Skipping Geometry

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Ok so here is some backstory.</p>

<p>For my entire middle-school career(6-8), I pretty much thought school was a joke as I was in a terrible schooling system. In the summer of my 8th grade, I moved to a affluent neighborhood with of-course a better educational system. Before then, I had never done "proper" algebra or geometry and was given an SAT prep book from my parents in hopes of possible learning both of them before high school started. When school started and my counselor was asking me what math course I was placed in, they asked me if I had ever taken algebra or geometry before, and I said both so they put me in algebra 2. I have just finished algebra 2 and got high A's every quarter with little effort. </p>

<p>So right now I'm thinking about whether or not to self-study geometry or precalculus before sophomore year. I really want to be in AP calc so I am leaning toward precalculus, but I don't know if there are things that you learn in geometry exclusively that are essential to success in calculus or even precalculus. If it is not essential, then I would probably just slowly learn geometry over the school year. </p>

<p>Should I or can I do pre-calculus and then take calculus without geometry, or is geometry fundamental for it?</p>

<p>BTW: I'm not completely clueless about geometry as I know the basics: pythagorean theorem, right triangle, 30-60-90, 45-45-90, etc). One thing I hear from my friends though is that there are things called "proofs", and I'm pretty much clueless about that.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Geometry always struck me as being a sort of stand-alone course. Only the trig one learns seems necessary for later HS courses. You know most of that, and it’s both easy to learn on one’s own and usually thoroughly reviewed in Alg II and Pre-Cal. I think you would be fine to skip it if that’s your wish.
Though I was on the same track as you would be if you skipped Geom, I do wonder what your hurry is. If you were to take Geom, you’ll still reach AP Calc, just in your senior year rather than as a junior.</p>