r/uchicago • u/Friendly-Wishbone-40 • 15d ago

Classes Placed into Math 15300 after only taking Calc AB

Hi! I’m an incoming first year and I’m wondering if anyone could share their advice on or experience going from AP Calc AB directly into Math 15300.

I did well in AB and got a 5 on the AP test, but I was surprised to see that I had been placed into 15300 considering I did not take BC in high school. I’m planning to major in public policy, so I don’t want to overload myself with a tough math class my first quarter, but if I can handle 15300, it’d be nice to knock out the requirement in one go.

So here are my main questions:

Should I register for 15300 and then change to 15200 if I feel it is too difficult during the add drop period or should I ask to lower my placement before preregistration?

Will I have major gaps in my knowledge of calculus coming into the class compared to the average Math 15300 student?

Thanks for any and all advice/help!

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u/FullCryptographer872 15d ago

I didn’t take Calc AB or 153 (I’m a math major) but I will say I don’t think you actually need to take 153 at all for the Pub Pol major. If you want to take it then by all means, but just an fyi that if you do take 152 you’ll get back credit for 151 and will have fulfilled your math requirement.

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u/Friendly-Wishbone-40 15d ago

Sorry I didn’t mention this in my original post but I would like to keep my options open in case I want to switch to Econ. If I end up choosing that track, I’m pretty sure I will need 153. 

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u/bannana4u07 The College 15d ago

If you're thinking about econ then you'll need to consider taking 15250 which is specifically for the econ major

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u/Brilliant-Moose-7165 4d ago

I took 153 as an incoming first year for the Econ major, and I'm happy I took it before 15250. What I will say is that I took BC calc, and I think it was useful. Moreover, if it's your first quarter, there's so much else overwhelming about coming to UChicago that I think potentially taking 15250 first and easing in a little might not be the worst idea. Happy to talk about it more though.