Alright, this is a bizarre question to ask up here on GW (especially since I haven't been here in forever) but there's quite a few bright people here, and I'm getting mixed signals about this.

I'm heading off to college at Virginia Tech in less than two weeks, and I've trying to work out one more thing with my schedule. As far as math goes, right now I have Linear Algebra on my schedule. When I got some help from counselors/whatever about fixing classes I already had credit for, I was told that I could go ahead and take Multivariable Calculus because I have already got the Prereq's for it (I've taken Calculus I and Calculus II in dual enrollment).

However, I was looking at the Computer Engineering curriculum and it lists that Differential Equations is the next math class to take, then Multivariable Calculus comes the semester after it. When I brought this up to the Engineering counselor, she said that it doesn't matter what order I take them in and that I could even take them at the same time...

It's just that I have the Prereq's for Multivariable, while I think Linear Algebra is a Prereq for Differential Equations so I have to finish that class first. Plus, my Calculus II teacher this past year went and took Differential Equations at a college over the past summer so he could prepare us for it, since he said it's the next math class.


So here I am being told that Diff Eqs. is next, while an Engineering advisor at my college is telling me that it doesn't matter.

Does anyone here know exactly if there is a real order to these classes, or whether I should wait or what?

Here is my current schedule, with 13 credit hours right now anyway:


Any advice?

i would probably take multivariable before difeq. difeq uses a lil bit of multivariable, like partial differentials.

i'm pretty sure the order is the exponential sum of the polynomial

So do you think I should take go ahead and get them to place me in it this semester with the classes I have or should I hold off and take it next semester maybe?

I know that's ultimately my choice but I'm not sure how hard these classes will be... I was the only person to get an A in my Dual Enrollment Physics class but I am by no means a supergenius at physics, so mainly I'm afraid of the Circuits class.

this seems like a question you should probably ask an advisor, counselor, or a math dept. person who works at the school you're attending instead of the gamingw.net forums

yeah, dietcoke's right. it really depends what area of each you learn and how deep you go into it. it'd probably be useful to talk to profs or upper year students to get an idea of how they relate.

if the advisor says it doesn't matter which one comes first, chances are they probably don't have much material that crosses over, especially if one is not a prereq for the other.

if taking linear algebra before diff eq is up for debate, i would definitely suggest doing so. i took linear algebra and physics beforehand and found that they definitely helped... i would probably suggest multivariable calc before too if your school is anything like mine was.

this seems like a question you should probably ask an advisor, counselor, or a math dept. person who works at the school you're attending instead of the gamingw.net forums

the whole point of this topic (i even wrote it in the post if you had read it) is that the advisor tells me something different from everyone else that i've ever talked to.

even the school's curriculum contradicts her.


but i guess i'll probably take multivariable first then.

try talking to the professors from the various classes. or at least their TAs and see what they recommend