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Would taking Calculus 3(multi-variable) during high school be a wise choice for an aspiring engineer?

I’m currently a high school junior and I’m taking Calculus 2. Should I consider taking the next level of calculus at a local college next year? Will this help me progress faster or would it make no difference whether I take it now or later?

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Dan’s Answer

Yes, I would take it, preferably at a local college. Many colleges will accept the high school students if they meet the course requirements. If your Calc 1 and 2 were via high school then they are not likely to be accepted as the prerequisites for college level Calc 3 however you may be able to take a placement test at the college. If you test at the Calc 2 level, they should allow you into Calc 3 (which allows you to receive Calc 3 college credits). A Community College might be more receptive to this than a larger 4-year university.

Note: Your high school classes will not transfer to college-level credits however you can take a Calculus CLEP test which would give you college-level credits for Calc 1 and 2.

I believe that it takes repeated experience to truly master a subject so the sooner you take calculus, the more time you will have to apply it. You will also be able to then take even higher level math classes which should also reinforce the calculus material.

Talk to a college academic advisor about all of your options (placement tests, CLEP tests, credit by exam, and acquisition of actual college credits).
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M’s Answer

Hi Emily! I would definitely take as much Calculus as possible. Majoring in engineering requires you take a ton of math. However, whether you are able to get exempt from taking it in college depends where you end up going. This would be a question for a college advisor, but I would also recommend looking into it yourself. Regardless, if you have to take Calculus again in college, given your high school background it should not be too hard of a course for you. Wishing you all the best, hope this helped!
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