<p>I presume if its first quarter, you will be working mainly with derivatives. Comparitavely, I found this class “easiest” compared to the higher calculus courses I took, however from a high school perspective it was more difficult. The difficulty isn’t the calculations ( although they can be rough once you embed trig functions onto each other) but the critical thinking you need to figure out the problem. Since my math prof was originally a physicist, she taught her math courses and tested like physics class, I.e. provided pieces of seemingly disjointed information and leaving you the fill in the blanks. In highschool, in most cases, you are isolating one variable and you basically a calculator. Memorize the algorithm and done. In college, that style of test taking isn’t good enough. It will get you points, but there will be times when you have to change the equation to fit your goals and so on, and you will only know that if you understand the material.</p>