My understanding is that a serious econ program is going to require calculus. One current college student I know in this area started with calc2 in college, not sure if any more math will be taken, and I don’t think it was out of pure love for math. I don’t know what the stats requirement might be but AP stats is considered a stats “lite” and I would think a serious math-intensive econ program would expect more than that. You should look into this because it’s not something I know much about, but as far as I understand, AP calc would get you 1 or 2 actual useful credits toward an econ or IR major whereas AP stats may not help with your major requirements other than giving you a leg up on a more serious stats class in college. In the best of all possible worlds it would be nice to take both but your time is limited.
I don’t get why you’re doing this. You should take APs in subjects that you are interested in or especially good at. Otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for the proverbial world of hurt.
@Lindagaf Thank you for your advice.
@MurphyBrown I don’t think their is a Creole proficiency test. The closest would be French. By URM, do you mean Underrepresented Minority, then yes. I’m pretty sure I am.
@gettingschooled I have an interest in Economics and International Business, but on my exact major, like many others, I’m still trying to pinpoint it. I am not an auto-admin for UT. Not in the conventional way.
@snarlatron I do enjoy almost all the classes on my current schedule. Many of them, however, are required classes.
@mathyone My concern is that I will not do as well in calculus as I would in statistics. I wanted to take calculus in college rather than in high school. What do you think?
I think AP stats is easier than either AP calc. If you’re worried you can’t get an A in calc, then take stats. Just be aware that many/most students in college calc classes have actually already taken calc in high school (not surprising if you consider that over 400,000 hs students are taking the AP calc exams each year). So I doubt it’s going to be easier in college. But yes, it would mean a harder schedule this year and maybe that’s not advisable.
@MadisonMJ
If you are interested in economics, here is some information that may help.
At most economics programs, you will take Calculus I and II, which will cover all material from the introduction to the definition of a limit to applications in Taylor series. Calculus BC does an, I would say, “adequate” job of preparing students in university coursework. But, I still recommend that all freshmen take Calculus II in college anyways just to make sure.
You will also take, usually, an introductory statistics course (AP stats equivalent), as well as a calculus-based statistics course. The two courses are almost entirely identical, except the latter will prove some of the theorems, tests, intervals, and models using calculus.
Micro and macroeconomics in high school are very fundamental and basic courses. Once you have taken all of the above 6 courses, you will then be cleared to take intermediate macro and micro, and then introductory econometrics.
From there you branch out. Many economics majors stop the math there altogether and go for a finance or business oriented focus. Some continue the mathematics and statistics and go for more formal and rigorous economics.
All said and done, here are the answers to your question:
AP statistics is easier to do well in than calculus
If you don’t care about going higher than the basic calculus requirements for the major, then I would just take it in college. There’s no need to go through an accelerated mathematical curriculum if your goal is to be done with it quickly. Even then, many economics majors wills till complete a math minor sequence to prepare for graduate school.
This sequence is as follows: Calculus I and II (Freshman year), Calculus III and Linear Algebra (Sophomore Year), Differential Equations, Probability, Analysis I (Junior Year), Analysis II and (possibly) Topology, Measure Theory, Time Series, Stochastic Processes, etc (Senior Year)…
What should be your takeaway from this? Take the AP classes that you find are interesting and you think you can excel in.
@MYOS1634 AP research is the second half to the two year program called AP Capstone. I passed the AP exam for AP Seminar, the first half. My school doesn’t offer AP Comparative or Microeconomics, that’s why I was planning to study for it, but now I’m not so sure. I am still planning to take the SAT Subject tests. Which ones, I’m not too sure on that, but one may be U.S history. My school is not a lower performing school. It is actually highly competitive. As far as I know, my school does offer Anatomy/Physiology, Aquatic Science and others like it, but they are at an academic level, which is the lowest educational level in my district ( pretty much a regular class). Any honor versions of these classes, you have to take prerequisites. The only other science I’d be interested is AP Comp Sci, but once again, I need prerequisites.
@Burdened Thank you very much
If you want to hate life, take the 7 APs.
On a serious note, take the APs that interest you/ are relevant to your intended major.
You have not started SAT/ACT/Subject testing yet? You are not giving yourself many shots at those tests on top of a very busy school schedule. Forget the self studying. Every college in America offers intro Psych classes. You can take it in college.
You need safety schools.
AP computer science has only algebra 2 as a pre-requisite at our school, although my kid commented the more math the better, and most of the students taking it at our school have not had a prior cs class. My first kid did this and second kid plans to do so as well. First kid did not have very much cs background and yes, it was a lot of work. It’s one of the hard APs. But so is AP chem. My daughter complained more about AP chem.
But I don’t know whether cs is considered to be a science for the purpose of filling requirements and expectations. I just thought it seemed more useful in the areas of economics and government than chemistry is likely to be.
Exercise is good for you. Since you have waited until fall of senior year to take your SAT/ACTs, perhaps the exercise would be more beneficial than sitting in another hour of class each day.
I don’t really see the point of taking all these APs. Professors don’t always view courses taught in high school by high school teachers as equivalent to those taught by real profs. Think of how interesting a freshman psych class would be in college as taught by a real psychologist who can bring in results from his or her lab.
If you plan on applying for admission to any college’s business program, taking calc in high school is highly recommended
Please trash everything you are planning on doing and start again. Prioritize. Am I understanding that you have taken no SAT or ACT yet? For the schools you are aiming for, you need very high tests scores. These colleges like to see subject tests too. You now have precious little time left to do them. If you don’t score highly on the SAT or Act and have to retake, there go your chances to take subject tests.
Priority number one: high grades. You will not get them with 7 APs. There is literally no point self studying as a senior for APs. You can’t put it on a college app, because you will have no scores to present on the app. Every senior poster on CC will tell you that high grades are the number one most important thing. Take the classes you need and want to do, and get the best grades possible. Don’t worry that Johnny is taking 7 APs. Johnny is going gray at 17 and is stressed to the max. Don’t be Johnny.
Priority number two: high test scores (at least for the colleges you are interested in.) you need to do well on these tests, so study. Take several practice tests untimed, then start timing. The ACT is brutal with time, but some people find it easier for them. Neither test is easy, but at least if you do well on the ACT, you are probably not going to need SAT subject tests.
Priority number three: you need match and safety schools. 95% of people will not get into Harvard, and most likely you won’t either. You can see the odds are against you. Do not be one of those people who comes here in April with a post entitled “I didn’t get in anywhere.” U of Chicgo is nearly as difficult as Harvard. I disagree with the person who said you can grind through at Chicago. Chicago is looking for intellectuals, not grinders. In fact, I would say the opposite. Have a look at their supplemental essays, which will require a lots of thought and demonstrated ability.
Actually, I am changing priority one: be you, try to actually enjoy a little of your senior year. You will undoubtedly go to a very good college. Being a URM will help you. Making your self stressed out and overworked and unhappy won’t. Many kids get so wrapped up in grades, scores and Ecs that they forget one thing that is really important: colleges want to admit people they like. Be genuine and likable in your essays, get recs from teachers who know and like you, and who you like, and let your ECs and other stuff reflect who you are as a person. They want to admit people, not stats, not academic grinders.
The purpose of AP courses is, first and foremost, to challenge yourself while getting college credit. As yourself, “will this credit be useful for me in the future?”. “Will I have time to properly apply?”.
I took 7 my senior year (English Lit, Bio, Calc BC, Physics, Micro/Macro Econ, Spanish). Ended up fine, got into college with all of tuition paid etc. But I took them because I understood how the courseload would be, because my parents and counselor felt I could handle it, and because I had a drive to understand each of those subjects and get credit. If you lack one of those, I might advise not to.
Do you have any test results?
If you speak Creole, can you review a French book and a French subject test, and take the November test (in November you’ll have a listening section, which should be the easiest for you to complete.)
What are our matches and safeties so far?
You’ll find two schools of thought about AP classes on this site. I think you have to consider what your other options are. Some schools apparently have a robust honors program for upperclassmen, others, like our school, have none at all. People from schools with good honors options are more likely to question an AP-heavy schedule that is considered quite normal at schools where honors=AP.
I’m still wondering about AP research and what this does to further your educational goals, but I’m not familiar with this whole AP capstone thing. I think the concerns raised about your lack of foreign language credits should be taken seriously. If you aren’t going to meet the expectations of colleges you apply to, you should find out how bad this is going to be and ask yourself whether AP research is worth putting yourself at a disadvantage in admissions… I am wondering, and the colleges will be wondering, why you are taking things like AP research instead of the languages they were asking for. So how about swapping in Spanish 3 for AP research? That would lighten your load and allay concerns about insufficient foreign language. (If you are very confident of your Spanish skills you could perhaps take Spanish 4 or AP instead.) If you feel this lightens your schedule sufficiently, you could then also do the test-out of PE and bring in AP psych.
@gettingschooled I have already taken the SAT and ACT, I’m just taking them again. However I have not taken the subject tests yet. I will be taking those. I’ve spoken to admission officers at all but one of these classes and said I can still turn in my application and send the scores in when I receive them or have them directly sent. The schools I listed are my top choices, but I have other schools I know I can get into.
@mathyone I would have to take 2 basic comp sci classes before the AP version. I really enjoy chemistry, that why I wanted to take it. I understand coding is of great importance, and I learning and practicing outside of school. I didn’t take comp sci classes before because I only found out about them in the middle of my junior year. At my school they have Academic (normal classes), PAP (Pre-advanced placement, which is honors classes), Dual (only available with some courses), then AP. I have visited many of these universities and they said my 2 credits is fine. Harvard has 4 years recommended, but I know several people who have gotten in on 2. The testing window for the PE CBE is August 1-12 at my school and I would need 90 hours of regular exercise, 120 hours of bowling and tennis. Also, I would need to prepare for 200 multiple choice questions. I think I may just take Psych in college, but if i take the CBE I can take Spanish 3. I have been advised not to take Spanish 3 because I’ve taken a year off. I can read, understand and speak Spanish but when it comes to verb conjugations and writing it, I know I will be lacking. Please also see my response to @MYOS1634. What do you think about taking the CBE to take Spanish 3? Also, I would have to complete Spanish 3 before I take Spanish 4 AP, so i have no plans to take that class.
AP Capstone is a 2-year program
Here are some links for AP Capstone:
https://lp.collegeboard.org/ap-capstone
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/index.html
@CheddarcheeseMN I understand, but at my school, no girls would actually exercise, only sit on the bleachers. I’m taking all of these AP classes because I don’t have many other options. My teacher has a masters degree in Psychology, but I understand what you are saying. I will probably take in in college.
@Nedcone I understand the course load will be extraneous. I took 4 last year and was able to handle it just fine. I will actually on have 5 per semester and 6 tests at the end if I take P.E. I live in a state where if you get 3 on a AP test, every public university is required to accept it as a credit. I do have a drive to understand each of these subjects. That has never been the question from anyone around me. They (mainly my mother) are just worried, but this has a lot to do with the fact she doesn’t fully understand AP. What school did you end up going to, if you don’t mind me asking?
@MYOS1634 I think I will plan to take the French test. I was just worried that having 2 years of Spanish and the taking French would look like I flipped flopped. I know i can get Howard, Hampton, Fisk, and Xavier. I could also get into Texas A&M, Trinity in San Antonio as well as Boston University (possibly) and a few others. One again, the ones I listed were just my top choices.
@Lindagaf I have already taken the SAT and ACT, I’m just taking them again. However I have not taken the subject tests yet. I will be taking those. I’ve spoken to admission officers at all but one of these classes and said I can still turn in my application and send the scores in when I receive them or have them directly sent. The schools I listed are my top choices, but I have other schools I know I can get into. Lol, Jonny is going gray at 17 XD. I understand the course load will be extraneous. I took 4 last year and was able to handle it just fine. I will actually on have 5 per semester and 6 tests at the end if I take P.E. Its mainly the tests I’m concerned about (AP, SAT, ACT). I have looked at U Chicago’s essays and I understand. I spoke with the admission counselor while I was there and she told me some good tips for the essays. Please read my response too @MYOS1634 above on the school situation.
You know what, thank you so much. Lol, I never thought to actually enjoy my senior year. There’s just so much stress put on me by my family. I will follow your advice and try to go easy on myself.
Understand we are all coming from a different perspective. First me, my kids’ school has only 6 periods and 90 percent of high achieving students use one of those periods for a sport, band, theatre, choir etc. And yet many of them still attend very competitive colleges. Even “only” taking 4 AP classes in their junior and senior years.
Showing high proficiency in French, native linguistic skills in Creole, and 2years of Spanish shows an intellectually curious student who’s challenged herself beyond expectations for an important academic subject. Having just two years of Spanish and not meeting expectations shows the opposite profile. Therefore, if you feel you can do rather well on the test, you don’t have to take Spanish 3. Hence, check out that test asap to see if you can get a 700+ on it (or 600+), in which case Spanish 3 is superfluous.
Try to take the 'pe test '. If you’re interested in psychology, take the class, but do plan on retaking it or taking the next level in college.
Have you run the NPC 's on all these colleges (Howard, Hampton, Trinity, TAMU, etc, plus your top choices) and discussed budget with our parents?
@MYOS1634 I will plan to take Psych in college then. I don’t know what NPC means, but yes I have discussed my financial situation with the ones around me. Many of the schools I know I could get into, I could get a full ride in. For my absolute top choices, I know a few would pay the majority or all of my fees if I’m accepted.