Calculus poll

[Amy B]

Did you take calculus?

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[KHep]

Nope, haven't taken it. Most med schools don't require it. Since I haven't had a year of trig, I'd have to spend a year in preparation to take it. The other option is taking pre-calc. Either way that is a year of classes. We'll see, I may change my mind, but there is no doubt that i will be taking the MCAT this April and applying this summer. So, if I take it, it won't be until after I have sent out my apps anyway!

 

[g3pro]

calculus is not required, but when almost all of the applicant pool has taken it, i wouldn't want to be left behind.

 

[Amy B]

I am kind of shocked by these results so far. I actually posted this poll to show everyone that most people don't take calculus, but so far almost everyone that has responsed has taken it. I figured it would be 10% taking it and 90% not taking it.

Hopefully people will keep voting so we can see if these numbers stay the same.

 

[exmike]

Amy where did you go to school??

I'm under the impression that most bio majors have to take at least 1 sem of calc, if not an entire year, and since most applicants ar bio majors, them most wouldve taken calc. Not to mention all those chem/physics/biomedical engineering majors out there too.

I don't know a single person that applied that didnt take at least calc I

 

[Amy B]

Hi,
Virginia Commonwealth University, the school connected to MCV. I believe only the chem majors had to take a year of calc. Biology majors had to take only a year of math and that's it. The only reason I ended up taking it was my advisor forgot to include my transfer credits for math so he thought I needed more math.

I actually hated that class and have no idea what I learned or how I got a B. Our instructor had just graduated from her PhD program and had no idea what she was doing or how to teach us.

 

[CalBeE]

At my school, I think ALL science majors have to take certain Calculus classes, so most people ended up taking them unless they passed AP Calculus.

That's why I was under the impression that most people DO take calculus

 

[jacksonchan85]

add me to the list of calculus takers (took 2 semesters of it)

happy holidays to everyone

 

[exmike]

ok here we go

Straight from MSAR

32/120 reponding schools required Calculus

id say 25% of schools is enough incentive to take calc if you have no idea where you're going to go.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

yup, took calc I and II. the only reason was b/c that much math was required for a b.s. degree

 

[DrWuStar]

i took AP calc in high school, so i didn't have to take it in college. now, 7 years later, i am trying to take stupid physics with calculus as a post-bac. i can't remember a damn thing. i hate calculus. i remember liking it when i knew what the hell i was doing, but now it is just mind boggling.

 

[Treg]

I had to take Calc I, II, and III for my B.S. in chemistry. Boy, was it fun!!

 

[Nate]

Rutgers requires a year of calc, but the second semester can be substituted with statistics for research in most programs.

 

[logos]

I got credit for AP calc and then had to take another quarter of it to complete the requirement for science at my school (microbio major). Wasnt bad though...took it with a grad student as teacher during the summer..very relaxed..only like 25 people in the class....supposedly the one during the year occurs in a big lecture hall with a Phd. teacher and is much harder.


I would recomend taking AP calc to anyone still in highschool...to get credit for it all you have to do is get like a 60% on the test...i only had 5 people in my HS AP calc class...the teacher didnt make us do a thing all year....i worked for about two weeks before the test and managed to get credit for it...much easier than taking it in college...

 

[Chet Rogers]

They require calc to take physics at my school. I took calc I and II as duel enrollment in hs to get my credits.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I took three quarters of calculus. My school only offers calculus-based physics, so I didn't really have a choice.

 

[Optimist]

Got one semester of calc credit through AP. Had the privilege of taking the second semester more than 3 years later, and was in a class of people who'd just taken calc I. Good times.

 

[supersunny]

Originally posted by UCLAstudent
I took three quarters of calculus. My school only offers calculus-based physics, so I didn't really have a choice.

same here. i wonder if it's the same at all of the UCs

 

[jlee9531]

took 2 semesters of Calc at Cal.

 

[solid snake]

Took Calc I, II, III. But don't remember anything at all...derivatives and integration, fun stuff

 

[jayski2030]

They require calc to take chem at my school. Not really looking forward to it...

 

[Sprockette]

I also recommend taking as many AP classes in high school as possible. I got credit for Calc I and II from my AP test, so I could take Calc III and Differential Equations freshman year of college, which were required for my biochem major. It was nice to get the math out of the way early, although I didn't so much remember the DiffEq stuff when I needed it in senior year chem classes. Oh well, I don't intend to use it again.

 

[femdoc]

Took Calc I and Calc II, both required for Physics, which is required for BS degree at my school.

 

[Selisa]

because i took calculus (not AP) in hs i was originally placed into Intensive Calc. my freshman year. but the moment i found out i only need one semester of calculus for my major, i signed up for the regular Calc. I class; the intensive version was 2 semesters long, and i wanted to get my 1 semester foreign language requirement out of the way the following semester.

4 years later, i'm sitting here wishing i would've done the full year of calculus and gotten it over with (since some schools require a full year of math) instead of spending 1 semester half-asleep in the back of the room. i think i'm going to have to get Calc. II out of the way before i apply, and i don't remember a damn thing!

 

[Cerberus]

i have taken 30 hours of math so far

 

[No Egrets]

when taught well, calculus introduces you to a whole new way of understanding math that incorporates everything you've learned up to this point but that has so far been disjoint. In calc it comes together as you learn about the math of change (rates, etc.). I understand why it's not a prerequisite for lots of med schools, but at the same time I think it's really valuable knowledge that can serve you well no matter what you do. I took it in H.S. and then took tons more math than I ever needed to know in college. I can tell you this: calculus itself is useful; anything after that is truly not.

 

[VMC]

I completely agree with No Egrets on calculus; it is the culmination of all previous math and once you learn calculus, you slap yourself on the forehead and wonder how the world existed without it. Calc. definitely surpassed my expectations.

 

[gentarg]

I took:
Calc I
Calc II
Calc III
Differental Equations

I will probably take:
Stat and probability
Differential Geometry.

Feel better? lol

 

[beatla19]

I took 2 quarters of calc and actually thought it was kinda fun.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by t733nu5
same here. i wonder if it's the same at all of the UCs

I took calc because you can't graduate at UCI without it if you're a Bio Major. Otherwise, I would have opted not to.