<p>Daughter chose to take AP Stats instead of calculus. So, any real weinberg students (english ) who got in: did you take calculus in HS?</p>
<p>theoretically this cd be changed as the yr has not started yet. I read while looking at an east coast school that no calculus is a demerit</p>
<p>NU is known for taking a wholistic approach to applications. I know a student who took AP Statistics instead of calculus, who had very strong leadership EC in his area of interest (not math or science), who was deferred ED from Brown and subsequently accepted RD by both NU and Brown.</p>
<p>Almost all of my friends at NU took AP calculus BC in high school (even the non-science, math types). I personally think calculus should be an essential part of one’s high school curriculum, even if stats is the more practical course.</p>
<p>What prompted this question is a recent read from an excellent book called the Gatekeepers on the admission process at Wesleyan, which (it is claimed) is typical of all such such selective schools, including NU. </p>
<p>THe book talks about how each app is coded w/ important essential data at the top of the paper file. there are scores, gender, rank, gpa, and more, and then there is the question whether the applicant took calculus. If yes, 'MTHM; is coded on one of the fact-lines. THe book goes on to say that if any of these are not present , a serious demerit is created and there must needs be a mitigating excuse for it.</p>
<p>in ccmomu post, the one with great EC leadreship data cd probably have been a mitigating excuse. School just started today. it wd be a major hassle to change and d is not interested in undergoing this hassle. said if they dont want me for a lack of calculus when I am going into English, then that is not the place I want to be . that’s cool.</p>
<p>if I knew last yr when setting up the sched what I know now about uber selective schools, I wd hv strongly advised calc (it wd have been easier for d ironically, as I have taken both stats and calc , and calc is much easier). we thought a) she wasnt going into STEM and b) stats is a part of everyday life.</p>
<p>the counselor did say she’d check that she took the most rigorous course load available when my d asked about this. But apparently, at least 13 yrs ago when the book was written (maybe before they had the ‘most rigorous curriculum available’ check box in the common app), that is not what the gatekeeper is looking for. looking for simply (for this piece of the holistic build up of the applicant’s case) ,</p>
<p>did you take calc or not?</p>
<p>This is one reason why I was curious about how many non STEM majors got in w/o calc. Were they all mother teresas who founded charities?</p>
<p>if there were such a binary essential importance to calc , you’d think this would be clearly posted at NU and Wes’s admissions pages and also HS counselors wd know this, too.</p>
<p>it does say on NU’s admin site, calc perferred if available. Wd that that said calc req’d if available - but we did not refer to this when we were setting up the sched last yr. oh well.
<a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/frequently-asked-questions-and-resources/high-school-applicants-faqs.html#5[/url]”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/frequently-asked-questions-and-resources/high-school-applicants-faqs.html#5</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/ap...ts-faqs.html#5[/url]”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/ap...ts-faqs.html#5</a>
Says calculus preferred, if available - only for applying to MCCormick school of engineering. For WCAS (where English majors would be), requirement is only 3 full years of math.</p>
<p>you re right, mnd. I did nt read close enough. maybe she’s still in the running! she loves the place. </p>
<p>today she just got a huge pkg including a t shirt from another highly selective college after her visit there. she said it was a great interview. but there might be a better match at NU. does NU do interviews?</p>
<p>Also, please keep in mind that the author did the research for Gatekeepers when the AP Statitistics exam had only been out for a few years (first introduced in 1997). So there may not have been much of an alternative to calculus for a fourth year of math then.</p>