<p>So I'm having a little dilemma with my math scheduling. My freshman year I was one of the only freshman in algebra 2, but moved during the following summer. My new school required algebra 2/trig to get into precalc, so I was forced to take a yearlong trig course. When junior year scheduling came up, I had decided to do Precalc over the summer and signed up for AP Calc. I ended up landing a research internship abroad and didn't have the opportunity.
I decided to take AP Stat my junior year and do Precalc online. This is totally my fault, but I've just been crazy busy and I'm not even close to finishing. Now, I have another internship lined up for this summer. I could do Precalc in the evenings to get to AP Calc next year, but I'm a little worried that it'll take time away from focusing on truly understanding my project.
Is it a huge deal if I take Precalc senior year? The rest of my schedule would be: AP Physics B, AP Lit, AP Gov/Econ, Honors Spanish 4, TA, and a college genetics class. If Precalc is THAT important I'll do it, but if it isn't then I would rather just take it as a senior.
Alternatively, I could take a free period and do Precalc first semester at the local college and then Calc 1 second semester. Thoughts?</p>
<p>No big deal if you take Pre-Calc senior year, it happens all the time. You’d probably take Calc 1 in your freshman year at college.</p>
<p>All the time at HYP?</p>
<p>Yeah… that’s why I’m worried. I feel like most HYP applicants are in Calc BC or even higher, so I don’t know if this would be a deal breaker or not. I mean obviously everyone’s chances are slim, including mine, but I don’t want to be out of the running over something so small.</p>
<p>It’s a problem.</p>
<p>There’s a Calc 1 class at Harvard. That means people go onto Harvard not having taken Calc. 'nuff said.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Okay, I don’t mean that everyone takes Pre-Calc senior year, but each class per Ivy school has its own share of students who hadn’t taken Calc in high school.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Agree with Waverly. AP in sr year is more competitive. BC or higher is for the more competitive STEMs. But, not all hs offer that.</p>
<p>gazoz and excavalier- does not matter if colleges offer calc 1. We’re talking about being the most competitive you can be for admissions. STEM or not. 30,000 applications.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks guys. It looks like I’ll be taking Precalc online over the summer.</p>
<p>Even the students who take Calc I at Harvard may have taken some sort of non-AP calculus in high school or didn’t do well enough on the AP test to get credit.</p>
<p>Harvard does offer Math 1a-1b, which is a normal freshman calculus course, so there have to be some Harvard students who only completed precalculus in high school.</p>
<p>Indeed, Harvard also offers Math Ma-Mb, which appears to cover Math 1a over two semesters instead of one, so there are some Harvard students whose math skills are even weaker than normal grade level (normal grade level means completed precalculus in high school and ready to take normal freshman calculus).</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> Mathematics Department : Mathematics Courses](<a href=“http://www.math.harvard.edu/courses/index.html]Harvard”>Harvard Mathematics Department Administration and Finance)</p>
<p>On the other hand, you will be a more competitive applicant if you reach calculus in high school. Completing precalculus in high school should be considered the minimum level of math for a college bound student; going beyond the minimum in math, as well as in other subjects, is common among the most competitive applicants. It may not look so good if calculus was available to you in high school but you chose not to take it (as opposed to calculus not being offered at your high school).</p>
<p>If my counselor explains it and I do Precalc then Calc 1 at the college, could that be a good compromise? I had planned on doing Harvard SCEA, so I guess they wouldn’t see the Calc when I applied, which could be a problem.</p>
<p>Well Harvard does have football and basketball teams.</p>
<p>I mean a girl taking Precalc as a senior did get in for crew at my school, but are they really the only ones?</p>
<p>What major? And crew is reputed to be a backdoor entry for women. They get attention.<br>
The idea behind calc for non-STEMS is it shows you take on challenges, can strive for higher levels, etc, even if it’s not your academic direction. I don’t see what your GC can explain, in this case, when you didn’t take pre-calc in 11th, planned it for summer, didn’t take it (even if for a good reason) and now haven’t finished the online course. I don’t know if I can word this gently enough, but a tippy top school needs to see what you fulfill, is less concerned about what you “planned.” They may not just “accept” that you had a tough decision when the internship came up or a tough schedule now- the competition will have resolved this. (And if you hope for STEM, there is no question you need AP Calc.)<br>
It’s true “some” kids can get in with only pre-calc. But, you don’t know who they are. And we don’t know how stellar your particulars are. Whenever you want a tippy top, you have to meet their expectations, written or not. Good luck.</p>
<p>(Even if you do SCEA, they’ll see your fall schedule.)</p>
<p>OP</p>
<p>What do you want to study?</p>
<p>Overall, your coursework looks to have been challenging (which is the most important). If you’re not applying STEM, I don’t think it will make all that much difference. Especially true depending on what you are doing in internship. This is not to say that AP Math wouldn’t be better (on the theory that MORE is always better).</p>
<p>@lookingforward I was thinking of having her explain that I couldn’t take Precalc as a sophomore because my prerequisite math classes did not match up (ie if I hadn’t moved, I would have been taking Precalc as a sophomore). I’m not sure if this would be helpful or just sound like an excuse. </p>
<p>I’m really not sure what to do at this point. I am interested in majoring in Public Health, and the majority of my ECs reflect that (red cross excecitive board for my district/president of club, intern at soy company, convalescent hospital volunteer and head of a major program there, math tutor 10 hrs/week, and then also a few other things like treasurer of Leo club, playing piano, teaching private piano lessons). The two summer internships are in immunology–the first was abroad and the second will be through Stanford’s SIMR internship. So yes, I’m a STEM(ish) kid. I don’t have trouble with math, but it is time consuming for me. </p>
<p>I understand that colleges will see my fall schedule, but if I do Precalc in fall then Calc 1 in the spring at the college they wouldn’t see the spring calculus, correct? So it sounds like the only option is to squeeze precalc in over the summer somehow. </p>
<p>I am a third generation legacy at Harvard if that influences anyone’s opinion. I’m not really banking on that because I understand that legacy isn’t that much of a boost (especially these days), and I realize that my chances at Harvard, like anyone’s, are slim despite a 4.0 uw and multiple APs/ECs/high SAT scores.</p>
<p>That’s really bad. </p>
<p>If you come from a school that doesn’t offer AP Calc, that would be okay, but your school does.</p>
<p>You should’ve taken Pre-calc junior year, and doubled up on Calc and Stat senior year.</p>
<p>That would sound like an excuse, because it was YOUR fault you didn’t finish the pre-calc course online.</p>
<p>Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re definitely not getting into Harvard.</p>