<p>Daughter is a hs junior in an accelerated math program. She has already taken Alg I, Alg II and Statistics this year. She realizes that she needs to have 4 years of math for Pitt's nursing school. However, she has no desire to take Calc (and feels she doesn't need it). She is considering taking Consumer Math, but is concerned that it may look like she is "slacking off". She will have a full course load, with many AP classes. Can someone gives us some advise?</p>
<p>She is ranked in the top 5% of her class, has a GPA of 4.46 and is involved in many extra-curricular activities. She scored 1810 combined on her SATs the first time. She is taking the ACTs in a few weeks and will take the SATs again during the summer. Any other suggestions as far as her getting accepted? Is there an area that she should concentrate on? My guess is that her SAT scores need to go up.</p>
<p>I’m sorry. She took Algebra I in 8th grade, Algebra II in 9th, Trig/Pre-Calc in 10th grade, and has Stats this year as a junior. She needs one more year of math, just not sure if it is necessary to take Calculus.</p>
<p>^^^
It is not necessary to take Calculus. My daughter will be a Pitt Nursing freshman next year and did not take calculus. </p>
<p>Pitt Nursing has gotten VERY competitive. Obviously your daughter’s GPA is great but I’m not sure about her SAT. Good idea to also take the ACT…hopefully that will translate into a better score for her. </p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to apply EARLY. I’d try to have your application complete and submitted (with references & a personal statement) by September 1st.</p>
<p>Even though its not necessary to take Calculus to be admitted in to Pitt nursing, I think she should. Anything in the health sciences requires you to take Calc. If she takes it this year, it will be like a review year for her freshman year in college and she will be much more likely to get a good grade and keep up a high GPA.</p>
<p>There’s no point of avoiding the Calc class in her senior year because she’s going to have to take it in college and, in college, classes are alot more difficult. It will be much easier for her to understand the material if she has already take the hs course.</p>
<p>When I go to Pitt’s website, the only math that I can see that is required specifically during the nursing program is Statistics. I don’t see anything that mentions Calculus.</p>
<p>I’d hate to see her take a class that is really not necessary; however, at the same time, I’m concerned that when she applies it will look like she is “slacking off” during her senior year. </p>
<p>Because she has been an accelerated math student who took Algebra II in the 9th grade, Trig/Pre-Calc in 10th and Statistics as a junior, she only needs a 4th year of math to be considered for Pitt. Many of her peers will not even have the chance to take Calc. as seniors because they took Geometry in 9th, Algebra II in 10th, Trig-Calc in 11th and then they would take Stats as seniors.</p>
<p>A class like Consumer Math would at least give her some real-life, everyday practical knowledge.</p>
<p>^^^
I am also unaware of the calculus requirement at either CWRU or Pitt. Thus my question to jgirl828. I’d be very interested to hear about her personal experiences as a Pitt nursing major that was required to take calculus.</p>
<p>I’m not a nursing student. I am going in as a biological sciences major and I know that I have to take Calc to take Bio and chem classes (i’m a premed student). I am assuming that as a nursing student, she’ll have to take Bio and Chem classes.</p>
<p>Anyways, I think not taking calc when you’re in an accelerated math class is slacking off. Plus, calc is not that hard. I actually though pre calc was harder than calc. It would look better to the admissions committee if you took an advance math class.</p>
<p>^^^
OK. You are a high school senior that is going pre-med. Thanks for your help. BTW - in case you’re ever asked…Pitt nursing student are not required to take calculus.</p>
<p>ok. gosh. Aglages, you don’t have to be so mean about it. I was putting my opinion in there. I think taking Calc would impress the committee, that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>^^^
The part about taking calc to impress an admissions committee is an opinion and was solicited by the OP. The following was NOT submitted as an opinion and was incorrect:</p>
<p>
If you don’t actually know the answer it is OK to just comment on what you do understand. No sense in causing grief to some high school junior that needs information to make an informed decision for her senior classes.</p>
<p>My D will also be a Pitt Nursing freshman in the fall, and I will confirm what aglages says…Pitt nursing students are not required to take calculus, even as a pre-req to chemistry. D has received the outline of required classes, and not a drop of calculus present!</p>
<p>That said, I would suggest to the op that her daughter take calculus in HS rather than “consumer math”…especially since she has been accelerated in math all along. The bar is set very high to be admitted to Pitt nursing; every little extra will help. </p>
<p>D took AP Calculus AB as a junior. At our HS, most students on that math “track” will follow up with AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics as a senior. Since she was already beyond the requirements for nursing, D slacked off a bit and took only the AP Statistics, and replaced the AP Calc BC with an honors anatomy class.</p>
<p>jgirl is wrong. Calc is not required for introductory bio and chem at Pitt. We don’t even use any calc in into bio and chem courses, so it is by no means a co or pre-requisite. Calc I is required to major in a science within the School of Arts and Sciences, which means that someone has to fulfill the calc I requirement (not necessarily as a freshman) to graduate with an AS science major.
Some pre-meds choose to take physical chemistry or calculus-based physics, those are classes where calc would be a prerequisite.</p>
<p>You might have to get some getting used to being told you’re wrong because you’re overreacting. There’s nothing to be personally offended by in this situation. I currently go to Pitt, so I felt I had to clarify something that is untrue.</p>