Tech Prep Calculus Advantage

<p>Does anyone have any info on the Tech Prep Calculus Advantage program? Is it worth it? Did it help with College transition? I thought it might be a nice way to have two weeks on campus in August to acclimate! </p>

<p>Georgia</a> Institute of Technology :: Academic Support</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>Has anyone attended this event in the past? Is it new this year?</p>

<p>Is anyone else considering this program. I am shocked that I cant find anyone who has attended in the past!</p>

<p>I have not heard of this program before so it may be the first year it is being offered. Most incoming students have already taken some sort of Calculus class in high school, so I’m not sure how beneficial this would be to those students and would explain why (if this was offered in the past) you are having difficulty finding responses.If you did not take Calculus and/or do not feel really solid about pre-calculus concepts, it may be worth your time.</p>

<p>I’ve also never heard of the program, but I’ll throw this out: what’s the advantage of this program over going to a community college over the summer and taking Calc I? The community college course seems like it would be better prep than a 10-day program and would probably cost less.</p>

<p>I see the enticement of coming to campus 10 days earlier, but I don’t know if that’s really necessary. When the semester starts, you can move in up to a week before classes start, and that’s probably enough to acclimate to college living.</p>

<p>I attended this program last summer. All I can tell you is for the most part I found it to be a complete waste of time, not to say I ddin’t enjoy the waste of time however. I took AP Calculus in high school and received credit to skip MATH 1501. I decided not to skip 1501 which was hands down one of the dumbest mistakes of this year in my opinion. </p>

<p>I signed up for the program because I thought it would brief me on what I may have forgotten from AP Calculus. What I thought was a calculus review turned out to be a pre calc review so I spent two weeks learning how to factor and sitting through monotonous busy work. I feel like I learned nothing. I’m sure if you missed out on Calculus though or took Statistics your senior year it may help.</p>

<p>What I did enjoy was the social aspect. I met a few awesome freshman like me, most of who I am still very close with. You get to do the GATech challenge course and it’s just a fun way to prepare yourself to actually live there.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for the insight. My D is currently taking AP calc. She will take the AP test on Wednesday. If she gets a 5, you feel that she should take the credit? Many have told her to take Calc anyway, so she is somewhat torn. Her major is Biomedical Engineering. </p>

<p>I am in favor of her taking the tech prep program just to get settled into campus. What is your major?</p>

<p>I would advise your daughter to take credit for anything she can. If she makes a 4 or 5 on the AP Calc exam, she will be prepared for Calc II at Tech. There is no reason for her to retake Calc I. </p>

<p>However, I would recommend that students who took AP Calc during their junior year and did not take a calculus class their senior year to consider retaking Calc I.</p>

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<p>Yes. There is no easy class at Tech. Many students take MATH 1501 (Calculus 1) instead of using their transfer credit and end up getting B’s or C’s.</p>

<p>I have the same problem. I’m currently in AP Calculus Bc, and although I’m sure that I’ll pass the exam (and get a 5 on the ab component), I’m not so sure about the BC part. I don’t want my gpa to suffer next year because I choose to do calc 2 and feel behind, but at the same time I don’t want to regret not taking the higher level math. I’m planning on becoming an engineer, so I know that I need a good mathmatics foundation. What do you guys recommend? What topics are actually covered in Calc 1 and Calc 2?</p>

<p>The first 4-5 weeks of Calc II covers the BC topics, so you will essentially be reviewing what you learned at the end of this year. The rest of the class is linear algebra, which you could not be prepared for by any calculus class. If you have a strong grasp on the AB topics you will be fine if you put in the study time and get help if and when it is needed. Calc II is usually one of the more challenging classes students take, but retaking Calculus topics you already have a good understanding of is not going to prepare you to be more successful in Calc II, and will be irrelevant to the linear algebra portion of the class.</p>

<p>So is calc 1 only AB material? Also do most people find calc 1 or 2 to be more difficult (in terms of getting a good grade)?</p>

<p>Calc 2 is the more difficult class. But it’s not like you’re choosing from Calc 1 or Calc 2 - you’re going to take Calc 2 eventually.</p>

<p>Calc 1 is no easy A. If you feel good about very basic Calculus concepts, take the credit and move to Calc 2. Your GPA will be better served by taking fewer classes or taking an easy Inta classes instead of Calc 1.</p>

<p>I got credit for Calc 1 with a 4. I retook MATH 1501 because everyone said it was the right thing to do. I got a B in 1501 because I got saddled with a very difficult teacher who failed to curve our class properly. I am now taking 1502 and have realized it has absolutely nothing to do with 1501. It is Linear Algebra so unless you were lucky to remember Matrices from Algebra 2 or you took BC, everyone is on the same playing field. I feel like I wasted a semester and an easy credit because 1501 is not a guaranteed A.</p>

<p>I would like to say if you took AP Calc as a junior I would retake 1501 because you may want the extra calculus work. But in terms of difficulty, I found 1501 way more difficult then 1502. I have an A in 1502 right now (then again, I have a good teacher). Just my two cents.</p>

<p>GTSWeetie, who is your professor?</p>

<p>I have been very lucky with Professors.</p>

<p>For MATH 1501 I had William Trotter. He was definitely considered one of the easier professors. Easier professors come with a price though because he did not curve. He had 3 tests, no homework, and no prs. I did have daily recitation quizzes though. I got a B because I got sick with mono and had recitation at 8 am so I missed 4 quizzes and he didn’t accept a doctor’s note as an excuse. </p>

<p>MATH 1502: I have Professor Lubinsky. 3 tests. 3 homeworks. One test is dropped. We have prs about once a week. The average for the last test was a 90 something and you have the ability to get above a 100 on every test. No curve. I would say he is very easy though and teaches pretty well so take him.</p>

<p>Has anyone signed up for the program this year?</p>