<p>I'm planning on majoring in IB and becoming a pre-med, and I was told by one of the advisers that Math 10A is preferred over 1A (although we may take either one). What I wanted to know is: which class is harder? I know that Math 1A is calculus, while Math 10A is a mix of calculus, statistics, and combinatorics. </p>
<p>Here's a link for the course outline of Math 10A if you need it to compare:
<a href="http://mcb.berkeley.edu/undergrad/courses/courses/math91/%5B/url%5D">http://mcb.berkeley.edu/undergrad/courses/courses/math91/</a></p>
<p>10A is definitely the easier class…yet another example of the Bio majors dumbing down their requirements (my Physics 8B prof can’t teach relativity because it’s not “relevant” to Bio.)</p>
<p>I’ve actually taken Math 10A/10B when it was offered the first time as Math 91 in Fall 2011/Spring 2012. Material-wise, the stuff is MUCH MUCH harder. You will be taught stuff from Math 172, Statistics 135, Statistics 134, and Math 55. The grading/curve however is more lenient, especially if you take it with Pachter (who also taught me when I took it). The issue is, you’ve probably learnt almost everything out of the 1A-1B sequence so it’s more “comfortable,” whereas for 10A-10B, it’s unlikely you’ve seen more than half of it. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask. I loved the class when I took it!</p>
<p>Thanks for answering, guys! </p>
<p>The sad thing is that I haven’t taken AP Statistics or Calculus in high school. 
Is it possible to do well in either class despite not having a lot of background information so long as you work hard, go to office hours, study sessions, and drop-in tutoring? I really have a lot of catching up to do.</p>
<p>I can’t comment much on Math 1A/1B, but the majority of people in that class have taken AP Calc. In terms of 10A-10B, they go quicker thru calculus so it will be a bit difficult if you haven’t seen the material ever before. We never went that deep into the calc stuff though so I wouldn’t worry about solving the harder 1A-1B type problems in the 10 sequence. About the “statistics” stuff, you should not be at a big disadvantage. I had never learned any stats before and managed an A+ in both semesters of the class. Expect that you will have to get help from your TA and at the SLC though. 10A does more “stats” stuff, while 10B does mainly probability stuff so everyone should be at an equal footing once you go into 10B.</p>
<p>^ Math 1A for aspiring premeds who don’t want to compete with Engineering kids :p</p>
<p>my mind is blown. I’ve been here for 3 years and have never heard of it.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, because the 10 series is newer, there’s not much help offered for the class as there is for the 1 series.</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s what I’m kind of worried about, too. I feel as if I would like 1a more, but I really don’t know yet.</p>
<p>If you are sure that you want to major in MCB or IB, or are a pre-med whose major does not require 1A or 1B, then 10A and 10B are likely much more applicable to your future studies in biology or medicine.</p>
<p>If you look at biology or medicine research papers, you will see considerably use of statistical analysis.</p>
<p>If you didn’t take AP Calculus back in high school, try looking into Math 32 first before taking Math 1 series. Most of my math major buddies said Math 1B was the hardest class in their opinions…one of them just graduated and is going to work at Apple.</p>
