<p>So far I have taken Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II. Next term I'm taking my last math class. I'm currently signed up for a 6-week online course at a community college for Elementary Statistics. However, I'm considering scrapping that in favor of self-studying Pre-Cal. So, I have a few questions...</p>
<p>1.) Would Pre-Cal look infinitely better than Statistics?
2.) Would it make a big difference if I take regular Pre-Cal or Honors Pre-Cal?
3.) Would getting an A/A+ in Stats look better than possibly getting a C or B in Honors Pre-Cal?
4.) Is taking Honors Geometry, Honors Alg II, and either Stats or Pre-Cal good enough to get into Yale? While it is only 3 years of math (as opposed to the 4 they recommend), I have taken 6 years of social science that might balance it out?</p>
<p>Honors Algebra 2 is a course usually taken in a Sophomore year, with the most talented students taking it as Freshman. You simply cannot stop there.</p>
<p>Pre-Calculus is the finishing point for an average student who took four years of math. You have to get at least there."</p>
<p>Yet on the Cornell thread:</p>
<p>“What do you think you’ll major in?
If you’re a science/math major, go for pre-cal. If not, just take stats.”</p>
<p>1.) INFINITELY better? No.
2.) I’m not sure. I don’t think it would make any real difference, though. Will they even really see this on your transcript?
3.) I think so, yes. IMO it is.
4.) It depends on the situation. Some people get into Y without calc every year. I’m definitely more of a humanities person than a math/science person, but I took calc this year for the challenge and to help balance my relatively weak ACT math subscore. I think ideally the admissions committee would like to see that you’ve taken the highest level of all available classes, but if they see something special in you they will make exceptions. I don’t think you are screwed, certainly. There are many humanities majors who did take calc in high school, though. I don’t think extra social sciences will counterbalance that.</p>
<p>I think that you can take stats if you want to. It is “real” math, and I don’t think it’ll make much difference to your admissions decisions whether you take pre-calc or stats. </p>
<p>C’mon, Calc BC is the “normal level” achieved for Ivy League students?! That’s ridiculous. I don’t know where that poster was living, but my school CERTAINLY does not offer BC Calc. I didn’t even know it existed until I came on this site.</p>
<p>The reason all these answers differ is because we are all high schoolers ourselves. We don’t know for certain either.</p>
<p>i think you should take precalc instead of stats. you can take stats in college, but you will be expected to have finished precalc, and at yale you are required to take 2 quantitative reasoning classes. There are some like “the geometry of nature” that say you can’t have taken calculus, and i’m not sure how much precalc is assumed, but it might be. and there is no precalc class here–the lowest of the sequential math classes is math 112, which is calculus. Stats on the other hand, if you are actually interested in it (and it can count as a QR and is required/recommended for a lot of majors) is taught here and you can take intro stats for social sciences if you would like, which you may find interesting. </p>
<p>if you think you will get a C in honors precalc, take regular. otherwise, i would probably take honors (challenging looks better)</p>
<p>three years of math is probably fine as long as you show commitment to other disciplines. </p>
<p>As for calc BC, it depends on the school. I had a lot of friends here who had already taken multivariable. But there were a lot of people taking math 115 which is the second half of BC. I would say the normal level here is having taken at least calc AB based on my experiences, though not everyone continues with the standard math sequence</p>
<p>^Thanks, goolsci. It does seem like the general consensus is that I should take Honors Pre-Cal. I’m going to try my hardest to get an A or B. However, if I did get a C for some reason (hopefully not, but hypothetically), would it really matter since the grade will only be on my final transcript? Would Yale consider rescinding my admission (if I were so lucky to be admitted) if I got a C in Honors Pre-Cal on my final transcript?</p>
<p>Does anyone know which of these would look best? Keep in mind that I haven’t taken Precal but both 2 and 3 on my list said that only algebra was required before taking them…</p>
<p>honestly…i dont think yale cares what math you take. i dont think yale cares much about math in general LOL. there are soooo many ways you can fulfill your QR requirements here…
i mean, it honestly just depends on what you’re majoring in. like i’m doing econ & math & international studies so it mattered for me. but if you’re doing like, idk, history…then no one really cares.</p>
It does seem like the general consensus is that I should take Honors Pre-Cal. I’m going to try my hardest to get an A or B. However, if I did get a C for some reason (hopefully not, but hypothetically), would it really matter since the grade will only be on my final transcript? Would Yale consider rescinding my admission (if I were so lucky to be admitted) if I got a C in Honors Pre-Cal on my final transcript?</p>