<p>I've heard that UT's calculus classes are really rough. I'm transferring to UT next semester as a neurobio major and I have to take calc I and II. On top of math not being my best subject, the highest math class I took in high school was precal my junior year. I took algebra last semester and precal again this semester, but I have no calculus experience whatsoever and am not really sure what to expect. Should I take it at a local community college in the summer or try to take it at ACC during the school year? If I did it during the school year I would be taking it alongside genetics and organic chem which is a frightening thought. Would it hurt me to take it in the summer where the course would be condensed and I would not be practicing it as much as opposed to if I took it during the year?</p>
<p>The calculus class at UT might be a bit more tied in to the curriculum if they use it for other classes. Since most students will have taken it at UT, other instructors expect you will know all the material covered at UT, which might not exactly overlap with what is taught at the CC. Let me hasten to add this is a minor consideration, though.</p>
<p>Here’s the real deal; taking an accelerated class during the summer is going to be just that much harder than taking it during the regular year. So here’s my advice. First, google for info on how to study organic chem. Lots of profs have advice on their websites, and you’ll see they say that many students treat it as an exercise in brute memorization which is the wrong approach.</p>
<p>You say you’re not sure what to expect in calculus. Its a tough class for many people, but its doable if you’re willing to work hard. A rule of thumb for math & science classes is 3 hours outside of class for every instruction hour, so plan on studying calculus 9 hours a week. Maybe it will take a bit more, maybe you’ll happily find it takes you less, but that’s a starting point. Spend that time reading the text but more importantly doing practice problems. The latter is the real key. Not just the assigned problems, but problems until you got it down. Get the book “Calculus Problem Solver” which may be the best twenty bucks you spend while in college. It has thousands of worked problems, so you turn to the chapter matching what you’re studying at the moment and start working problems. Work one, then check the answer (which you had covered up) to see if you got it right, and if not, to understand how to do it. Repeat until you get them right easily. Google “deliberate practice” and you’ll learn how this is the key to getting better at something. </p>
<p>And these days the real problem you face, if you really want to learn, is how to limit the materials you use. The Teaching Company has an excellent video series on calculus; too expensive IMHO to buy but you can probably get it from a local library. And iTunesU has calculus classes, absolutely free, from many colleges including some of the best in the country. There’s nothing preventing you from watching the Teaching Co series this summer and perhaps a class on iTunesU to get a headstart; wouldn’t the class be easier the 2nd time you took it? Doing this in effect lets you do that without having to fail it! Or you could wait and use these resources to supplement your lectures in college; again, the limiting factor will be time.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the resources, mikemac. I will definitely look into them and get started earlier this summer. However, I don’t think that as a neurobiology major I will need calculus for any other classes. Unless it will reappear on the MCAT. I am certainly not new to the “practice problems until you die” method of studying, so I am willing to work as hard as I possibly can. I just did a lot of research on here and everyone has said that UT’s calculus classes are GPA killers and it really scared me since math isn’t my strongest subject. So do you suggest that I take it at UT instead of during the year at Austin Community College?</p>
<p>If I understand correctly, you have 3 options [ul][<em>]summer class [</em>]UT [li]ACC while enrolled at UT[/ul]I would personally avoid the summer class. If the subject is hard for you, it won’t be any easier during the summer when the class is accelerated. Unless, I suppose, you can devote a bunch of time to it (and have the discipline to do so). At UT, even if the class is a GPA killer, will 2 classes affect your GPA that much even if you get a C in them? The third option might be best, but check to make sure this is allowed. Some schools, for example the UC system in CA, prohibit taking classes at a CC during the regular school term.</p>[/li]
<p>At the risk of repeating myself, calculus is not incredibly hard. It does take work, but first year calculus just has a few ideas in it. With regular and steady work, with “deliberate practice” (a term I urge you to google), then just about anyone can and will learn the material.</p>
<p>If you can watch a course now, before taking the actual class, I think that will help immensely. What I’d suggest is not trying to solve the problems, but just watch the videos and try to get a feeling for the concepts. To truly understand calculus is going to take a lot of work, which means doing the problems, but for a first pass just getting the gestalt really helps. Thinking back on my college career I realized that sometimes you can be so immersed in trying to get the homework done and techniques learned that you in effect miss the forest for the trees. So if you get a sense of the big picture of calculus, then you’ll be able to fit the specific pieces in more easily.</p>
<p>And not to be too negative here, but I just noticed that you mentioned the MCAT so I’m assuming you’re premed. Most people who think they will succeed in the tough med school curriculum don’t think of first year calculus as that big an obstacle.</p>
<p>You should not take premed requirements at either a CC or during the summer, both are looked down upon in Med school admissions. Go to the Premed Topics forum, these questions are asked frequently.</p>
<p>Understandable. I assumed that most pre-med students wouldn’t worry as much as I do about calculus. Honestly, I think all of my anxiety is just from me over-psyching myself out. I am really not as terrible as I make myself out to be in math, it just doesn’t come to me as naturally as other subjects. I know it probably doesn’t mean much, but I did do very well in both algebra and precal this semester and the previous one. Unfamiliarity with the content of calculus coupled with opinions from friends that had taken it in high school caused me to panic and develop this thought process that I would not be able to comprehend any of the information at all. But my work ethic now compared to my work ethic in high school is completely different. I devote ample time to studying and always put school before anything. </p>
<p>You make a point that one or two C’s shouldn’t affect my overall GPA too badly…again it is just me being a worrywart. I too think taking calculus in the summer would be a bad idea. I am always willing to work hard and devote all my time to school work, but the accelerated course is three and a half hours long, four days a week for five weeks…that just sounds really mentally tiring.</p>
<p>Entomom, thanks for the input. Now I know. However, I think I will still keep my options open. </p>
<p>Thanks again, mikemac for all of the studying tips and resources. It was really helpful. I will probably not do calc I in the summer. I’m thinking now that I should take it at UT for the first semester, and if I really do fail miserably then I’ll take the second part at ACC. Nothing final yet, as it does not need to be decided on right this moment, but I guess I’ll never understand the difficulty of UT calculus until I experience it myself.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is too late, but you also have the choice of taking calculus 1 & 2 with UT extension:</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Texas at Austin :: University Extension](<a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/ce/uex/]The”>http://www.utexas.edu/ce/uex/)</p>
<p>This is what I’m currently doing, and it’s literally self-paced. You get 5 months to complete the course work and one month after that to apply and take the final. If you don’t finish the coursework in time for the 5 month deadline, you can also purchase a 1 or 4 month extension on that work. So if you have so many other obligations, but need to do Cal 1 and 2. You have a whopping 22 months to complete both classes in total. Did I mention that the tuition is only about $500 for the initial 5 months, and $200 to extend it 4 months? Oh, and the classes will show up on your UT transcript.</p>