<p>it says you need 4 years of math class for the academic preparation. I don't know how strict they are with this, but I have a somewhat valid excuse for my absence of a math class in my senior year.</p>
<p>I actually did sign up for a senior math class in my junior year, and I was expecting to be enrolled in Statistics AP. But when this school year began about 2 months ago, the school barely notified me that the statistics AP class was dropped due to too few people signing up for that class. Furthermore the only other AP math class that I haven't took already, Computer programming AP, was also dropped because the teaching quit right as the school year started. So now my senior year started without a math class, and I tried to find another math class to take but I've completed every higher math course available already.</p>
<p>And thats my story... how strict will the admission officers take this? If I explain to them somewhere, will they understand my problem and treat me like any other student? Or will I get a slight disadvantage from this? Or should I not even try to apply for cal tech at all...?</p>
<p>I think you should be sure that your school's guidance councelor notes the issues going on at your school and says something along the lines of how you are still taking the most rigorous curriculum possible despite your setbacks.</p>
<p>Also, prior to reading on CC I had never heard of anyone taking classes at a nearby college (my HS didn't allow it). Is it really common elsewhere in the country or something?</p>
<p>What do you mean by "High school didn't allow it"? You don't have to ask permission of your school to take classes on the outside. Of course, you might not get credits towards graduation requirements, but if you are in a situation where you ran out of classes to take, you probably don't have to worry about it.</p>
<p>Try self studying for AP Stat. Or take a class through MIT open courseware? Both would show a lot of initiative. Lots of kids, when faced with limited opportunites go outside, and there lots of options that cost little or no money.</p>
<p>If you've already taken BC Calc I wouldn't be too concerned. Do what you want to do. (Although doing an online course like EPGY or a course at a community college could be really cool)</p>
<p>I took four years of math in high school, but that four years culminated in Calc AB :P</p>
<p>If I knew the school dropped the available math classes as summer started, I would have taken math classes during the summer, however this was not the case...</p>
<p>I also thought about trying to do a self-study on Stats AP and take the test as May comes, but I dont know if this means anything to the admissio officers (my friends say it will be pointless, is this true?)</p>
<p>If I choose to take a college level math class now, it would only be in effect in my second semester... will this still help improve my chances?</p>
<p>If it does, since now the school year has started, going to a community college might be difficult for me in terms of transportation and schedule, but I think I can accomodate these obstacles if it means that much. However, an online course would be great if any of you recommend me a program.</p>
<p>I checked the MIT open courseware by googling it and clicking on the first site, but it seems to be just a free resource for particular classes. There are online notes, assignments, and exams available to download, but they seem to be just any other free files on the internet to download. Will I really get credit for "taking" a math class from their site if I can do well from their exams, or how does it work?</p>
<p>For the Stanford EPGY program math classes, I dont understand when the multivariable differentiable calculus class starts... it says 2 quarters enrollment term in the tuition fee chart, but in the registration deadline page it says every math class starts at the first of each month.... so if I enroll right now, do I begin December 1st, and continue all the way until the 2 quarter expires? Also, the tuition fee is so large! O.O $800 almost. Would it matter if I choose a different math, such as number theory ($500) or an AMC prep course ($100)?</p>
<p>
[quote]
What do you mean by "High school didn't allow it"? You don't have to ask permission of your school to take classes on the outside. Of course, you might not get credits towards graduation requirements, but if you are in a situation where you ran out of classes to take, you probably don't have to worry about it.
[/quote]
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<p>Not allowed to leave the school building during normal hours, and there wasn't really a CC nearby. I don't think distance learning programs had really taken off as much as they seem to now, so maybe that's an option that would be available nowadays.</p>
<p>I think your friends are not entirely correct about how colleges view self study. It helps if you have some way to "prove" you learned the material (eg take the AP exam for a class you studied on your own). OCW could be useful (it is a lot cheaper than EPGY) - do the assignments. Perhaps one of the math teachers at your school would be willing to act as your advisor, look over your work, and maybe even help you get school credit for doing the work on your own?</p>
<p>You do not have to prove everything with a grade - there is a lot of trust in the application process. There is much on the application that cannot be substantiated. Of course, if they catch you lying you will be turned down or recinded. They are looking to see who you are - and if yo are someone who can self study and do well, that is a good thing. i would attach a sheet of self study classes - what you did, what resources you used, what you learned.</p>
<p>I see... thank you for the replies. It seems self-study may not be too bad after all, and I can use the MIT OCW to help me study for statistics and probability AP test. If this holds almost as much weight as an actual community college math course, then I just might do this.</p>
<p>However, the AP test does not come along until May 2009... will that be too late for the colleges to check? Thats the only thing I'm afraid of, because by that time, the college should have already decided if they accepted you or not, and if you take the test in May you might as well take a summer course in 2009 (which I believe does not count towards your high school senior year but the freshmen college year).</p>
<p>But regardless of this answer I will still try the self-study for Stats AP. I will contact the supposed stats AP teacher for this year and use her chapter tests to see if I am progressing normally, and maybe she can be the official proof if the admission officers will not have the patience to wait until May.</p>
<p>P.S. anotherparent, how do I know what I learned on my own constitutes as a "class" and what is not? And how do I know if I learned enough in that area? Because there is a lot of articles I read on my topics of interests, which are usually scientific, and I might be well-educated enough on these areas to have the right to claim that I studied on these topics as much as an average class would.</p>
<p>First off - if you do get accepted at Caltech and plan to attend, do NOT take your AP exams in June. They will not give you credit for them, so save the money. Yes, my son did ask the adcoms about this and they just shrugged.</p>
<p>Regarding your p.s. Somewhere in your application you need to explain your course of self study. You should not list them as a class unless you are pretty sure that you did in fact fiish what they would consider a class, which would be following a text book, or doing an OCW course. The rest of it? use that in the essay that shows your passion for a passion in your subject.</p>
<p>Oh right, June. Thats the month I meant =P. Thanks for the response anotherparent. I forgot Cal Tech does not accept credit from AP test and such, so I should not worry so much about the credits... I guess I can rub them off as a passion for learning then!</p>
<p>You ask :"For the Stanford EPGY program math classes, I dont understand when the multivariable differentiable calculus class starts... it says 2 quarters enrollment term in the tuition fee chart, but in the registration deadline page it says every math class starts at the first of each month.... so if I enroll right now, do I begin December 1st, and continue all the way until the 2 quarter expires? Also, the tuition fee is so large! O.O $800 almost. Would it matter if I choose a different math, such as number theory ($500) or an AMC prep course ($100)?"</p>
<p>My son has done several EPGY courses. AFAIK you start the first of the next month after you enroll, and it is self paced. There is no set semster, other than you work a certain amount of time and (hopefully) finish within it. If you don't (finish) you generally simply pay more (good incentive to stay up to date) They will send a transcript to anywhere you ask them to (for a small fee - that includes 5, I think, places)
If you have already gone through AP calc, study anything you want that is "higher math". IMO that would look like someone who is interested in math not just in attaining credits for the usual suspects... I mean subjects.</p>
<p>I'm horribly sorry to "steal" this thread, but is it a "plus point" if one finishes all math and science courses by junior year of hs as opposed to finishing them by senior year?</p>