<p>So, it's in the title. My high school is most likely canceling the Calculus class I was going to take next semester because not enough people are taking it, people dropped out for various reasons and there apparently were only around 5 left. </p>
<p>My counselor told me this yesterday. She told me I could take AP Calculus online, which I don't want to do because math is not my strongest subject and I need a real teacher. If not, she said I could take normal Statistics. She said that the principal would cut a small class, so I assume it's not her/her peer's decision. </p>
<p>This makes me very angry. I already applied to college, and put on the applications that I was taking Calculus this year. I feel like every (mildly intelligent) high school senior should take Calculus, if only for self-respect. I can't believe they can just cancel a class in the middle of the year! If it were at the beginning of the year, I would understand. I would have taken Calculus at the community college if I had known that it would not be offered, but it was expensive there, and the reason I would have had to pay is because it was offered at the high school- if it weren't offered at the high school, it would have been free. How unfair is that? </p>
<p>What should I do? Should I write a letter explaining why this is not OK? and what class should I take? Would AP Statistics online be OK? Also, I applied to colleges, will they know that my schedule has changed? Any help? Thanks.</p>
<p>What do the other 5 people think about this? If I were in your position and your calculus teacher still wants to teach the class, I would talk to the others to see what their opinions are. You and the rest can petition or talk to your principal about the situation. Strength in numbers, I guess? </p>
<p>If it doesn’t end up working out, definitely tell your colleges. It will smooth out any discrepancies that could occur later on. </p>
<p>As for your class situation, which seems doable? If you take AP calculus online, can’t you still work with your teacher outside of class to get the “real teacher” experience? Going in to Statistics halfway through the year sounds difficult to adjust to. </p>
<p>Thanks for replying. Alwayswonderines, the class hasn’t started yet. We have a block schedule, so it would have started next semester (the week after next).</p>
<p>Are there any other high schools in your same school district? If so, there should be the option to take the second semester at one of these other high schools. Of course that would only work if you have transportation and could arrange your schedule accordingly.</p>
<p>I feel like every (mildly intelligent) high school senior should take Calculus, if only for self-respect.
I stopped reading here. All I can say is sucks to suck.</p>
<p>Ok, I really wasn’t trying to be mean. As you can tell, I’m not the smartest person in the world, and I wanted to challenge myself by taking Calculus. That’s all I’m saying. By no means do I think it’s necessary for everyone to take it, it’s just not fair I can’t.</p>
<p>Unless you plan to be a math or engineering major, probably no sweat. If they do cancel the class you need to notify your colleges. Our GC was quite adamant that D2 notify them when she had a minor schedule change from what was on the Common App. Using the same email format she did, you might do something like this:</p>
<p>Dear <college x=""> Admissions,</college></p>
<p>I wanted to keep you informed of a change in my class schedule for senior year. Although I indicated on my application that I would be taking Calculus this year, my high school has made the decision to drop the class due to low registration numbers. I will be taking <x> instead <are there="" any="" math="" classes="" you="" have="" not="" taken="" at="" your="" high="" school?="" if="" substitute="" a="" non-math="" class,="" should="" indicate="" that="" all="" the="" offered="" already="" school,="" assuming="" is="" case="">.</are></x></p>
<p>Thank you.
college158</p>
<p>I will say that I agree with you that a high school ought to offer at least Calculus, even if they don’t have AP Calc or any more advanced math classes than Calculus.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, intparent. That was exactly what I was looking for. Do you think anything I do can make a difference, such as writing a letter or a petition? </p>
<p>And if it does change, because it probably will as my school never listens to its students, would taking AP Statistics online be OK?</p>
<p>I think if you have exhausted your math options internal to your high school, then AP Stats online would be okay. I doubt you will make a dent in your administration, although it probably can’t hurt to try as long as you are professional in your approach (even if they say no).</p>
<p>Don’t be rude about it but, yeah, talk to administration.</p>
<p>That’s what we (me and my val) did last year for AP Chem (well, we reasoned with guidance who then reasoned with administration). The class wound up being 5 people although, technically, any class that has less than 10 should be cut. We explained to our GCs that chemistry might be in our futures and it would be ridiculously beneficial for us to take the class so … you know … they let it happen.</p>
<p>Try to see if there are any other schools in your district that offer calculus. If there isn’t, then look in to the online class. Sometimes they can be easier than you think. Or, maybe you could ask the calc teacher to teach you separately. You could pay her some amount for teaching you the material. It would be like she’s tutoring you.</p>