I’m an incoming senior in HS and have taken AP calculus BC. I want to pursue an engineering major, but I’m not sure if I should take AP stats or multivariable calculus. Multivariable calculus seems like the obvious option, but my schedule is very rigorous for next year with all AP’s(science courses include AP Chem and AP Bio) and no lunch, and I want to maintain a strong GPA and as little stress as possible. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.
Personally, I’d not take a math (you’ve taken plenty already – you may want to review when you get to college after being out of practice for a year, though) and do whatever is necessary to work a lunch break in there, because skipping mealtime isn’t usually a low-stress kind of thing?
Multivariable Calculus if you can get college credit for it.
–But I place differential equations slightly higher than MVC.
AP Stats, useful but you might be taking the engineering version later in college.
AP biology may not be that useful for most engineering majors (biomedical, agricultural, and chemical would be exceptions, and possibly others if a science elective is in the curricula). Neither is AP statistics (if statistics is required, it will be calculus based).
AP chemistry and (if you get college credit for it) multivariable calculus would be the more generally useful courses for prospective engineering majors. Can you take these two (no biology or statistics) and have a lunch break?
“AP biology may not be that useful for most engineering majors (biomedical, agricultural, and chemical would be exceptions, and possibly others if a science elective is in the curricula). Neither is AP statistics (if statistics is required, it will be calculus based).”
I was thinking the same thing though I will add my D is a Chem E and has never taken a biology course beyond basic HS bio her freshmen year. She had to take bio chemistry but that did not require biology. As for statistics. She took AP stats but did not take the exam since her university offered no credit for it. She did feel like it helped her in the class when she took it at her university.
If your Chem and Bio teachers teach students to write comprehensive lab reports, STAT will be very helpful.
Multivariate Calc will put you another course ahead. (This will be Calc 2 or 3 depending on the tier of the engineering school - some start first semester with Calc AB and others start with Calc BC) Many math departments have a placement exam in addition to AP score requirements.
My kid was in a very similar situation - took Calc BC junior year, all AP courseload senior year. Unfortunately, our high school doesn’t offer anything after Calc BC, so he was left with the choice of taking either AP Stats or multivariable calc off-campus - dual enrollment or online. So over junior summer, my son asked “Multivariable or AP Stats?” to as many admissions officers as possible on his college road trip. Every single one of them said that AP Stats should not be taken in place of the next level of mathematics. They ALL discouraged it. I can imagine this being even more important for people going into engineering.
And in case you’re wondering, here are the colleges he asked the question - RPI, Case Western, Wiliiam and Mary, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Northwestern, Wash U, Columbia
Some preferred dual enrollment over online, others didn’t care. My son ended up taking the dual enrollment path because we wanted him to have an official transcript and the possibility of college credit.
Thank you all so much!