<p>My daughter is having a horrific sophmore year. Her weakness in math and science has hit bottom. It's time for her to sign up for next year's classes. I don't see how she could survive chemistry (and the guidance counselors and her science teacher strongly agree). So if she takes the alternative -- Integrated Science, which has sections on chemistry, physics, forensic science, etc, but is easier than chemistry or physics -- is this going to exclude her from going to a state-directional level of college? </p>
<p>Obviously, we're not thinking top 50, etc. The best she's going to do is Bloomsburg, Millersville or West Chester (and that one is getting hard to get into). Or maybe 2 years at a PSU branch campus and then 2 years at main campus. I'm hoping it's better to take the classes that are at her level and do ok than get a D in something she just can't handle. But I see a lot of colleges require chemistry, so I'm not sure what the answer is.</p>
<p>Before anyone says "if she can't handle chemistry, how can she handle college?" she has no intention of going into any math or science related major.</p>
<p>Right now, of course, who knows what her final GPA will be? It probably will be between a 2.9 and a 3.2, depending on how well she resolves her academic issues. If it’s much worse than a 2.9, I guess the answer would be community college. And she’s not a great tester, either, so the SATs can’t be counted on to help out. I think she’ll end up with a decent CR score, but math … ugh. </p>
<p>She would love to go to a big flagship U, but the only one I see as a possiblity, given her potential stats, is WVU. But I’m just hoping that not taking Chemistry doesn’t knock her out of contention at a huge number of places. It would be depressing if she raised her grades, ended up with a 3.2 or 3.3, but couldn’t get in because of chemistry.</p>
<p>I think that you should do what is best for your daughter. Colleges want to see you challenge yourself to the best of your ability and if that means not taking chemisty then dont. Im not sure about her chances of getting into those schools, but her chances may go down or it might not be a big difference. </p>
<p>Most schools just say X number of sciences, not specific courses.</p>
<p>Also, Biology can be one of the hardest sciences. It requires a lot of memorization of tons and tons of details that seem to just not fit together or have rhyme or reason. She might do well in Chemistry.</p>
<p>Also, with the SATs, the trick to those is being prepared. Definitley suggest LOTS of practice. These tests CAN be prepared for, and they CAN help :)</p>
<p>I’m surprised your high school doesn’t require basic chemistry to graduate. Ours does, but there’s an “everyday” chemistry course offered for the science-challenged that’s easier and fulfills the state requirement. I think you should call the admissions offices of the schools you list and ask them whether the Integrated Science class would be sufficient for them.</p>
<p>Get into those schools (PA State U’s) without chem shouldn’t be much of an issue unless she is planning on getting a science degree. They do require a certain number of science and math classes so make sure she takes that number at the minimum. When she gets to college make sure she get’s some tutoring help in any math or science required classes, if possible, so that she can pass with a good grade.</p>
<p>State directional–with her estimated GPA and if she gets reasonable test scores she should be fine. I think you are being realistic in your assumptions. Hopefully things get easier for her down the road.</p>
<p>You can check the target colleges’ web sites to see whether they have specific science requirements in the high school course list. (This is assuming that she won’t be majoring in anything that requires freshman level science courses that list high school level science courses as prerequisites.)</p>
<p>Unless your daughter is applying to a specific program major, or she is looking to major in the sciences, then it will not matter whether or not she takes Chem. </p>
<p>Most colleges do not specify what sciences, english math a student requires for admissions. As long as she has the number of science credits that meets your city/states requirement for graduation she will be fine and she will still be accepted to college (especially the ones you have mentioned). </p>
<p>If your school does not offer Chem, then she would definitely not be hurt by it. However, if your school offers Chem and she does not take Chem, what will happen is on the student evaluation, she will get a check that she has not taken the most rigorous courses that your school offers.</p>
<p>Another possibility is taking Chemistry senior year. If she has the option of taking a regular, non-honors/AP class, that should satisfy a requirement that some schools have, or “strongly recommend” taking chemistry in high school. If your GC will work with her on that, maybe try the class senior year and if it doesn’t work out, drop it without it showing on her transcript?</p>
<p>Yes, Ive known kids who have gotten into college without the Holy Trinity of BIo, Chem and Physics. I have a son who did not take Physics. for example. If your high school does not require it for graduation, you will certainly find some colleges that won’t care. Look up what the requirements are for the schools that you have in mind. Many just say 2 or 3 years of science without specifiying which ones.</p>
<p>I wish someone (a parent or a GC) had tried to get me help with my math/science phobia (or just plain being bad at it) before I left HS for college. I didn’t learn until business school (taking required math and computer science classes) that I was not actually bad at math. I hadn’t done well in math during my k-12 years, I was bad at it, that meant I ended up in the classes with the other terrible math kids and a horrible teacher, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know that I would have become a quantum physicist… but for sure I could have considered disciplines in the social sciences (i.e. econ) that I stayed away from in college because I stunk at math.</p>
<p>So no, your D doesn’t need chemistry. But there are so many occupations in life that have some level of quantitative or analytical requirements and your D may regret not taking care of her math issues now while she’s in HS.</p>
<p>I had a brilliant math professor who taught the remedial math track for all the grad programs (nursing, architecture, urban planning, business, etc) which had a math requirement and everyone in the class pretty much agreed he was the best math instructor any of us had ever had. We literally started with first grade math and the class ended completing one semester of college calc. He “fixed” my math problem-- and I wish I had realized it was a fixable problem before I went to college.</p>
<p>I think your D will be ok. The state schools align with the minimum high school grad requirements. As long as she has enough years for science, she’ll be fine for most of the PA schools and probably most of the Penn State campuses. Take a look at Penn State Erie. I don’t know where your daughter’s interest lie but the campus is residential and has less than 5000 students.</p>
<p>It will be fine. Sounds like there’s a science that fulfills the graduation requirements for graduation and college admission. If she were to develop a burning interest in something that would require a more thorough knowledge of chemistry, the integrated science course might just give her the nodding acquaintance with the subject she needs to tackle the class. And if she never develops that burning interest, well, she saved herself a year of frustration.</p>
<p>I think she’ll be able to get into a directional state U without chemistry. That said, another option is for her to take chemistry during summer school, preferably at a different high school. She might do better if she only had one course to focus on. She might be able to simply withdraw from the course if it’s just too tough and it’s often no big deal to withdraw from summer school.</p>
<p>Lmkh, she has biology this year. She’s doing very badly. For chemistry, the choice is honors or college prep. The problem with chemistry is that it combines science and math - perfect storm of awfulness for my daughter. She’s been tested for LDs before and all we got was that she has borderline ADD. We’ve tried meds but they just made her hyper without improving attention. And I’ve always felt there’s some kind of comprehension or executive functioning issue. So we’re going to get her tested again, this time privately. She also now has a math tutor. But I’ve had so many math teachers say how difficult it was for her to understand math, and to retain it. She’s fine with English and actually has an A+ in French. </p>
<p>So i’m hoping we’ll get some answers and some ideas. Her school put her in a study skills class for a year, and I don’t think it’s helped at all. I’ve never seen anyone study for days and days and fail a test. And that’s not just math. Her IQ is normal. I know if these problems aren’t resolved even a state directional won’t work. I’m just trying to figure out what her best options are.</p>