High school course choice/college implications

[Anonymous]

What is better for college admissions:
Taking a medium difficulty class and getting a high A
-or-
Taking a hard course one year ahead of your classmates and getting a high B (maybe low A)?

My rising 9th grader is transferring into a private (not in DC). He has the choice to take Integrated Math or Algebra 2 with 10th graders. Integrated math is a combo of geometry and algebra 1. He has had both but has some holes in his algebra knowledge.
He could address those gaps this summer and take the harder Algebra 2, which would put him on track to take Calculus in 11th grade.

[Anonymous]

Don’t accelerate unless he’s really strong in math. It just gets harder. For college it’s best to get A’s in the hardest classes. If that seems unmanageable, I would go for the less accelerated option unless he lives math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t accelerate unless he’s really strong in math. It just gets harder. For college it’s best to get A’s in the hardest classes. If that seems unmanageable, I would go for the less accelerated option unless he lives math.

X1000 I made this horrible mistake when I was in HS. Made my life miserable even with a tutor.

[mmoommoo]

Like others have pointed out, it would be good to accelerate if the student can get A or A-. Otherwise it's better not to accelerate.

[Anonymous]

I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Multivariable if it is available comes after Calc BC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

Yes.

Not true. If stem, yes. If anything else, reaching calculus by 12th is fine (even AB Calculus).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is better for college admissions:
Taking a medium difficulty class and getting a high A
-or-
Taking a hard course one year ahead of your classmates and getting a high B (maybe low A)?

My rising 9th grader is transferring into a private (not in DC). He has the choice to take Integrated Math or Algebra 2 with 10th graders. Integrated math is a combo of geometry and algebra 1. He has had both but has some holes in his algebra knowledge.
He could address those gaps this summer and take the harder Algebra 2, which would put him on track to take Calculus in 11th grade.

At least from our area, all hard classes with occasional Bs but mostly As get into UVA/other T25s. All honors/above average but not many hard classes and all As do not get in unless they are heavily hooked.

For individual decisions best to ask the teachers in the department or the head of college counseling at the high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

Yes.

Not true. If stem, yes. If anything else, reaching calculus by 12th is fine (even AB Calculus).

This is highly high school dependent. From the top public and the top 2 privates, UVA in state takes students with calc AB as a senior, but all schools more selective never take from that math level unless a recruited athlete or some other big hook. Legacy alone is not enough of a boost: they are all from the top math group, even humanities kids, and alum advisors spell it out to parents that the top levels are expected . These schools have 30% or more taking Calc BC (or multivariable calc) in 12th. Calc AB in 12th is middle of the pack. Parents need to understand how each high school works and what is common and doable from specific math paths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

If there is a beyond calculus track that a significant percentage such as 10-20% do at that HS, then yes, it is expected for the most elite schools. I have only heard of NY and MA schools that have large %s complete post-BC calc curriculum at the high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

Yes.

No. This is not necessary, and in fact I have seen kids not in higher math classes end up the ones attending the top colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think he can pull off an A-. Math is strong suit.

What level math do competitive colleges want to see? Beyond calculus??

Yes.

Not true. If stem, yes. If anything else, reaching calculus by 12th is fine (even AB Calculus).

This is highly high school dependent. From the top public and the top 2 privates, UVA in state takes students with calc AB as a senior, but all schools more selective never take from that math level unless a recruited athlete or some other big hook. Legacy alone is not enough of a boost: they are all from the top math group, even humanities kids, and alum advisors spell it out to parents that the top levels are expected . These schools have 30% or more taking Calc BC (or multivariable calc) in 12th. Calc AB in 12th is middle of the pack. Parents need to understand how each high school works and what is common and doable from specific math paths.

This is not true at our private school.

[Anonymous]

The A is better. Don’t accelerate unless you’re confident of a solid A.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The A is better. Don’t accelerate unless you’re confident of a solid A.

+1 Absolutely true.