I am currently a junior taking precalculus. I am doing okay - I have an 87 in the class - but I do not enjoy it at all. I’m starting to think about my classes for next year and I really do not want to take calculus. I could take statistics, but my high school also has a class in personal finance, which actually interests me and I think it would be practical. Is it okay to take an “easy” math class?
My parents were super high achievers in school and don’t understand why I wouldn’t take calculus, but that’s not me. I am an A-/B+ student and I’m really busy with theater, dance, and cheer.
I am not going to major in a STEM field and I am looking at colleges with acceptance rates mostly in the 60-80% range. I will be taking AP Lit & AP Gov and a non-honors science class. Will skipping calculus hurt me?
Personal finance does not usually count as a math, so if you need 4 years, take the stats class. It will serve you well in college. And still take personal finance - it will serve you well in life.
@onipl are you sure that your school does not offer a less rigorous math class? Something like “math 12” or “college math”? Many students are not strong in math but still need four years — I commend you for your thoughtful decision making and hope you find an alternative -speak with your guidance counselor to find out if there is another option that meets the math requirement.
You do not need calculus. You could take math for college or Intro to Stats if you like. Your theater, dance and cheer are more important than math at this point, I think. Are you submitting an arts supplement?
Stats may end up being the most useful class you take in HS.
It is LITERALLY everywhere. Will I get Covid? Why is my car insurance so expensive? How can I get a lower interest rate credit card? Do I need a colonoscopy at age 30? I had unprotected intercourse yesterday- could I be pregnant? There are only 85% of the precincts in my state reporting election data, how can CNN declare who the winner is (with next to total certainty)?
Learning how to interpret the data which is all around you in your daily life is a very powerful tool.
Take stats! If you decide you need or want calculus in college, it will still be there. The world isn’t running out of calculus.
AP statistics is not generally considered that difficult. Colleges often have a math or quantitative reasoning requirement that a high enough score on AP statistics can fulfill.
Thank you, everyone. This is very helpful. My guidance counselor just tells me whether I have met the minimum requirements for UC/CSUs, but since she has 500 other students to manage I can’t blame her.
I will be submitting an arts supplement. I have already started working on a reel of my choreography.
Just an FYI, meeting the UC/CSU requirements if applying is imperative but exceeding these requirements is important to be competitive even if you are planning to submit an Arts supplement.
For UC and CSU, the minimum math for frosh admission is geometry and algebra 2, so you are already beyond that with precalculus.
However, they tend to have college graduation requirements higher than that. Commonly, a high enough AP statistics score or a college introductory statistics course will fulfill, but check each campus for details. In a few cases like UCSD Revelle, calculus may be required as a general education requirement.
My D23 did not take Calculus this year. She has a learning disability and is a year behind (at her school) in math so she is taking precalc. She isn’t taking any science at all this year. She’s applying for Communications and Design programs and has so far been accepted everywhere she’s applied. I would take a stats class and do well and I think you’ll be totally fine. A lot of majors require stats in college so you might as well get a head start.
I like the math for college course. This way you can get some exposure to both calculus and statistics in case you do need to take a college level course in either one down the road.
I looked at a few high school courses descriptions for courses with that kind of name. They look like lower level introduction to precalculus and statistics for students who struggled with algebra 2.
Such courses would not be a good choice for the OP, who is doing well enough in precalculus and could probably do fine in AP statistics. That may allow the OP to go into college with the math or quantitative reasoning requirement fulfilled (depending on the college and AP score), instead of having to take such a course in college.
Of course the OP needs to read the course descriptions and understand the course content in the context of what the HS offers.
FWIW back in the day when I was in HS (very few students took calculus in my HS) I took a class that sounds like the one described and it was viewed as an advanced math class - the level right below calculus. It proved tobe helpful when i took stat and calculus in college. So YMMV.
To answer the question directly, you do not need to take calculus, particularly as a non-STEM related major. Any college will offer a college level calculus if you need it for a requirement later in college.
My recommendation would be the AP Stats course. It is generally an easier math course, gives you the option to receive college credit, and shows rigor. Intro courses are typically not that competitive, and you don’t want to appear to “slack,” especially if you’re trying to contend for merit consideration or Honors college considerations.
