Future NYU Admission

  • I am a sophomore at a high school in MA that is a year ahead in Math than most MA high schools in regards to the course (the standard is to take Calculus senior year and Pre-Calculus Junior year, ect.)
  • I know I am capable of doing really well because every single teacher I've had has said, "You are a smart and are capable of excelling in your classes if your full effort is there."
  • By Semester 2 Freshman year I did start trying and ended up currently with an A in the highest english (AP not offered but I'm in a 1:3), a A- in the average history, an A in math, and a B+ in Science (the level below AP).
  • In 8th grade math I didn't try and didn't do homework so my math teacher put me in Algebra instead of the standard for my high school, Geometry freshman year
  • Algebra below average for freshman
  • My math teacher in high school said it didn't matter which course you took to colleges because even though it maybe a year behind for LS, LS is a year ahead of most schools so it doesn't matter if your on the Algebra track or the Geometry track.
  • Is he right? Currently, I am a sophomore taking Geometry ; Level 2 with mostly freshman
  • The other issue with me is that since I have had so many organizational problems in the past and my mom is a lawyer... So I am now enrolled in learning skills.
  • I used to full time skills and am now part time (a lot of progression on my transcript already)
  • As a result of taking full time freshman year I didn't start take a language my freshman year so I am taking Latin (Year 1) as a sophomore and am again in a class with mostly freshman.
  • For extra curriculars I was elected to Student Senate freshman year and got re-elected this year (I'm well known enough that I will get re-elected all four years and possibly president my senior year), and I started a club at my school that revolves around fixing social issues and achieving humanism in our community.
  • Both the club I started and Senate both have to do with bettering the community and I am very into both.
  • I will work my a** off if that is what it takes because I have major goals (NYU is my dream school)
  • Things I'm willing to do is to double enroll in two math courses junior year so I can take Calculus senior year instead of Pre-Calculus (if what my math teacher said isn't right) or to join the Model UN Club and/or speech and debate (even though they don't genuinely intrigue me which I thought counts for something).
  • What should I do to possibly get into NYU by my senior year?
  • My school only offers AP's in math and science

The way this post is organized is horrendously confusing. All I understand is that you want to know if starting in algebra and ending in pre cal is a good idea. I see a lot of other information but I dont know what you want us to do with it.

What is learning skills and what does it mean to do it full time?

What do you mean youre trying to achieve humanism? Do you perhaps mean to help humanity or is it an academic endeavor involving the humanities?

I’m really sorry for sounding so cold, but as a future reference for posting on here, be brief and to the point. Make your titles relevant. 90% of the info you included here is superfluous. The extracurriculars and grades and ambitions are nice, but what is it that you want? A good title here would’ve been something like “Year behind in math and can’t do calculus” or something like that. Then explain the situation in 4 or 5 sentences.

WHEW! And to answer your question: yes it does matter. Your teacher is wrong in saying that your school is a year ahead. Almost every school has an accelerated track available for students who do well in math. Some students complete Calc III by their senior year. If youre looking at prestigious colleges like NYU, then they’re going to expect calc. At the bare minimum you should be in Calc I, which AP Calculus AB is an equivalent of, by your senior year.

Can you afford NYU? The financial aid is horrible and the cost of attendance is over $73,000 per year.

Have your parents make lots of money because it will cost >$70K/year. Not kidding.

I don’t mean to be that guy, but this was fairly confusing to read… But I think what you’re asking is whether not taking Calc will affect your admission at NYU? Short answer is yes, more selective schools want to see Calc. As far as what you can do to get in, keep your grades up (preferably above a 3.7 GPA), score well on your SAT/ACT, be involved and write well.

Some words of encouragement. My d who is currently a Junior at NYU never took Calc. She did take 4 yrs of Math in high school including two Honors Math classes and AP Statistics. It doesn’t sound like you know what you want to major in and there are lots of majors where you don’t need to be a math geek to succeed. Concentrate on getting your overall grades up and doing well on the SATs. If math isn’t your thing then find what your passion is and go for it! Good Luck!