My son finished calculus AB as a sophomore in high school; he passed the AP calculus test with a score of 5. Sadly though, he now HATES math, a subject he used to love. He wants to never take math again, however his counselor has informed him that he must take one more year in order to fulfill the University of California requirements. I suggested a year off, hoping this time might allow him to decompress. His teacher advises against this as he would lose too much during the downtime. If he refuses to take another year of math in high school, does this mean the UC schools will not consider him without this “third” year? Doesn’t reaching the level of calculus count for something? (Note: I home schooled him for two years which allowed him to naturally excel, so he was much further along than the typical student when he entered high school.)
Thank you in advance for the feedback.
UCs will see that your son has gotten to a high enough level in math early on and use those lower level classes that he took in middle school to count toward the a-g requirements. He does not have to take a third year. Has he taken stats yet? That might be the way to go to get another year if the counselor insists on it
[University</a> of California - A-G courses](<a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/a-g-requirements/index.html]University”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/a-g-requirements/index.html) says that a 5 on either AP calculus test fulfills the math requirement for admission.
Also, precalculus (presumably taken freshman year) validates all of the three required years of high school math (algebra I, geometry, algebra II), since it is a more advanced course that has those three as prerequisites.
Strictly speaking, middle school math courses are not considered; it is the completion of a more advanced course in high school or sufficiently high score on a standardized test that validates the courses, even though they may be absent on the high school record.