<p>My son will be able to choose between calculus and statistics as a senior. He will probably major in something under the humanities heading, but business is not out of the picture. He could take both math classes, but for someone who doesn't like math all that much I think that is too much. So which do would you choose? He has taken Alg. 1 and 2, trig, geometry, trig, and precalculus.</p>
<p>hi northeast: my two cents; if your college list is towards selective, privates go for the calculus; they want to see it. </p>
<p>If your college list is on the less competitive/selective side; doesn't matter; let your son decide; the less competitive schools are happy to see the pre-calc.....so either stats or calc will be gravy</p>
<p>The advantage of taking cal senior year is background for calc in college, if necessary....business calc in college would be what I'm thinking about....</p>
<p>Most humanities need or require a math course, but not necessarily calc at the college level....</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>rodney, thanks. You put in your post what I've been debating in my head. If he chooses business calculus is really great to have had in hs. If he goes with humanities he would more than likely take stats and if so, would it hurt too much if he did not take this in high school? He is a very average math student, and needs work hard for a B, especially with a weak teacher. Also, I'll send a PM to you.</p>
<p>I'll be waiting, but it sounds like your son is the clone of my daughter.....really working hard for that B....</p>
<p>I actually am making the same decision for myself, I have to choose between AP Stats and AP Calc for senior year.</p>
<p>I agree with rodney; when in doubt, air on the side of Calculus.</p>
<p>Another view. If you never intend to take calculus in college a HS course may be worthwhile to learn what it is all about. AP calculus is not as rigorous as calc at many colleges, students often repeat it or have to do a lot to succeed in the second calc course. Having calc in HS may make it easier to handle a tough first semester college calc course. Two semesters of calculus may be required for some majors, getting them at the same place would be easier.</p>
<p>Getting a statistics course out of the way in HS may be nice- learning how to deal with data is useful in many fields. For those only needing one stats class and going to a college that gives credit for AP exams this would help.</p>
<p>I think the concepts in statistics are less abstract than in calculus, it seemed to me more of a learning a set of rules and how to apply them (of course a math major may say the same about calculus...).</p>
<p>Choose the course your son thinks he would enjoy most/dislike least- one does better in any class one likes. Go for the knowledge first, not second guessing admissions. Tough choice to make, but base it on what your son wants to spend his time learning.</p>
<p>DD is not a math kid and is currently a HS senior. She is going to a second level college and took AP Stats this year. She will be an education/LA major. In my mind, stats has some practical applications and she will have to take a basic math course in college. Can't think of any way she would need calc.
I was an English major and now run a small business, never took calc and haven't missed it at all.</p>
<p>I agree with Rodney: some schools specifically say they want calculus, no matter what the prospective major. (Dartmouth, for example.) If that sort of school is his goal, then he should take calculus.</p>
<p>Certainly I don't think ANY school would expect him to take BOTH calc and stats senior year. </p>
<p>To some degree, I think that the desire to take calculus even though you doubt you will end up majoring in anything quantitative is an indicator that you are the type of person who would find a fit at that type of school, these days anyway.</p>
<p>I'm a recent college grad and I was in the same position senior year of HS. I decided on calc and it served me well in a few classes I took. I was a social science major and the calc background helped me in econ classes and a polsci course (game theroy).</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your opinions so far. Feel free to keep them coming!</p>
<p>Ched, I am thinking about that bc my son could end up in a social science. We don't know right now.</p>
<p>Schools like Dartmouth are not on our radar btw, nothing too selective.</p>
<p>wis, thanks. I see value in learning both, so I am debating which one would be most practical to have taken once in college. I am more concerned with that than admission to college. If calc is not required in college, then I see stats as the way to go. If calc is required for his major, then I think it would be wise to take calc in hs. Unfortunately, I don't have a crystal ball as far as his major.</p>
<p>There's also the question, if AP Calc is chosen, is which version (if your school offers both), AB which is the equivalent of one semester of a college class, or BC which is the equivalent of a full year college course.</p>
<p>At our public HS, the AB students outnumber the BC ones by about 3:1. The ones who take BC are usually intending to apply to some of the most competitive colleges and/or already intend to be math/science/pre-med majors in college.</p>
<p>In the case of my S, who's on the math/science track, he took AP Calc BC his sophomore year. The interesting question then became what to take jr and sr year. The AP Calc teacher suggested to us that, for him, AP Stats would not be rigorous enough and that he could pick up a better version in college (better than the AP version) if he felt he wanted/needed it. So S is doing a challenging on line course in linear algebra this year, to be followed up by MV calc next year.</p>
<p>Oh, it wouldn't even be AP calculus. It would just be an honor's AB calculus class. He would retake it in college if it were a required class.</p>
<p>Just another data point for you, northeastmom.</p>
<p>DD sounds much like your son. She was a good math student (mostly A's) but had a really bad precalc teacher/experience. (She made a B in the class, but it was a struggle and she hated every second of it.) In her senior year she took AP Stats instead of Calculus, even though I really pushed her to take Calc (for much the same reasons mentioned here.)</p>
<p>Anyway, she's now a freshman business major at a second-tier school (but in a first-class business program) and is required to take both calculus and statistics. Even though she did not take Calc in hs, she made a B+ in first semester business calc, and since she made a 5 on the AP stats test, she does not have to take stats in college. So in her case - stats was a fine choice, even for a business major! As a bonus - she really did like the AP stats class, and math became "fun" again.</p>
<p>S1 took AP Calc. AB as a junior worked hard to get a B ( passed the exam with a 4).
He decided on AP Stats for senior yr (also a B and a 4)
He was required to take both in college. He used his AP credit and went straight to Calc. 2 (got a B- and was thrilled). He never regretted taking AP Stats his senior yr. After he got to college, he heard others moaning about how tough the Stats class was there and was really happy that he already had AP credit for it.</p>
<p>I agree with most of the posts above. Calc would, in most cases, be better for application/ admittance to schools. However, if your DS does want to go into humanities or business then stats is the better choice based on applicability to his major.</p>
<p>I am not a math person at all, but I had AP stats or AP Calc (Ab or BC) and I went with AP Calc AB. It is a pretty tough class, but I didn't do bad in it and do not regret the choice. my friends in both AP stats and calc say stats is unchallenging.</p>
<p>Don't forget that many research-based social sciences will require calc. Better to take Calc in HS at the much slower pace, particularly since its only ~AB. Stats is a great course, but typically easier at the college level than is Calc at the college level (which can be filled with the engineer quant jocks and premeds who already completed AP Calcin HS but are retaking in college for the 'easy' A).</p>
<p>bluebayou, I did not realize that some social sciences will require calc. I agree with what you said about calc being more difficult. I think that I would prefer that he take calc. Stats is easier than calc in college, IMO.</p>
<p>^^bluebayou: I don't think the OP is talking about an AP class....the class is an honors class; the students don't take the AP test at the end....</p>
<p>or maybe I'm mistaken?? (based on northeast mom's cross post?)</p>
<p>rodney you are correct. We are not talking about an AP class in either stats or calc. Still, I think what bluebayou says is true.</p>
<p>Not knowing which math class he'll need in college (perhaps both), I think it is better to have had some calc in hs. I think that our decision will also be made depending upon who is teaching these classes at our hs.</p>