Love all the facts but… Every college I know of sorta sells out Calc 1 in college. Lots of kids in those classes . Every college we talked to wanted the student ready for Calc 1. Every college also stated if you don’t place into it then precalc is offered…
So that would be the recommended. When applying to colleges if your able to you want to take higher then the recommended to stand out.
But if everything else is on par I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
The CIP code is only relevant to education statistics and to undergraduate F-1 visa holders. Nothing else changed for any practical purpose, including degree requirements. As the UCB L&S pages show, economics is still generally seen as a social science.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s move on from debating the classification of economics.
The best person to ask is your guidance counselor, not any one of us. Rigor is relative to what is offered in your HS.
The top tier colleges will want to see the guidance counselor check the box on the recommendation saying you have taken the most rigorous course-load available at your HS (which doesn’t mean taking every AP class – there is often some latitude in this). If the guidance counselor says that your prior and current HS schedules are sufficient to get that most rigorous box checked then you should be fine. That said, it would not surprise me if a guidance counselor required a student to take some level of calculus in order to get the most rigorous designation.
Regarding the counselors’ indication that the student chose the “most demanding” courses, some of the most selective colleges’ admission readers may consider that only a necessary baseline, but not by itself (with respect to course selection) sufficient to earn the highest rating for academic strength.
"Looks like Pomona now recommends “Four years of mathematics (including calculus for students interested in STEM field majors)”
You probably should have Calculus for a place like Pomona, regardless of major.
Sure it looks good to have calc, for a highly selective college.
Don’t forget the competition for a spot. But it’s more than just that.
The bottom line isn’t that you ‘have to’ take it, in all cases. It’s that the courses, overall, need to make sense. That’s part availability, part your major path, and how the whole looks. And what other applicants have done. (Not just in your one hs.)
The right cores with the right stretch and prep, relevant to what major. Not thinking the hs CS courses are a tip or AP stats can replace calc or precalc. It’s tough when humanities kids short the traditional core AP histories, thinking govt is better.
Has to make sense.