bamabound714

Hi,

I'm going to be a freshman in college this fall majoring in Mechanical Engineering. This past year I took BC Claculus and got an A every quarter, along with scoring a 5 on the AP exam. As a freshman next year I technically could skip Calc 2 and move on to Calc 3.. would you recommend doing this or retaking Calc 2 to establish my fundamentals? I'm going to be pledging for a fraternity so I would prefer to take whichever course is easiest.

Thanks

ucbalumnus

(Assuming from your user name that you are going to the University of Alabama.)

University of Alabama's calculus 2 course is Math 126 (Math 146 for the honors version).

Here are some sample Math 126 tests that you can use to check your knowledge:
Math 126 Tests, Spring 2012
http://obelix.math.ua.edu/~rmoore/te...sp03_Final.pdf

And some more general information about Math 126:
Course Notes for Math 126, Spring 2012
http://www.bama.ua.edu/~wguo2/Courses/syCal2Sp09.pdf

If, after reviewing the information and final exam questions for Math 126, you are confident that you know all of the material taught there, then it makes sense to skip the course. But if there are significant gaps in your knowledge that you cannot make up by self-studying, then you may want to take that course.

Soclydeza

Calc 2 was kinda tough but not too bad, but I thought calc 3 was a lot harder (some people think the opposite, I guess it depends on the school and the person). I'd say take calc 2 and really hone your skills, if nothing else it will just be a GPA booster if you're already good with the material. There's a lot from calc 2 that you'll need for calc 3 (obviously), and some stuff will be really important for DiffEq. However, if you're real adamant about jumping right into calc 3 then I'd suggest at least spending the rest of the summer reviewing concepts and working through problems in your text book (that pertain to calc 2) so you know whats going on. Still though, placing into calc 3 is not the same as really knowing the important material from calc 2, I think you'd be better off taking it, but that's just me. Whatever you decide, good luck!

noleguy33

If the school deems you competent to skip Calc II, I would take their suggestion. I can't imagine, given your grades, you getting much more (if anything) out of another CalcII course.

MyHipie

Start with Calc 3!

NeoDymium

Do you actually know Calc 2 or did you get through it because it's high school?
Base your decision on the answer to that.

Montegut

Since you mentioned you are pledging, I would suggest just taking the semester off from math, take your freshman engineering classes, perhaps chemistry and maybe a core requisite, like English Comp or a humanities. You didn't mention if you were in the Honors program, so perhaps one of the honors one credit courses.

Greek is big at Bama, as is football season, which of course occurs in the fall.

Have a great time in the fall, good luck on pledging, and explore all the majors that Bama has to offer. They have a great business school, and I don't know what math requirements there are for that school, but perhaps taking the Calc I and II AP credit will fulfill those requirements if you change majors and you wouldn't have put yourself through a tough calculus course for nothing.

Oh, and Roll Tide!

bamabound714

thanks for all of the input everyone. I really appreciate it!

ucbalumnus

The other thing to consider is that you may want to wait until spring to pledge a fraternity. Doing so may consume extra time which may not be that great when you are adjusting to college in your first semester, and deferring the fraternity pledging for a semester may give you more time to observe and shop around the fraternities to decide which one to join, as well as observe how much time it takes for others pledging fraternities.

sammyboy56

If you're going to pledge, I would highly recommend pledging in the fall. Also, I would hold off the critical pre-reqs for the certification into the engineering school and get most of the GenEd requirements if you can. You'll be busy during your pledge semester. If you're confident with Calc 2, take Calc 3 during the spring and spend some free time during the fall to keep your calculus skills fresh.