Hello. I’m currently a freshman who is taken Honors Geometry. That’s means I will take Honors Pre Calculus my sophomore year and AP Calculus BC my junior year. My school also offers College Calcus 3 for seniors. I was wondering if it was fine to just take math up to my junior year since I would be getting to AP Calculus BC. I want to become an architect or an engineer. Though I am more intersected in architecture. I’d like to take only three years of math becuase it would allow me to take other classes senior year like AP Physics C and AP Environmental Science which are two clases I want to take but don’t know if they would fit in my schedule do to the lab components. What is you opinion on only taking three years of math? Do you think it would harm my chances of getting into a good school like USC or Norte Dame?
Taking up to Calc BC is fine.
No Algebra 2? Geo-pre-calc-BC is a odd sequence.
Kids get into trouble with they stop math junior year then have to take heavy engineering math classes in college after not being in a math class for a year. They get rusty.
AP Physics C would keep the calculus skills fresh, but if you are not taking any sort of math-heavy class senior that could be a problem.
Yes, it does seem odd to go directly from geometry to precalculus, unless your school system sequence algebra 1 and algebra 2 before geometry (i.e. you took algebra 2 last year).
If you want to study engineering, you will have to take calculus 3 eventually. So if the offered calculus 3 course is a college or dual enrollment course that will be accepted for subject credit by colleges you later attend, it would be a good idea to take it if you finish calculus BC in 11th grade.
AP environmental science is not a particularly useful course from a college credit standpoint, although it is not generally considered that difficult a course. So it should not be the reason for avoiding calculus 3.
If you are interested in engineering you should take math every year in HS, and you will have to take a few more years of math and statistics in college. It will be easier and cheaper not to waste a year of college taking Calc I & II when you could do well on the Calc BC AP and receive credit. Most engineering programs require multvariable calculus and differential equations plus area specific math
@VickiSoCal I took Algebra 1 and 2 in middles school while receiving high school credit.
@AroundHere I plan on taking Physics C which should help as we’ll as a college level engineering course which covers math used by engineers.
@TooOld4School I’m mainly interested in Architecture though if I did go into engineering it would be environmental. I took both Algebra 1 and 2 in middle school hence why I entered into geometry freshman year. My concern for not taking Calculus 3 is that I would be in Physics C and a college engineering class that would cover many math topics.
@TooOld4School Also I do plan on taking AP Calculus BC my junior year but I am not sure about taking Calculus 3 senior year which would be the next class.
My son repeated MV Calc (he took it in HS) because he was uncomfortable with the level of instruction. His HS did not offer differential equations so he took a finance class instead. Taking Calc 3 will make no difference at all.
Is the offered calculus 3 a college course?
I have the same problem haha, I am taking Calc BC right now as a junior and our school offers Multivar. Honors, but i don’t know if I’m down for that. That’s probably something you should talk to your teacher about and see what they suggest. If not, Physics (since it’s Calc based) is the way to go!
@ucbalumnus I believe it is a course that offered credit for local community colleges though I don’t know how well that would translate to college or whether or not it would get accepted.
I agree with @ucbalumnus. I would take Calc 3 over AP environmental Science. OP, does your school offer Linear Algebra?
It is common for state universities to accept community college courses for transfer credit (including credit units, subject credit, and placement into more advanced courses). Private schools may be less generous with transfer credit, particularly for college courses taken while in high school.
You can search the web sites of universities in question for “transfer credit” to see what their policies are, and if they have articulation agreements specifying whether the specific community college course is considered equivalent to one of their own courses. You can also search the web sites of universities for “AP credit” to see what that may be worth.
If taking Calculus 3 will prevent you from taking Physics C, then I’d take Physics C. If Calculus 3 and Physics C can be taken together, you can either take APES for fun (there’s no lab and it’s not science-intensive) or simply wait till college.
“I took Algebra 1 and 2 in middles school while receiving high school credit.”
OP - you are fine. Just take the Physics C your senior year and you should be fine. However, just to be on the safe side, make sure that your Common Ap (or your counselor rec or your resume) indicates that you also took 2 years of HS level math in high school. Good luck and enjoy your high school years.