I am in an accelerated prog for Math and so I’m taking Honors Algebra II in my freshman year. However, I have a B average now and all my other subjects are in the A, A+ range. Will be look unfavorable to college admissions officer? Should I take ACP precalc next year or stick with Honors Precalc? Pl help, Thanks!!
It’s better to get an A in the honors math class. Second choice would be a B in the honors class.
Don’t focus on gaming admission officers. Focus on figuring out why you’re not learning math as well as some of your classmates and fix that.
For many kids math classes play the role of the proverbial canary in the coal mine. It shows there is something wrong, and in time to fix it before any harm is done. As a tactical solution, switching to an easier class might help your grade but it doesn’t solve the problem any more than dipping a thermometer in cool water takes away the fever.
So may be the problem? Many students, often in fact the better students, have never learned to study effectively and just get by on native smarts. After they go over the material a few times it seems familiar and they think they “know” it, confusing recognition with recall. In most classes they remember enough for the test and their verbal skills let them pad out essays, but on math tests they find out they can’t recall enough to solve many problems. Unfortunately once they get to college this cursory study approach won’t work even in subjects where it was enough back in HS, since the expectations will be higher and the questions on tests more challenging.
There is a recent book out that you should read this summer to understand how to learn effectively, titled “Make it Stick”. Two links you can read now are [On Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student](On Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student - Cal Newport) and [How to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses](How to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses - Cal Newport) Read thru the story at [Teaching linear algebra](Random Observations: Teaching linear algebra) and see how that prof forced students to rehearse material with great results
I agree with @mikemac. You’re focusing on the wrong issue. The real question is how do you feel about Algebra II? What are you not quite getting about the math? The purpose is not to get an A or even A+ but to build a strong math base so that you can be successful in the more advanced math courses later on. Almost everyone hits a wall in math but students who take Algebra II as a freshman usually hit the wall in college, not in ninth grade. It does sound like you’re memorizing rather than truly understanding the material.
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It’s better to get the B in Honors math. Always go for the most rigorous course, especially since the grade sacrifice isn’t that detrimental.
A B in the Honors class is better, but a C isn’t. Take the most rigorous classes where you can get a B or more.