Hurrayyyy

I am more than likely going to stick with my major (neuroscience) or at least some other major related to the life sciences, so I'm just wondering which math series is easier/better -- 3 series or 31 series?

Gracias!

Ookla

if you dont plan to take the physical sciences (including biochem), then the 3 series is technically better in terms of ease.

The 3 series is easier than the 31 series, but you also learn less math. If learning less math doesn't matter to you, then take the 3 series.

transpublic

I thought I was going to stick with my major, too, so I did the 3 series, and I kind of regret it. I thought I sucked in math in high school so I didn't think I'd be any good at it in college, but, I like it more in college, so I wish I took the 30 series so I could perhaps do more in math.

And, I honestly think that the 30 series is better. I mean.. if you don't get math, you're not going to do well in the 3 series or the 30 series. But, in the 3 series, they try to do some stupid things to relate math to the life sciences and I thought it was kind of annoying :P And then some people just don't get probability/ stats (which is 3C), so then they decide to take the 30 series instead and avoid the whole probability and counting. However, other people that take the 30 series are math majors and engineers, so just take that into account.

3 series is divided into A (derivatives), B (integrals, and you do a little bit of multivariable), C (probability & stats)
30 is divided into 31A (derivatives), B (integrals), 32A (multivariable)

ThisCouldBeHeavn

30 series also includes the option of 32B, 33A (Linear Algebra) and 33B (differential equations)

coldness

If all I took was elementary calculus, so it's not AP, in junior year, and Statistics AP in senior year (which was easy to me, not trying to show off, just trying to see if this matters for math at LA) then would math 31 series be okay for me, since i'd be competing with people who have already taken BC as engineer majors, since I'm planning on majoring in chemistry/materials science?

Also, how difficult is the math placement exam? What if I am extremely rusty in this? People say it's easy but I'm not sure. How can I prepare for it? I have to take it in seven days.

themoonisdown

If you get a 4 on the AP Calculus exam, can you place into either 31A or 3A without taking the math placement exam?

nbui3

themoonisdown- this link should help...AP Credit - College of Letters and Science - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions
I can't really tell what you get with a 4 on AP Calc, it just says it satisfies Calculus. Is this Calc AB or BC? It looks like a 5 on Calc AB or a 4 on Calc BC gets you out of Math31A and a 5 on Calc BC gets you out of Math 31A and 31B.

coldness- you can definitely do the math 30 series because past experience, such as taking AP Calc, only helps in the fact that things are already familiar to you. What I mean is I took AP Calc and got out of some classes but when my friends would ask me for help (from the math classes I passed out of), to be honest, their stuff is much harder than AP. So what I'm saying is UCLA's "Calc AB/BC" topics are much harder than CollegeBoard's "Calc AB/BC" topics so thus, you'd be fine because you start off at the same spot as everybody else. People who have taken BC most likely would've taken the oppurtunity to get out of 31 series. Just work hard

coldness

what abotu the difficulty of the placement exam? I'm extremely rusty I think, and I'm worried about it.