Should I take Calc as a freshman even if I get AP credit for it?

Hey guys! I’m an admitted student this year and have a question about classes. So, I am taking Calc BC this year and in the best case scenario, will get a 5 on the exam. If I do get a 5, should I still take Calc BC my freshman year because it will help my GPA and it would help me to refresh my knowledge on the topic. Or should I just go straight to Calc 3?

Go to calc 3. You probably would get a “gpa boost” from retaking the class, but it’s not worth it. A friend of mine wanted to retake calc 1 for a gpa boost (got a 4 o the exam) then ended up with a B- and actually hurt their GPA. Also, the more credits you have from AP classes, the better.

So I’m the parent of a current Lehigh engineering student and I would have to say “No, do not skip Calc II and go straight to Calc III”. My son, like you, took AP BC calculus his junior year in high school and received credit for Calc I. He then took differential equations his senior year and hopped right into Calc II. One critical note about Lehigh and Calculus…they DO NOT allow calculators AT ALL for all three Calculus classes. Most AP AB/BC teachers teach using a calculator and this is quite a shock to many of the Lehigh Calc I, II and III students. These classes are also major “weed out” classes for engineering. I would advise you, as would my son, to take Calc II at a maximum (if 5 on exam) but really look at taking Calc I your first semester. My son was given this advice after he got to Lehigh and had already signed up for Calc II. He wishes he had taken Calc I.

Instead of guessing, see if you can get some old final exams of Lehigh MATH 021 and 022 to see how well you know the material by the expectations of Lehigh’s math department. Based on how well you know the material, you can then make a more informed decision about whether you should take advanced placement to MATH 023.

Lehigh also offers honors versions of calculus 1, 2, 3 (MATH 031, 032, 033). If you do not want to take advanced placement, but want a more in-depth treatment of the content, consider the honors versions.

Don’t retake a class you don’t need to. Having the extra AP credit can be useful for registering for classes potentially ahead of most students in your class. I can register about a semester ahead of my friends for the classes they need to take, for example, I resisted for accounting 151 when students who were older than me were registering, meaning I could select whatever professor and whatever time I wanted when my friends were stuck with the hardest professors and worst times. Also, if you fail calc and have to retake it, it’s better to be ahead as much as possible so you don;t have to take a summer course just to stay on track.

It really depends on what you are planning for your major. If Calculus isn’t an important requirement in your major than use the AP. If you want to be an engineer then you should start from the beginning with Calculus 1. Those Lehigh engineers do not play around. People’s lives depend on the quality of engineer’s work. This is not just learning to pass a test. This is learning so it becomes a second nature TOOL use will use in your career the rest of your life. My son and his engineering friends were very proud of their mathematical skills and no one had any interest in taking any short cuts.