I am not sure what to do here. My son is going to be a senior in college, but won’t graduate with the math classes he needs for the graduate programs he is interested in. He just didn’t prioritize them as he was planning his classes. Can he take them at the local community college after graduation or online and submit those grades along with his regular transcript when applying? I think he just needs two semesters of Calculus. Or maybe Calc + Multi.
Thanks!
He should check with the grad programs he will apply to but I imagine that would be fine.
I agree with Happy. I think that would be fine but he needs to check with the Grad School.
What kind of graduate program?
If medical school, some may look down on community college courses.
Is there a reason that he cannot take the needed courses during his senior year?
the answer (always) is, ‘it depends’.
If he’s applying to a Sociology program at an instate directional, it won’t matter one bit. But if he’s applying to a top Econ program, it will definitely matter. And yes, Med schools will care…
A “top Econ program” will want to see a lot more undergraduate math than calculus or multivariable calculus.
Thanks all. He is looking at Masters or PhD programs related to genetics. He has done some stats. He doesn’t want to spend the time on the courses senior year because there are many other more interesting classes he wants to take. He feels like he can get the math anywhere.
Probably required or recommended as a prerequisite for calculus-based statistics. He did not take calculus in high school?
When is he planning to apply to these programs? Is he going to apply next year or will he take time off to work before applying to grad school?
I still say he should contact the grad schools he plans to apply to and ask. But my gut feeling is that if he is applying to grad school directly from undergrad that he should take the math classes next year so he has these prerequisite courses on his transcript when he applies. If he is going to take a gap year or two then I think completing the math classes after graduation (at a college the grad schools say is acceptable) should be fine.
He did take calculus in High School. I don’t think he took the AP though. I will tell him to start calling the programs he is interested in before the school year starts so he can decide whether to just suck it up and take the classes while he is still enrolled.
As a start (and easiest) is just look up their websites. Many will readily say if they require Stats or Calc, or any other prerequisite.
I would suggest taking one or two math classes required for Grad school during the school year. He’ll have to take it sometime so why not now.
Say what? He has required courses for a masters he wishes to apply to…but he doesn’t want to spend time to take the courses his senior year in college?
My opinion…his priorities are messed up. If he wants to apply to a masters with these course requirements…he should take the courses.
He can take those “more interesting classes” at a later date.
@thumper1 I disagree about your characterization of his priorities. If there are interesting classes that he may never get to take again vs. taking math classes that are literally taught in every college in the country why not choose the former. Particularly Math classes which he could take later, at much less cost per unit, why not consider delaying? If it was an absolute requirement, like for Econ grad school, I imagine he would take the classes, just as he has fulfilled the requirements for his major. This seems to be a fuzzy area and since he is not going directly to grad school I understand the calculation.
How much calculus does he remember from high school?
@ucbalumnus I am not sure how to answer that question. He is very very good at learning math on his own. He probably remembers some Calc since he took Physics and had some in some stats class. If you have an idea about taking it online, or passing a proficiency test that would be great.
His college will have an adviser (or several, if it’s a big school) who focuses on these types of grad programs. That’s where to start. You seem pretty convinced that taking the math somewhere else is a viable plan- and maybe it is. But having a sit down with someone to review his transcript is the best possible investment of an hour your son can have.
Maybe the programs he’s looking at don’t care where the classes are taken, and will admit him with a provisional accept. Maybe the programs will accept him and require that he take the math at THEIR institution before he starts the actual coursework (which is what happened to me for the grad program I did over 30 years ago… I took the math sequence starting in June, and needed an A or a B in the courses before I could begin the regular curriculum in September). Maybe he won’t get accepted at all without the math.
So he needs to get on it, and his current institution will be able to advise him on how grad admissions work in this particular field. Better to have him take the math properly than self-study, if it means he’s going to struggle in his program, right? A PhD program in genetics is going to put him in classes side by side with kids who have been taking TONS of math and quant classes throughout undergrad!!!
Also, would delaying taking those classes preclude him from applying for grad schools in the first place?
I agree with @blossom.
He needs to understand the implications of taking or not taking these courses as part of his undergrad program…and how that might or might not affect grad school admissions in his desired field.
He needs to also decide if he really wants to take these required courses during a gap year between undergrad and grad school…and where.
A doctoral program in the sciences- with funding- is a pretty competitive animal these days. Why risk getting shut out because he doesn’t have the right courses on his transcript? And what PhD program is going to accept a pre-req from a community college?
Get cracking with an adviser!