<p>I'm not planning on majoring in science or math in college. I will probably major in history or English. That said, will top colleges (not necessarily Ivy League, but top 30 LACs) prefer to see AP Calculus over AP Statistics on an application? Or are they looked at equally?
(I know questions like this have been asked before. I did look through the threads about it, but nothing hit quite upon my situation and question.)</p>
<p>I'm not looking for the easier course (and at my school, it's not considered that much easier, the way it seems to be at some schools). I'm asking for two reasons:
1. Statistics seems like it would be more useful in life. Calculus is not something that I think I will ever need in life, considering the careers I'm considering.
2. I'm frequently absent from school (I have a low immune system, which means I get sick easily). I am capable of taking AP classes (I've got an A- in AP Physics B, one of the hardest classes at my school, and an A- in AP English Lit), but my friend says it's really hard to miss even one day in Calculus and that I would have an easier time (considering my situation) in Statistics.</p>
<p>Thus far in high school I've taken Geometry, Algebra 2, and Precalculus w/ Trigonometry (all honors).</p>
<p>So does the choice of math course factor into the college decision at top schools at all? Does it make sense to take Calculus in high school? Will I end up having to take it in college anyway? Because if it make sense or if not taking Calculus will put me at a disadvantage in the admission process or in college, I'm more than willing to put in the extra effort to work towards that.</p>
<p>Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated! :)</p>
<p>I'm currently taking both. Statistics will not be useful in real life, and it's boring. Calculus is somewhat interesting, and I don't think it's that hard to catch up on calc if you're out for a couple days...</p>
<p>while statistics is an interesting subject, the ap version is not advanced enough to cover anything worth while. the class is a complete waste of time and is a total bore. calculus isn't very difficult either, but at least its interesting. Also, missing days for calculus isn't too bad. I missed 25-30 days this year because its my last class and i had tennis, and I was easily able to get an A. If you're behind i'm sure your teacher would be welling to help you before/after class.</p>
<p>In my opinion Calculus will be more useful. If you take a class like economics and you don't understand derivatives, it could be a disadvantage.</p>
<p>I'd advise you to ask for a teacher who is extremely willing to help students out of class if you're absent a lot. That seems like a reasonable request that your school would be happy to follow.</p>
<p>I took both AP stats and AP calculus and in the long run, taking AP stats was by for more useful when it came to college. While I had to retake calculus in college, taking AP stats and passing it makes it possible for you to NEVER EVER have to take statistics again in your life.</p>
<p>Also, AP stats is something that can easily be done with missing classes since its a class focussed around a dead horse that you beat to death with your graphing calculator, though certain subjects such as null-hypothesis arguments and bias-analysis need to be understood.</p>
<p>I would suggest going for AP Calculus. Not all schools offer AP Statistics - but many offer AP Calc. There may be a reason - AP Calc is probably viewed as generally more helpful and useful to a student. While it's great that you have this choice at your school, given that it seems you are able to handle difficult AP classes while missing a couple days of school, you should consider trying AP Calc.</p>
<p>in the uc system, ap statistics is considered an elective and not a math class
statistics is more useful probably if you actually use it, but if you dont see yourself using it for a history dissertation (an exaggerated unlikely example), then its pretty useless</p>
<p>id personally take calculus, obviously take both if you can , but if you had to choose 1, take calculus</p>
<p>Both AP Stats and AP Calc are considered math electives by UC. (They are math 'electives' bcos the 'math requirement' for admissions is up thru Alg II). AP Comp Sci is also a UC math elective.</p>
<p>OP: you should really inquire on the boards of the individual LACs you are considering. I know several top schools even state on their website that Calc is preferred. Also, is the Calc at your school AB or BC? BC runs at a much faster pace since it covers AB in about a semester's time. Could you afford a calc tutor to assist?</p>
<p>If it counts at all, fizix says that Stats was extremely useful in her research, which is probably true for most other people as well. Statistics can be applied to basically anything, and, applied correctly, it can be one of the most useful courses you ever may take.</p>
<p>Hey guys,
Thanks for your thoughts and advice!</p>
<p>bluebayou--My school has AB and BC. I'm not sure which I would take if I were to choose one. I was thinking AB, but several people have told me that BC is taught by a better teacher. My friend says in AB, you basically analyze things 15 ways around, and in BC you learn the material the best way, and move on. I don't know if that's accurate or not (I don't mean universally--just at my school. The teacher who teaches AB does tend to talk in circles.).</p>
<p>I would go with AP Calc. It's a more difficult AND useful class, and I've even got a little calculus success story...</p>
<p>My best friend's sister went to Notre Dame for undergrad and majored in History, then got her JD from UT-Austin. Not exactly something that requires calculus, right? But because she took some Calc courses, the firm that she interviewed at was really impressed with her. Like, obviously she had a good resume, but the fact that she took Calc classes really made her stand out. For some reason, they really liked that. Needless to say, she got the job.</p>
<p>AND YOU COULD TOO!</p>
<p>Okay, that was a bit commercial-esque at the end there, but honestly, it's not a bad bet.</p>