I’m currently in sophomore year taking AP Computer Science. I love computer science, and I am thinking about it as a future major. Problem is, I’m not doing as well in the class as I hoped.
My teacher talked to me and told me she thinks it might be wise for me to drop the class. She told me most people taking this class had lot of years of upper level math under their belt (precalc, both AP calculus classes, ECT.) and she thinks that might be the reason why I am struggling so much. She said that people taking those level of maths have a better problem solving ability to tackle these computer science problems overall. Since I have only taken one full year of algebra so far, she thinks I’m not as equipped as the others and that I should consider taking the class another year (when I have more experience with math.)
I definitely see where she is coming from. So far, the only reason why I haven’t been able to keep up with the class is because I’m having a hard time coming up with original solutions to the problems; it’s not the math that’s hard, but coming up with original solutions from math is, because I haven’t seen a lot of these types of questions before.
Also, another thing to consider… I think it’s past the point where I can drop the class without colleges seeing it on my transcript. So if I do drop it (and end up not taking it again) it will look bad.
Help! I need some honest advice!! Also, has anyone here ever dropped a class, and how did that overall affect your admissions?
@skieurope I have currently around an 84-85 in the class. But the thing she is noticing is that it takes me longer than everyone else to finish programs and tests. I am taking AP Computer Science A (my school said they will never offer AP Computer Science Principles, as we already have an Intro Course to Java.)
The prerequisite for the class is to have taken intro and concurrently being in algebra 2. But like my CS teacher pointed out, most people have taken this class while taking either precalc or calculus. (Even though it doesn’t say that as a prerequisite on the sheet.)
I’ll have to check with my guidance counselor, but I’m already almost 90% sure it’s past the deadline to drop a class without a W.
I think my CS teacher thinks it will be harder for me to keep up with the class once we start doing a lot more math in our programs (even though I am a strong math student, I have not been exposed to that much math, only one year of high school algebra completed so far.)
An 84-85 is a solid B. In my mind, that’s not a good reason to drop a class. One B won’t be a death knell. Colleges are looking for students that can challenge themselves.
Other students might be having an easier time, not because they have calculus experience (which is not needed), but because they are older and have more experience in general. There are plenty of online resources to help you along. I would stick it out.
1)Since you took Algebra in 9th grade, that tells me you are not an accelerated student. So not being able to do great in a college level course as a sophomore seems expected. If you dropped it now, what would you take? Could you take it later?
Are you female? If so, there might be some implicit bias from your teacher not thinking a girl can do Comp Sci.
Do you need to take this class now? Are there other classes you could take as Dual Enrollment to continue your comp sci education? If so, you would want to continue.
If you are female, are there any Girls Who Code clubs or anything like that? If not could you start one?
Don’t necessarily compare yourself to others in class…if you think you are doing well enough with an 85 then keep going!
Listen to @bopper ! There were many times last year when I wanted to drop APCS because I felt like my teacher (later in the school year) didn’t expect me to succeed at the level of his other students. I stuck with it though. I ended up getting a 4 on the exam, while most of my classmates got 2s. (Please don’t copy code from the internet. Use other code for reference, but you have to practice any opportunity you get in order to do well.) Computer programming is fun and you shouldn’t drop it simply because of your grade.
Don’t worry about the amount of time it takes you to write code for now. So long as it gets the job done and you can understand it, keep doing you.
For exam prep and homework help, I recommend Barron’s and Litvin’s study guides.
@bopper
1). I don’t think I will have enough room in my schedule to take in another year. I am in the STEM program, so almost all of my core classes are at another building, plus I have to take a required engineering course every year as well. I loose class periods because of travel time. I DID hear there was an online class for it, but the problem with that was that it’s EXTREMELY expensive, and myself nor my family have money for that kind of thing.
2). Yes, I am a girl. And lol, my CS teacher is a women. I do not think she is prejudiced towards my gender, but rather she is worried about my level of math. Like I said, she explained to me how she had never had a kid in AP computer science with only my level math experience, and she had noticed I was having trouble.
3). Yes, scheduling issues. I also do want to take DE for computer science if I can possibly at a CC after (if I do) finish APCS.
4). Currently we have no Girls Who Code Club. I can’t make one, I’m already involved in three clubs and that takes up a lot of time.
5.) That’s the thing… with what my CS teacher is saying, I’m starting to get worried about what stuff we are going to do in the future; and if I will have enough experience to do well. I might be doing well now, but I know that it’s going to get harder as I go on.
@Hamlon Thanks for the advice!! If you don’t mind me asking, what level of math were you in when you took APCS? And overall, how much problem solving with math overall do you think you used?
I see you are in the STEM program as well. I’m glad I’m not the only one here, lol.
@equationlover I was in Pre-calc, but the math we used was mostly just Algebra 1. I don’t know about your math background, but exponents and logarithms were briefly talked about when we went into big-O notation. That was the highest math we used. Don’t worry about your math level. All you need is basic algebra in order to be successful(My school just required Algebra 1 and concurrent enrollment in Geometry). If you feel like you aren’t understanding the math used in your class, ask your teacher or a classmate to clarify. Problem solving isn’t really taught. It’s a skill you have to practice using, so there’s no reason you can’t get better at it like the older students. Just step away from the actual coding syntax and think about how YOU would go about solving the task. The code solution will always follow. Don’t touch the keyboard until you’ve made a game plan (pseudo-code). Trust me, it’s better to take the time to plan rather than starting over after writing multiple lines of code.
Other helpful websites are codingbat (later frq practice) and Edhesive (multiple videos and practice). Use all the resources I mentioned to get a head start on future lessons and gain greater control of the concepts your class already introduced. If you need help, just send me a message!
I don’t think a B in a class is a poor grade. Is the teacher implying that as the year goes on you won’t be able to keep that? So what if it takes you longer. You are to be commended for you hard work.
I do think this is an example of all the focus on acceleration. Last year I watched some kids have a rough time who were advanced into a chemistry class without being advanced in math. I think our system has too much focus on being advanced, taking A.P.s rather than taking the classes at the “normal” time and doing really well then. I don’t really understand what the rush is and why getting there first is better. But that is just my own educational philosophy.
If you like the class and can keep a B or better, stay with it.
Ok everyone, it looks like if I do drop the course now, it will come up on my transcript as WP (or dropped, but passing). Will that really affect my college admissions? (Especially if I want to major in CS.) Or will they understand that my teacher suggested me taking a higher math before taking her course?
@Hamlon thank you SO much for the online resources. I will look into those. Very few people on here have taken APCS, so when I try to find threads on study resources, I can’t find any. Lol.
Also, I have also decided that I will wait to see how I did on this last test I just took. I think I did pretty well, but we will have to wait and see, considering the test was not curved.