Hi there! I’m a junior in high school and my dream is to attend UCLA. I’m strong in all subjects (I have a 4.2 UC GPA) besides math. I’ve taken Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and plan on taking AP Statistics for my senior year (to correspond with my further Psych or Philosophy major.) Should I take Precalculus over the summer online or at a local community college just to be safe? I’m worried that not taking a Calculus class will affect my potential UCLA admission. Please let me know. Thank you!
Yes, precalculus as a core math class would be expected as a minimum for UCLA - unlike AP statistics, which is considered a math elective to take only if you’ve taken Precalculus.
I asked this same question here for my daughter who wants to attend T20 schools. She sounds very much like you - wants to major in the social sciences. I was told, in pretty much no uncertain terms, to encourage her to take calculus (she took pre-calc this year and will take calculus next year.)