<p>I just finished AP Calculus AB this year as a junior, and my high school doesn't offer anything higher for math. I was planning on taking AP Stat next year. Thinking about going into mathematical economics/finances, I thought that would be a good course to take.</p>
<p>I have one question though,
how will colleges look at that? Will they think I'm slacking?</p>
<p>Yes, taking an AP class obviously means your slacking.</p>
<p>If you're planning on majoring in anything math related, it's important to take a math senior year even if it has to be AP stat. S ended up taking that for reasons similar to yours, and he did that on the advice of college admissions officers.</p>
<p>The AP statistics course can be a very useful class. Here are some articles about the rationale for the course, by professional statisticians. </p>
<p><a href="http://statland.org/MAAFIXED.PDF%5B/url%5D">http://statland.org/MAAFIXED.PDF</a> </p>
<p>I took that class junior year of high school and successfully obtained credit. Unfortunately, it doesn't meet the correct statistics requirement at my university so it's useless to me. I'd make sure it applies to something. College credit is worth nothing if it doesn't apply towards your degree/core curriculum.</p>
<p>I've never taken it but from listening to others and reading this board I have found its never "good": only amazing or terrible...I would suggest finding out what its like at your school.</p>
<p>Carefree: you sound like my son who's also at the end of the math road at his school. He's planning on taking AP Statistics, AP Economics, and College Political Science next year in prep for business/finance.</p>
<p>fehzan: there's merit to taking the most rigorous curriculum you can succeed in, even if you don't get college credit.</p>
<p>My D also took Calc as a jr and her HS only offered AP Stats. Instead she took 2 quarters of Vector Calc at the local university. Luckily the school district paid for it, otherwise it would have been expensive. One benefit was that she was able to take Diff Eq this year as a freshman in college.</p>
<p>p.s., if you aren't able to take a college math course I don't think schools will think you're slacking as you are taking the most difficult schedule your HS offers.</p>
<p>Even though no AP Stats credit will transfer to Cornell Engineering, it's helped me in other places such as life. :)
Cheery music goes here.
I didn't need the extra cred though since I'm taking Calc & Stats at the same time, but part of that was due to the teacher I guess. Take the extra year of math. Dual credit at a university should do it.</p>
<p>All in all I'll end high school, very shortly thank goodness, with:</p>
<p>3 Language Credits
4 English Credits (Required)
4 total history credits, 5 history courses (required)
5 Credits of Math
6 Credits of Science
3 Fine Arts Credits</p>
<p>The rest are Yearbook/Random elective goes here. It should come out to 32 or 33.
These were all completed while in high school. 1 history credit, two courses, were done at the local CC for dual.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, it doesn't meet the correct statistics requirement at my university so it's useless to me"</p>
<p>It's not useless. The knowledge you gain will make many college courses easier for you than if you hadn't taken AP stat in h.s.</p>
<p>I took AB Calc junior year and AP Stats this year. I think that it's kind of a busywork class in my school. But, I have learned a bit, so, hopefully it will give me skills for my prospective business major.
I can't really say if it really hurt me, but I don't think it did. I didn't get in many of my top schools, but I doubt it was attributed to my lack of a senior year "real" math course.
If your other classes are APs/Honors, they won't think you're slacking, i'm sure.</p>
<p>It's weird, UMichigan offers as many credits for AP Stats as it does for AP Calc. I don't think you're at a disadvantage taking either one.</p>
<p>AP Stats is an excellent class to take for econ/finance. It's useful in many areas and with many degrees (including the social sciences). As other posters have mentioned, even if you don't get credit you will be familiar with the material and do that much better in college courses.</p>
<p>AP Stats=best class ever. Take it.</p>
<p>And to hint that it would be viewed as "slacking" is absurd...</p>
<p>Thanks lots. That makes me feel much more confident about next year. The doubt I was having was because next year is our first year offering the course, and many "non-math-types" were taking it next year to avoid AP Calc. They might have compared it to normal statistics. Hopefully I'll learn something that will contribute to my math/econ major in college. It looks like most of my schools will be requiring some type of stat class, so it should count for college credit.</p>
<p>My schedule next year will also include:
AP Government
AP English/Lit
AP Psychology
Spanish 300</p>
<p>I have another question.</p>
<p>I've been pretty focused on science these last few years, being in Science Olympiad for the last four years and taking three science classes this year. However, next year, there is a conflict between AP Stat and Advanced Chemistry. I chose stat because math seemed more important- and because I like math more, but that means I won't have any science classes next year. How will colleges view this sudden "drop" in my science?</p>
<p>Advanced chemistry is the last science class there is left to take at my school. I've finished all the other "main" ones.</p>
<p>Have your GC explain the scheduling conflict in their evaluation.</p>
<p>This thread got us talking. My son, who will be a senior next year, was planning on taking Honors Calc. He doesn't see himself as a math kid (despite Mu Alpha Theta and 780 on his math SAT), and is debating whether he should take AP Stats instead of Honors Calc, which would be more practical considering he's going into anthropology. The question is, would the colleges question the missing Calc class, and the inclusion of AP Stats, negatively?</p>
<p>Do AP Credits help much in getting to colleges ??? Some students try to get as many AP credits as they can in junior year so that they have good report to apply. My situation is I will take AP Calculus in senior year, which is too late for college application. Do you think I should spend time challenging with it???</p>
<p>We look at AP classes as a way to take the most rigorous classes (except colleges classes offered at our HS) in High School. But, in tracking the progress of some very talented students, it seems to be a good idea to take the actual college class (esp. sciences) as opposed to taking the credit in areas of emphasis. On the other hand, if you're fulfilling GE requirements, AP credits are great.</p>
<p>So legend.dracula, taking AP classes does help because it shows you are taking a rigorous curriculum. It's your choice to report/utilize the credits.</p>
<p>ap stat is disgustingly boring, but colleges will definitely not think you are "slacking"...it's a ap course, and while much less difficult than calculus, it is still a very useful subject, especially if you're going into economics/finance</p>