Math 104/114

So MATH104 is basically AP Calc BC, with MATH114 being the next course in the Penn calculus core. I only took 114, and I found it incredibly difficult, but it was probably a mistake for me to take 114 instead of 170. I found that many of my classmates thought 104 was more difficult than 114, but that is obviously personal opinion.

Penn’s Biology department does require MATH114 (or 115, which is pretty similar) for its majors, so if your daughter is considering Penn as one of her options for undergrad, it would be a sensible course to take. I don’t know of any Bio majors who didn’t take 114.

I think a better question would be whether there is a better course for your daughter to take next semester. If she has a good idea of the college she’ll attend (even if it’s narrowed to 3 or 4 options), then she can take a look at the requirements each school has for its biology majors, including which courses are transferable. Some schools may allow you to transfer credit to apply toward your major; others allow you to transfer credit to apply toward general requirements; still others allow you to transfer credit only as an elective. These policies could inform your daughter as to which course to look at. For example, if she can transfer credit to apply toward a major, then maybe introductory biology might make sense, but if she can’t do that, then she runs the risk of taking the same class twice.