Title Says it all. I tried skipping out of Geo/Trig Sophomore year, but I didn’t pass since I didn’t have prior education in the field. My math course as of now is:
Fresh: Combined Algebra
Soph: Geo/Trig
Jun: PreCalc
Sen: AP Calc AB
I’m just scared that since I didn’t pass the advancement, top tier colleges might see this as a bad thing. My friends are already in Precalc and AP Calc AB Sophomore year.
Do you think if I didn’t advance, would I have a lower chance of getting in?
Thanks.
(Edit: If you could also say what youre majoring that would be awesome.)
Undeclared is when you don’t officially have a major yet. All Stanford students come in as undeclared, and are given time (up to end of sophomore year I believe) to explore courses and decide what they want to major in.
Keep in mind all students are admitted as undeclared, even though you can list your “academic interests” on the application. I listed Chemical Engineering on my app (it’s what I plan on majoring in) but I’m officially undeclared as of now.
I took Algebra 2 in 9th grade, Honors pre-calc in 10th, AP calc BC in 11th, and AP stats in 12th. But if I were you, I wouldn’t worry. You’ll be taking calculus before you graduate, so that’s good. As long as your counselor checks off the “most rigorous” box for your courseload, you’ll be fine!
I took honors precalc sophomore year, AP Calc BC & AP Stats junior year, multivariable calculus, a little ordinary differential equations and a proof-based elective senior year. I would say no need to worry. The math requirement for a CS or economics (as Hoggirl pointed out, there’s no undergraduate business major at Stanford) major is actually pretty low.
AP Calc bc senior year. That is 1 year behind many of the kids at DD’s high school, but she also took AP History and English classes, while many of the straight STEM kids took regular non-STEM classes. It’s definitely ok to take Calc senior year!
It probably worked out for the best you didn’t skip Geo/Trig. As you probably know at this point Trig, particularly manipulating trig identities, is critical to success in Calculus. There are different levels of Calculus offered for freshman students at Stanford because a portion of the entering class hasn’t taken Calculus in high school. You are right on track, maybe even slightly ahead.
I was
Fresh- AlgII
Soph- Precalc
Junior- Calc BC
Senior - AP Stats, multi-var, diff eq
I’m an engineering major though and our school didn’t offer enough APs so I just took more math at my local CC. If you don’t want to do engineering, there’s no reason to take a lot of math. If you want to do engineering, just do well in your current classes to show that you can do more math well in college. If you get in, I recommend retaking a math class (Math 42 I think is AP calc BC) if you aren’t confident in your math skills. It will help build up your confidence in math and you’ll learn the material better.
