<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>I'm a high school sophomore planning his junior year schedule. Math has never been my strong area and I know that I'll struggle a lot with pre calc and calc. So my question is....would it be ok if I just took stats instead? I'd be applying to Tisch Recorded Music. My grades will be solid and portfolio will be awesome. In general, does one need to take calc in high school if planning to major in something other than math or science?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>lp, I will weigh in with my own thoughts on this. There is so much pressure to take the “right” courses, it is sometimes ridiculous. In your case, it is fortunate you are applying to a school that should realize you are not planning on doing much with the “hard” sciences or math classes. I personally think statistics is more useful for people in the social sciences. You can actually apply some of the info into social research, which is probably closer to your interest in the arts (and humanities).</p>
<p>I say go ahead and do not force yourself too much into a mold to meet what are considered more rigorous course standards. the good news is that you probably will not be penalized much if at all by Tisch if your arts portfolio, sample, experiences and class work are outstanding and unique. Take the stats and do well in it. Stats is not necessarily the easiest class either. So, my rec: stick with stats. I took statistics and Calculus I (in college, not the same pressure then). The stats has been more useful in my professional work with my doctorate in the social sciences. Calculus - I have long forgotten it and have not used it beyond passing my college exams. IMHO.</p>
<p>thank you so much for detailed reply evolving, I really appreciate the input on this!</p>
<p>Are there any other opinions on this? My counselor says I should take calc. what do you all think?</p>
<p>Calc is definitely not required. Most majors do not require calc even in college. Usually only a simply algebra based math class.</p>
<p>of course you don’t have to take calculus. that’s ridiculous! just take a math you can handle, it’s not like you’re planning on majoring in it or anything anyway. good luck, don’t worry about this kind of stuff though! you’re only a sophomore. make good grades, but take the classes you want!</p>
<p>I was not an arts major (well, unless you count “liberal arts”) but in my experience you certainly do not need calculus if you have a strong application as an art student. You would only really need it to apply to a top-25 school or in a math related subject. I would say go as far as you feel you can without sacrificing your other studies (say, trig or pre-calc). In addition, I agree with the previous poster that statistics would be useful. Symbolic logic can be much easier for non-math people.</p>
<p>Although I think that Calc, logic and stats can all be useful in the arts, statistics has everyday applications for nearly everyone that reads, and logic helps a lot on standardized tests if you need to take them, in my experience.</p>