Hi, all.
I’m applying to boarding schools, and this might just be me getting ahead of myself, but does anyone know if BS allows students to double up math classes?
At the LPS i would go to if I didn’t attend BS, students are able to follow a math pathway that entails them doubling up in 9th grade and taking Alg 1 and Geometry at the same time. This allows us to get to Calculus by Senior year, even if we don’t start out in the right math class to do that. (Most kids at public school where im at don’t have the option to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade, which puts us at a clear disadvantage.)
I definitely would not be a math whiz compared to some of the people you’d expect to find at boarding schools. However, I do want to reach some higher level classes before I graduate.
If anyone knows more about this, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Thanks!
I don’t know the situation in other boarding schools, but in PEA mathematics is taught in a sequence, e.g. you’d have to take Math 230 to continue to Math 310. You can only do multiple math courses per term after you finish calculus. However, if you do well on the placement test and in your classes in general, you can be placed into accelerated classes. There are also opportunities of doing math in the summer. Keep in mind that boarding school in general is very rigorous - are you willing to spend two hours a day doing math homework?
What @happycria says is basically going to be the case for most boarding schools. Even if one starts in Algebra, one can get to calc as a senior - not by doubling up, but by following an accelerated path (which will come with a crapload of HW).
In general, it’s impossible to double up on subjects in the lower years, since grad requirements of art/music/CS/philosophy/PE, in addition to core subjects of English, math, science, social studies, and foreign language need to be met. 9th and 10th graders have little flexibility.
In my kids schools as skieurope says 9th and 10th graders have a set course load. You have some choice after that but not a ton.
I’d suggest you find a way of taking alg 1 over the summer. Once you get into a school you can ask about it. Other possibility is advancing in math between freshman and sophomore year. Some schools have programs for this.
Yes I think you wouldn’t get to calculus otherwise, not sure how you could. Alg 1, geometry, alg 2, pre cal. That’s four years of math.
The challenge with this is the timing of the placement test, which is usually in May/June… Math (and foreign language) placement is invariably based on placement tests, not past coursework.
What I’d really advise is not to worry about it until you get accepted to a school, and then discuss with the adviser.
You might be able to get school-specific info on their websites. Most have their course listings and requirements somewhere accessible. Fwiw, everyone should read the course info for the schools before they apply - you can tell a lot about a school by how they structure their classes. Eg NMH is totally different, and many schools emphasize the arts and music differently. what is an extracurricular and what is taken for units?
Math is a challenge for schools, because it is taught so differently around the world. Placement is tricky. But most will have a way to get you through calculus if you start in algebra.
In California it is normal for students to do algebra in 9th grade. There is a track at Cate: “Problem Based Learning”, based on the Exeter model, that doesn’t follow the Algebra-Geometry-Algebra II/Trig-PreCalc track in California public schools. It gets you through the equivalent of calculus AB by the end of senior year. You can read about it on the math page on the website, and my guess is it is comparable to what many boarding schools do for kids in your situation. If you don’t get on that track, though, you are going to have to do a summer math class. It is impossible to double up because the curriculum is hard-wired with requirements for the first 2 years.
My impression is that in general it’s hard to double up on academic subjects until at least 11th or even 12th grade. You’ll be required to take English, math, history, science each year, foreign language (3-4 years; typically you’ll be encouraged if not required to get to the IVth level), fulfill arts requirements, possibly P&R requirements, and possibly others. A summer or on-line course may or may not get you where you need to be to go into the next level course; BS classes move fast and cover a lot of ground.
Our school did not make it possible to double up on math. But if you were in Alg. 1 in 9th and did well in it, you’d be in calc by 12th. (Precalc in 11th was alg 2 and trig and functions).
A couple of kids did math courses over the summer in order to get to calc by 11th but I don’t think the school particularly encouraged this practice.
But I agree with everyone here that you should see first where you are accepted, explore this during revisits, then make a plan with your advisor.
And promise yourself that you’ll be flexible – you’ll need to assess your interest, ability, and time requirements for all your activities (academic and other) when you make your schedule for each year. It may be exactly what you plan at the beginning of 9th or it could change significantly. My kid’s interests shifted pretty dramatically in 4 years.
As noted above by @CTMom21, it is hard to double-up on math until 11th or 12th grade. There are sequences. What’s your goal?
Are you trying to skip a sequence? You will most likely be given a math placement test after your acceptance to BS. Even if you place in a high math class, you may find that you need to switch classes once school begins. Also, your math dept chair may not want you to take 2 math classes early on.
We do know of a student who took Algebra-2 over the summer through Duke Tip or CTY. However, this course did not cover as much ground as the BS course (which was more like Pre-Calc year at the local private school).
The accelerated & honors Math courses at BS run at a fast pace with lots of homework. That being said, we do know kids who take Calc and AP Stats at the same time Junior or Senior year.
I’m guessing that if you haven’t taken Algebra 1 yet that you are truly not a math-lover at all. Know that I do not see that as a bad thing at all. My DC who “hates math” is taking Algebra 1 in 9th grade. (this is not my 8th grade BS applicant for anyone who is tracking).
So when you talk about taking algebra 1 in 9th grade, I think about the advice I would give my 9th grader. But feel free to ignore if this doesn’t feel right.
I would really worry that even if a school allowed doubling up, that you would be SO MISERABLE doing that, given an apparent non-love of math.
Life is short.
Don’t write off four years of your life in being miserable in high school for the sake of having a better application for college, IMO.
On the flip side - if you really want to get back onto a certain math track, then by all means, consider a summer program. I would make sure it was a high quality, thorough program, though. A non-math-lover might not get enough out of an online program, and being behind the following year would just be miserable IMO, especially in a subject you may not really love.
Tempkid1 was placed into a lower math class than he should have been as a freshman at Kent and he breezed through with As and little effort. They recognized that and let him double up sophomore year (Algebra 2 and Geometry, I believe) and then they let him take a pre-calc course over the summer between sophomore and junior year which took him from a year behind most of his class during his freshman year to a year ahead as a senior. So it can happen but requires special circumstances. And I should note that he was not able to take European history as a result. Not a bad thing for him but you should know that accommodating such a request may require missing a course that other students would ordinarily take.
At Thacher, nearly all students, including those who came from public middle schools that didn’t offer Algebra 1, are able to take Calculus by senior year (though some choose not to). Those who want to advance faster and farther are assigned online work over the summer and given a placement test when they are back on campus in the fall.
@Calliemomofgirls yeah, I am most certainly not a math lover. Though, if given the chance to take Alg 1 is 8th grade, I definitely would have. Like @CaliMex said, it’s not offered at my school.
On that note, the news that I might be able to reach Calculus regardless is comforting. I guess i’ll see…
@TheHapinessFund Emma Willard allows doubling of math in 9th grade - many take Alg I and geometry at the same time. A smaller number take geometry and Alg II at the same time as Freshman. It seems to work fine.