Hey guys, I go to Polk State College in Florida. I’m currently getting my AA and most of my prerequisites done for transfer to a uni as a mechanical engineering major. Odds are I’ll be transferring to USF for their honors college, but I’m interested in other schools too. I’m hoping to get an AROTC 2 year scholarship for where ever I end up going (probably USF). Here is my problem, I’m almost done with calculus 2 which I’ve taken over this summer, but the professor wasnt the greatest (he told us on the first day of class he wouldn’t lecture he would just answer any questions or concerns we had). To be honest the class is an easy A (B for some students). With that said I feel like I have learned very little from this class and I am in no way prepared to do actual calculus 2 problems, so I decided I’ll dedicate free time and find a tutor if need be and go back through the material from scratch. Back to my question. My school only has one calculus 3 course for fall semester and it’s purely online with exception to test and the professor is the same guy I had for calculus 2. Should I hold out and take calculus 3 and Differential Equations at a university? Will this put me far behind other engineering students when I transfer? Besides from this I will still have Gen chem, calc based physics 1 and 2, and calc 1 and 2 completed. Will just these classes be okay along with my AA for transfer?
Oh yeah my GPA as of this semester is a 3.6ish and will probably go up to a 3.7 by AA graduation. If you have any advice for other colleges besides USF for engineering please feel free to share. Thanks.
It’s better to complete the calculus sequence at your community college. Taking calculus 3 at another university will cause problems. As sometimes they don’t cover the same topics.
@NASA2014 even if it’s online with a terrible professor? My fear is that I won’t be prepared for math at a university as my college is focused on nursing and business majors so our math and science department is really weak
Come on man. You’re talking about college, there will be bad and good professors out there. Not everyone is good at there job. Take the opportunity to take it. If I were you, suck it up and take it online. If the professor is bad then you have to put effort to it. If you’re stuck go to officer hours or get help.
Paul’s Math Notes: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcIII/CalcIII.aspx
PatrickJMT: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF83D74BA4DE75897
Professor Leonard: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDesaqWTN6ESk16YRmzuJ8f6-rnuy0Ry7
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/math/multivariable-calculus
And many more if you search for calc 3 help online.
I Googled “USF four year plans” and found this: http://ugs.usf.edu/eight-semester-plans/?display=plan&progcode=BSME-EME Hoping that’s the correct U and major? To be on track, looks like they want you to take Calc 3 and DiffEq sophomore year. Many actual engineering classes have strict math prereq requirements – for example, on that schedule, Thermo 1 requires a C or better in Physics 1 and 2 and Calc 3. Delaying prereqs can often lead to delaying major classes, which can lead to delaying your graduation.
Alright guys thanks for the help @bodangles and @NASA2014 I will be taking your advice
I will say this, Calculus 2 was difficult for my class. Our teacher was brutal, literally no person came out with an “A”. I was one of the few that even had a “B”. The professor does determine how hard a course can be. To prepare yourself for Cal 3 or reviewing Cal 2, I would definitely check out Professor Leonard’s youtube page. He has every lesson that you will come across in any Calculus class. If you watch his lectures, you will surely be more prepared. His lectures aided me tremendously when I was in that horrific course!
@RollingTide3 thanks for the the reply but I’ve recently finished calculus 3 (this thread is almost half a year old) and yeah I’ve watched Leonard videos since the beginning of calculus 2. I’d highly recommend his videos to anyone taking calculus that needs extra intuition on topics
The calculus sequence is expected to be finished by the 2nd year. Do you need an AA? or do you just need the coursework for pre-engineering? Could you take courses at a different community college ?
@bopper I completed calculus already
Guys you are reviving an old thread