Does taking AP Calc freshmen year in HS give enough "bonus" points to make it worth it?

[Anonymous]

DC will be taking AP Calc as 9th grader. They plans on taking AP stats at the high school, then continute to take higher math classes at the CC for 11th and 12th grade. I remember seeing that 1/3 of Princeton students took a similar path.

The upside is hopefully stand out for top colleges.

The downside is taking classes off campus and not in high school enviroment.

Is the net result that a student stands out enough that it worth the detriment?

[Anonymous]

I would suggest either taking AP stats first or skipping it entirely as it's very much an easy/filler AP math.

If it wasn't worth it, what would their math path be?

[Anonymous]

I don't believe for one second that 1/3 of Princeton's students took AP Calc BC as a Freshman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe for one second that 1/3 of Princeton's students took AP Calc BC as a Freshman.

+1

[Anonymous]

Is the goal to get into an Ivy and never take math again? Nobody can tell you what the admissions bump could be. Taking community college math is a fine decision for someone interested in a humanities major or a STEM major who doesn't mind taking the math classes again in college. Calc 3 at Princeton is not the same as Calc 3 in community college.

[Anonymous]

At our competitive private, kids are strongly discouraged from taking stats after calc - seen as a step down, no longer highest rigor, etc. if kid wants stats take it before calc.

[Anonymous]

Two kids who were/are on this path. Attended public high school, one reason was higher level maths offered within the school vs some privates.

Here is what we did: Calc AB freshman year, Calc BC sophomore year, Multi/Linear junior year, and then AP Stats. The high school offers Multi and Linear as DE with George Mason.

They will have completed the highest maths available at the high school. The school profile sent to the colleges with the transcripts list the math offerings and show the child completed the most rigorous math classes offered. PS - one of my children were accepted CS at Cornell with highest math being multi/linear. He was also WL at Princeton.

Also here is what MIT says (https://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/highschool/)
Students who are well matched with MIT take the following classes in high school:
Math, through calculus

We know that not all high schools offer the chance to take all these recommended classes, and we take this into consideration when reviewing your application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe for one second that 1/3 of Princeton's students took AP Calc BC as a Freshman.

+1

yeah, not even close. Only 20% of students nationwide take calculus at all in high school, and only 50% of high schools offer calculus.

OP, your child is going to be judged in the context of their high school. This cockamamie plan won't help them get into a school that is a lottery ticket anyway.

If you want to improve their odds, buy them a sabre or a foil. (KIDDING.) (UNLESS THEY REALLY WANT TO FENCE.)

[Anonymous]

I am a prof at a top 10 school with a very strong engineering program (not Princeton). I advise engineering students and I can say that of the about 150+ students I have advised in the past 10 years, I have seen maybe 2-3 that have something like that math path. One from TJ (I think the only TJ advisee I have seen) and others were international. My advisees are randomly assigned to faculty so I see all types in my engineering major.

I don't think calc in 9th grade on its own is a huge bonus, as students with advanced math often even retake a more rigorous version in college. Realistically these days most students I see are "interesting" and have broad ideas and community service, and aren't necessarily academic hyperachievers like this, but that's another thread.

I do think it would be important to take math all 4 years in high school in some form and to continue to challenge yourself and of course, excel in what you do take. Your DC should do what they are excited about.

[Anonymous]

Not worth it for top colleges. I know two kids who followed this path, both went to OOS flagships outside the top 30.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is truly ready for AP Calc as a 9th grader, then they should not be taking both AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC -- they are way too repetitive. How are they doing in AP Precalculus this year?

I would recommend taking AP Stat in 9th, then AP Calc BC, then Multi/Lin, then a college course like Diff Eq, etc.

If you are pushing them ahead on this path to "make them stand out," then you are making a mistake.

[Anonymous]

No.

My took AP Calc AB as a Senior this year.

He got into Hopkins, another T10 and 3 T20s.

He did have straight As all 4 years and a 35 ACT.

[Anonymous]

It’s more important to have a variety of APs in all subjects. AP Lang & Lit are important for Ivies, as well as the histories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is truly ready for AP Calc as a 9th grader, then they should not be taking both AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC -- they are way too repetitive. How are they doing in AP Precalculus this year?

I would recommend taking AP Stat in 9th, then AP Calc BC, then Multi/Lin, then a college course like Diff Eq, etc.

If you are pushing them ahead on this path to "make them stand out," then you are making a mistake.

+1. They could also take AP Stats as an elective one year in addition to the primary math class. That's what my strong math student did -- senior year took multi/lin and AP Stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe for one second that 1/3 of Princeton's students took AP Calc BC as a Freshman.

+1

yeah, not even close. Only 20% of students nationwide take calculus at all in high school, and only 50% of high schools offer calculus.

OP, your child is going to be judged in the context of their high school. This cockamamie plan won't help them get into a school that is a lottery ticket anyway.

If you want to improve their odds, buy them a sabre or a foil. (KIDDING.) (UNLESS THEY REALLY WANT TO FENCE.)

Even better, buy them a rowing machine!