@MommaLue – I think re-taking AP STEM courses in college depends and students should get advice from their advisor and older students, if possible, b4 making that decision.
I’ve shared this story on CC b4, but my D18 took Calc BC as a junior and then took a different math her senior year (so not multi-variable). When she got to college (a SLAC), she was planning to re-take Calc 2 b/c she’d taken that gap from Calc and b/c she had found Calc BC pretty brutal. (Tbh, the teacher was kinda meh.)
Her college advisor told her to go straight to Calc 3 b/c Calc 2 was a notoriously difficult course (maybe it’s a bit of an unofficial weed out class for pre-med students at her school where fully 40% come in to college saying they are pre-med?). Her advisor said she’d be better offer using office hours and study groups in Calc 3, esp. b/c the Calc 3 prof was amazing. That’s what my D did fall of her first year – she found a great study partner and she went to office hours every week – sometimes twice a week. She got an A- in the class, re-discovered her love of math and it’s now her minor.
Re-taking everything means you lose a lot of credits and cushion , so my advice is that students should talk to other students and their advisor first.
I agree. S19 also took BC calc as a junior but then MV as a senior. Many of his high school friends repeated MV as college freshmen (the two I’m thinking of are computer science majors - one at Cornell and the other at Vanderbilt). S19 at Bowdoin was not allowed to retake MV and was placed in Linear Algebra (the next class in the sequence for a math major). His 5 on the AP Calc test, his A in MV and a high score on a quantitative test that Bowdoin gives to all incoming students pointed the college to place him into LA. Every college and university is different so one should be asking questions before they register and find out the best path.
Agree with @AlmostThere2018 and @homerdog that it depends on student. My D is HS senior who enjoys math/science-very much a STEM gal. She took AP Calc BC, AP Physics C junior year, and as full time dual enrollment student at state flagship, she enrolled in MV Calc and the next class for Physics (2000 level) along with a couple other classes and did well. She is braver than I would have been and I could tell she worked for it, but moving to the next class instead of repeating worked for her.
I think the issue is that it heavily depends on each college as to whether or not it is advisable to repeat a class. DS has quite a few advanced STEM classes under his belt from his HS. Depending on the college he winds up at it will be quite a bit of work to determine whether to try and test out or just retake.
He clearly understands there are several colleges that he would be challenged at all of their math classes more than likely, but from looking at available tests, etc some colleges he would not really learn new material if he retakes MV or Lin Algebra. (and it is increasingly unlikely he will get into the top colleges)
He has thought of adding up a math double major by taking a heavier load of hours, the thought being that if he planned to take 15 hours, take 18 or 19 instead with one of the classes being a math course he is retaking as it would not take much of his time. He plans to major in Physics.
Or whether they let you, particularly if required for the major. I took post-AP courses in math and physics in HS - at a very well-known and rigorous HS - and had to repeat MVC/LA and mechanics in college. And it was worth it. The repeated classes, admittedly honors version, were light years ahead of what I had in HS.
I could be wrong but my recollection is you went to a T20 college? As I indicated DS is under no illusions that he could waltz into MV at MIT and know everything. The question I have is if he repeats the course at University of Alabama would he also learn lots? No disrepect to UA just an easy example.
My H is planning to take our S to see University of Utah, CU Boulder, and Colorado State during spring break. I doubt any of these schools will be giving tours, but at least they can see the surrounding areas and walk around the campus. I know things were a lot different when I went to college–applied to state schools, never went on college trips, no obsessive over-thinking it, but for my S, he feels like he can’t make a decision without ever having stepped foot on the campuses. I just hope classes are in person and the kids are allowed to socialize face to face Fall 2021. Never would I have thought that we would be faced with the possibility of online freshman year for the Class of 2021.
My S still needs to see a few other schools he applied to, and there may be some that he just won’t get to see.
On another topic, have any of your kids mentioned a senior trip? My S and his friends want to take one, and I would be OK with that, but I really don’t know what would be available to them.
DS is not picky about food, weather, size, etc. and our family was of the opinion that it was not too necessary to step foot on campuses but we have found value in doing so.
Unfortunately, the last visits were not as nice since the campuses are basically deserted, but even still they have been worthwhile.
D would love a senior trip but I’m not sure how that would happen or where they would go for spring break. Plus, we will likely use spring break to visit schools since there won’t be in-person admitted student days in April this year (or at least it’s looking like that). I’d be up for her doing something this summer with friends but it’s just too early to plan something like that now. I don’t want to plan and get excited about it and then have to cancel.
My seniors and their friends are optimistic and booked a prom house for a few night (50 of them). I guess they could still have the weekend without prom.
I guess it depends where you live. Here in Illinois, I don’t see how we are getting to a 1000-person prom by May. We can only gather in groups of ten right now.
My D and her close friend group are talking about a mini senior trip over spring break. 10 kids max. Because of the uncertainty with covid and possible need to use that time for campus visits, they are planning to go to a family’s mountain home a few hours drive away. No need for reservations or issues if there are last minute changes. It is relatively isolated so no worries about avoiding crowds.
They typically have a senior trip as a grade but obviously that is not happening. Prom has not officially been canceled but I expect it will be. Such a bummer not to have a junior or senior year prom. My D is now so glad she went with a friend her sophomore year. That is most likely her one and only prom.
Our Spring Break is Mar 19th-28th, so I don’t think we will have the final list in time for a trip. We do have a 4 day weekend mid April, so I’m hoping to make a trip then.
My daughter and 4 of her friends want to do a long weekend in Miami over Spring Break. They figure they would have beach time and outdoor dining options but also remain in the states. I’m hoping Miami numbers are down by then.
My son and his buddies are talking about doing a “senior trip” this summer before the hall go their separate ways for college. I haven’t given him my stamp of approval yet lol.
As far as prom etc, I don’t see our school district allowing that to happen. My son and his friends will dress up anyway, do a photo session and go out to eat somewhere nice then have a small party at one of our homes…they said “no one really goes to dance anyway”. We moms are talking about trying to set up a nice outdoor dinner for them somewhere.
It’s a big house! Kids either get houses at the Jersey shore or the Poconos, pocono houses are bigger and nicer. The graduating class is 300, I can’t see it happening, junior formal was canceled last year. I just don’t want to squash all hope at this point. My daughter looks gorgeous in dd19’s dress, so we don’t need to buy a dress (she was going to wear it to the formal, I’m guessing many have formal dresses never worn).
Yep. My D’s prom dress has been hanging unused since she picked it up from the alteration shop last spring. Hopefully her covid weight (size 0 to now 2) won’t prevent her from ever using it! My covid weight has me wearing “real” clothes for WFH because yoga pants let those pounds sneak up!
Hopefully her covid weight (size 0 to now 2) won’t prevent her from ever using it! My covid weight has me wearing “real” clothes for WFH because yoga pants let those pounds sneak up!