Calculus

What would you say is the difficulty level of this class?

“I think it’s very challenging actually, I think it’s something for people who are going to take math very seriously. We even put in our syllabus, ‘Hey it’s not just about hard work, you have to really have good math aptitude to be successful in the types of problems that they ask you to have, but it requires a commitment. You have to be really interested in the mathematics, you have to be able to do all the work, and you have to have the work ethic that goes along with it really to be successful. So for all those reasons, I would consider it one of the more challenging courses we have I would say.” (Frederick Griesbach, teacher)

“The first tri wasn’t that bad, but the second tri was harder because it was new stuff.” (Eric Guo, senior)

“I didn’t think it was that hard. I mean, the content wasn’t that hard and it all builds off of the last thing that we learn so that helps.” (Annette Strube, senior)

What is the workload like?

“I think it varies, some things come easier for some students than others, but I would say you should be regularly committing just like any mathematics honor class. On average, 30 to 45 minutes in the evenings… sometimes you have to cram a little harder when there’s tests and things coming up… and certainly outside of class seeking some tutoring and things like that when you get stuck on certain problems be it from a peer or from me.” (Fredrick Griesbach, teacher)

“It depended. Some nights it was a lot of work at once, other times it wasn’t that bad.” (Eric Guo, senior)

“We had hardly any homework. We rarely had homework.” (Annette Strube, senior)

Why would a student want to take this class?

“To challenge themselves. If you love mathematics and you plan on taking mathematics in college, especially. There’s credit incentives as well of course with all AP classes, but if you are interested in mathematics, particularly mathematics at the next level, it’s one of the more important classes that you can take.” (Frederick Griesbach, teacher)

What kind of careers could this class lead to?

“A lot of the students that are in this class are interested in engineering, maybe there is some overlap in physics and things like that, but a lot of the students that have come through this class have always expressed an interest in the different aspects of different types of engineering fields.” (Frederick Griesbach, teacher)

Any tips for students looking to take this class?

“Just be sure to study and understand the concepts.” (Eric Guo, senior)

“Basically I would just study before the tests and I guess make sure you are following along when you can and go home and review stuff.” (Annette Strube, senior)

Is there anything you would have done differently now that you have taken this course?

“Take more time to begin with in understanding the concepts.” (Eric Guo, senior)

“I would probably ask the teacher even more questions [than I already did].” (Annette Strube, senior)