<p>Background info:
I plan on majoring in either some sort of engineering (preferably chemical or electrical) or computer science.
I go to a public school in NJ.
I have had 1 honors class to date (Geometry).
I really enjoy math, but I was placed in a CP Math level track in the 8th grade that I could do nothing about (I was put in pre-algebra instead of algebra 1 which forced me to take algebra 1 in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th and so on).</p>
<p>My Stats:
SAT: 1850 Superscore, 1830 single sitting (Retaking in the Fall).
ACT: Taking in the Fall.
SAT II's: Taking in the Fall.
AP's: None</p>
<p>Senior Year Schedule:
AP Chem
AP Comp Sci
H English
H Western Civ
H Pre-Calc
H Spanish IV
H Physics
Gym</p>
<p>Objective:
Hook: URM (African-American)</p>
<p>Will not having Calculus kill my application even though I could do nothing about it (I tried taking Pre-Calc in the summer but my local community college was filled up)?</p>
<p>Schools I'm looking at:
Virginia Tech
NC State
Drexel University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Carnegie Mellon
Cornell University
RPI
JHU
Lehigh University</p>
<p>1) You have no choice with the math, so not worth really thinking about 2) For many of the schools that you have a good chance for, it shouldn’t matter (I do think places like Cornell, CUM, JHU are longshots unless your SAT comes up a good bit). 3) If you have only taken one honor class to date, are you sure you are not overloading yourself this coming year – it won’t help your case to take too hard a schedule and not do well.</p>
<p>@happy1 thanks for the advice! To respond to number 3, I have thought about whether or not my schedule is too hard. I don’t think my schedule is too bad because 1, I have straight A’s this year and I haven’t studied for one test other than in Chemistry. 2, AP Comp Sci is known as one of the easier AP’s. And 3, the AP Chem teacher in my school is notorious for being very lenient with grades</p>
<p>I don’t think not having Calculus will hurt you too much. But, if you’re going into engineering, it’s a prereq for a lot of classes. Not having it may put you behind and take longer than 4 years to graduate. My son is an engineering major and for his first Physics Class he had to have Calc 1 or he couldn’t enroll… Can you take it at a CC over the summer?</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend taking Calculus, especially since the field and colleges you are looking at are very math based. If you weren’t considering engineering or those schools, I would say don’t sweat it. Not having it may not hurt you admissions wise (they’ll definitely make you take a calculus class) but the lack of Calculus may prevent you, as others said, from taking the proper classes and prerequisites and finishing your Bachelors within 4 years. </p>
<p>That’s time and money you’re wasting unnecessarily. Look into taking it at a CC. </p>
<p>My daughter is going into engineering and only had pre-calc in high school. She had to take a placement test and she was placed in calculus. Her friend, also going to the same school, who took calc in high school, also tested and is in the same class. My nephew, going to different engineering school but who had calc in hs, also in the same level.</p>
<p>Not many students test out of the required calc as a freshman. Some schools don’t even accept the AP for specific credit. Don’t worry about it at all. Be solid in math, whatever level you complete. Don’t rush it.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for all of the feedback. The only thing I can do now is take Calculus summer after Senior Year at a CC. Hopefully that will be enough to prepare me for the intense math I will face in college. </p>
<p>Very few schools require calculus in high school, even for engineering majors. However, engineering majors must have a strong background in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry in order to be ready to take calculus in the first semester of college (if they are not in a more advanced course after taking calculus in high school). It can also be advantageous from a prerequisite sequencing and schedule flexibility standpoint to have calculus in high school and start in a more advanced math course in college, even though that is not necessary.</p>
<p>Be sure to find out what your parents can contribute to your college costs and run the net price calculators at each college to see if they will be affordable.</p>
<p>Make sure you check with any college to which you are accepted to make sure you CAN take a summer CC class. That might make you a transfer student. </p>
<p>The main disadvantage you’re at as an engineering major who’s never had calculus is you’re an engineering major who’s never had calculus and many/most of your classmates have had it. Sure, they’re in Calc I with you, but for them, it’s review, for you, it’s new material. And add that to the typical engineering workload, and freshman year gets to be a little tough.</p>
<p>Taking it over the summer at a CC after senior year shouldn’t be a problem. You’re taking it to be exposed to the material, not to be used for credit, and I don’t know of any schools that are going to frown on that. I’m not sure you even need to report it if you aren’t using it for credit, but check with whatever school you’re accepted at to make sure.</p>