Junior, hoping to obtain guidance on senior year course selection.Assuming that my goal is to focus on computer science and/or business at a highly competitive college, which math would you select? Junior year classes at competitive high school include: 2 AP Comp Sci courses, AP Lang, Honors Physics, Honors Foreign Language, and Honors US History (plus 4 other H classes). I expect (hope!) to get As in all of these. With respect to selecting a math for next year, would it show rigor to move up to AP Calc AB? Or is that viewed as being too similar to Honors Calc? Or does it show rigor as I am pushing towards the AP level?
Or should I take AP Stats? They offer AP CALC BC, but the teacher is one that all seniors warn everyone to avoid (impossible grader and not great communicator ). Also planning to take AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Psych,among other remaining honors courses. Need to turn in my proposed schedule soon. Thank you!!
I would pick AP Calc, over Stats. At my daughter’s school honors calc was the pre-req for AP but YMMV at your school. You’ll need to talk to your math teacher to see what they would recommend and if there is too much over lap between the calc you took this year and AB.
Thanks. Math teacher says it’s more in depth and covers more than Honors Calc
Both CS and business commonly require a year of calculus (though business often allows an easier version, and some schools offer a one semester short version).
CS will also typically require discrete math, linear algebra, and calculus-based statistics. Business will require statistics, which may be calculus-based at some schools.
Common subject credit for high enough AP scores (may vary by college):
AP statistics = non-calculus-based statistics (not useful for CS, maybe useful for business)
AP calculus AB = first semester single variable calculus (useful for CS or business)
AP calculus BC = first and second semester single variable calculus (useful for CS or business)