<p>At the moment I have AP Calculus for Senior Year, Honors Calculus for Junior Year, AP Chemistry Senior Year, and AP Bio Junior Year.. do I need to take AP Physics to major in mathematics? I am taking Physics at the Community College over the summer but thats it.. is that okay?</p>
<p>no ∇∂∈⊂∅Ɐ∃</p>
<p>No…and technically, if you have had some high-school math course after Trigonometry (ex: Analytic Geometry), you don’t need AP Calculus because Math and Engineering programs are structured for a student starting off with Calculus I in their first semester.</p>
<p>GLOBALTRAVELER is right, you can major in a subject without taking the corresponding AP class in high school. However, it certainly helps if you can place out of a few lower-level courses. </p>
<p>For example, an undergraduate student cannot get to the level of math that selective graduate programs in mathematics would expect unless he gets accelerated at some point along the way (taking AP classes in high school or summer classes in college). Ideally graduate-school bound math majors would take some of the core math classes (analysis, algebra and/or topology) in their sophomore year. However, that requires finishing Calc 3 and linear algebra by the end of your freshman year.</p>
<p>You certainly don’t need to start thinking about graduate school yet. But if you want to major in math, taking calculus in high school is a good thing to do, just to be exposed to new ideas.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I am taking Honors (I’m not sure what that is in the UK) Calculus junior year (next year) and AP Calculus 1 and 2 senior year. I saw this thing on Cambridge’s page that said you should take A Level Physics and AS Further Mathematics. Would going to a community college and taking Physics there suffice? And what is Further Mathematics?</p>
<p>AS Further Mathematics exists? I thought it was only A-level.</p>
<p>If its anything like CIE A-Level, then it’s basically BC Calculus + a mix of random topics, ranging from Complex Numbers to Linear Algebra. Nothing really enough to count for a class of the topics, though. There’s also some proofs. The second part is also some hardcore Mechanics and Statistics, not sure if they are at all similar to AP Mechanics and AP Stats. </p>
<p>A lot of schools required math majors to take physics. At my school, for example, they require 3 semesters of physics. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt. </p>
<p>I would still take the AP Physics class if you can and it’s not too much trouble, since it’s good knowledge, and may help you place out of physics I/II if you want/need to.</p>
<p>If you want to study math at Cambridge, you should familiarize yourself with the STEP exams. You might need to modify your current plans to prepare for them. In particular, be sure to take a course on statistics and probability, and calculus-based physics. I am not sure what the distinction is between honors calculus and AP calculus (do students at your school usually take both or just one of the two?); but you should get a solid foundation in calculus in your junior year so that you can study calc-based statistics and physics as a senior. </p>
<p>[Faculty</a> of Mathematics Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP)](<a href=“http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/admissions/step/]Faculty”>Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) | Undergraduate Admissions)</p>
<p>Some students at my school skip Honors Calculus from Honors PreCalculus and go right into AP Calculus, but it is not recommended. I received a 98 unweighted in PreCalc and my teacher told me not to do it, and I thought PreCalc was easy. I just don’t know if I should take AP Biology next year or drop it to take AP Chem. I am going to take AP Chem at some point but if I take AP Bio next year I will be taking AP Chem, AP Calc, and AP Physics senior year and I don’t know if that is too much…</p>
<p>Do you actually want to study math at Cambridge?</p>
<p>If that’s your goal, you should arrange your schedule so that you have plenty of time in your senior year to study math. If you are admitted to Cambridge, it will most likely be a conditional offer pending your performance on the STEP exams at the end of the year. Since it covers several topics not covered in the standard US curriculum, you will need time to prepare for it. If you are concerned about handling calculus, chemistry and physics in your senior year, how much time and motivation would you have to study 1-2 semester’s worth of math on your own in addition?</p>
<p>For US college admissions your schedule is fine the way it is.</p>
<p>Is this AP Calc AB or BC? If its AB, by all means, skip Honors Calc. There’s no point in taking Honors Calc and AB. If it’s BC, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. For some reason, people always have this problem with Power series and whatnot, and it shouldn’t be something insuperable or anything of the sort. I’d say try to skip Honors Calculus and maybe pick up a Calc book and give it a cursory glance, just enough to some familiarity with the contents. AP Calc BC is not hard and it’ll give you the knowledge needed to tackle calculus-based physics. </p>
<p>If you take AP Calc BC, AP Physics C (if its B, I’d be a little wary, although CIE GCE A-Level Physics is sorta like AP Physics B) and AP Stats, then you should be in a great spot to learning whatever else you need for those STEP exams. However, I realize this plan may be a bit ambitious, not sure if you’d be up for it. None of those of APs are too hard (except AP Physics E&M). I know my brother self-studied AP Stats, starting in April, and he passed it (with a 3, but passed it nonetheless) and he’s not a genius by any extent of the imagination.</p>
<p>In the end, it all depends how motivated you are. </p>
<p>As for Bio vs Chem, I dunno. I’d say Chem, but I hate bio so I’m biased haha.</p>
<p>Thank you L’Hopital, great insight. The Calc is BC (I just looked it up). I’m slightly worried about the physics, as I have never taken physics before. This may sound really stupid, but is it interesting? I involuntarily smile in Chemistry, its like magic. Is physics like that?</p>
<p>I took AP Physics BC this year, and I loved it. I may have never been the most fantastic student at it, but I would consider myself better than average (I had about a solid 85+ throughout both semesters). It is a science which not only has practical benefits, but also, at the end of all things, makes you understand the world around you more. I however, cannot compare Chemistry and Physics, because I have never taken a challenging enough Chemistry course myself (which I probably should!). Physics is challenging, and makes you think in entirely new ways. It really makes you ponder about the reality of things. Yet, if you think Chemistry is magic, wait until you do a few of the more interesting Physics labs! Some of them are surreal.</p>
<p>Wow, now I’m excited 
thank you Shiny20 :)</p>