<p>Hey guys, I have a problem. So I've taken a TON of math and science courses and until this year I've done very well. 2nd semester of freshman year I took Pre-calculus honors online and made a 99. I then decided to take AP Calculus BC online as a sophomore. Long story short: the course was screwed up, no help was available, I couldn't drop it, and I had a lot of person issues this year.</p>
<p>This same year I took AP Physics B online too, with a similar experience. Now that final grades are coming out I'm going to earn something like a C or D in AP Calculus BC and an F in AP Physics B.</p>
<p>I took the AP Calculus BC exam this year and didn't feel like I did very well on the BC part but felt like I at least passed the AB part. I'm taking Honors Physics this summer to show I'm not giving up on physics but I'm kind of lost on what to do about math. Right now, I'm assuming I'm going to get a 3 on the AB subscore and will take Calculus II second semester at my local community college. </p>
<p>So here are the questions:</p>
<p>-Should I continue with math senior year (statistics isn't really an option) if I don't want to major in a science/math field?
-If I make a 3 on the AB subscore, should I take calculus II and differential equations junior year, and then calculus III senior year? Do I really need that much math?</p>
<p>Other info:
-Right now I'm considering a major in philosophy and public policy at a public school (top 30 nationally). Obviously I wouldn't need math for this but I can't say I'm ready to completely give up on math and science fields.
-After high school I'll be starting college as a Junior.</p>
<p>AB is Calculus I and a 3 on the subscore doesn’t sound that good. I would ensure that you feel very comfortable with Calc I before taking Calc II at a CC. Does you CC have a placement exam like AccuPlacer? There are kids that go into science and engineering programs starting in Calc II because they did well on the AP and find that they can’t pass Calc II without taking Calc I.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are doing the hard math courses at a young enough age to do well in science and engineering majors but perhaps you are rushing things a bit. My son has taken several online courses and support can be lacking. Sometimes you have to work things out for yourself because the turnaround time on email support is too slow. That can be very frustrating if you’re a high-school student used to more support from your teachers but a lot of college courses are like that - not enough support. A lot of the real world is like that too - you have to work things out for yourself or even invent new ways to do things.</p>
<p>Money and time don’t appear to be issues (correct me if I’m wrong) so I would suggest taking the toughest Calculus I at your CC (don’t take it if it’s for business or social science majors) and then the rest that you suggested. Do you really need that much math? If you want to go into science and engineering, you can’t take too much math. Those upper math courses make physics a lot easier too. You might also consider linear algebra and discrete mathematics if you have the time.</p>
<p>One other tidbit - there is an area of study called the Philosophy of Mathematics. You can look that up if you’re interested.</p>
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<p>Their math placement test doesn’t go beyond placement into calculus I.</p>
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Community college classes are free for me. I’m wondering if I really need a math senior year after calculus II. I guess my biggest problem is I haven’t decided whether I want to rule out math and science yet and I’m going to start college as a junior so I don’t have that much time. I’ve decided to earn my AA and AS general education cores (transferring the rest in a la carte) but I’d still be behind in most science/math majors.</p>
<p>Let’s say I don’t want to do anything in science or math? Do I need something like calculus III or differential equations just to have a math? Again, statistics isn’t really an option.</p>
<p>Look at the degree requirements for the majors that you are interested in but I’d guess that you won’t need more than Calc 2 for what you have listed.</p>
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<p>I’m just worried about being hurt in admissions by taking no math senior year.</p>
<p>It’s a consideration but with Calc I and II, you’ll exhaust what the majority of high-schools offer.</p>
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<p>I guess I’ll just see how Calculus II is and then see if I want to take Calculus III or differential equations senior year.</p>