I’m going into my junior year I have decided to take Algebra 2 Honors online over the summer. However, I have a dilemma of which class I will take the following year. I can take pre-calc or AICE mathematics 1. Pre-Calc is easier than AICE math but the teachers for pre-calc are not good and the AICE Math teacher is known to be one of the best teachers at our school. To get into aice math you either need teacher recommendation or pre-aice algebra 2 (algebra 2 curriculum designed to prepare students for aice math). My “friend” believes that I will not get an A in aice math as I will only be taking algebra 2 honors and not pre-aice algebra 2. However, there are a many people who have taken only algebra 2 honors and excelled in the class, but he believes that I’m not nearly as smart as them. So my question is… should I take a aice math or pre-calc? I may not be one that always gets perfect scores but I sure do have the determination and love for the subject. With having to cram agebra 2 in around 5 months, will I be good enough for the class? Is it worth it risking not getting an A to get potential college credit? Also keep in mind that I will be taking 4 additional college level classes the same year.
Why are you taking Algebra 2 Honors online over the summer?
Because I have the opportunity and my current math teacher and family want me to.
I’d just take algebra 2 honors as a junior then take pre calculus senior year
That’s great that you plan to take Algebra 2 honors online over the summer as long as that is what you want to do. In other words, if you are also interested in doing so and it’s not just your teacher and family making you do so. Taking it in the summer may mean you have more time to devote to it as you won’t have other classes competing for the time. But it also means that your summer will entail spending time on math. Do you want to do that?
About that “A”. Try not to develop a habit of looking at grades as the goal and courses as the route to the goal. Mastering the course material is the goal. A grade should be an assessment of the extent to which you learned the material. Are you saying your friends didn’t think you could master the material in AICE math? Why not? Someone said you weren’t smart enough to master it? What does that even mean? What did that person mean by that? Does that person even know?
There is no independent entity called “smart” that is outside your level of effort that exists in various amounts for different people. That’s a myth. You will have difficulty mastering certain material if you have not yet mastered the material needed to understand the to-be-learned material. Once you have that foundation, you’ll be able to learn the material that builds upon the already learned material. Acquiring an understanding of new math topics is not about “smartness”. Make certain that you have a strong foundation in what you need for the next level. If you do, you’ll be able to acquire the new material. People who talk in terms of how smart others are, and especially those who suggest you don’t have enough of that variable to succeed in something, have little understanding of education, learning, pedagogy, and human intellect. Don’t listen to them. Don’t let their misunderstandings limit you.
AICE Math, being based on the Cambridge Maths curriculum, is known to be abstract and very tough. It’s excellent if your goal is to major in CS, Engineering, Physics, or Math. If your goal is to major in Economics, Business, Biology, Chemistry, then you don’t need AICE Math.
So, what’s your end goal? Why do you want to take AICE Math?
Algebra2H is going to miss some pre-reqs, so you’ll need to ask the Pre-Aice teacher what the difference is and what you’ll need to learn on your own.
Could you take Precalculus Honors junior year and Calculus Honors senior year? That’d be perfectly acceptable to any college.
Then again, if you want to become a Math or Engineering major, feel you can dedicate 5 hours to Math over the summer, can cover by yourself the missing elements between Algebra2H and PreAiceAlgebra, and have talked with your teachers about it, give yourself that chance, decide you’ll try and go for it, but will reassess after the first couple weeks in Summer School.
Economics majors intending to go on to PhD study in economics or work in quantitative finance need to study a lot of advanced math and statistics (suggested courses include real analysis, proof-based linear algebra, calculus-based probability theory, etc.). So if AICE math is good for prospective math majors, it is good for prospective economics majors with these goals.
However, economics majors studying it as a substitute business major (other than for quantitative finance goals) need less math, usually just single variable calculus and introductory statistics.
Yes, I do plan to get a major in CS, that’s why I realized I should be more advanced.
I know the the PreAice Algebra teacher who is also the AICE math teacher well so I’m definitely able to ask her about it.
Then you should try and get into AICE Math, but you’ll likely need to patch things up between what you studied and where AICE Maths will start.