you’re planning to do the same, then most med schools will require one year of math to be taken at college (i.e. AP/ CC credit will be looked down upon). For me I took AP Calc AB got a 5 and enrolled into Math 1B first semester. I later took a statistics course (Stats 2) to fulfill the second half of the math req. If I were you I would do the same since you will do well in Math1B which will set you up nicely for first semester. Math 16 series are for the IB major which will not get you into MCB. IMO MCB>IB :D</p>