Math path and college acceptances

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS now has an option for Algebra 1 honors in 6th grade for a cohort of students. Better to take this “hardest” math path with possible lower grades, vs stronger grades but will be behind some peers? Which do colleges prefer? Realize this is ridiculous question since only in sixth grade, but have to make a choice.

There are 2000 colleges and universities in the US. Many of them will be happy to take a kid that isn’t on the most rigorous math pathway and/or doesn’t have perfect grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of kids who take algebra in 7th move down and then try again in 8th. I imagine it will be the same with the kids who try in 6th.

Not really. DCs cohort (Blair Magnet 2025) was the first to do Honors Algebra 1 in 6th grade home school when the magnet middle school (TPMS) admission policy was changed. Significantly outperformed the regular 7th graders. The majority this magnet cohort were done with Magnet Calc (equivalent to AP BC) fall 11th grade. The faster one (magnet functions) were done by 10th grade. Almost all took magnet stats. Many took the multivariable calc, diff eqn, linear algebra. 11 of 105 Blair class of 2025 went to MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS now has an option for Algebra 1 honors in 6th grade for a cohort of students. Better to take this “hardest” math path with possible lower grades, vs stronger grades but will be behind some peers? Which do colleges prefer? Realize this is ridiculous question since only in sixth grade, but have to make a choice.

If you’re child is good at math and the teacher is a good teacher, your child will probably do well in Algebra.

The limiting factor for good math students is the availability of good teachers, not whether the students have the capacity to learn algebra in sixth grade.

[Anonymous]

GPA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS now has an option for Algebra 1 honors in 6th grade for a cohort of students. Better to take this “hardest” math path with possible lower grades, vs stronger grades but will be behind some peers? Which do colleges prefer? Realize this is ridiculous question since only in sixth grade, but have to make a choice.

There are 2000 colleges and universities in the US. Many of them will be happy to take a kid that isn’t on the most rigorous math pathway and/or doesn’t have perfect grades.

But if you want one of the private T10s or ivies and you have no hooks you had better be in the max rigor path for every area possible if you wantt he best chance at admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^I'm not sure what your point is.

Most of the kids who did the advanced math i.e, MV Calc+ (at least the ones that are friends with my kid) have great college choices.

I just thought it was interesting that the kid whose math path culminated in calc bc was the one who got into mit.

There was a hook, likely Questbridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^I'm not sure what your point is.

Most of the kids who did the advanced math i.e, MV Calc+ (at least the ones that are friends with my kid) have great college choices.

I just thought it was interesting that the kid whose math path culminated in calc bc was the one who got into mit.

There was a hook, likely Questbridge.

no. he is full pay.

[Anonymous]

At our private, advanced math track provides a high floor, but not necessarily a high ceiling. This year there are about eight kids in the multivariable class, college results range from NYU to Stanford. Ivies, CMU, etc in-between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^I'm not sure what your point is.

Most of the kids who did the advanced math i.e, MV Calc+ (at least the ones that are friends with my kid) have great college choices.

I just thought it was interesting that the kid whose math path culminated in calc bc was the one who got into mit.

I find your story hard to believe. MIT is known to prioritize extreme math and science competency (and I do mean extreme). Perhaps the student did scientific research in a well-known lab and published a paper instead. But they had something in STEM that made them stand out, otherwise MIT would never have let them in. They're uncompromising in that respect.

[Anonymous]

Do whatever is good for the kid. If the student can get to calculus AB by senior year, all the college options are still on the table. BC and MV are really only relevant for the engineering students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS now has an option for Algebra 1 honors in 6th grade for a cohort of students. Better to take this “hardest” math path with possible lower grades, vs stronger grades but will be behind some peers? Which do colleges prefer? Realize this is ridiculous question since only in sixth grade, but have to make a choice.

Take the most rigorous courseload where your kid will get straight As or A-s. There is some guesstimation here but if you get B's, schools might see an academic ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

Agree with you PP. That previous poster is most certainly NOT from NYC. NYS Regents aren't allowed until 8th grade; hence, it's there are zero students taking Calc sophomore year if they're in a NYC public school. That's the long and short of it. But yeah tons of DMV (or god only knows from where) folks want to opine how NYC magnet public schools work.

[Anonymous]

Strong grades matter most. In that battle of rigor or grades, grades win every time.

Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Finishing with Calc AB can get you into the best colleges, assuming you are not engineering major/stem major.

You can get into *most* other colleges without Calc AB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

Agree with you PP. That previous poster is most certainly NOT from NYC. NYS Regents aren't allowed until 8th grade; hence, it's there are zero students taking Calc sophomore year if they're in a NYC public school. That's the long and short of it. But yeah tons of DMV (or god only knows from where) folks want to opine how NYC magnet public schools work.

NP: Exactly - I guess the only possible exception is if a kid went to a Speyer for K-8 or one of the few other schools where they push the kids ahead, so they enter the SHSAT school ahead. Otherwise, it is almost impossible. I know some NYC middle schools are letting kids take Geometry early (since it can be done in tandem with Algebra) but that still doesn't get you to Calc in 10th. And the kids from the SHSAT schools do incredibly well with college, math/science research, and any other metric.

Meanwhile the DMV crowd thinks they are all that and their kids are smarter than NYC SHSAT kids because they take math a year or two earlier. They live in a fantasy land and a bubble. I'm sure their kids are plenty bright but their attitude is weird.