These are the options: Math 1B, Math 53, or Math 54.
I have to take 53 and 54 for my major. I am 99% sure I got a 4 on the AP Calc BC exam (hopefully a 5), so I can skip Math 1B. However, I feel like I should retake since my math skills aren’t that strong and teacher wasn’t really that good.
If I did skip it though, I am not sure if Math 53 or Math 54 is better to take for 1st semester.
I know most take 53 first, but both are not related to each other by a lot, and I know that it doesn’t matter what order you do. I have also heard that 54 might be easier in the fall, and 53 is easier in the spring, as it is harder in fall. Also, I don’t really know much about multivariable calc or linear algebra.
Anyways, Should I skip Math 1b?
And if I did, should I do math 53 or 54?
I think you need a 5 on BC to skip 1B
I think for CoE, they are “luckier”, a 4 on BC will skip Math 1B.
You might want to consider taking 1B anyway to strive for an easy “A”, even if you pass the AP Calculus with a 4 or 5. Anyway college calculus might be more in depth than the AP course you took in preparing you for the AP exam.
For my kid, that was what he was thinking, to take Math 1B again, even though he had a 5 on his BC test back in 11th grade. It’s been 12 months since he last did any hard math, save for the one or two days in AP Physics C this year when they did some integral work. He’s currently going thru some of the published 1B exams now just to make sure.
Read http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1305840-freshman-math-faq.html .
If you are allowed to skip Math 1B, it would be a good idea to try the old Math 1B final exams to check your knowledge before deciding whether to do so.
D retook 1A and 1B (despite 5’s on both), because, paranoid. Got A’s in both classes - not cakewalks, but she went to lectures/discussions, did the homework and studied for the tests. It might help to retake 1B as a refresher and to get you used to college math classes and Cal in particular.
Ok, However, I also heard that 53 and 54 were easier than Math 1b, which might be better my freshman year.
53 was definitely not easier than Math 1B.
Ok also perhaps I can refresh my skills my skills over the summer or something. And now I think that I should skip math 1b so I can finish my math requiremnets sooner.
IS math 53 or math 54 better to take 1st semester?
Will one be of these courses be eaiser first semester?
bump
Have you tried the old Math 1A and 1B final exams?
I looked at Math 1b and they seemed difficult but definitely manageable. Some of the exams however looked really hard.
Anyways I plan on skipping, so is it better to take math 53 or 54 first semester?
I also heard that 54 might be easier in the fall this year, and 53 is harder in the fall.
It depends on your other course plans.
For example, if you will be taking the Physics 5 or 7 series, it is advantageous to complete Math 53 before 5B or 7B (which include E&M, which uses multivariable calculus, although Math 53 can be taken concurrently).
I probably wil ltake physics 7a so it would be better to take math 53?
The only problem is that it seems harder in the fall/
Why do you think Math 53 is harder in the fall than the spring?
College generally may be harder for a new frosh than a continuing student, since most new frosh need to adjust to college (versus high school). But that applies regardless of which courses you choose.
I was told by people at the school that the professors for 53 are harder in the fall.
It is possible that the sample of students may be biasing the perception of difficulty.
Math 53 in the fall may be taken by new frosh, who are adjusting to college while doing so, which may cause them to think it is harder, especially if their knowledge of calculus from high school AP courses is not as strong as it should be. It may also have sophomores who started in Math 1A and 1B in frosh year, who may not be as strong in math as students who started in a more advanced math course.
Math 53 in the spring is likely filled with second semester frosh, who have adjusted to college but also are strong enough in math to have started in Math 1B in their first semester (and not done badly enough to change major plans to a major that does not require more advanced math). I.e. strong-in-math students who are less likely to stumble on adjustment-to-college issues.
D took Math 53 P/NP in the spring (not required for her major, but to help with Physics 7B) with the professor she had for 1B (who she really liked). She has no idea what letter grade she would have gotten, but she admits it was the class she put the least amount of work into (what with Physics 7B and Bio 1A/labs to grind through).
I also heard that the professor in the spring is easier than in the fall, according to people I asked, the schedule generator and rate my prof. So would it be better to do 53 in spring?