Highest math level

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

[Anonymous]

Accelerate your kids if they have the interest and capacity for it. But don't do it just to get it into top schools.

It's not necessary and it won't guarantee admission. My two eldest DCs both went to ivies and they both only did up to Calculus AB. It didn't change their admission (one at Penn, one at Dartmouth)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of these magnet school self-proclaimed brainiacs need to remove themselves from their little bubble. They are not impressing anyone with their allegedly brilliant snowflakes. I almost feel like their schools are doing the kids a dis-service by accelerating them so much.

And please don't say "my kid is so smart and they were bored!" Good. Have them play sports, watch mindless TV, play video games, learn plumbing, or flirt with girls/boys. It will serve them much better in life.

You’re confusing academics with personality. Both matter in life, but flirting with girls won’t get you any closer to that engineering degree.

Are you going to put on the college application the plumbing experience when you helped dad put teflon on the NPT threads?

Extracurriculars, volunteering and work experience are part of the application, and are considered separately from academic rigor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cal AB highest math.
Admitted to 2 Ivy and 2 other T20.
Humanities girl.

What a surprise, math is not super important for humanities! In other news water is wet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Not in most cases, no, it does not matter. However realize your kid will be compared to other kids in that HS first. If they are targeting the very top schools as a stem/engineering kid and 10% of the graduating class takes Multivariable Calc in 12th when the high school only has about 3% who go to ivies... and all of the admits usually come from that math level....then...it will matter.

This is the case for a public test-in competitive stem magnet in our area: the median SAT score is 1500. 15-20% of the graduates take BC calc in either 11th or very rarely 10th. The school offers Multi and Linear for those kids who finish BC. About 10% of the high school gets into ivy/MIT/stanford/Duke almost all unhooked. The vast majority of these are in the top math group, but occasionally one is "only" in calc BC in 12th, usually someone who has decided stem is not for them and is openly targeting a big change in major, or a demographic hook(QuestBridge, FGLI, et).
Even for UVA in state, it is very rare to get in and not have BC by 12th (BC in 12th grade is another 25% of the class, ie almost half the graduates take BC calc at some point, and for UVA one generally needs to be top 1/4 ish at this school).
The rural public outside of the metro area only goes to AB Calc. They occasionally get one ivy kid every couple of years, and UVA admits from the top 10% of that school. High school rigor and how your student compares to what is offered and taken by their peers is the number one most important determiner of whether your kid's schedule is considered "most rigorous", and the weight of this factor is highest when applying to elite/ivy. Good Luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

I did read carefully. AP bio and chem are very specifically designed so that a student can be successful without Calc. And I don't think having the calc will make it materially easier.

My child just started an AP-type chem class right now. So I am very familiar. They will be taking physics next year so have virtually no background in it. They go to a private school that does not have AP classes and does not do super acceleration (though they accommodate kids who transfer in already accelerated). And guess what - they get lots of kids into top schools.

You are conflating several different issues. Perhaps you should take less science and more English. Everyone here is so STEM-focused but the ability to write really well is also an incredibly valuable skill. It is just harder to measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

I did read carefully. AP bio and chem are very specifically designed so that a student can be successful without Calc. And I don't think having the calc will make it materially easier.

My child just started an AP-type chem class right now. So I am very familiar. They will be taking physics next year so have virtually no background in it. They go to a private school that does not have AP classes and does not do super acceleration (though they accommodate kids who transfer in already accelerated). And guess what - they get lots of kids into top schools.

You are conflating several different issues. Perhaps you should take less science and more English. Everyone here is so STEM-focused but the ability to write really well is also an incredibly valuable skill. It is just harder to measure.

Lol at “very specifically”, clearly English is not your strong suit either. If your familiarity with chemistry is mostly because your kid is one month into an AP-type chemistry class in high school, then you’re better off not wading into this conversation.

Good luck taking AP Physics C with no prior exposure to any kind of physics, I’m sure it’s going to work just fine. Although let’s not forget we’re not talking about an AP class, but an AP-type, whatever tf that means. Report back on how they do on the AP exam, not the AP-type exam.

You don’t think “having the Calc” will make it materially easier? Lol again at the elevated English. I know it will make it easier for kinetics since the exponential growth and decay and logistic differential equation describing chemical kinetics are covered in depth in AP Calculus BC.

What ability to write well are you talking about? For stem majors you need to know how to write a lab report. It’s not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

I did read carefully. AP bio and chem are very specifically designed so that a student can be successful without Calc. And I don't think having the calc will make it materially easier.

My child just started an AP-type chem class right now. So I am very familiar. They will be taking physics next year so have virtually no background in it. They go to a private school that does not have AP classes and does not do super acceleration (though they accommodate kids who transfer in already accelerated). And guess what - they get lots of kids into top schools.

You are conflating several different issues. Perhaps you should take less science and more English. Everyone here is so STEM-focused but the ability to write really well is also an incredibly valuable skill. It is just harder to measure.

Lol at “very specifically”, clearly English is not your strong suit either. If your familiarity with chemistry is mostly because your kid is one month into an AP-type chemistry class in high school, then you’re better off not wading into this conversation.

Good luck taking AP Physics C with no prior exposure to any kind of physics, I’m sure it’s going to work just fine. Although let’s not forget we’re not talking about an AP class, but an AP-type, whatever tf that means. Report back on how they do on the AP exam, not the AP-type exam.

You don’t think “having the Calc” will make it materially easier? Lol again at the elevated English. I know it will make it easier for kinetics since the exponential growth and decay and logistic differential equation describing chemical kinetics are covered in depth in AP Calculus BC.

What ability to write well are you talking about? For stem majors you need to know how to write a lab report. It’s not that hard.

NP: Chill the heck out? WTF is wrong with you? Why are you so angry? Must you "win" every argument. You are talking past each other. Move on. They were referring to bio and chem, whic do not require calc. You are fixated on Physics. They seem to have specifically not addressed that because that does require Calc (though I think there is an AP Physics that does not).

They also said their kid is in private school that does not have official AP classes. There are a lot of schools like that. It is just not what you seem to know so you refuse to understand it.

And your writing stinks. They were being colloquial. You are just a poor writer.

Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of these magnet school self-proclaimed brainiacs need to remove themselves from their little bubble. They are not impressing anyone with their allegedly brilliant snowflakes. I almost feel like their schools are doing the kids a dis-service by accelerating them so much.

And please don't say "my kid is so smart and they were bored!" Good. Have them play sports, watch mindless TV, play video games, learn plumbing, or flirt with girls/boys. It will serve them much better in life.

Why not drop out? Who needs algebra, anyways?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

I did read carefully. AP bio and chem are very specifically designed so that a student can be successful without Calc. And I don't think having the calc will make it materially easier.

My child just started an AP-type chem class right now. So I am very familiar. They will be taking physics next year so have virtually no background in it. They go to a private school that does not have AP classes and does not do super acceleration (though they accommodate kids who transfer in already accelerated). And guess what - they get lots of kids into top schools.

You are conflating several different issues. Perhaps you should take less science and more English. Everyone here is so STEM-focused but the ability to write really well is also an incredibly valuable skill. It is just harder to measure.

Lol at “very specifically”, clearly English is not your strong suit either. If your familiarity with chemistry is mostly because your kid is one month into an AP-type chemistry class in high school, then you’re better off not wading into this conversation.

Good luck taking AP Physics C with no prior exposure to any kind of physics, I’m sure it’s going to work just fine. Although let’s not forget we’re not talking about an AP class, but an AP-type, whatever tf that means. Report back on how they do on the AP exam, not the AP-type exam.

You don’t think “having the Calc” will make it materially easier? Lol again at the elevated English. I know it will make it easier for kinetics since the exponential growth and decay and logistic differential equation describing chemical kinetics are covered in depth in AP Calculus BC.

What ability to write well are you talking about? For stem majors you need to know how to write a lab report. It’s not that hard.

DP. Knowing that reaction kinetics follows a logistic diffy q will not help you on the AP chem exam (and differential equations are not even covered in calc BC). If you disagree, link a past AP chem exam with a question you believe would be easier for a kid who took calc BC

[Anonymous]

Yes, it does help OP. It will help your kid because the pool of kids that do this path is small, but it will also help them in college STEM courses because they will have had more exposure.

BUT they may need some math refreshers from those earlier courses when going to take the SAT/ACT

[Anonymous]

NP. DD got a 5 on the AP Chem exam last year and was only in Pre-calc.

I have no reason to doubt that calculus would eventually be necessary for a college chem major, but not for Chem 101 or whatever the AP equivalent is supposed to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With FCPS having an accelerated math track for some (Algebra in 6th, Calc in 10th) does this matter for college applications?

Assuming the question is for a stem major, yes, the accelerated math does matter.

Not necessarily on its own but also what you do with that acceleration. Top stem school like Caltech and MIT are clear they want to see Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and to a lesser degree Biology.

To take the highest level like both AP Physics C, the more math the better, taking Multivariable is not required but extremely useful for both Mechanics and Electromagnetism. AP Chemistry is fine with only Calculus BC. Same with linear algebra for computer science.

Not to say that you’re screwed if you don’t have the advanced math, just that it makes life easier for many topics in other math adjacent subjects that competitive colleges want to see taken at the most rigorous level.

Wow, you know nothing. AP Chem and AP bio do not require calc. Many students don't even take them at the same time as Calc - they take them before.

People come here to get information then consistently get misinformed by people who know nothing but write with lots of confidence. Fake it till you make it.

You didn’t read carefully. I didn’t say Calculus BC is a prerequisite, just that it’s very helpful for some topics for example reaction kinetics and thermo.

Curious when was the last time you opened a chemistry book. You’re just talking to repeat what you read last week on the college board website.

Of course there are students that do fine in chemistry jumping right in, but having background knowledge in math and physics is invaluable.

Believe it or not, doing well in Chemistry is highly correlated with how well you do in other stem subjects. Shocker!

This is ridiculous. Calculus BC has some niche technical topics that are not relevant to AP sciences. The informal intuitive algebraic notions of slope and sum area plenty. These classes aren’t advanced undergrad thermo.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it can help, but it’s neither necessary nor sufficient.