<p>To be perfectly honest, I took calc 1 as a sophmore A/B and got a 3 on the AP test. No maths beyond that junior or senior year. Didn't think I would go into engineering, but later had a change of heart. </p>
<p>Do most engineers enter freshmen year with calc/pre calc?
Does anyone enter with college algebra?</p>
<p>Please don't ridicule me for my lack of maths in half my high school career. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for any help.</p>
<p>I think most enter college prepared for calculus 1. Some are taking it for the second time. There is often a placement test. There are ways to catch up.</p>
<p>You may get credit for a semester of freshman calculus with a 3 on AB, but you may want to start over with first semester freshman calculus anyway with a 3 (as opposed to a 5).</p>
<p>Most engineering degree programs assume that an entering freshman is ready to take first semester freshman calculus. Starting in a more advanced course due to AP credit (preferably a 5) can give some more schedule breathing room, but is not generally necessary.</p>
<p>If you are uncertain about your precalculus knowledge, you can try this on-line placement exam:
[Calculus</a> Placement Exam | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam]Calculus”>http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam)</p>
<p>Your college may also have its own placement exams and procedures.</p>
<p>Hi ucbalumnus! FWIW, it’s not been easy, but son seems to be getting by. </p>
<p>OP my son tested into pre calc, is taking calc1 second semester, freeman engineering, and is looking to catch up with calc2 this summer. It has effected physics1 as well, but so far he seems to be managing.</p>
<p>If you can skip pre-cal do it. Is a waste of time, you don’t really need Pre-calc for Calc 1. Calc 1 is easier than pre calc anyway.</p>
<p>Seconding the above, except that if you don’t have your trig identities down pat it will come back to bite you in Calc II.</p>
<p>To be honest, the calculus isn’t actually that bad. The algebra and trig that goes into solving the problems can be disgusting. Many students believe they can do derivatives because they learned it in high school but engineering/physical science students take a set of different math classes that are way more involved. At my university for just calculus I we had to take a computerized exam separate from all the other exams on just derivatives alone with a 30 min time limit without a calculator that is worth 10% of your grade. You can take it as many times as you want… it took a lot of people up to 5 hours with multiple visits. Anyways, long story short just make sure your algebra and trig are pretty solid. There’s a lot of trig substitution and every possible mix of algebra that they’ll try to confuse you with.</p>
<p>I wish wish wish I had taken both Calc 1 and trig during my first semester. It sounds to me like you would be the same. It has been too long since calc 1 and you didn’t do that well and it wasn’t in a college setting. And if you ever learned trig after two years off you don’t remember enough of it to be ready for Calc II (which is where you need the trig) Calc III wasn’t that hard and Diffy Q was easy. If you take Calc I and Trig first semester you will be on track and ready to ace Calc II second semester.</p>
<p>Most engineering programs are structured that it assumes that the student is starting with Calculus I during the fall semester/quarter of freshman year.</p>
<p>Personally, I think that one could start with Pre-Calculus as a freshmen for a CS degree and still graduate in 8 semesters/12 quarters/4 years.</p>
<p>I started college in 2011, 5 years after I graduated high school … I started w/ College Algebra, Trig in Summer, Pre-Cal, now Im in Cal I… Never took any AP or honors in high school… didn’t take school serious then now it’s a different ballgame in college for me.</p>
<p>Well, I’ll be starting with Calc II.</p>