@3scoutsmom, yes, I agree re all schools are different. My HS allowed me to take Art History AP without taking any art classes (ok, I fought for it tooth and nail), and for me it was one of the most relaxing/enjoyable classes. I didn’t even know skipping Calc AB was an option, but thanks for giving me this idea to ask GC!
You can’t skip AB. The course needs to be o e where AB and BC are taught sequentially in a single yr.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek, I was thinking she’d take pre-calc, calc AB and calc BC for 3 years. I realize my fallacy has been working off my own HS experience. My HS was also public, but very small, with limited resources. They only had Calc AB class and at that time (90’s) nobody told me I could take classes as community college - or maybe it wasn’t even an option then. In my DD’s school, Calc AB and BC are two separate years, and I will definitely ask GC if they can be take the same year.
Also, I thought math was like foreign language - doesn’t matter how many years, but what’s the highest level achieved - i.e. if you skip Spanish I, it won’t be held against you as long as you gt through Spanish AP in 11th. I don’t think my DD would like multivariable calculus, but she really wants to take so many “elective” AP’s like Art History, Studio Art, Comparative Government/IR, that she wants to clear up spots for them for 12th grade. Would it be really held against her if she takes 3 years of math but finishes with Calc BC? Thanks!
There is no single answer. It is really college dependent. We have run into this issue with our current 11th grader. She finished the equivalent of AB first semester. She is a very strong math student, but she does not want to take any more math. She certainly doesn’t need anything beyond cal 1 for her career plans. She is considering stats for next yr if she decides to apply to schools that want 4 yrs of math completed in high school. Otherwise, she will probably not take it, b/c some schools absolutely do not care.
when it comes to college apps, “it depends on the school” is probably the most accurate mantra.
@typiCAmom I am also confused. Are you asking for your daughter to skip algebra 2??? No no no. That is a foundation class.
My son, whole plans to be a math major, who is graduating this year did the following.
7th alg 1
8th geometry
9th honors alg 2 - This year was when we had our discussion with the head of the math department and he was given permission to take pre calc or calc AB/BC in 10th. I suggested straight to calc. My son chose pre-calc. He just wanted the extra foundation. I disagreed but ultimately it was his choice.
10th pre-calc
11th - Calc AB and BC are not always sequential! At his school AB is calc 1 and BC is calc 1 AND 2. Check on this. So my son wanted BC and was given permission to take it by the GC, but it did not fit into his schedule. so he took AB (he also also said he was glad he took pre-calc)
12- dual enrollment for Calc 2 and was planning on Calc 3 but the community college had it at the wrong time so he is taking stats this semester.
End results - great college options. Happy kid who plans to major in math.
And yes, it is appropriate for you to attend her counseling sessions. That is not helicoptering, It is parenting.
@LKnomad The key issue is whether or not a school’s BC course includes AB material. (The BC exam automatically includes AB.) Some schools don’t and a yr of AB is pre-req for BC. If students can enroll directly in BC from pre-cal, it is b/c AB is taught within the BC yr.
@LKnomad, thanks, awesome tips! yes, I will definitely follow everyone’s advice and have my daughter take Algebra 2. If it’s too easy for her, then so be it. Thanks for the tip to check on whether Calculus BC may include AB. After some digging, found the flowchart and yes, Calc BC may be taken straight after Pre-Calc Honors (Analytic Geom/Calc) or after Calc AB, so I assume it’s calc 1 and 2…
One interesting thing I saw was Algebra II is listed as 10-12 grade, but Algebra II/Trig for 9-12, so I guess it means my daughter was indeed placed in toughest class for a freshman and I shouldn’t even be bother GC about it. Thanks everyone!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek, thanks so much! So how can one find out if 4 years of math would be required? Is it true of all top schools? AP Statistics is also an option, so I’ll encourage my daughter to look into that, and she could always take those classes she’s so interested in once she gets into college.
yes @lknomad at our school you can take AB as a year long course or BC which cover AB first semester and BC second semester. Our school also offers advanced math classes Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and AP Stats and counts AP Comp Sci as a math class.
It is all in the wording. Read admissions pages for schools she is interested in. When the words minimum are used, if it is a competitive school, I would strongly recommend taking more. Take the words recommended to mean pretty much required to be competitive unless your student has something incredibly compelling to compensate for not meeting their “recommended.”
Less competitive schools will be the ones that will be thrilled to have a student having completed cal. Period. But for some really competitive schools, even cal BC is only avg for some of their applicants. Across the country MV, linear, diffEQ, etc are becoming what the really competitive students are taking. (Of course those also tend to be some of the tech oriented schools, too. Again, it really goes back to what type of school is being discussed.)
Wow, a lot of familiar faces. Our S20 has been at boarding school since sixth grade and we are planning that he will come home for HS. He was adopted at age three from Central America and has had some serious emotional issues and struggled quite a bit academically. He has matured quite a bit and we are crossing our fingers that things will work out for him at our local Catholic high school. One of my best friends teaches there, so that alone is super helpful in this case. He is home now and going back to school until the end of May. As for where he will go from HS, it really is anyone’s guess!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek yes, that is why I told @typiCAmom to check with her school to make sure.
@typiCAmom, DD17 qualified and went to Math Logic class between 7th to 8th. We spent around $4,000, not just $900, I recall
She got a letter from a neighboring LA college after that, and it said that she qualified for a scholarship for 3 or 4 credit hour class. She went the summer of her 8th grade and took Econ, which allowed her to take AP econ as a freshman.
DS20 is coming together…but never has the drive or maturity as his older sister. But we might let him do something the summer of 9th grade when he is bit more mature. For now, I signed him up with AP Computer Science Prin, while DD takes the same class. DD already said that she doesn’t want to be in the same session with him!!
For those doing JHU, which I assume if CTY. If there are financial difficulties, do know they offer scholarships. My S16 did CTY for 6 years and a great deal of that was on scholarship.
@LKnomad, thanks for the suggestion, I looked it up - we make more than 75K and DD didn’t get over 600 on all 3 sections, math was the best one for her, so I don’t think she’d qualify for the merit scholarship, either.
@LOUKYDAD and @fretfulmother Thank you so much for the welcome a few weeks back. I misplaced my CC log-on password and it took forever for me to find it, lol. Anyway, I’m excited to be here and learn so much from all of you. With this being my first kiddo to get ready for college, I’m going to need all the CC wisdom I can get!
@typiCAmom I am not sure we are taking about the same thing. Are you taking about CTY through JHU?
@LKNomad, yes. Their merit scholarship is only for those kids that have over 600 on each portion of the SAT, my daughter had 590 in CR, and the deadline for financial aid is over anyway.
I’m wondering if I can get some feedback. My class of 2020 daughter was recommended for Honors Biology for 9th grade (the highest science class offered to 9th graders at the high school). My daughter is a hard-working, perfectionist, straight-A student who enjoys math and science, but her interests vary widely…I’m not sure if she would be interested in a STEM major or career down the road. Some of my friends who are parents of high-achieving 10th graders have warned me that this Honors Biology class is very rigorous and requires an exorbitant amount of reading. My friends suggested that my daughter take the regular 9th grade Physical Science class and then try to get her back on the AP science track for 10th grade. My daughter will also be taking Honors Algebra II, Honors English, PE, freshman band, jazz band, and Leadership (she is taking Spanish and possibly Psych 1A at our local junior college this summer). Do any of you have experience with a 9th grade Honors Biology class for your child? Has it been extremely difficult and/or tedious for your child? I don’t want to stress my daughter out during her first year of high school, but I also don’t want to hinder her from any future wish of getting into a STEM major at a very selective college. Also, we will probably be “chasing merit” at colleges, so I’m concerned that if she doesn’t pursue the most rigorous high school courses available, it may limit her opportunities for that, too. Any feedback is appreciated!
@khmamma At my school, the only difference between Honors and Standard Biology is a few test questions and the textbook. It varies greatly from school to school.