<p>My son (a junior at a California high school) is interested in USC, Northwestern, UCLA and Berkeley. Does he need to have Calculus to be competitive? He took Algebra I as an 8th grader and then Geometry in 9th, Algebra 2 in 10 and trig in 10th. He would rather take AP Government than AP Calculus as he finds it more interesting. Anyone have any info or experience with this. FYI, he always makes a B in math.</p>
<p>Depending on what he wants to do in college, he’s going to have to take calculus anyways, so why not in high school? Taking AP Calc is beneficial in at least one of the following ways: 1) You can gain a fair foundational understanding of it, thus making it easier in college, and/or, 2) You can bypass it in college if you score high enough on the AP exam and attend a college that offers credit.</p>
<p>If he decides not to take AP Calc, I’d recommend at least taking pre-calculus in high school (he should have done that his junior year). Math is one of the most important subjects to an education, no matter what you want to do. You should go as far as you can in math without stopping.I presume he’s not taking a math class this year? If so, the guidance department at his school shouldn’t have ever let that happen. </p>
<p>Similar to your son, I took algebra I in 7th grade, geometry in 8th, algebra II as a freshman, and pre-calculus this year as a sophomore. I am taking AP Calculus AB next year and BC my senior year.</p>
<p>I remember when I was in algebra II, my teacher showed us this chart that illustrated the fact that the more math you take and the further you go, the better career you ultimately end up with, with a greater salary.</p>
<p>They do not offer precalculus at his school. His is taking trigonometry this year (I put the wrong year on my earlier note). I am concerned that for a student who averages around 84 in math, AP Calculus will be too rigorous. What do you think?</p>
<p>To be honest, calculus in high school is not a must have. it’s a regularity.
all of the schools you’ve listed is highly competitive even with 100% ap track students.
there is significant disadvantage in class rigor if your son does not have it in his senior class curriculum. if he does not take calculus, he will need to have a very very impressive sat/act math section.</p>
<p>My S is in similar position, he is taking pre-calc as a Jr, they don’t offer regular Calc just AP; they do have a 1/2 year calc & 1/2 year Stats course he might take. I’m thinking if he has to take calc or stats in college that will give him a good foundation. I think AP calc would be too difficult too. He is going to take AP Euro Hist & AP Envir Sci & possibly AP English.</p>
<p>I got into Harvard, Georgetown, Duke, and Stanford last year without Calculus AB, BC, or even precalculus in high school. I was also fortunate enough to be named a National Merit Finalist. In my opinion, my first-year college math classes were not terribly difficult even without prior exposure to Calculus. That being said, I made sure to take most of the other AP classes my school offered that interested me (APUSH, AP Euro, AP Chem, Lit, Lang…). Also, my majors are not math intensive (Criminology and Spanish, with the hopes of attending law school). It shouldn’t hurt your son too much, depending on his academic interests, extracurricular activities, and performance in other classes.</p>
<p>Let me just say, I struggled with AP Calc AB when I took it my junior year. It was, by far, the hardest class I took in high school. I had a wonderful teacher, but math never has been my best subject; I made B’s and even C’s in algebra 2 and precalc/trig. I’m going to Cal next fall from out of state and actually majoring in Political Science because I loved AP Gov so much… But my advice would be to take AP Calc. I think it set me apart from a lot of students just because to take AP Calc you need to take the whole track of algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and precalc/trig. It also shows admissions officers that even if he isn’t looking at a future in math, he strived to take the most difficult classes in every subject in order to be well-rounded. No one just stumbles into AP Calc. If your son has made it this far, he can do it!</p>
<p>At my school, it was arranged that it was sort of expected that students who took Pre-calc (which would probably be the same as trig at your school) take at least Calc AB. They sort of plan for Calc AB to be for relatively weak math students (by which I mean college bound but not math/science/engineering majors and not aiming for anything stronger than Michigan). I think some schools try to push these kids into AP Stats or no senior math, so if your school is one that does so, then he might be better off with AP Stats (no senior math is a bad option, those are strong schools), and even that will likely be a handicap.</p>
<p>Also to add, if AP Calc is an option that you guys ultimately scrap, then you may want to consider college algebra. Some high schools (like mine) offer it, and it’s what some of the non-math-related-major-college-bound students take their senior year. Your son could also probably take it at a community college. Just a thought.</p>
<p>But it certainly needs to be emphasized that some sort of math class needs to be taken.</p>
<p>^Most schools call that Algebra 2, which the OP’s son took in 10th grade.</p>