Engineering Major Senior Classes

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello, I am a senior this year looking to go into EE or ME.</p>

<p>I was wondering if I should upgrade my math class considering I will be applyiong to many top notch engineering programs (U Wash, UC System, Cal Poly,Santa Clara etc.). Currently, I am in an Honors Pre-Calc course. This is Precalc first semester and Calc A second. I've missed the deadline to switch before it will show in my transcript, but will an upgrade to AP Calc AB be seen as a negative on my transcript? I am 4 weeks into my senior year. Should I even bother upgrading? I basically want to know if the upgrade will be worth it in the admission process.</p>

<p>The only other AP I am taking senior year is AP Physics C.</p>

<p>Gpa is 4.0w(9-11), 1960 SAT 620, 670m, 670w
Gonna take act and math2 subject test soon</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>You will definitely be at a disadvantage once in engineering school not having had a full blown Calc course in high school. It will also be a disadvantage in your applications.</p>

<p>Not saying you can’t do engineering, but you will be up against some of the most brilliant math students you have ever seen who will run circles around you with no effort, mathematically. Be prepared for a four year slog.</p>

3

<p>Good to know^, yet at the same time, not good to know. ;)</p>

<p>Thank you for the reply.</p>

4

<p>Have you had trigonometry and precalculus (i.e. the prerequisites to calculus) already? If so, you should be in calculus. If not, you should be taking them to get a solid grounding in that material so that you can understand calculus when you take it in college.</p>

<p>Almost all engineering degree programs start math with calculus 1, although you would need to carefully follow the prerequisite sequences to graduate on time. You also need a strong knowledge of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to be successful in calculus (and pass the university’s placement test to get into calculus 1 in the first place).</p>

<p>(Note: calculus AB approximates calculus 1 at a university, although AB in high school takes a year to cover what is ordinarily covered in a semester at a university.)</p>

<p>Here are some on-line placement tests that test your readiness for calculus 1:
[Calculus</a> Diagnostic Placement Exam | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam]Calculus”>http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam)
[Placement</a> Test](<a href=“http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/index.html]Placement”>http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/index.html)</p>

5

<p>Yes, I have taken both of those. I will get onto switching into calc AB asap.
How will this transfer show on my transcript? I would’ve liked to meet the deadline for when it wouldnt show on a transcript, but Ive missed that by a day or so.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>