How can new cadet register for calculus?

A

AirsoftRanger

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2017
Messages
138
Class 2021 final week of Beast, 4th phone call: DS explains that registering for Calculus requires an AP test independent of the Beast math placement test, contrary to the many posts here discussing the merits of starting the fall with Calculus I or Calc II - thus, AP testing seems to be a USMA requirement for entering, not skipping, Calc I.

DS did not have calculus at his high school, so signed up for the state university new online calculus, whose educrats were opaque about offering only one semester of calculus - if we had to do it again, he would have signed up for the old established community college calc program. thus, with only one semester he never even thought about taking an AP test. DS thought he still might be able to start this fall with calculus, but is not sure how to accomplish that. Is this concern of his a Cadre thing or is this something he can troop over to an office to petition?

"The 12 mile march wasn't hard... not hard at all. We had TWO breaks. One break was TWO hours long. I wasn't hungry. I had twelve cliff bars. My leg kind of hurts. I think it'll be alright. our Cadre bought us a lot of food when we got back."

DS asked his mother for permission to buy a water bottle from the cadet store.

Cell phone reception (Verizon) was very bad.
 
Last edited:
AirsoftRanger said:
Class 2021 final week of Beast, 4th phone call: DS explains that registering for Calculus requires an AP test independent of the Beast math placement test, contrary to the many posts here discussing the merits of starting the fall with Calculus I or Calc II - thus, AP testing seems to be a USMA requirement for entering, not skipping, Calc I.

DS did not have calculus at his high school, so signed up for the state university new online calculus, whose educrats were opaque about offering only one semester of calculus - if we had to do it again, he would have signed up for the old established community college calc program. thus, with only one semester he never even thought about taking an AP test. DS thought he still might be able to start this fall with calculus, but is not sure how to accomplish that. Is this concern of his a Cadre thing or is this something he can troop over to an office to petition?

"The 12 mile march wasn't hard... not hard at all. We had TWO breaks. One break was TWO hours long. I wasn't hungry. I had twelve cliff bars. My leg kind of hurts. I think it'll be alright."
Click to expand...
Although cadre may be able to give some advice, he needs to go to math department for a change of placement.

They changed the standard math program a few years ago from Calc I, Calc II, and Stats to Math Modeling/Intro to Calc, Calc I, and Stats. For those who had some Calculus (ie AP AB rather than BC) it was recommended to start with Math Modeling/Intro to Calc.
 
2018 did not have to take a prerequisite for calculus...2019 did. Cadet should talk to math advisor to get the best information. Personally I would recommend your cadet taking the math curriculum suggested to him....they are kinda good at placement.
 
Last edited:
JWP said:
2018 did not have to take a prerequisite for calculus...2019 did. Cadet should talk to math advisor to get the best information. Personally I would recommend your cadet taking the math curriculum suggested to him....they are kinda good at placement.
Click to expand...
thank you both for your reply. One problem is that USMA does not have a record of his calculus transcript, as he found no option on how to upload that to the portal, and the school did not include it on his transcript.
 
Did he take the placement exams during the first week of Beast? Son validated both calculus and chem based on the placement exam he took during the first week of Beast. Son did not have AP of either subject area. He is registered for Jedi math and advanced physics based on the exam.
 
Love4monsters said:
Did he take the placement exams during the first week of Beast? Son validated both calculus and chem based on the placement exam he took during the first week of Beast. Son did not have AP of either subject area. He is registered for Jedi math and advanced physics based on the exam.
Click to expand...
Did his school offer AP classes in Calculus and Chemistry? Validating single variable calculus and chemistry and placing in advanced physics is quite an accomplishment without AP classes.

Just guessing that his high school is one of the rigorous private schools that has dropped the AP curriculum.
 
jl123 said:
Love4monsters said:
Did he take the placement exams during the first week of Beast? Son validated both calculus and chem based on the placement exam he took during the first week of Beast. Son did not have AP of either subject area. He is registered for Jedi math and advanced physics based on the exam.
Click to expand...
Did his school offer AP classes in Calculus and Chemistry? Validating single variable calculus and chemistry and placing in advanced physics is quite an accomplishment without AP classes.

Just guessing that his high school is one of the rigorous private schools that has dropped the AP curriculum.
Click to expand...

Quite the opposite. Son attended a very small school without AP courses. He validated based on his exam at USMA.
 
Agreeing w/ JWP...trust the process. My DS had AP calc, then a year of college w/ two calc classes (made an A in calc 1, C in calc 2)and still started w/ math modeling.
 
My kid also arrived at WP with a few semesters of Calc from our local community college and he also started in the Math Modeling class. Don't stress about this. It's ok to have a class that is slightly easier than some other classes. For my son, it gave him more time to spend on Persian (a language he'd never even seen before arriving at WP).
 
USMA changed the core math program due to a shift in philosophy in the math department which now places an emphasis on modeling. All cadets must take a course in mathematical modeling.

MA 103 Math Modeling/Intro to Calculus is a rigorous class. It should not be thought of as a course for those not ready for calculus. Many in the course have taken calculus. At another college these students would be going straight into Calculus I and some would be in Calculus II in a three semester calculus program.

Jedi Math is also a modeling course - MA 153 Math Modeling/Intro to Differential Equations. MA 153 is for those validating single variable calculus with a high level of proficiency.
 
bookreader said:
My kid also arrived at WP with a few semesters of Calc from our local community college and he also started in the Math Modeling class. Don't stress about this. It's ok to have a class that is slightly easier than some other classes. For my son, it gave him more time to spend on Persian (a language he'd never even seen before arriving at WP).
Click to expand...
I can't do anything about DS weight loss, so I picked something else to stress about... and Now I understand the curriculum terminology.
 
Thanks you all. I was wondering what MA 103 meant--if it was the "you did not do well on the math placement test" class or if it was the regular track.
Anyone have a link where we can look up what these things mean? Like EV203 or RS101 (which seems like 'remedial swimming' or something...)
 
EV203 is "dirt" or the environmental/geography class that cadets have to take. RS101 is a study skills class that cadets can opt to take, or depending on what their background was prior to college (i.e. rock math track because lack of math in previous classes, etc. or for many folks who go to the prep school to continue to build their academic preparedness for the Academy's curriculum) that can be made mandatory
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top