<p>Right now I am signed up for:
AP Stat
AP French
and AP Psych
as well as an honors language course and an english class.</p>
<p>The thing is...</p>
<p>I REALLY don't want to do 3 AP's senior year; I have done 0 junior year and think that the jump from 0 to 3 would be too intense. I hear that psych is easy, and it interests me, so I want to keep that. French is also a passion of mine, and I am good at it, so that stays as well.</p>
<p>Now, as far as stat...</p>
<p>I am somewhat talented in math. Last semester I got an A+ in standard precalc. The thing is, math courses stress me out more than anything else, and I really don't think that I would enjoy statistics.</p>
<p>I consulted my guidance counselor about my dilemma: now that i'm up to precalc, it seems like my only choices were ap stat or ap calc.</p>
<p>However, </p>
<p>she mentioned that there was a discrete math class available that I could take, and I would get credit for our state flagship university. i asked her if it would look bad NOT doing an AP math, and she said that it still looked challenging, as i was getting university credit.</p>
<p>however, I still don't know what to do!! my senior courseload is rigorous enough with the aps and the honors, and I really don't want to take a third AP.</p>
<p>What do I do?</p>
<p>(oh, please don't say ap stat is the easiest thing in the world and tell me to do it with no thought, as i'm sure that CC caliber is much higher than mine...thanks)</p>
<p>your better off taking a math in your senior year. Having a whole year of a gap in math will hurt you when you get to college and your math is really rusty.</p>
<p>and you say you enjoy and are good at ap pysch and ap french, whats the big deal? Plus, those aren’t even math or science AP’s so they should be relatively easy. </p>
<p>AP stat isn’t like pre-calc at all because half the time you need some good writing skills to explain this or justify that. Plus, most of the work is done on a calculator, so if your worried about your algebra skills that isn’t a big deal. And if you say you got an A+ in pre-calc what makes you so worried about your math skills? You even say yourself your good at math. Seems to me its like when smart people whine that “im gonna fail this test!!!” and then 3 days later they get a 96%. needless nervousness in my eyes.</p>
<p>I don’t entirely agree with SingDanceRunLife. “College in the High School” courses are often not given equal weight to AP/IB courses, or courses you actually take on a college campus. These courses are very popular at our local high school, where 85% of the graduating class goes on to a SUNY or community college. But the 15% who go to an OOS public or private college usually find: 1) they get no credit for the “college-level” course taught by a HS teacher; 2) they don’t get a waiver of introductory level courses based on taking the “college in the hs” course, and 3) they don’t get the same admissions boost they would if they’d opted for an AP course.</p>
<p>The first question that you need an answer for is:</p>
<p>“How many years of Math do I need in order to graduate from HS in this school district?”</p>
<p>If the answer is “Three” you are done, and you do not have to take any more math.</p>
<p>If the answer is “Four”, you need to ask:</p>
<p>“Does the Algebra 1 that I took in 8th grade count for HS graduation?”</p>
<p>In some school districts, it does. In that case, you’ve had four years of HS level math (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre-calculus) and you don’t have to take any more math. If the answer is “No, you need four years of math starting in 9th grade”, then you need to ask:</p>
<p>“What math classes are left at my HS that I haven’t taken?”</p>
<p>At Happykid’s school, you would have the option of Calculus, AP Calculus, Statistics, AP Statistics, or Quantitative Literacy (formerly known as Consumer Math). Happykid and her friends will be taking Quantitiative Literacy in the hope that they will not be financial fools when they have to deal with consumer credit, home mortgages, and the like in the future. Calculus is useful if you are headed into Engineering or the Sciences, but Consumer Math is what everyone needs for real life.</p>
<p>look at your algebra I and sat scores. did you do well in algebra I? did you do well on the critical reading section of the sat? if yes, then you should take stat.</p>
<p>AP stat is barely math. The only sort of computation you need is done in the calculator.</p>
<p>And if I’m getting this correctly, discrete math in the college is easier than AP stat? If true, that’s ridiculous. Real discrete mathematics is much more rigorous. Number theory, probability, modular algebra, formal logic, combinatorics… all harder than whatever AP stat offers.</p>
<p>But really, take calc. I found calc AB to be incredibly easy.</p>
<p>Are you going into the sciences/engineering or the humanities? For the former, take AP Calculus; for the latter, take AP Stats. Stats is pretty important in almost all social/natural sciences and will often prove useful if you go on to do original research in college or graduate school. Calc is a necessity/pre-requisite for the majority of your college-level studies in engineering, mathematics, or the sciences. I really wouldn’t recommend the discrete math class; colleges will see that you ignored two perfectly fine options at your own school in lieu of a potentially easier class at a local college (do not always assume that “college” classes or post-secondary enrollment options are more rigorous than AP courses).</p>
<p>If the discrete course you are taking is at a fairly reputable/competitive university, it would be way more impressive to take the discrete mathematics course.</p>
<p>Sorry, but APs are way easier than the equivalent college courses at a somewhat good university. I really wouldn’t put the words rigorous and AP in the same sentence. You can get a 5 in AP calculus AB by manipulating equations. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think colleges aren’t as crazy about APs as a lot of high schoolers think. Sure, taking a courseload of APs means that you are taking a demanding schedule in high school, but I don’t think that colleges value them that much more than honors classes.</p>
<p>^no you got that wrong. Colleges DO care a ton about your AP classes and what kind of AP classes you took. Your AP teachers must have been incredibly easy because AP classes usually are pretty tough and even if they aren’t true college level courses, adcoms want to see that you are challenging yourself.</p>
<p>and I’m seriously beginning to believe you had easy teachers. “You can get a 5 in AP calculus AB by manipulating equations”?? You can say that for every single math problem in every single math course in high school.</p>
<p>Hey sorry to burst your AP bubble man. AP calculus doesn’t do a good job of measuring whether you could do well in an equivalent college course. 5 on the exam is definitely not an A. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you think calculus is just an exercise in manipulating equations, then AP Calculus hasn’t taught you well.</p>
<p>Just take the damn AP. At my school, the kids who chicken out of Calc take Stat. Calc looks better.</p>
<p>Discrete math course? If you take it, the situation is still bad IMO. It could be:
Easier (I doubt it) Then you just wasted a learning opportunity/colleges prob know the truth.
Harder (Prob) Didn’t you just say you didn’t want such a rigorous schedule? If it was harder, than you just screwed your wants over.</p>
<p>I’m going for AP Calc BC next year, prepping a bit over the summer because I want to cruise through first semester (so I can focus on college and my arts stuff.)</p>
<p>Personally, I know my school’s AP math courses are challenging. We have an amazing college professor who makes sure of that.</p>
<p>According to your wants, your best fit is Stat.
Of course, I’m pro-Calc, but it’s harder.
Good luck!
[And if you score well on the exam/college placement test, you may score credit anyway!]</p>
<p>Oh and Jstar1 is right - Stat is like half a freakin’ English credit with all its writing.</p>
<p>Let’s say that my passion lies in languages (after all, senior year I’ll be in AP french and honors chinese). Would it look bad if, senior year, I took a spanish 1 instead of a standard math class? It would really show my interests!</p>
<p>ap french
ap psych
honors chinese
standard english literature
SPANISH 1??</p>
<p>You see, I’m taking chinese at the expense of a science (probably physics) senior year (but i don’t feel like i need another sci, because i already took chem last year). however, I want to do spanish 1 in the spot of the ap stat that i dropped out of–with 3 (4, counting english) language courses and no math/sci, does my schedule look bad?</p>
<p>AP Clac is pretty hard from what I hear but I would take it because in college if your doing a specific higher study related program you’ll probably see calculus again, only it’ll be in college form and 10X harder!</p>