I’m a junior who is planning their schedule for next year. I’m planning to major in math in college so is it worth it to take AP Stat and AP Calc or should I only take one of them? If I took both of these classes, I wouldn’t take a science class but I have already fulfilled my science requirement for graduation.
I’m a junior and I’ll be taking both next year along with AP Physics C. I think you should take both as well-- I hear Stats isn’t very difficult at all. Though you should probably take a science course next year if you want to go into a STEM-related field in college. For example, MIT is very strong in mathematics but it might not look very good to them if you only take as many science classes as you have to, you know what I mean?
AP Stats isn’t calculus based so it probably wont apply to any math degree requirements. Take it if you want but know that it won’t be very helpful as a credit.
I’m taking AP Stats as a junior, and (at my school at least) it’s not a very heavy courseload. Maybe 30-45 minutes a night at most. It’s a fascinating class and I really like it. However, it’s different for different people. Some people think it’s easy, but others have trouble with the critical thinking end of it.
As a senior currently taking AP Stats, AP Calc BC and AP Physics, as @sciencenerd123 said they would be, I think that Stats is much easier than Calc. In my school district, Stats is offered to students who have finished Algebra 2, so students take it as early as sophomore year, and that’s reflected in the intensity of the class. On the other hand, the students offered Calc AB (juniors and seniors) and Calc BC (seniors) typically find the class to be challenging. I was told by counselors going into the college process that AP Stats would be more useful if you are going into a field that is not STEM related, while it’s better to take Calc for STEM fields.
I also agree with @sciencenerd123 's recommendation for you to take a science course, if you are going into a science field, as it looks odd from the admissions perspective to see a student taking a year off a subject the plan to be pursuing. If you’ve finished all the classes you need for high school credit, I would recommend challenging yourself with taking AP science courses or taking classes through a local college (or something similar with PSEO).
Ap stats isn’t like the statistics class you’ll take as a math major and colleges will want to see all three of biology, chemistry, and physics + one more (preferably AP).
So, don’t take AP. Stats, take a science class.