Jump to content

  • Member Statistics

    17,508
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    joxey
    Newest Member
    joxey
    Joined

School scheduling advice

weatherwiz

By weatherwiz,
in New England

Recommended Posts

weatherwiz

weatherwiz

Posted
Posted

If this needs to be moved to OT please feel free to do so.  My intention is to post this thread here b/c of how active this forum is, the relationship I have developed with many, and it's filled with folks who are pursuing meteorology, are meteorologists, or have attempted to do so and I would really love as much advice as possible with a decision I'm dealing with.  

 

This semester I'm taking Calc I...so my next step would be Calc II in the fall.  Unfortunately, Calc II is not a guarantee to be offered at my school or the other community colleges I could go to in the fall...typically these are only offered during the Spring semesters.  Obviously this changes if there is enough students signed up for the class for the fall semester.  

 

Anyways, where I attend school, Calc II is offered during the summer...since this is a summer course obviously the duration of the class is much shorter.  With this the class is held Monday-Thursday from 6:00-8:45 PM.  

 

My plan was to do Calc II in the upcoming Fall and Calc III next Spring...this would mean when I attend WCSU in the Fall of 2015 all I would be left with is differential equations for math.  Unfortunately this could become an issue.  

 

Now I'm really faced with a situation in which I have to figure out soon.  The problem with the summer is I'm at work from about 7 AM-5 PM Monday-Friday and to do that, and do Calc II which is from 6:00-8:45 would be nearly impossible for me, especially since math isn't a strong suit and Calc II I know will be brutal.  

 

My hope is form my Calc I class and the other Calc I class will have enough students going into Calc II (minimum 10 students enrolled) so they can offer it in the Fall.  

 

Finally, the advice I'm looking for is, how extremely difficult is Calc II and would it be worth taking it over the summer, with a schedule that is reduced and working full time be possible?  Obviously working full time and then having class a few hours later would not give me much studying time.  I would probably have to sleep like 2 hours a night but I just can't do that anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
weatherwiz

weatherwiz

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Calc 2 was not that bad, talk to the prof, work out a deal, most is book stuff, yes do it. You can and will find a way. PS summer courses are easier but more intense. The plus being the shortened time keeps everything fresh in your mind. Good luck.

 

What's great is the professor I had for Pre-Calc is also the same one for Calc I and he does Calc II....I did talk to him a few months ago and he said he does Calc II in the summer...this guys is FANTASTIC...he is absolutely incredible so if I could get him again for Calc II I would be so happy.  

 

I've just been thinking about this so much the past few days and if I want to reach my goal of getting to WCSU by Fall of 2015 I would likely have to take this route. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CoolMike

CoolMike

Posted
Posted

Calc-2 isn't that bad.  

 

For the tests treat each test problem as a puzzle: your job is to simply figure out which one or combination of a handful of integration methods unlocks the puzzle.  If the problem isn't working for you try a different method.  Practice the different methods faithfully and the puzzles start to solve themselves.

 

I wouldn't recommend Calc-3 in the summer while working full time - multiple integrals require much more careful concentration and are much more esoteric such that problem syntax becomes an issue if you are tired or unfocused.  Calc three was much harder for me than 1, 2, or Diff. Eqs.

 

You may find you like diffy-q's.  It's a totally different train of thought from the rest of the calculus curriculum. 

 

My recommendation: take it in the summer with the professor you like.  Once you get used to the long-day routine its not that bad.  The first week will be tough while your body and brain adjust.

I once took 5 classes while working full time.  2 were online and the other three were once weekly lectures lasting 3 hours.  At first it was brutal but I actually got used to it before the semester was even half over.

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
weatherwiz

weatherwiz

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Calc-2 isn't that bad.  

 

For the tests treat each test problem as a puzzle: your job is to simply figure out which one or combination of a handful of integration methods unlocks the puzzle.  If the problem isn't working for you try a different method.  Practice the different methods faithfully and the puzzles start to solve themselves.

 

I wouldn't recommend Calc-3 in the summer while working full time - multiple integrals require much more careful concentration and are much more esoteric such that problem syntax becomes an issue if you are tired or unfocused.  Calc three was much harder for me than 1, 2, or Diff. Eqs.

 

You may find you like diffy-q's.  It's a totally different train of thought from the rest of the calculus curriculum. 

 

My recommendation: take it in the summer with the professor you like.  Once you get used to the long-day routine its not that bad.  The first week will be tough while your body and brain adjust.

I once took 5 classes while working full time.  2 were online and the other three were once weekly lectures lasting 3 hours.  At first it was brutal but I actually got used to it before the semester was even half over.

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you so much for this response!  From what I've heard from a few people asking this question on fb and here, I'm actually more inclined to do this!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bch2014

bch2014

Posted
Posted

Yeah, I'm a senior in high school but taking Calc II this year (Not trying to brag, I'm just saying that I have current experience), and I find it much, much easier than Calc I. As a poster said above, much of it is just new integration methods, which once learned, are not too difficult. I also find myself having to do a fewer number of the same type of problem to grasp it compared to Calc I.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
weatherwiz

weatherwiz

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yeah, I'm a senior in high school but taking Calc II this year (Not trying to brag, I'm just saying that I have current experience), and I find it much, much easier than Calc I. As a poster said above, much of it is just new integration methods, which once learned, are not too difficult. I also find myself having to do a fewer number of the same type of problem to grasp it compared to Calc I.

 

This is really fantastic to know!  

 

I'm really loving the advice I'm obtaining and it's really making me want to do it!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
S&P

S&P

Posted
Posted

my advice since you asked

 

- hope (for Calc II to be offered in the fall) is not a plan - do what you need to do to stay on schedule - take the sure thiing

- learning to meet deadlines under (mild) duress will benefit you in the long run - you have two and three free nights in between classes, thats a lot of free time  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
heavy_wx

heavy_wx

Posted
Posted

The most important part of Calc II is understanding what integration is and how it relates to differentiation. The rest is mostly just specific tools to perform integrals. Once you understand those concepts, the class becomes much easier.

 

The biggest challenge with Calc III is being able to visualize things in 2-3 dimensions. However, I found that knowing some things about meteorology ahead of taking the class was helpful. For instance, I was already comfortable with gradients and contour plots before taking the class. Otherwise, It's mostly just generalizing things from Calc I and II to 3 dimensions. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
weatherwiz

weatherwiz

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Again thank you all for the responses!  All of the advice is really making my decision making process that much easier and I also really appreciate the advice regarding not only Calc III but of what to expect in Calc II and III and what I should be good at.  

 

I am definitely leaning towards taking it over the summer.  While this certainly will pose a challenge, I really think I am up to it and I want to challenge myself.  It may really suck and drive me mental but I feel only positives can come out of this.  Of course failing would be a negative but if that were to happen, at least I would have experience within the class and I would know what I would have to work on and failing during the summer doesn't really set me back any more than not taking it over the summer and holding off until the fall.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bboughton

bboughton

Posted
Posted

I would say the answer to your question depends on the Calc II curriculum offered.  Are you just going to be doing integral calculus, or will you start exploring sequences/series (convergence/divergence tests, taylor/mclauren series, etc.).  My calc 2 class even started covering complex logarithms and separable ODEs.  That would be a lot of material to cover in a summer course if you're not quick at math or if you don't have the time to study appropriately.  It's a lot more than just memorizing integration methods, IMO.

Calc III covers the same things as Calc 1 and 2 but in 3 or more dimensions.  Instead of dealing with areas (wrt integration) you start looking at volumes.  You also start doing partial derivatives and work a lot more with vectors and trigonometry.  Calc 3 was the hardest course I took in undergrad (diff. eq was much easier, but my professor actually wrote the textbook and is recognized nationally as a scholar on chaotic dynamical systems -- specifically on teaching them using qualitative methods, so that was neat). Calc 3 relies a lot on polar / spherical coordinates and being able to transition from different ways to express equations of surfaces in order to work with them.  

 

I would expose yourself to some of the content.  This is a good website to do so: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcII/CalcII.aspx and if you like video tutorials, youtube search PatrickJMT who has some great instructional videos for calculus. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ma blizzard

ma blizzard

Posted
Posted

for me calc II was the hardest, but I also took that 2nd semester senior year of high school which to say the least is a blur .. Theoretically, a summer calc II class will probably be a little easier than taking it during a typical semester, but it will be accelerated. Although, I think It will be really difficult with your work schedule to put a lot of time into that calc II class. It may be worth it to try to take it over the summer just to see if you can get through it ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chrisrotary12

Chrisrotary12

Posted
Posted

I found Calc 2 to be the most difficult.  Calc 3 and Diffy q's were a breeze.  

 

Like many have said Calc 3 involves 3 dimensions.  So instead of just an x,y coordinate plane you add in a vertical z axis.  My professor made it simple to understand by having the students image that the origin (0,0,0) was the corner of the room; with the x,y,z axis being the walls.

 

Made visualizing things much simpler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
S&P

S&P

Posted
Posted

Again thank you all for the responses!  All of the advice is really making my decision making process that much easier and I also really appreciate the advice regarding not only Calc III but of what to expect in Calc II and III and what I should be good at.  

 

I am definitely leaning towards taking it over the summer.  While this certainly will pose a challenge, I really think I am up to it and I want to challenge myself.  It may really suck and drive me mental but I feel only positives can come out of this.  Of course failing would be a negative but if that were to happen, at least I would have experience within the class and I would know what I would have to work on and failing during the summer doesn't really set me back any more than not taking it over the summer and holding off until the fall.  

good for you, i am sure you'll do fine

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ginx snewx

Ginx snewx

Posted
Posted

I found Calc 2 to be the most difficult. Calc 3 and Diffy q's were a breeze.

Like many have said Calc 3 involves 3 dimensions. So instead of just an x,y coordinate plane you add in a vertical z axis. My professor made it simple to understand by having the students image that the origin (0,0,0) was the corner of the room; with the x,y,z axis being the walls.

Made visualizing things much simpler.

A good teacher!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...