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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtunh!mtung!mtunf!ariel!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tikal!cholula!persci!bill
From: bill@persci.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Why take CALC (Blech!)
Message-ID: <214@persci.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Jul-85 13:26:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: persci.214
Posted: Wed Jul  3 13:26:33 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Jul-85 06:05:50 EDT
References: <199@rruxo.UUCP> <511@ttidcc.UUCP> <734@ihlpg.UUCP>
Reply-To: bills@persci.UUCP (Bill Swan)
Organization: Personal Scientific, Woodinville WA
Lines: 27
Summary: 

>>>What kills me is, after keeping up a very respectable average (even with the 
>>>c's in calc [3 times in a row]), I was turned down by more than one school 
>>>whenI decided to continue my education! My GPA was well above the 3.5 needed,
>>>but alas, MY CALC GRADES WERE'NT HIGH ENOUGH!!!!
>>>Any others out there plagued by such things???
>> ...discussion about not having to use calculus once on the job, even though
>> it was required to get the degree/job ...
>> Given the above, what is the justification for forcing _everyone_ to  study
>> calculus?
>[...] I don't know of ANYONE in the areas inwhich I want to work that EVER use
>anything more than algebra (if even that).  The justification I have been
>given by several people (including professors) is that even though I won't
>ever need calc., simply being able to do it shows a certain sophistication of
>mind that is hard to detect any other way.  I'm not sure that I agree with
>that, but I suppose that, for now, I must accept it.  I guess I look on it as
>paying my membership dues.

I'm not sure about the first writer's problems (although I can sympathize, I
had to take 1st quarter calc twice, 2nd Q thrice, 3rd Q once, to get passing
grades), but have learned that you do achieve a certain 'sophistication' (a
somwewhat larger viewpoint) by having been through the stuff. No, I don't use
any calc now, and barely any algebra, but am glad for my (painful) exposure
to it.  It's like 95% of education: it looks useless when you're studying it,
but you'd be surprised when and where it comes in handy (I sure wish I'd known
*that* when I was in school!).
-- 
Bill Swan 	{ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill