I couldn’t really think of a good title for this but this is just something I’m wondering about. I’ve always been a year ahead in math since entering high school. I’m going to be a senior next year and right now I’m in pre-calc honors. I had around a C- that i was able to bring up to a high B by the end of the semester. The thing is that I’m not sure if I really want to put myself through calculus since I’m not sure if it would a good fit for me. But I also know that some colleges like to see 4 years of math. Besides calculus, there is also statistics as an option. I was just wondering what colleges would think if after being ahead in math you decided not to take calculus. Also, is this dependent on your major? And lastly, do they put more emphasis on seeing that you went all the way to calculus or if you went up to statistics and which do they weigh heavier?
do you have a lighter version of Calc at your school without the AP? If you do, i would take it since it at least looks better than Stat and its not as challenging as AP Calc
@Decepters Yes, the one I am considering is not the AP one. It is cut in to calc 1 and calc 2 each for the semesters. What if i took calculus for one semester and stats for the second? Or would it be better to just do calc all the way through?
Ask your current math teacher if s/he thinks you can get a B or better in Calculus (not AP). If s/he thinks so, take it. If not, take stats. No college will be impressed with a C in calculus.
If you can handle calc once you start taking it you should take it for the whole year. If you don’t, you should take statistics for the 2nd semester. Besides, taking calc for the whole year looks better than that.
also it really isn’t helpful if you break away from the line of math you took (precalc and so on) and take stat then calc in college- its better to be prepared right after you take precalc
However, Calculus is only required in college for STEM, economics, and business majors. Students who plan on majoring in humanities or social sciences will either have a general math-in-our-world class, or statistics.
@MYOS1634 So if I’m planning on majoring in either neuroscience/psychology, would it be a good idea to take calculus or stats?
^^^preferably both 
You will have to have both in college. I would say calc, for sure in HS. Stats in HS would be a bonus but not as essential.
You will have to have both for neuroscience, stats for psychology.
Again: ask your teacher whether s/he thinks you can get a B or more in “not AP” calculus. If not, I’m not sure it’s a good idea; on the one hand, you’ll get to take calculus to a slower pace than in college, with less than a semester’s worth covered in a year, so that when you take calculus 1 in college it’ll be easier to handle for you. On the other hand, if you get a C in calculus, it won’t look very good to colleges, so it’ll really depend on what colleges you’re applying to: for UCs or other state flagships, only grades 10-11 matter, and choice of classes for 12th: choosing calculus (regardless of grade you’d obtain) is thus an excellent choice. However, if you apply to a university that considers 1st semester grades and you’re borderline, then that C would be bad news.
My kid is a psych major and she had to have calc 1 and calc 2
@MYOS1634 @TV4caster Thank you! I appreciate both of your feedback. I will ask my teacher what she thinks is best.