<p>If I struggled with PreCalc, does that mean that I will struggle with Calculus I in College?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>Agree with the no as well. Calculus is actually a very useful concept, but it is taught so late in math curriculums because of the amount of algebra it requires. I have heard math educators suggest teaching calculus concepts in middle school using computer programs to handle the har algebra, and I think that says a lot about what calculus actually is. If you understand it conceptually, the algebra will come with practice.</p>
<p>In my opinion… it’s a gigantic red flag if it means you haven’t done well. But again, it’s just from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>Taken from someone who took precalc, did extremely well, and has to apply himself in calc I in college right now to do well.</p>
<p>If you’re part of the 2% of the population that is extremely capable at math and just didn’t apply yourself, it might be doable without too much work.</p>
<p>But in calculus I, you have to have everything in precalculus down to a science, even if it means doing so in calculus. You have the opportunity to master algebra, but it will add exponentially to your workload. Mastering stuff like the chain rule and optimization is tedious enough as it is without worrying about the algebra, too.</p>
<p>For instance, if you’re bad with rational expressions or the graphs they use and do not fix this, you will be flayed alive in calculus. Understanding asymtopes of these graphs is pretty critical to understanding the concepts limits (as is the age-old advice of knowing what graph goes with what kind of function). Ugly rational expressions with uglier square roots are the norm for hard problems too, unfortunately. And logarithms and manipulating powers crop up a lot too.</p>
<p>You could still do okay, and a lot of it (most of it really) depends on how many hours you put in, don’t get me wrong. Just be prepared for more work if your algebra is shaky, (and do fill in any weak-spots you have by doing algebra problems…) :)</p>