<p>im entering as a sophmore at boarding school and i want to know what math class i should take to be on track for applying to an elite school. and how do i get into AP classes(for anything) </p>
<p>please give me some feedback</p>
<p>bump same situation</p>
<p>doesn’t the school place you in a certain math?</p>
<p>Same question here !</p>
<p>Your school will probably send you a placement test. The school will look at the results of that test along with your math teacher rec and place you.</p>
<p>wait i have an URGENT QUESTION ABOUT THE PLACEMENTS?
WHAT IF MY SCHOOL DOES MATH A AND B???
THEN WHAT IS ALGEBRA 1 AND 2?</p>
<p>I ALREADY TOOK ALGEBRA 1 AND NOW THIS YEAR I AM TAKING HALF OF YEAR MATH B AND THE REST NEXT YEAR ALONG WITH TH REGENTS…THEREFORE WHAT HAVE I TAKEN???</p>
<p>I AM FILLING OUT THE PLACEMENT STUFF NOW…HELP</p>
<p>Oo Sry I Meant I Have Already Taken Math A</p>
<p>You should speak with your advisor, let them know your goals, and ask to be placed in the highest level math they feel you can be successful in. Look at the course descriptions to see what “Math A” and “Math B” consist of.</p>
<p>Just an overview of my understanding of math and how it relates to college admission at top schools/ivies.</p>
<p>If your strong point is the humanities/social sciences: you should aim for completing Calculus in 12th grade. Completing pre-calc in 12th is ok, but is not looked upon as highly as getting through Calc. You need to make sure your math grades are strong and you can score well on the ACT/SAT math portions (which go through pre-calc, but not calculus)</p>
<p>If your strong point is math/science and/or you want to pursue a major in a math field or engineering: you should definitely have taken Calc by 12th grade and preferably taken a course or two past Calc, depending on what your school offers. Your math grades should be all A’s (or close to it) and you should score very well/perfect on the math portion’s of the ACT/SAT and the SAT II Math 2 test.</p>
<p>So – for humanities/social science kids to be on track (taking one math class each year) they should follow this sequence:</p>
<p>9th: Geometry
10th: Algebra II
11th: Pre-Calc/Trig (usually offered as a combined course)
12th: Calc</p>
<p>for engineering/math focused students:
9th: Algebra II
10th: pre-calc/trig (it is not unusual for top math students to completely skip this class and go right to calc)
11th: calc
12th: multi-variable algebra, etc – depends on what your school offers</p>
<p>Keep in mind that math is learned incrementally – so an excellent foundation in Algebra and Geometry will serve you very well for the following years in math. A poor foundation in Algebra and Geometry will cause you to struggle in the following years. Some students may find that they should repeat Algebra I, due to the poor teaching in the previous class. </p>
<p>If you want to advance a year in math by taking a class over the summer or self-studying and testing out, I absolutely would not suggest doing this for Algebra. Probably the best class to do this for would be Algebra II (if you have a strong base in Algebra) since it is a combination of Algebra review and additional Algebra concepts in most classes.</p>
<p>Even if you are “engineering/math focused” and strong in math many, many, students do not have the opportunity to take geometry before 9th grade, so don’t worry if that is your situation. Not all schools will accept summer classes and especially not online courses. They may want you to take the class at the school, so check. Depending on the level of instruction and the course content at your former school, you may find yourself repeating a class or some material in a class at your new school. Also, some schools do algebra II before geometry for students who have not had either, so don’t worry about the order.</p>
<p>I agree with Inquiring mind. My “math kid” is one of only a couple of kids taking Algebra II as a freshman in a class of over 100 at a top BS (although there are also two or three freshman taking even more advanced classes). I think for most kids Geometry will be the norm as a freshman.</p>
<p>yes – most kids will not have taken geometry in 8th grade. But – if you look at the top schools (I am talking CalTech, MIT and top engineering programs at ivies) the kids who are successful at getting in are definitely further ahead than just a calc class in 12th grade.</p>
<p>If you are truly interested in these types of top engineering/math programs – you need to be advanced in math</p>