<p>Hello, im a freshman at a high school in NYC. Currently im in Algebra, the normal math course that most freshmen take. Next year as a sophmore, i'll have to take Geometry as that too is a course that sophmores take(unless they are a year ahead). And my math teacher have told me that i'll have to take trig the next year as a junior. Well, there's my problem. I want to take AP Calculus Junior year as i want to challenge myself and I know that's the most challenging course I can take that year but my current (freshman) math teacher says i'llhave to take trig as we have to take stardardized NY test for that course. Will i be able to take AP calculus as a junior before senior year?? Can i self study Trig or during the summer(will they let me)? Please, i'll be delighted to hear your responses. Oh and I want to take it before senior year as i want colleges(MIT and U of Penn and Columbia) to see it.</p>
<p>That’s a bit stupid (no offense meant)…Trig comes before Cal…everywhere it’s like that.</p>
<p>And BTW, I too go to a NYC school, and I am aware of your situation (regents, etc)…the reason why you take Cal after trig, is that in college you’ll start with Ca (I believe)…so it’ll prepare you.</p>
<p>Colleges will not be impressed in any way by taking cal before trig.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response but is it possible for me to take Trig next year as a sophmore? I know i’ll probably stuggle but i know i can self study and I know i’ll work hard. If i do, i’ll take geometry and trig that year…</p>
<p>^^^Actually that IS possible. But on one condition. You need to have taken the Algebra regents in 8th grade, and is currently taking geometry as a freshman. Many kids in my school are like that. That’s why I have some juniors in my AP Cal class.</p>
<p>And no…you can’t take 2 math classes in the same year…that’s insane and is not allowed.</p>
<p>The year to double up on math courses was this year; algebra and geometry are independent enough of each other that it would’ve been possible to complete both courses simultaneously. Since that window of opportunity has already closed, I’d say that you are likely stuck following the normal algebra-geometry-trig-calc pattern. To take calculus without a firm foundation in trigonometry would be illogical- and probably very difficult for the most motivated of students. </p>
<p>If I were you, I would continue with your current path and maybe try to enroll in both calculus and statistics- either at your school or at a local college- during your senior year. High scores on the Math section of the SAT I and Math II SAT II subject test would also go a long way in proving your mathematic proficiency, so be sure to study and schedule your standardized tests early in case you need to take them multiple times.</p>
<p>Good luck! Hope this was helpful.</p>
<p>OP, if students in your school are not allowed to take AP Calc in junior year, then junior-year AP Calc is NOT the most rigorous curriculum you can take…because you can’t possibly take it. Admissions officers will realize what the curriculum of your school is, and they won’t punish you for not taking AP Calc in junior year any more than they would punish someone who went to a school that didn’t offer any AP classes for not taking any AP classes! Do the algebra-geo-trig-calc sequence; as long as you take AP Calc in senior year, you’ll be fine. Columbia won’t get your score, but they’ll know you’re challenging yourself by taking it as a senior. Don’t worry about taking it in junior year, since that’s impossible.</p>
<p>Moreover, chill out. You’re a freshman in high school, so you won’t be applying to schools for three years. If you obsess over college admissions, it will likely end up impeding your high school career. Just take it easy, develop and discover your interests and passions, take the most rigorous curriculum POSSIBLE, and don’t even begin to worry about college admissions until the summer before junior year.</p>
<p>this is probably completely different because nys completed the restructuring of the math regents system the year after i completed math b, but i did the whole math a, math b thing, and then tested out of the junior year math class (pre-calc) to take ap calc junior year. i imagine it might be a little more complicated with the whole regents thing, but not impossible. in my case, i had to basically teach myself pre-calc over the summer and then take the pre-calc final from the year before in august when my high school had it’s finals/regents test-over. in your case, you’d probably have to learn trig over the summer, then take the august regents (and get a good enough grade) to test out. of course, systems for testing out or skipping levels of particular subjects vary widely from school to school, so this may be impossible or significantly more difficult at your school.</p>
<p>but as pwoods says, you’re a freshman. it’s good to know that you do want to skip a year of math at some point so that you can talk to your guidance counselor about it, but you shouldn’t really be worrying too much about what colleges will think etc. at this point. you’ll have a panic attack by sophomore year…</p>