<p>I'm applying to several Ivies and top-tier schools. So far I've taken Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II. I'm taking Statistics online at the community college next term but also want to take a more advanced math class.</p>
<p>So I have the choice of taking one of the following classes at the community college:</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>If you’re suited for a top school, you should take 3. You may have to work harder and be slightly behind for lack of pre-cal, but if you have the intelligence to consider a top school, you’ll be able to handle calc.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. So you think it would look fine to take Calc even though I haven’t taken Pre-Cal? Also, is there a particular reason you think 3 would look better than 2 (since they are both Calculus)?</p>
<p>Sure, it would look fine…just as long as you do well.</p>
<p>2 is an extremely applied and basic version of calculus with almost no mathematical rigor. It cannot be used as a prerequisite to “real” calculus II and is useless for and math, science, engineering, or (ironically) good business programs.</p>
<p>I think you should consider what, exactly, you’ll be missing. Algebra II can cover different things, and Calculus I can go through different parts of Calculus. Obviously, you know what you covered in Algebra, but you should find out what you’re doing in Calculus I so you’ll know what areas you’ll have to study on your own.
For example, if your Algebra II class didn’t really cover any trig, or didn’t get you to be confident in radians and polar coordinates, you might be in some trouble in calc. I’m not sure if I would want to skip over all of that. If you skipped things that are more minor, you’ll probably be fine.
Another thing is what you’ll miss if you choose to go on. When I went through Pre-Cal at my school, they covered vectors, but the system changed right after that to not cover vectors. Now that I take college calculus, I’m so happy I learned vectors, even if only a little bit, because they’re used in many college classes. I’m not sure whether or not they’d be in a Calculus I course; it might be a Calc II topic. (I take classes at a college with quarters, so things are a bit different.)
If you’re comfortable with the things you’ll be skipping and can cover them yourself, go ahead and take Calc I. When I moved from AP Calc BC to college Multivariable, I missed some stuff on vectors, and two new coordinate systems, but I was okay with that. If you think you’ll be missing too much, take Pre-Cal. I doubt this would be the thing that’d make or break you.</p>