Hi am currently on 8th grade and am taking geometry. Am planning on taking algebra 2 online this summer but next i would be taking precalc. Can i skip precalc, ivee seen other people on college confidential say the have skipped so what do you think i should do?
What’s the rush? If you take calc as a freshman, what would you take the other 3 years?
Anyway, it’s called pre-calculus for a reason. Also, at many schools, they start teaching calculus in the second semester of pre-calc, so you could potentially find yourself way behind in the class.
Many kids do skip pre-calc. But you’ve told us zip about your math grades and strengths, experiences with math related challenges or what sensible adults around you think of this. Those kids aren’t skipping because they flipped a coin.
Skieurope is right, you need a subsequent plan. Rather than just looking around CC for the possibility, you can look at what colleges ask for, in math prep.
Of all math classes, I find that, at least for my high school, Pre-Calculus is the most commonly skipped. If you think you can handle the workload and challenges of AP Calculus (like the handful of mathematically advanced freshmen I know), then it is not a bad idea. If you’re struggling with math, this will only exacerbate your troubles. Choose carefully.
i have straight As and always get like a 3.80 or above on math
i want to go straight to calculus because i want to make a record on my school and up till now every teacher on my school hasnt ever seen a freshman taking calculus and this motivates me a lot to take such a big challenge. Also have any of you guys seen someone skip precalc is it really possible , because i just know some students have done but i dont know.
That’s geometry. So no experience outside your middle school class(es,) no camps or other enrichment programs, no high level science experience that exposed you to calc, no competitions, not even self study? You want to go from that to calc and think summer (short) online Alg 2 will be prep enough? Maybe try a calc textbook and see how you do.
And after calc, what’s the plan? Im’just suggesting you think about what your plan really is and why you think you’re ready to skip, what besides an A in geom.
well offcourse am going to get a precalcbook , its going to be hard alg 2 and precalc with a book but i think it will be wey better than just algebra 2
after calc ab and bc and think is abstract algebra
@AlejandroBello56 I suggest only skipping pre-calculus if you know you understand the material well and if you have a plan afterwards – I know a few people that skipped pre-calculus and did well in calculus and more advanced subjects, but they are some of the smartest students I know (I took pre-calc in 9th grade on the other hand).
Pre-calculus is by no means easy; look at some recent AIME or high school olympiad exams (USAMO/IMO, TSTs) and you’ll see why (these typically cover more advanced geometry, number theory, algebra but no calculus or analysis).
Abstract algebra will be really difficult after Calc BC particularly if you don’t have much experience with proof-writing. Taking linear algebra and/or real analysis is usually recommended before abstract algebra.
I “skipped” pre-calculus by studying the material on my own and getting an A on the final exam. The main issue going forward as a math major is that I had a lot of gaps in my knowledge. When I tested out, I didn’t truly understand conic sections, sequences and series, the binomial theorem, parametric equations, or polar coordinates. I had to learn them in college when they were relevant to some topic, and that put me at a disadvantage. It’s possible that I wouldn’t have learned these topics by taking the class either (given that they weren’t on the final enough to lower my grade significantly), and I don’t exactly regret testing out because I got to take a lot of college-level math classes in high school. However, I probably should have had more help from a teacher somewhere along the line.
Does your high school offer abstract algebra? If not, where would you be taking it? At both colleges I’ve attended, linear algebra was a prerequisite for abstract algebra.
I agree with @halcyonheather I didnt skip precalc but I took it online freshman year and didn’t take it (or algebra 2) that seriously. Im starting diff eq i like a week and I do find stuff comes back up. Maybe not in calc bc, but later down the road. Also, I have to relearn stuff for the SAT Math 2.
There’s a girl in my class who skipped precalc and took Calc AB in 9th, BC in 10th. I took precalc in 9th, BC in 10th.
I would suggest taking the most rigorous precalc class your school has especially after a short algebra 2 class.
You need to discuss it with your high school’s counselor and possibly kids who are older and been through math. And check the course listings for your school.
At my kids school, precalc is a prerequisite and you can’t just skip it. However, at my kids school, no one we’ve heard of takes both Calc AB and Calc BC. It’s either/or.
I don’t think this decision should be about, “i want to make a record on my school and up till now every teacher on my school hasnt ever seen a freshman taking calculus.” It should be a smart decision. And if part of this is to get into a top college, there’s no point doing it to awe teachers, as a freshman, then not doing well in each course in the sequence.
You’re putting the cart before the horses. Skipping pre-calculus after taking 'short ’ algebra 2 is short-sighted. Take pre-calculus honors as a freshman, get an A. Then take calculus and do well. Still you’ll be ahead.
Taking it a step further, don’t take it as a freshman as a step to get into a top college. While rare, it is not that uncommon for a freshman to take calc. As others have said, it’s much better to perform well in the class than thry to accelerate and risk a lower grade due to lack of preparation.
I’d suggest taking either a full Alg 2 course or a full PreCalc course. Does the summer Alg 2 course cover trigonometry and trip identities? Those are really important. The topics @halcyonheather listed won’t be needed immediately in calculus, but you will need them, so it is good to have a firm basis in precalc. Matrices is another topic you should explore in precalc, because you will really need them in Linear Algebra.
My son skipped Precalc and took Calc BC in 10th, but he did it using the AoPS Precalculus book, which more than prepared him.
Math is not a race. Beware the Calculus Trap: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/articles/calculus-trap
Also, have a plan so that you don’t run out of math that you can take locally before the end of high school. Some online courses are lousy, and you may be limited in what courses your high school will accept.
Also, once you have a plan, have a backup plan. Our plan was that DS would take the evening math courses at our community college. But, those professors decided they were tired of teaching evening courses for the one year he really needed them.
what about nightschool
? Are you serious and misinformed, or pulling our leg?
Nightschool isn’t meant for 8th graders who want to skip ahead. It’s designed for adults
who want their GED (classes aren’t very rigorous).
If you mean “evening courses” at a local community college, you could try taking precalculus
in community college in the Fall, then Calculus 1 in the Spring, but you’d take a big risk grade-wise, and
you need a way to get to the community college.
Also, idk if this is the same everywhere, but usually precalc is a year long sequence, even at community college.
EDIT: Looked it up, at the college I go to its a 2 quarter sequence, so 2/3rds of the year. And in a semester system school nearby it was one class. I guess I was wrong.