Forgive me for bringing this up, but haven’t we covered this pretty extensively in your other threads?
One. More. Time.
You’re 15.
You’re on track.
You can get into good colleges without Calc, provided that you have everything else they’re looking for.
Rinse and repeat.
There are not that many US universities which explicitly require or expect frosh applicants to have calculus while in high school, although many frosh applicants at more competitive ones will have it.
There may also be a difference in the eyes of admission readers between not taking calculus due to middle school placement at normal level (that reaches precalculus in 12th grade) and completing precalculus in 11th grade but then choosing not to take calculus in 12th grade.
But practically everyone else ever starts planning in, like, 6th grade what classes they’re going to take, extracurriculars, etc., etc. There are freshmen out there taking AP calculus. What am I compared to them???
Those people aren’t even the majority on this site, so you can imagine how low the percentage is in the real world. I would wager most students take whatever classes they take, and participate in whatever they want to participate in, and then start thinking about college late junior year or over the following summer. You are not late; you are ahead of the game.
And in some cases failing miserably at it because it’s too advanced for them. As for the miracle workers breezing through calculus at 14, we mere mortals don’t compare ourselves to them. Aspiring writers don’t compare themselves to Shakespeare. Aspiring artists don’t compare themselves to van Gogh. Math students don’t compare themselves to prodigies who were doing long division at two years of age. It’s pointless and just invites undeserved feelings of inferiority.
A fellow student who is also going to get into college and do just fine in life.
Planning in 6th grade??? My kid and I didn’t even discuss college, other that she would go somewhere until the summer before her senior year of High School. I assure you she did more than just fine.
“we mere mortals don’t compare ourselves to them”
“It’s [comparing] pointless and just invites undeserved feelings of inferiority”
Tell me those aren’t contradictory statements.
Overall though, I understand what you are saying. And just to touch on something someone else said, I would love to be able to tell my counselor everything that is going on in my head but she’s so nice and sweet and she thinks I’m not screwed up anymore.
“The Ivies and their ilk are a long shot for pretty much everyone.”
Entirely correct.
@futurecollege00 relax, you will do well. There are a LOT of very good universities with strong premed programs, and you will get into a good one as long as you have appropriate grades and other stats.
I graduated high school a LONG time ago, so I am not sure whether my experience matters. However, I also only took up to precalculus in high school for the simple reason that my high school did not offer calculus. I nonetheless got into a top university (actually two, but I only went to one at the time) and was a math major. One positive from this experience: My freshman year calculus course was relatively small, because most of the freshmen at my undergrad university had already taken calculus in high school.
I don’t see the contradiction.
Imagine you’re in the top 1% of students. You look up at the top 0.1% and feel like an idiot. But that ignores the fact that in the grand scheme of things, there are 99% of people below you on the scale.
Granted, it was a LONG time ago, but one of my best friends in high school got into (and excelled at) Caltech, majoring in physics, without taking calculus in high school. Our high school simply didn’t offer calculus at that time. Admissions realize that not all high schools do everything, and kids who are bright do their own thing and shine with the opportunities that they have. He self studied some calculus the summer before he started college, but he was perfectly FINE in college. Theres no need to compare yourself to others. Try to chill and be who YOU are, having fun, learning, exploring, and discovering your own path.
On the previous page, @JenJenJenJen said:
“You are young. You are anxious. If you have these negative, intrusive thoughts often, I’d gently suggest that you find a professional to speak with. The best thing you can do for your future self (the one in college) is to take care of your current self.”
I totally agree. There is really nothing else to add here. Your anxiety over this is counterproductive to your goals and being the best and most complete candidate you can be. Stop obsessing. Get help if needed if you can’t control it. Spend less time here and more time pursuing interests and making yourself an interesting candidate.
If you want to advance in math, which isn’t necessary, you have been presented with ideas. Your choice to pursue them or not.
Again, there really is nothing to add further to this discussion.
Yes, you need to just chill. Your success in life is not dependent on taking calculus in high school. I didn’t, and went on (to what you would consider a non-elite school) to a very successful B.S. in chemical engineering which led to a top 10 PhD program. I graduated with my PhD, found a job, and was advancing. By my own choice, I downshifted to be able to have a family life (and this is a topic for another thread which I’m not in the mood to get into right now) , but I’m happy, challenged, and fulfilled by my career, and I’m in the process of launching 2 kids into the college world. My friend I mentioned before went on to get his PhD in physics from Caltech and is very successful. Another of the superstars in our high school class (that didn’t have the option of taking calculus) went to Notre Dame for undergrad and then on to med school (I can’t remember where), and is a successful doctor. We’re all fine, and you will be, too.
The best of luck to you.
You definitely can, I had friends last year who only went up to Pre Calc and got into selective schools, not Ivy League, but schools like Tulane, USC, and UMich. Colleges also assume you haven’t taken Calc 1 already, so that’s why they require you to take it.
If your high school doesn’t offer calculus, college won’t hold that against you.
If you want to go into medicine, what I find more concerning is your earth science --> chem --> bio --> AP bio track. At some point you NEED to take physics in high school, especially if 1.) you are considering top schools 2.) you want to go into science or medicine. Chem, bio, and physics are the science trifecta that college look for and that will prepare you best for undergraduate science classes.
It’s preferable to take physics in high school, but if scheduling conflicts or other issues make it difficult or impossible to work in, you can survive without it. You will just have to work harder when you see it for the first time later.
Same with taking algebra-based instead of calc-based. I only took algebra-based physics in HS, but still did well (A’s) during freshman and sophomore year of college when I had to take two semesters of calc-based physics.
My school offers AP calculus AB.
Earth sci–>bio–>chem–>AP bio. I COULD take ap bio and physics as a college credit course at the same time if necessary during my senior year. Could I take chem and AP bio at the same time jr year?
Can you take physics for college credit junior year and leave AP Bio for senior year so that your schedule is better balanced?
BTW there’s a comedy called AP Bio coming this Fall on TV. Laughing should help you de-stress (it’s not meant to be realistic).
You need to calm down. Seriously. Replace your avatar pic. There is a difference between having high standards and having unrealistic expectations. You are putting ridiculous pressure on yourself and are comparing yourself to random strangers on the Internet. Who am I compared to Angelina Joie? She is beautiful, famous, rich and has six kids. I don’t have what she has. Am I not as good as her? Actually, yes I am. She has no clue about college confidential, and I am a senior member. See how crazy this thinking is?
If you don’t get into Coulmbia or wherever, it will not be a lack of calc. It will be due to other factors beyond that. You have a very negative self-image, and it is going to come through in your app if you don’t work on it. Find some realistic options to apply to that you actually LIKE so that you aren’t one of the kids posting that you only got into your safety.
I know i’m just piggybacking off of what other parents have said above ^^, but now you can hear it from a fellow slightly college obsessed 16 year old: You need to try to reduce your anxiety. and if you can’t do that on your own, that’s understandable, but I recommend you seek medical attention. Elite colleges purposefully try to avoid admitting kids who burned themselves out in high school. they call them “crispies!” (Kind of funny, right?) they want people who will succeed at their college. if you can’t stop comparing yourself to others, and if that affects you emotionally like it seems to through these posts, then an elite college like Columbia is not for you. I know my friends who have gone to these schools; they are amazing people: writers, singers, filmmakers, scientists, FRIENDS. They are inspired by the peers at their schools and not intimidated because they have a strong self-image. I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but rather to make you think about how you can take care of yourself and put yourself in an environment that’s best for you. I come from a very different context than you do. I come from a highly overachieving east coast suburb where “Ivy League” and “dream school” is every other word I hear. I have friends who have absolutely insane achievements. It takes almost all my self-restraint not to compare myself to them, each and every day. It’s a process. but I’m learning. I hope you will too. seriously pm me if you ever need to talk.