So next year will be my final year of high school and I want to end it strong. I’m having some difficulty deciding what I should take.
As of right now, these are the classes I have signed-up for next year (senior year):
Symphony Orchestra
AP Statistics
AP Biology
AP Literature
Government and Economics
Multivariable Calculus
The classes I’m debating between are MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS and AP COMPUTER SCIENCE for my senior year. I have to choose between these two.
The pros and cons of each class
Multivariable Calc
-highest level of math taught at my school (pro)
-taught by great teacher who I could ask to write my letter of rec (pro)
-shows I’m still challenging myself (pro)
-I most likely won’t get an A, it’s said to be super hard (con)
-only a 4.0 class (con)
AP Computer Science
-heard to be an easy A (pro)
-barely any homework, mostly classwork (pro)
-5.0 class (pro)
-still “technically” challenging myself (pro)
I’m most likely going to major in the science field (thinking of bio-physics) and I’m aiming for the top UCs and some private universities. Which one would impress colleges more? The course or the GPA? Please leave any suggestions or ideas as to what I should do!
I forgot to mention that I am currently taking AP BC Calc my junior year. It is a dual enrollment with my local community college so I automatically get the credit.
Have you done any programming, or would AP Comp Sci be new material for you? Learning new stuff is good. If this is just to have an AP, and you can already program, I’d count is as a con for AP CS. If you can’t already program, AP CS is a useful skill.
Is multivariable calculus a college or dual enrollment course? If not, you may have difficulty getting subject credit or advanced placement in college based on it.
Multivariable calculus will be needed if you major in physics, but not generally if you major in biology.
Only the very strongest math students take multivariable calculus. This would be more impressive on a transcript than AP computerscience. If you apply ED / EA then colleges may not see your transcript until after first semester grades are issued. If your current unweighted GPA is 3.9 or 4.0, then you could crash and burn and get a B and your GPA would still be extremely strong. If your unweighted GPA is 3.7 now you are kind of borderline. So i think your question about the grade impact depends upon where you are overall at this point. Colleges probably will understand if you try a very difficult course like this and get a B, but they won’t understand a 3.65 or event a 3.75 GPA.
If a UC is your likely path (unless you have a deep passion for math, which your post doesn’t suggest) I would recommend the CS course, or perhaps some other course.
For selective private colleges it may make a difference especially if you are very strong in math, are planning to major in a math intensive subject, and you do extremely well first semester senior year in the multivariable calculus course. In that situation the multivariable course may help your application stand out. In practice, unless math is your passion, skipping a multivariable calculus course in an elite university is probably not recommended and possibly not allowed. At such colleges there is a huge difference between their advanced college math and anything you study in high school/community college. At best, in such colleges, taking the multivariable course would give you a head start for advanced math.
There is also a question of “balance” in your senior year schedule. And again, unless the explanation is your “passion” for math, taking two advanced (for high school) math courses is not a typical course load. Is there a reason why a language course (ideally at an AP level) is not one of your options?
Don’t worry about GPA weighting because it’ll be your senior year and colleges will only see your GPA up until the end of your junior year.
Do a lot of students take multivariable calc at your school? If not, then taking it will make you stand out among other applicants from your school and in your counselor rec.
I took AP Computer Science last year and it really didn’t require any past programming knowledge, but I guess it depends on the teacher.
I’d say take multivariable calculus, regardless of whether or not the course transfers. It looks better and you won’t really have to worry about getting a B.
AP CompSci is relatively easier than MV Calculus which should be equivalent to Calc3, however, you are not likely to receive any college credit from it unless it is a dual enrollment accepted by the school you are going to enroll. Also, it is in general a good idea to take Calc3 or sometimes retake Calc2 in college as they are considerable harder than the equivalent classes at high school. So even if you take MV Calculus, you may need to take Calc3 again in college. While for AP Comp Sci, you are likely to receive AP credits if you score well in the AP exam.
AP CS is the easiest class you can take. Countless people I know didn’t even bother taking the course because it’s the easiest course to teach yourself. Java is an old language and all assignments can be found on Github or Stackoverflow. The course is very simple and doesn’t even teach you automata, or any serious algorithms for that matter - so this won’t make you a good programmer anyways.
If you want to challenge yourself, just take MV Calculus.
I recommend MVC. I’m in the class, and even though I struggle, I’m glad I took it. Many of my friends are choosing to test out of MVC in college to go onto linear algebra. Others, like me, are going to retake MVC and have an easier time with it in college (I’m still shaky on it, but at least I’ll have some sort of foundation). At my school MVC is weighted though, so it I was quite sure that I was going to take it.
On the other hand, I have not taken comp sci, even though I’m going to major in it I feel like its easier to explore on your own time, with different languages. Plus, you can always start from the intro level in college if you wanted to. Math, on the other hand, is a basic foundation for many other classes, like physics, so it might be better to be stronger in it.
Ynotgo- No, I have never taken a comp sci course and I don’t know how to program. If I do take it, it will mainly be because of the cumulative weighted GPA boost. Also, I don’t know if I would need to know a skill like computer programming for a major like bio-physics.
ucbalumnus- Multivariable Calc is just a regular class offered at my high school. I won’t get college credit like BC calc. I mainly want to take this course to my transcript more impressive. And I assume being in a high math class would be good for someone who is considering a major in bio-physics.
Wje9164be- If I apply ED/EA to any school, wouldn’t my application reader still be able to see what I am taking my senior year? A big concern of mine is my current cumulative GPA. I’m sitting at a 3.7 UW and 4.2 W and I’m barely the top 15% of my class. So should I take AP comp sci to bring up my GPA instead of taking Multi which is only a 4.0 class?
fogcity- Just to clarify, are you saying that taking Multivariable calculus won’t be important for the UCs since I would be taking it my senior year? And don’t they take senior grades into an consideration at all? Also, I’m taking AP Spanish Language this year as a junior and I wouldn’t want to take AP Chinese because I already speak the language at home and know it fluently.
AnEpicIndian- So is my second semester of junior year the last semester to bring up my cumulative GPA that colleges see? Not many kids make it to Multi; in fact, not many kids in my class even make it BC.
billcsho- Without a doubt AP comp sci is easier than multi at my school. And I’m okay with not receiving college credit for multi and I don’t think getting college credit for AP comp sci is important to me either, for comp sci won’t be that important to my intended major.
StanfordSwag- I definitely want to challenge myself. I just don’t know if I can pull off a good grade in the class and if I don’t, it would screw up my transcript even more.
Pyrefox- I totally agree, math is the foundation for many classes. I guess it would be better to take it if I were to major in a physics related field.
Go with the multvariable calculus. It will obviously be a rigorous course where you can challenge yourself. From what you’re saying, AP CS doesn’t seem very challenging – don’t just fluff out your courseload to make it seem easier on yourself. It especially doesn’t matter since CS isn’t related to your career/major goals.
Senior year course work, regardless of whether grades will be visible to colleges you are applying to, will be considered for the purpose of seeing how rigorous a schedule you chose. For colleges that use counselor recommendations, what your counselor marks on the recommendation for your schedule rigor will influence them.
Weighted GPA as calculated by your high school matters mainly for your class rank. Colleges generally do not compare your weighted GPA with that of applicants from other high schools. Some (e.g. UCs) recalculate their own weighted GPA; others just look at your courses and grades holistically.
Multivariable calculus is actually fairly standardized among colleges. Elite schools may have super-hard honors versions (e.g. Harvard’s Math 55), but most of them (except Caltech and Harvey Mudd) have “ordinary” versions for which transfer credit from other colleges and universities may be considered equivalent of (e.g. Harvard Math 21).
Of course, a high school multivariable calculus course that is not associated with any college may not cover the material in the same depth or breadth as a college course (although it certainly has time to do so if it takes a whole year instead of the semester it usually is in college). A student taking such a course which has no college credit should be prepared to repeat it in college if necessary for his/her major, but can also check his/her knowledge by looking for college multivariable calculus exams and trying them.
I feel like its easier to explore on your own time, with different languages. Plus, you can always start from the intro level in college if you wanted to. Math, on the other hand, is a basic foundation for many other classes, like physics, so it might be better to be stronger in it.