<p>I posted earlier that my son, a senior, was shut out of BC Calc, and already took the equivalent of Calculus AB this past summer. Do you think AP Statistics would be a good alternative, both from an educational and transcript perspective? He's planning to major in physics, and is taking AP Physics this year. Thanks for your input. </p>
<p>At our high school they take AP Statistics in 10th grade. DS goes to Georgia Tech and they don’t even give credit for AP Statistics. So while it’s better than nothing and probably not a very hard class for someone who already has taken AP Calc AB I’d check into the schools that your son is thinking of applying to and see whether it’s really worth it or not. </p>
<p>Did your son find it a useful class in terms of what he learned? </p>
<p>He thought it was interesting. He’s an engineering major they do have to take a 3000 level probability/statistics class but I highly doubt that what they teach in AP Statistics all that useful for a 3000 level class. </p>
<p>The college-junior-level course(s) will likely cover the same basic concepts in a much more mathematical fashion, using calculus and perhaps more math.</p>
<p>I love statistics and I’m a quantitative social scientist, but no, it’s not an equivalent alternative.</p>
<p>The information will be useful only in a preliminary kind of way. He’ll be exposed to the basics of what he would learn in an introductory calculus-based stats class in a math department (which would be what he would take in college, really, being a physics major). The benefit might be that he’ll be familiar with the terms and basics before he learns the heavy-duty math behind them (e.g., understanding the normal distribution before he learns the function for it). It will be somewhat easier to learn the material in the calc-based class with the non-calc exposure. So if the choice is between AP Statistics and no math at all, then AP Statistics might be a decent choice.</p>
<p>But it’s certainly not as math-rigorous as calculus. It relies mostly on conceptual understanding as opposed to calculation. If he has the opportunity to take calculus II at a community college, I’d do that instead. Or if he really, really wants to take something else in place of AP Stats, then depending on what it is that something else might be a better choice.</p>
<p>The kind of prob & stats your son will take, should he choose to take it in college, will be a calculus-based prob and stats. He’ll have to have finished at least two if not three semesters in the calc sequence in order to understand the principles of it.</p>
<p>His choices are to take ab calculus which he took the equivalent of this summer (basically repeating the material), taking no math or taking stats. Not sure which is best of poor options. </p>
<p>A class outside of school at a community college is not an option with his schedule unfortunately. </p>
<p>Option D: Audit Calc BC and hope someone drops out. If he can’t get into BC, have the GC reference on the secondary school report that he was shut out of the class.</p>
<p>Will he take the AP Calc test - that may be the only way to get credit from the college. It might make sense to take AP Calc this year and then pass the test in May.</p>
<p>Skieurope if someone doesn’t drop out he won’t have any math on his transcript and gc won’t put it in his reference letter. </p>
<p>Kiddie not sure if he’ll be able to take the A.P. test if he takes no calculus this year. </p>
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That ludicrous; that is the lease s/he should do. I’d suggest going up the ladder.</p>
<p>I’d be less concerned about having math on his transcript than having a math course that will position him for success in his college courses. While he can explain the lack of a formal course on his app, it would be far better if the GC backed him up on that.</p>
<p>I’m confused–he’s taken no other math classes in his current HS? Where did he take them? You mention taking AB caucus in the summer–can’t you send the record of that along with his regular transcript?</p>
<p>My D took AP Stats her senior year after having taken Calc 1 at community college during the summer. She loved AP Stats (interesting subject matter, great teacher). She’s not a Physics major, however; she’s a double major in Econ (through business school) and Math. She did get credit for the elementary statistics class all business majors at her college have to take, and the AP Stats course was helpful as background for the 400 level Mathematical Statistics class she’s taking now. She didn’t need to take the AP Calc exam because her school gave her transfer credit for the community college class. Where did your son take his “equivalent to AP Calc AB” class? Was it somewhere such that the HS will put it on his transcript or he can have a separate transcript sent? How certain are you that it is the equivalent? </p>
<p>AP Stats is such a dumb course that the stats teacher at our high school used to have the curriculum covered by November. Then he taught real Stats. It’s totally ridiculous that the GC doesn’t want to address being shut out of a particular course, our GC had to do it for our oldest son who had to make several compromises in his schedule because of conflicts.</p>
<p>My D is taking AP Stats right now, as well as AP Calc AB. In looking at her Stats textbook, it seems very much like the Stats I took in college as a sociology major (which I loved). She is enjoying both courses so far.</p>
<p>If it’s Stats or no math at all, and Calc AB has been taken already, then I’d keep stats…or look into something else of interest (a science elective?). </p>
<p>I think there are two separate issues here. </p>
<p>The first is what to take so that his transcript shows the rigor needed to get into the colleges he wants. If the calc class is going to be on his transcript then he should take AP stats instead of no math. It would then count as the most rigorous course load (since BC was not available to him). If the calc class is not on his transcript than he should take AB calc (despite it being a repeat) to then show a more rigorous course load. No senior year math would look bad in either case.</p>
<p>The second issue is what college credits would he get depending upon his classes. If his current AB calc does not include passing an AP exam then he will not get any college credit for calc and depending upon his major will have to take calc again in college (after skipping as year without it). In that case he needs to be in AB calc in high school and take the AP exam in May. It seems to me that repeating calc 1 in high school is preferable to repeating it in college. In this case AP Stat does not make sense and no math makes even less sense.</p>
<p>I should add I am a fan of AP Stat (my daughter took both AP Stat and AB Calc in high school) and her college gave her credit for both. She is now a math/econ major and has since taken more advanced stat classes but the AP stat class gave her a good foundation in stat.</p>
<p>Mathmom the gc will write a note if my son takes AB saying that he was shut out of BC but since auditing doesn’t really exist and would be against union and city rules if he did it they wouldn’t acknowledge it. </p>