<p>I'm currently a junior. This year I'm taking Algebra 1B (Second half of Algebra 1) and next year I'll take Algebra 2.</p>
<p>Two majors I've been considering/looking at are computer science and computer engineering.
However, on a lot of school's websites it looks like they want you to start with Calculus. I don't think I can jump right into Calculus with just Algebra 2.
And even to gain entry to a school's computer science or engineering program you have to have a higher level of math, like Trig or Pre Calc.</p>
<p>I can't be the only person this has ever happened to though. -_-</p>
<p>I can't possibly be shut out of engineering forever just because of a mistake I made in 9th grade. (I started with Algebra 1, then when I transferred to a different school after the first semester I was placed in Algebra 1A because I was one point away from failing Algebra 1. I did much better in Algebra 1A. I took Geometry in 10th grade, did decent, and now I'm taking Algebra 1B and doing great.)</p>
<p>Take summer school classes at your local community college. Take Algebra 2 this summer, then take Trig next year and Pre-Calc the summer before college. Hope isn’t lost, you’re just going to have to work hard to do it.</p>
<p>I think which ever school you are applying to or can get into will require you to take assessment/placement test. If you do well they will let you in Calculus 1 class. If not they will make you take algebra then trigonometry. But if you haven’t take trigonometry, I’m pretty sure they will make you take that. </p>
<p>My advice to you is take community college and take algebra and trigonometry class in summer 1 & summer 2 so that you will go into Calculus 1 in the fall semester. It’s best that you take two years at a community college and then do transfer to a university. You will do much better and save $$$ as well.</p>
<p>honestly…if you’re that bad at math, you might want to rethink your career goals.</p>
<p>This might be mean, but its like a dyslexic guy trying to become a writer. It might make for a good Disney feel-good film, but in real life, it just aint happenin.</p>
<p>But heres what you can do - most colleges have math placement exams, so just self study up to calculus so you’ll ace the placement exams…</p>
<p>and like what those above said, take some CC math classes in the summer to get to calculus</p>
<p>You are not locked out forever. You’ll just take longer to get into the major because you’ll be taking trig and pre-calc and then you can take the calc sequence and the other requisite classes for admission to the major, whereas many eng. majors took trig and pre-calc in HS. Be strong in algebra and trig before taking calc. Calc is easy, it’s the algebra involved that makes it hard, especially once you hit integrals.</p>
<p>That sounds a lot like me. I’m in my first year of college and I’m in calculus, and I only graduated from high school by taking Algebra 2 (well, it was called 3&4 at my school), which incidentally covers some of trig. However, I did not finish the entire course, but that’s besides the fact.</p>
<p>I got into calculus because I tested into it. Ask your school for a math placement exam, find out when it is, and then study your butt off until you know that you can pass it. However, I’m struggling in math because my foundation wasn’t there, so i wouldn’t advise you to do what I did. I’m barely making it by, but that’s probably because i never go to any tutoring sessions or the like.</p>
<p>You can do it. Hell, I did. And me of all people… just don’t give up.</p>
<p>Most colleges will offer pre-calculus if you are not ready for calculus. I jumped from Algebra II to calculus in high school, did well in it, but had to work extremely hard. To catch up on fundamentals, I took more basic math courses at a local cc. Ultimately, even if you do place into calculus, you may want to consider taking a prerequisite calculus course in college. You’re moving at an exceedingly slow pace, however, and may (very quickly) find yourself frustrated with an engineering curriculum.</p>
<p>there are people in purdue engineering who start at MA 153 which is precalculus, they have to take math a little longer but usually can graduate within 4 years</p>
<p>Some engineering programs have you taking physics and calculus at the same time and this can be pretty rough on first-year students, particularly if they are taking a third lab science course. Calculus is usually a co-req with physics but already knowing calculus going in does make physics easier. If you have a burning desire to go into engineering, I’d recommend getting all of the math you can before college. That may mean summer school or reading ahead while you are taking current courses.</p>
<p>One other point: learn your algebra well. My son tutors calculus and he says that the most common problem that he sees is weak algebra skills. Tutoring the calculus stuff is pretty easy; trying to help kids with algebra problems in a calculus course is pretty frustrating.</p>
<p>It generally isn’t a problem because most engineering curricula don’t require math beyond DE. I know math majors who’ve started UG with pre-calculus. (I agree BCEagle91. I am also a calculus tutor, and while kids may know their derivatives, they don’t know how to factor)</p>
<p>My son is in a CS program and it’s pretty hard to graduate on time if you don’t take Calc in your freshman year given the way the prereq tree flows. The engineering programs work similarly. You can come in taking precalc but it will take either five years or summer courses.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s different at my school, where DE and LA are each half a semester long. If you start with pre-calculus frosh year, by the end of sophomore year, (assuming you don’t have to repeat any classes) you’re finished with calculus 1-2, DE, and LA. Some people opt to take Multi and DE simultaneously, because they only technically require calculus 2. And others take Multi first semester junior year, which seems to work just fine. </p>
<p>(We do offer free summer calculus 2 for those who placed into pre-calc)</p>
<p>For my son’s program, you have to take calc 1-2-3, discrete structures 1-2, mathematical statistics 1, foundations and algorithms. That usually takes you through Fall of Junior year. There are two courses with the previous prereqs in the spring and then a two project sequence with prereqs from the junior year. Some additional math courses are required for certain project sequences.</p>
<p>In the freshman fall semester, students take computing I along with physics and calc. The computing professor gives out calc and physics problems as the assumption is that you are taking them at the same time.</p>
<p>Engineering schools want you to take at least 3 math classes. From an admissions standpoint, I’d recommend skipping Algebra II and going on to Trig or Pre-calc. The nuances from Trigonometry are important in Calc and if my pre-calc class was an indication, you’ll learn plenty of things that’ll come in handy. Don’t worry about not taking Calc AB or BC during high school because as an undergraduate student you will have a lot more resources at your disposal.
That said, the above posters are right about the vitality of grasping your fundamental Algebra. There were moments at the beginning of Calc AB when I would work through the Second Derivative Test only to find I had to think twice about how to solve a quadratic equation. Calc makes you understand things though.</p>
<p>Resurrecting this thread because my son tested into pre-calc in his engineering program, and will have to take Cal 2 in summer school next year. He is a rising freshman. Is this an ominous sign? </p>
<p>BTW, he currently has an A in his HS pre-calc class, thinks that means nothing and that the teacher is terrible, but didn’t really do anything to overcome it. </p>
<p>And he was accepted in a summer pre-engineering program.</p>
<p>No, your son will be fine. A year ago I tested into Calc 1… it had been ~8 years since I had taken Trig and that was the last math class I had ever taken. I’ve done fine since then, but the hardest part of every math and physics class has been a lack of fundamentals. Tell your son to take his time and learn the material properly.</p>
<p>On top of all that, I like taking math classes during the summer… I’ve found they are generally easier.</p>
<p>Not starting in calculus as an engineering student can delay graduation, since calculus is at the head of a chain of prerequisites (needed for physics, which is needed for engineering courses). If possible, a student who needs to take precalculus should try to do so in the summer before freshman year.</p>