History/social sciences - spin-off of world language thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to all ivies except Cornell. Got rejected by only one (it wasn’t Harvard). The only AP social studies they took was APUSH and AP Psych. No AP language. No AP English. Took AP Physics 1&2, AP Bio and BC Calculus. Wasn’t sure if wanted to go STEM route or Humanities.

Cool! Where did they end and what did they decide to study there?

Princeton! ORFE (operations research & financial engineering).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to all ivies except Cornell. Got rejected by only one (it wasn’t Harvard). The only AP social studies they took was APUSH and AP Psych. No AP language. No AP English. Took AP Physics 1&2, AP Bio and BC Calculus. Wasn’t sure if wanted to go STEM route or Humanities.

Cool! Where did they end and what did they decide to study there?

Princeton! ORFE (operations research & financial engineering).

Great, thanks for sharing! That sounds like a very unique program of study. If you don't mind, what tipped the scales in Princeton's favor? How have they found the campus and academic culture? This is very interesting!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our high school doesn’t even offer “European” history.

It’s offered as the only AP sophomore year at my kids’ private. Harder than APUSH, AP Govt/comparative, etc. according to kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for the helpful replies thus far. Follow-up question:

DC can choose 2 out of 3: Euro, Econ, Stats (already maxing out all higher level math classes)

As a prospective Applied Math major, the latter two courses are of more interest, but given that DC will already be taking so many math-related courses in college, does it make sense to take Euro in high school just to be more well-rounded? As I mentioned in an earlier post, DC excels in history, so it's not a question of course difficulty or workload. DC also LIKES history, just not as much as every other academic subject encountered thus far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the helpful replies thus far. Follow-up question:

DC can choose 2 out of 3: Euro, Econ, Stats (already maxing out all higher level math classes)

As a prospective Applied Math major, the latter two courses are of more interest, but given that DC will already be taking so many math-related courses in college, does it make sense to take Euro in high school just to be more well-rounded? As I mentioned in an earlier post, DC excels in history, so it's not a question of course difficulty or workload. DC also LIKES history, just not as much as every other academic subject encountered thus far.

IMO, I'd select Econ and Stats (if already maxed out with AP Calc) simply because it's applicable for his major. This will allow him to then have an easier time in college stats (which is typically is calc based---an applied math degree as well as most STEM degrees will require calculus based stats). It will give him credit for the intro Econ course(s) if he earns a 4/5 on AP test and allow him to take more advanced courses in the 4 years or open up more space for electives in other areas at the college level. Both make sense for his degree, and even if he switched majors are extremely useful courses to have for many majors/future employment.
I'm a huge proponent of allowing kids to take rigorous courses in areas that interest them, especially if it prepares them for their field of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to all ivies except Cornell. Got rejected by only one (it wasn’t Harvard). The only AP social studies they took was APUSH and AP Psych. No AP language. No AP English. Took AP Physics 1&2, AP Bio and BC Calculus. Wasn’t sure if wanted to go STEM route or Humanities.

Cool! Where did they end and what did they decide to study there?

Princeton! ORFE (operations research & financial engineering).

Great, thanks for sharing! That sounds like a very unique program of study. If you don't mind, what tipped the scales in Princeton's favor? How have they found the campus and academic culture? This is very interesting!

Went to a few admit student days. Fell in love with Princeton - the campus (beautiful, close to NYC, no bike needed), the students/culture, focus on undergraduates. Was interested in the school of public and international affairs and engineering which are both highly regarded. Found the culture to be very collaborative (always worked in study groups and everyone willing and eager to help each other) and loved campus life. Was turned off a bit by Harvard - got impression that students seemed to think they were better than others / going there more for the name . Also didn’t care for the campus and they heard Harvard not as focused on undergraduates. ORFE is considered a very difficult major but opens the door to many types of careers. Many go to work for quant trading firms / work in jobs where strong math or technical skills are sought after. I’d love if my younger child has the opportunity to attend as well. It has been a fantastic experience and DC has absolutely no regrets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to all ivies except Cornell. Got rejected by only one (it wasn’t Harvard). The only AP social studies they took was APUSH and AP Psych. No AP language. No AP English. Took AP Physics 1&2, AP Bio and BC Calculus. Wasn’t sure if wanted to go STEM route or Humanities.

Cool! Where did they end and what did they decide to study there?

Princeton! ORFE (operations research & financial engineering).

Great, thanks for sharing! That sounds like a very unique program of study. If you don't mind, what tipped the scales in Princeton's favor? How have they found the campus and academic culture? This is very interesting!

Went to a few admit student days. Fell in love with Princeton - the campus (beautiful, close to NYC, no bike needed), the students/culture, focus on undergraduates. Was interested in the school of public and international affairs and engineering which are both highly regarded. Found the culture to be very collaborative (always worked in study groups and everyone willing and eager to help each other) and loved campus life. Was turned off a bit by Harvard - got impression that students seemed to think they were better than others / going there more for the name . Also didn’t care for the campus and they heard Harvard not as focused on undergraduates. ORFE is considered a very difficult major but opens the door to many types of careers. Many go to work for quant trading firms / work in jobs where strong math or technical skills are sought after. I’d love if my younger child has the opportunity to attend as well. It has been a fantastic experience and DC has absolutely no regrets.

Wow, sounds amazing and I hope your kid continues to have a great time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the helpful replies thus far. Follow-up question:

DC can choose 2 out of 3: Euro, Econ, Stats (already maxing out all higher level math classes)

As a prospective Applied Math major, the latter two courses are of more interest, but given that DC will already be taking so many math-related courses in college, does it make sense to take Euro in high school just to be more well-rounded? As I mentioned in an earlier post, DC excels in history, so it's not a question of course difficulty or workload. DC also LIKES history, just not as much as every other academic subject encountered thus far.

Is the student able to enroll in CC or university math courses while in HS or through an online program? One of my DD's friends maxed out courses early but was able to take Diff Eq and Linear Algebra online, though there was even talk of letting a couple of those kids attend university math classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the helpful replies thus far. Follow-up question:

DC can choose 2 out of 3: Euro, Econ, Stats (already maxing out all higher level math classes)

As a prospective Applied Math major, the latter two courses are of more interest, but given that DC will already be taking so many math-related courses in college, does it make sense to take Euro in high school just to be more well-rounded? As I mentioned in an earlier post, DC excels in history, so it's not a question of course difficulty or workload. DC also LIKES history, just not as much as every other academic subject encountered thus far.

Is the student able to enroll in CC or university math courses while in HS or through an online program? One of my DD's friends maxed out courses early but was able to take Diff Eq and Linear Algebra online, though there was even talk of letting a couple of those kids attend university math classes.

It's actually better to take any math above Calc BC thru a CC/Duel Enrollment. Since there is no AP test, it is otherwise difficult to get college credit for the class.
I say this because my kid is at at T30 school, and over 50% of their Calc 3 class had already taken Multivariable calculus in HS (many are international, some US based) but were required to retake in college in order to get credit. It sucks for the other 50% who have the curve ruined (there wasn't one basically) because 50% of kids can get an easy A/A- since they've essentially taken the course previously.
And obviously for the student, it would be great to get credit and be able to take a lighter load, graduate early, get another minor or major by not having to retake courses you've already completed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS doesn’t teach European history on principle. And kids go to Harvard every year. (Yes, including white kids.)

But what a pity! How can you understand how the US got where it is without European History? And how can you enjoy touring Europe without understand its history?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for the helpful replies thus far. Follow-up question:

DC can choose 2 out of 3: Euro, Econ, Stats (already maxing out all higher level math classes)

As a prospective Applied Math major, the latter two courses are of more interest, but given that DC will already be taking so many math-related courses in college, does it make sense to take Euro in high school just to be more well-rounded? As I mentioned in an earlier post, DC excels in history, so it's not a question of course difficulty or workload. DC also LIKES history, just not as much as every other academic subject encountered thus far.

IMO, I'd select Econ and Stats (if already maxed out with AP Calc) simply because it's applicable for his major. This will allow him to then have an easier time in college stats (which is typically is calc based---an applied math degree as well as most STEM degrees will require calculus based stats). It will give him credit for the intro Econ course(s) if he earns a 4/5 on AP test and allow him to take more advanced courses in the 4 years or open up more space for electives in other areas at the college level. Both make sense for his degree, and even if he switched majors are extremely useful courses to have for many majors/future employment.
I'm a huge proponent of allowing kids to take rigorous courses in areas that interest them, especially if it prepares them for their field of interest.

Hmm, good point about applied math majors requiring calculus-based stats. Given AP Stats is not calc-based, it likely wouldn’t do DC much good to take it in high school except to familiarize herself with stats in general, which I seriously doubt she needs given how strong she is in math overall (by graduation, she’ll have taken 3 years of post-AP Calc BC). DC is probably better off taking Euro (to be more well-rounded) and Econ in high school. My impression is that both AP Euro and AP Econ are considered to be more rigorous than AP Stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS doesn’t teach European history on principle. And kids go to Harvard every year. (Yes, including white kids.)

But what a pity! How can you understand how the US got where it is without European History? And how can you enjoy touring Europe without understand its history?

True, this could be said for any country you visit, including non-European countries that are popular to visit. (In truth, at my kid's school, 2 years of world history included quite a bit of European history, including colonialism.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS doesn’t teach European history on principle. And kids go to Harvard every year. (Yes, including white kids.)

But what a pity! How can you understand how the US got where it is without European History? And how can you enjoy touring Europe without understand its history?

"How"? Through the usual process of learning things that are not taught in school: get books, read them.