C in Calculus

A

anom

Co26 TWE Co27 Waitlistee/Rejectee Co28 Rejectee
Joined
Dec 9, 2021
Messages
288
Hello everyone,

I am a re-applicant and going to school at Penn State. I just finished English and Calculus here, and do not know my final grades. However, I am very confident I will get in the 94-96% range in English, but Calculus I am hoping I did better than an 80 on my final or my grade would drop to a C+. Would this be detrimental to a reapplication to USNA.

I am also taking Calculus 2 in the fall, and if I were to succeed in the class would that erase any doubt to the admissions board.

Thank you all for your time and help.
 
A “C” in calc won’t help. Was it from summer school?

As someone who struggled with Calc, I can promise that, if you don’t fully understand Calc I, it won’t get better with Calc II. So you might consider retaking. Suggest talking to your advisor.
 
It is during a 6 week session of summer school. I took it junior year in high school and got a b+, so i figured i’d retake it in college to get a better grasp before calculus 2.
 
Then you might want to repeat Calc I. A C in a summer course will hurt. Note that this is for USNA purposes only. For other goals, this may be perfectly fine.
 
usna1985 said:
Then you might want to repeat Calc I. A C in a summer course will hurt. Note that this is for USNA purposes only. For other goals, this may be perfectly fine.
Click to expand...
Curious, why the summer course distinction? Are summer course results looked at differently than full semester courses in the eyes of admission?
 
You should retake Calc 1. A C in calc 1 will not suddenly transform into an A in Calc 2. Just retake it, get an A and move on.
 
BS Econ required 1year of Calc.----hated every second of it, and struggled for Bs.

In those days you couldn't retake classes and replace the first grade with the second. If you can do that, there's no question. Retake Calc 1.

AND find the cash, (even if you have to borrow it from Mom or a friend) to hire a good Calc tutor. Not some fellow student out of a University tutor pool; a guy/or gal that tutors Calc as part of their income stream. Someone who can take you through a given piece of material with the experience to know where you are likely to say "wait what?"; someone who knows when you really get-it vs "ah-ya-I-get-it"; someone who knows all the alternate roads to understanding a given, rule, function, operation.

Think of the expense as a preparatory investment in Calc2 and Calc3, and a tool at the ready in the event you run into trouble in those courses. I learned that a good tutor is "golden" thru my daughters; wish I'd know this "way-back-when".

Best of luck to you!
 
I would recommend retaking it and getting an A. I got a C in Calc 1 and went into Calc 2 thinking I would be fine, but my weaknesses in Calc 1 really came to bite me in the rear and I ended up failing.
 
I ended up going back and retaking Calc 1 and 2 and did great in the classes, but wasted a year in the process.
 
Update: Got an 82.3 in the class. Any recommendations from here on out? Thank you for the time and help.
 
If an 82 is a B, then I wouldn't retake for the grade itself. The question is whether you believe you've mastered the material. If you feel confident, then move on to Calc 2. If you didn't feel great about Calc 1, then you might want to retake it or, as others have suggested, get tutoring.
 
NGeorge1 said:
Update: Got an 82.3 in the class. Any recommendations from here on out? Thank you for the time and help.
Click to expand...
What @usna1985 said -- if you have a solid B and understand the concepts, move on. Also know that the challenge of the material has some subjectivity based on the efficacy of the teacher and the problems they assign, so it is possible you may have a better calc 2 teacher and find it easier.

Of course it could go the other way as well.
 
usna1985 said:
If an 82 is a B, then I wouldn't retake for the grade itself. The question is whether you believe you've mastered the material. If you feel confident, then move on to Calc 2. If you didn't feel great about Calc 1, then you might want to retake it or, as others have suggested, get tutoring.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the help. Another benefit of being in the NROTC Unit is we having required hours every week and optional tutoring 4 hours a day from tutors within the unit.
 
Last year was my freshmen year of HS and I got a C in Pre-AP algebra 1/Advanced Algebra 2 during my second semester(first semester I got a B) I'm still in the advanced track but I was wondering if this will affect my admissions process?
 
EvanB said:
Last year was my freshmen year of HS and I got a C in Pre-AP algebra 1/Advanced Algebra 2 during my second semester(first semester I got a B) I'm still in the advanced track but I was wondering if this will affect my admissions process?
Click to expand...
Kudos to you for preparing early for the application process. Plenty of candidates have been admitted into service academies without having perfect 4.0 GPAs. Not easy, but possible.

What you do need to demonstrate is the ability to improve. Math is foundational and if you don't have a strong foundation in fundamentals, you will be fighting an uphill battle in each successive course.

Make sure you take advantage of any tutoring available to you and extra instructional time with the teacher.
 
Heatherg21 said:
Kudos to you for preparing early for the application process. Plenty of candidates have been admitted into service academies without having perfect 4.0 GPAs. Not easy, but possible.

What you do need to demonstrate is the ability to improve. Math is foundational and if you don't have a strong foundation in fundamentals, you will be fighting an uphill battle in each successive course.

Make sure you take advantage of any tutoring available to you and extra instructional time with the teacher.
Click to expand...
thank you for this advice I had thought if I showed improvement my chances would be better also I'm a boy scout and am getting close to Eagle currently I'm taking a geometry w/ statistics class and AP Physics 1 and I plan to take Calc next year and chemistry Junior or Senior year.
 
EvanB said:
thank you for this advice I had thought if I showed improvement my chances would be better also I'm a boy scout and am getting close to Eagle currently I'm taking a geometry w/ statistics class and AP Physics 1 and I plan to take Calc next year and chemistry Junior or Senior year.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you are on the right track. Make sure you peruse every drop-down menu, every page, and every section of the website of the SA you are aiming for. Look at the courses they suggest a candidate take. Make an appointment with your school guidance counselor and let them know what your goal is. See if they can get on board and help you align your coursework with what the SA recommends.

Take the PSAT as soon as you are able to. Apply for Boys State your Junior year. Good luck with your Eagle Scout goal.

Also, I know this is going to sound nit-picky, and this is 'just' an internet forum, but work on proper capitalization and punctuation. It is very easy for informal writing to creep into incredibly important formal writing (i.e.., nomination essays, application personal statements, resumes, even emails to a BGO or FFR). Details matter and deficiencies will be noted.

Pro-tip, download Grammarly into your browsers, you don't need to pay, just use the free version. It will catch mistakes, make suggestions, and turn you into a better writer over time.
 
Heatherg21 said:
Sounds like you are on the right track. Make sure you peruse every drop-down menu, every page, and every section of the website of the SA you are aiming for. Look at the courses they suggest a candidate take. Make an appointment with your school guidance counselor and let them know what your goal is. See if they can get on board and help you align your coursework with what the SA recommends.

Take the PSAT as soon as you are able to. Apply for Boys State your Junior year. Good luck with your Eagle Scout goal.

Also, I know this is going to sound nit-picky, and this is 'just' an internet forum, but work on proper capitalization and punctuation. It is very easy for informal writing to creep into incredibly important formal writing (i.e.., nomination essays, application personal statements, resumes, even emails to a BGO or FFR). Details matter and deficiencies will be noted.

Pro-tip, download Grammarly into your browsers, you don't need to pay, just use the free version. It will catch mistakes, make suggestions, and turn you into a better writer over time.
Click to expand...
Thank you for all this advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top