Hello. I’m a junior. I’m in Advanced Math right now, which by default means I have to take a math course next year (4 years of math is required in Massachusetts). My options are Pre Calc, Accounting I, and Financial Literacy. I have never enjoyed math, but I’m relatively good at it and have never received a semester grade below a 90, usually averaging with a 95. However, in regards to Pre Calc, other students, who are better in math than I am, have said that their Pre Calc grades were significantly lower than their previous math grades, usually averaging in the high 70’s and low 80’s. If I have the class first semester, this would mean that that grade would be one of the first colleges will see.
If I took Financial Lit or Accounting, I would almost certainly receive an A, but it may not look as credible as Pre Calc to College Admissions. Which would look better, a C or at most a B in Pre Calc, or an A in Financial Lit or Accounting. I do not plan on being a math or science major. Thank You!
Quick, take out your high school name. Strangers on the internet don’t need to know that.
What kind of colleges are you hoping to apply for? The kind that want students to challenge themselves in all subjects (i.e. elite colleges)? The kind that may require precalculus?
For many majors (including business), you will have to take calculus, which will require precalculus. In that case, if you do not take precalculus in high school, you will have to take it as a remedial course in college.
Of accounting and Financial Literacy I would go with FL. I think every student should have it. Maybe we wouldn’t get nearly the number of posts asking “Is it worth it for me to take out $250K in loans for my undergrad?”
I do want to go to a competitive college which is why I’m asking whether its better to have a C or B in a class like Pre Calc or an A in Financial Lit. I want to be a lawyer so most likely Political Science or World Affairs.
Normally I would say pre-calc so you could take AP Calc as a senior, but you don’t want a C in it on your transcript.t if at all possible. Are there any alternatives for pre-calc? Online maybe? Does you high school offer that?
You do need logical thinking on the LSAT and in law. Math is the most closely related subject out of high school subjects. In college, logic is also taught or practiced in subjects like philosophy and computer science.
I’ll still have to take college level math either way, so I’ll be able to further develop my logical thinking skills then. Plus I will most likely be minoring in philosophy.
If you are afraid of getting a C in precalculus in high school, it may be worse in college, when the precalculus course will cover material at a faster pace. Also, a C grade in a college course will damage your chances of getting into a high ranked law school (law school ranking is very important in the lawyer job market; your ranking in your law school class is also very important).
What type of colleges are you talking about?
Precalculus is expected for a selective college (any flagship + top 125 LACs + top 20 regional.) The only exception I can think of is if you have a special skill (you’re trilingual, you’re a paid artist, you have taken all the Humanities APs at your school then taken further classes in the subject at your community college…)
In addition, some colleges only look at your list of planned classes for 12th grade, and not your grades. others do need your first semester grades.
That’s why telling us which colleges you’re planning to apply to matters.
As for college: if you’re not majoring in business, economics, or STEM, you won’t necessarily take precalculus in college.
Many colleges have special uantitative classes for humanities majors, such as History of Math, Math of Money, Math for Citizenship… CHECK YOUR COLLEGE CHOICE’S SCHEDULE and make sure they offer one of those. Not all do - in which case you’d be stuck in precalculus at college pace, which would be horrible for a students who’s poor at math. A great choice for you would be “Logic”, a philosophy class that also helps with the LSAT ( but it’s no picnic).
Back to your current situation: uou can also take a statistics class. BTW, isn’t statistics an option for you? In terms of difficulty, it’s less hard than precalc, but it’s more academically legit than Financial Literacy.
Ask your current math teacher: does s/he think you can get a B/B- in precalc?
If not, you may be better off taking Financial Literacy, but you’ll have to compensate with a class demonstrating extra course rigor (ie., the AP level in a foreign language, a Level2 dual enrollment class, a Level1 Philosophy class, etc.)
I talked to my current math teacher and she believes that I would do well in Pre Calc, although she told me to talk to the Pre Calc teacher if I have worries, which I will do tomorrow and I have made an appointment with my guidance counselor. There is no statistics class at my high school.
In terms of colleges, I’m considering College of the Holy Cross, Columbia, CUNY, Harvard (I’m aware that’s a long shot), and some international schools such as the University of Stockholm in Sweden and the King’s College in London.
I will be taking AP Government, AP English, and possibly AP Spanish (if I can fit it in) my senior year. Those are all of the humanities courses my high school offers unless I take a VHS (Virtual High School) course.
For the colleges you’re considering, you need precalculus and a B at worst.
Ask your math teacher whether she might be willing to lend you a math book over the summer so that you can start reading about precalculus and working on problems. Make a plan to work with Khan Academy videos regardless, perhaps three a day. If you can prepare as much as possible for precalculus, it shouldn’t be as hard as if you took it “cold” after 3 months of summer vacation and it’ll go a long way to preventing that C, as long as you work hard.
Yes, for that list of colleges you will be expected to be in pre-calculus. You will be competing with many students who will have taken calculus. I think MYOS has a good idea that perhaps you can try to learn the fall material in advance so you have a better chance of doing well. Even a B isn’t going to do you any favors at those reach schools.
Do Pre-Calc!! Don’t limit your choice of majors beyond high school. One of my kids majored in Microbiology and Immunology (Premed) and was required to do Calculus I and 2 (did AP Calculus AB in High School). I have seen kids scurrying to take Pre-Calc in the senior year once they settled on a major, which would require Calculus in College.
If you can’t ace precalc, you don’t belong at most of the schools you’re applying to. I really don’t like the notion that you getting a “C or at most a B” is a foregone conclusion if you were to register for precalc. Mastering precalc isn’t some mythical feat that you’re necessarily incapable of; even if you are more focused on non-STEM fields, you should be well rounded enough to pass a course that quite honestly isn’t known for being very difficult.
Thank you all for your help in deciding. I talked to my guidance counselor and now I’m set to take Pre Calc next semester and AP Calculus my senior year. Once again thanks to everybody and wish me luck.
I would say pre calc and really work for at least that B. The kind of schools you’re applying to are looking for competency/mastery in core classes and skills. They are also going to be looking not only at your grades, but the difficulty of the courses you took and if you pushed yourself out of your comfort zones. But I would really have a solid consultation between your guidance counselor, your teachers and your parents on this topic. It may also not be a bad idea for advice from an admissions counselor at one or more of the schools you’re applying to as well. Of course definitely DON’T share with them the potential possibility of a lower grade in pre-calc - I would just ask which types of courses they are looking for in candidates.
As a fellow from Sweden, I would say do the Pre-Calc! I did the equivalent course here Mathematics 5 and got me an advantage in my engineering studies in the university. And it is pretty easy to get accepted in Stockholm University! Oh just saw that you will probably study law, then I would take the course that you could use most later in life! Financial lit could be good if you go for corporate law but pre-calc could help your analyzing mind!
Btw! If you wanna experience “studentlife” (Studentliv in Swedish) you should apply for Uppsala University or Lund University! The oldest universities in Sweden, even older than the US! And I think Uppsala has the most prestigious law school in Sweden.