I’m currently signed up to take calc I, as im a freshman going into a comp sci major. I got a 3 on the AP AB Calc test (my school requires a 3 or higher), and now I’m wondering if I should actually take the credit or not.
I had an UW avg of an 84 in the ap calc class, which is why I’m conflicted on whether or not I should take the credit. I’m scared I don’t fully understand the calc I content, and I would do poorly in a calc II class. I also wanted a somewhat laid back schedule for my first semester.
I’m going to an instate school, going there basically for free, and my family is admittedly pretty wealthy. Therefore, the ~$800 I would save from taking the credit isn’t that big of a deal compared to doing poorly in calc II.
Overall, I’m just looking for advice on whether or not to take the credit, if I’m not fully comfortable with the content in the class I’m taking the credit for.
I would say take the credit but review a bit. Remember, AB overlaps a bit with Calc 2. It starts at integration usually.
Try the college’s old calculus 1 exams (particularly final exams) to see how well you know the material from the college’s point of view.
For example, if you attend the University of Maine, you can try the exams found at http://www.math.umaine.edu/~knightly/courses/126/oldexams/ .
I think you should just retake the class, if nothing else because you don’t feel comfortable skipping into calculus 2. You don’t sound like you have financial concerns, and you want to have an easier first semester. You also didn’t sail through AP Calc AB, so I don’t think it’s a bad idea to retake calculus 1. I’m not saying that that means you aren’t ready to go into calculus 2, but if you’re not feeling very confident, there’s not really any harm in retaking the class. The only drawback is potentially taking a class where you know all of the material, but if you can put up with the potential of boredom in that one class, then there’s no real downside (since you don’t have a financial incentive to finish as fast as possible). You have the benefit of taking a class where you are familiar with the material so it may be easier for you to adjust to the pacing of college courses, expectations of professors, and types of problem sets and exams in math courses at your school. You may do better in the class so it will help with your GPA, and if you’re majoring in something that uses calculus, it can be good to make sure you confident in it before moving on. If you find that you do really well, it may boost your confidence and help you get a better understanding of what your abilities are, and if you find that you struggled in that class, then it’s a good thing you took it again instead of skipping it.