So I’m a Sophomore and I’m taking Algebra 2, math has never been one of my strong, nor favorite, subjects. I’ve always scraped a B in every single math class I’ve taken. However, as I am currently choosing my classes for Junior Year my teacher recommended me for Advanced Topics in Math because I got a B the entire semester. I could go to my counselor and attempt to override this and go into Pre-Calc instead.
If I were to do that I would probably do Pre-Calc then Calculus. If I take Advanced Topics in Math I would go on to take AP Stats most likely. My concern is will my lack of Calculus be unfavorable to schools such as Stanford and University of Chicago? I don’t plan on going into math or science centered major at all. Ill be taking AP Bio, AP US history, and AP english as well if that makes any difference. Thank you for your help!
It’s always great to have calc, but you don’t NEED calc. Keep in mind that many of the top applicants to these schools will have taken calc, but there’ll certainly be a large number of accepted students that haven’t taken calc.
When my son was a sophomore, he was shying away from calculus too because of his struggles with math & the fact that he was planning into going into an art field. I ended up calling three major state universities to see what they wanted, including William & Mary. Without exception, all three schools told me that liked to see students challenge themselves with calculus. So we hired a tutor & made him take it. He ended up with some very hard earned B’s but oddly, discovered that he loved the subject & at one point was even talking about becoming a math teacher. My advice would be to call your top schools & ask their opinion. Just don’t do it now … they’re busy.
I would not recommend taking the “advanced topics in math” route. It derails what would be a normal mathematical sequence, putting precalc as your latest math class taken senior year. At my school, it was mostly considered a “joke” math class where kids who were really not strong at math took just to complete the math requirement.
I’m not saying that will be true at your school, but if you have the opportunity to take pre-calc and then calc, I’d do so. Having a B in your math classes is fine, and if you can maintain at least that I see no reason why you shouldn’t stay in the current math sequence. The only case where I would recommend forgoing calculus senior year is if you took some other rigorous math course like AP Stats instead, which is less computational than calc, but many humanities based students prefer it.
That said, if applying to competitive schools like Stanford or UChicago (though I’d really worry more about doing your best and less about specific schools at this point) it would be best if you took pre-calc next year. They might be scratching their heads at why you didn’t take pre-calc junior year if you were able.
What does “advanced topics in math” cover? Algebraic topology?
If you are applying to prestigious schools such as Stanford and UChicago, you should definitely take pre-calculus before you graduate HS, and preferably calculus (but this is not required).
I’ve decided to go ahead with Pre-Calc. Thank you all for the advice! Would you say that the same goes for Physics? I’m taking AP Bio junior year but dont whether to take AP environmental or something more challenging
Generally, colleges like to see all three core science courses (biology, chemistry, physics) somewhere in your schedule, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the highest level form. For instance, I took honors physics and AP environmental science senior year and I enjoyed it. Same thing with calc, I recognized it wasn’t a strength of mine, so I opted for the honors calculus route instead of the AP Calc.
Would you say that the same goes for Physics? I’m taking AP Bio junior year but dont whether to take AP environmental or something more challenging