Questions Regarding Math/Calculus Placement and Accreditation Examination Credit

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
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Hi everyone! I have a question regarding the math and calculus placement examinations. So I took Calculus AB this year, and did well, but I kind of blanked on the AP exam, and I’m not sure whether I’ll get a 5. Regardless, I would ideally really like to place out of Calculus BC (the Math 151 and 152 levels specifically), through both the math and calculus accreditation exams by reviewing the AB material and self-studying the BC curriculum over the summer. I have a few questions about it though before I commit to any studying.

If my high school record does not include any mention of having taken Calculus BC, will Chicago automatically not consider conferring credit for me if I self-study the BC curriculum over the summer? I know that on their website, the explicitly say that results of the placement tests are used in conjunction with your high school record. In other words, will they they still give me credit for placing out of BC calculus (by achieving the equivalent score on their placement/accreditation exams) if I do that through self-study over the summer, or would they only give me credit if I had taken Calculus BC? Is it possible that I would have achieve more on these examinations to get the same result as someone who took BC?

Does placing into Math 153 mean that you will automatically receive credit for both Math 151 and 152? I do not wish to actually take Math 153 (I really dislike math and I would like to avoid it if at all possible, and this summer study seems like the easiest way of doing that as well as the least stressful), but want to place out of the Core Math requirement by way of receiving credit for both Math 151 and 152. If I placed into Math 153, would I be required to take it in order to receive credit for Math 151 and 152?

I already know someone is going to comment that I should just take Calculus and get it over with because it’s important and all. My answer is that you’re probably right, but I really dislike it, so I don’t want to take it.

Sorry in advance that these are really specific questions, but this is really important to me and will likely impact how I spend some of my time this summer. Thanks!

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Can’t say anything about how they’d place you based on your situation. Regarding credit for 151 and 152, however, I can confirm that you receive the credit for math courses you skip only after completing at least one quarter of math beyond that level. So, you would need to take the course you place into in order to receive credit for the earlier courses in the sequence. The credit you receive for the earlier courses does not come with a letter grade and thus does not factor into GPA even though it factors into graduation credit.

To be clear, you only need two quarters of calculus to fulfill the math requirement, so if you place into 152 and take 152, you will receive the credit for 151 as well and be done with math at UChicago. If you choose not to take calculus, however, you can complete the core math requirement with one quarter of any other math/cs/stat course, though that is much less common and I can’t say I know anyone who’s chosen to do that. Some possible courses are listed on the college catalog: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/thecurriculum/#MATH To be clear, though, taking only one quarter of math would force you to take another quarter of physical or biological science for a grand total of 6 math/physci/biosci core courses.

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@ramboacid Thank you so much. Would you be able to give me any general insight into whether taking only one math course (I would much prefer to take statistics than course) is easier/harder than taking an extra science course? Which are harder to achieve well in the introductory level/general education: science classes or calculus classes? How difficult are astronomy classes in particular, as those seem the most interesting to me?

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@ramboacid Also, just to clarify, regardless of what level of Calculus I place into (if I get put into 152 or 153), I will need to take that level in order to get credit for the previous levels. Is that correct?