High school math courses for College entrance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP, I think the choices are Multivariable Calculus or AP Statistics, depending on the school.

OP here - I guess one of my questions is: if DD ends up not being the keen STEM type, can she stop math with AP Calculus (AB or BC) in 11th grade or will that limit her College admission potential?

Or Discrete Math. Sadly, the top universities want to see calculus finished and with an A too, before appication whic means by end of jr. year. DC did that and is now taking college chemistry so to hit the chemistry subject matter test hard in the fall. It's a brutal college app. world out there.

My son was admitted HYD with no calculus. He is a history major. He had some major accomplishments in the arts and social sciences. You should not make blanket statements.

+1
I think PP is trying to scare parents out of having their kids even apply, so that there's less competition for his/her own kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP, I think the choices are Multivariable Calculus or AP Statistics, depending on the school.

OP here - I guess one of my questions is: if DD ends up not being the keen STEM type, can she stop math with AP Calculus (AB or BC) in 11th grade or will that limit her College admission potential?

Or Discrete Math. Sadly, the top universities want to see calculus finished and with an A too, before appication whic means by end of jr. year. DC did that and is now taking college chemistry so to hit the chemistry subject matter test hard in the fall. It's a brutal college app. world out there.

My son was admitted HYD with no calculus. He is a history major. He had some major accomplishments in the arts and social sciences. You should not make blanket statements.

+1
I think PP is trying to scare parents out of having their kids even apply, so that there's less competition for his/her own kids.

Yes, we've seen the "your child will never be admitted/graduate from college without calc" troll before. Best to ignore.

[Anonymous]

Serious question, because I have always wondered. I can see how some amount of Algebra and geometry is useful the real world. Basic chemistry, biOlogy & physics I get. World history and English? Okay, sure. But unless you are in very specialized engineering, math or physics wtf do you do with Calculus in real life? Because I have a graduate degree and a pretty successful professional job, and can honestly say I have not thought about any Calculus concept ever since I walked out of my second semester calculus final exam. If college admissions weren't in play, I would never encourage anyone but a hardcore STEM kid to take AP Calc over AP stats (which can be very useful in the real world) or discrete math (also useful). So why is the FCPS gold standard for a bright, college bound kid now Calc BC plus a semester of Multivariable-- with the Calculus troll saying they need more? Is there is some inherent value to Calculus for the 95% of people who don't think high level engineering or theoretical physics is their thing that I've just been missing out on my whole life? Otherwise-- why???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is crazy! Make sure she takes calculus by 12th grade, unless she wants to be an engineer. -- mother of two, one of whom is at HYP and the other at a top-20 university.

I don't know anyone who has a Bachelor's that didn't take Calculus before their senior year of high school. But I know plenty of people who took Calculus their sophomore or junior years who don't have a Bachelor's Degree.

I have a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. I didn't take calc until college.

My DS was accepted to W&M last year. No high school calculus either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, because I have always wondered. I can see how some amount of Algebra and geometry is useful the real world. Basic chemistry, biOlogy & physics I get. World history and English? Okay, sure. But unless you are in very specialized engineering, math or physics wtf do you do with Calculus in real life? Because I have a graduate degree and a pretty successful professional job, and can honestly say I have not thought about any Calculus concept ever since I walked out of my second semester calculus final exam. If college admissions weren't in play, I would never encourage anyone but a hardcore STEM kid to take AP Calc over AP stats (which can be very useful in the real world) or discrete math (also useful). So why is the FCPS gold standard for a bright, college bound kid now Calc BC plus a semester of Multivariable-- with the Calculus troll saying they need more? Is there is some inherent value to Calculus for the 95% of people who don't think high level engineering or theoretical physics is their thing that I've just been missing out on my whole life? Otherwise-- why???

Totally, 100% agree.

The reality is that no colleges, outside of engineering programs and their ilk, expect calc in high school. Thousands of NoVa parents tell themselves colleges do, but every year thousands of kids are accepted to top colleges without calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is crazy! Make sure she takes calculus by 12th grade, unless she wants to be an engineer. -- mother of two, one of whom is at HYP and the other at a top-20 university.

I don't know anyone who has a Bachelor's that didn't take Calculus before their senior year of high school. But I know plenty of people who took Calculus their sophomore or junior years who don't have a Bachelor's Degree.

Then you know very, very few people or the people you know are all so burned out that they gave up (or you are not sampling US colleges). I know plenty of successful people with graduate degrees who did not take Calculus until college (or in some cases, at all). I went to a top 25 college on full academic scholarship with 12th grade calculus-- AB. dThese days, a kid planning to attend a selective college probably should aim for Calculus. And maybe potential engineering and math majors should look at accelerating a year beyond that. But stop the insanity. Your average Doctor/lawyer/MBA/psychologist PHd, etc does not need linear algebra and Multivariable calculus in high school to get into and succeed at a top tier college. Signed, a successful lawyer who has looked at a differential equation since HS. Calculus has no relevance for 90+% of real life "successful" jobs.

Kids planning to attend ANY college should aim for Calculus.

My child only had pre-calc / AP Stats and had no problem getting into the colleges of her choice such as URichmond, JMU, American, some others..

My child took pre-calc as a senior, no AP stats. Accepted last year to Clark, Kalamazoo, Wooster, and Dickinson with substantial merit scholarships; also accepted to Kenyon, W&M, and honors program at JMU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP, I think the choices are Multivariable Calculus or AP Statistics, depending on the school.

OP here - I guess one of my questions is: if DD ends up not being the keen STEM type, can she stop math with AP Calculus (AB or BC) in 11th grade or will that limit her College admission potential?

Or Discrete Math. Sadly, the top universities want to see calculus finished and with an A too, before appication whic means by end of jr. year. DC did that and is now taking college chemistry so to hit the chemistry subject matter test hard in the fall. It's a brutal college app. world out there.

My son was admitted HYD with no calculus. He is a history major. He had some major accomplishments in the arts and social sciences. You should not make blanket statements.

+1
I think PP is trying to scare parents out of having their kids even apply, so that there's less competition for his/her own kids.

I plan to have my kids apply for community college actually. Community college is pretty impressive, so if they get an associate's degree, that will still be better than most people ever do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the PP, I think the choices are Multivariable Calculus or AP Statistics, depending on the school.

OP here - I guess one of my questions is: if DD ends up not being the keen STEM type, can she stop math with AP Calculus (AB or BC) in 11th grade or will that limit her College admission potential?

Or Discrete Math. Sadly, the top universities want to see calculus finished and with an A too, before appication whic means by end of jr. year. DC did that and is now taking college chemistry so to hit the chemistry subject matter test hard in the fall. It's a brutal college app. world out there.

My son was admitted HYD with no calculus. He is a history major. He had some major accomplishments in the arts and social sciences. You should not make blanket statements.

+1
I think PP is trying to scare parents out of having their kids even apply, so that there's less competition for his/her own kids.

I plan to have my kids apply for community college actually. Community college is pretty impressive, so if they get an associate's degree, that will still be better than most people ever do.

Sorry, I meant to say Community is still pretty impressive. Obviously university and a Bachelor's Degree is even more impressive. But most people are done with education after high school. And I can't blame them. They've been in school 13 years straight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd took algebra 1 honors in 7th and geometry honors in 8th. She got a B in both and pass advanced on the SOLs.
I have no intention of expunging them or having her retake them. She did great and I'm sure she will get into a great college that's a good fit.

When did anything less than perfect become something to hide? When did a B become "doing badly?" There's a lot more to life than UVA.

Don't be so sure she will get into a great college. The competition is brutal. Unless your kid got B's in middle school Alg/geom AND got into a selective school dont be so quick to bash others.

So true. Would you believe that 96% of the accepted early action students for Georgia Tech 2020 has taken AP Calculus? Also most have taken "at least" 10 college level AP courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd took algebra 1 honors in 7th and geometry honors in 8th. She got a B in both and pass advanced on the SOLs.
I have no intention of expunging them or having her retake them. She did great and I'm sure she will get into a great college that's a good fit.

When did anything less than perfect become something to hide? When did a B become "doing badly?" There's a lot more to life than UVA.

Don't be so sure she will get into a great college. The competition is brutal. Unless your kid got B's in middle school Alg/geom AND got into a selective school dont be so quick to bash others.

So true. Would you believe that 96% of the accepted early action students for Georgia Tech 2020 has taken AP Calculus? Also most have taken "at least" 10 college level AP courses.

Please provide a link to both statistics. (The 96% and the "at least 10" APs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd took algebra 1 honors in 7th and geometry honors in 8th. She got a B in both and pass advanced on the SOLs.
I have no intention of expunging them or having her retake them. She did great and I'm sure she will get into a great college that's a good fit.

When did anything less than perfect become something to hide? When did a B become "doing badly?" There's a lot more to life than UVA.

Don't be so sure she will get into a great college. The competition is brutal. Unless your kid got B's in middle school Alg/geom AND got into a selective school dont be so quick to bash others.

So true. Would you believe that 96% of the accepted early action students for Georgia Tech 2020 has taken AP Calculus? Also most have taken "at least" 10 college level AP courses.

Well, GA Tech is an engineering school, and early action is tougher than general admission, so I might believe the Calc piece for early admissions. But DH grew up in Georgia, so I am sure that the 10 college level classes is BS-- most HSs in Georgia do not begin to offer that level of course work, so it would be impossible for a good chunk of GA admits to access it. I'm betting you're looking at a pretty narrow range of kids-- like OOS or FCPS admits, and probably Engineering school admits, not general college admits. So-- source please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd took algebra 1 honors in 7th and geometry honors in 8th. She got a B in both and pass advanced on the SOLs.
I have no intention of expunging them or having her retake them. She did great and I'm sure she will get into a great college that's a good fit.

When did anything less than perfect become something to hide? When did a B become "doing badly?" There's a lot more to life than UVA.

Don't be so sure she will get into a great college. The competition is brutal. Unless your kid got B's in middle school Alg/geom AND got into a selective school dont be so quick to bash others.

So true. Would you believe that 96% of the accepted early action students for Georgia Tech 2020 has taken AP Calculus? Also most have taken "at least" 10 college level AP courses.

Well, GA Tech is an engineering school, and early action is tougher than general admission, so I might believe the Calc piece for early admissions. But DH grew up in Georgia, so I am sure that the 10 college level classes is BS-- most HSs in Georgia do not begin to offer that level of course work, so it would be impossible for a good chunk of GA admits to access it. I'm betting you're looking at a pretty narrow range of kids-- like OOS or FCPS admits, and probably Engineering school admits, not general college admits. So-- source please.

Actually, it is usually easier to get in early action/decision at most colleges and universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd took algebra 1 honors in 7th and geometry honors in 8th. She got a B in both and pass advanced on the SOLs.
I have no intention of expunging them or having her retake them. She did great and I'm sure she will get into a great college that's a good fit.

When did anything less than perfect become something to hide? When did a B become "doing badly?" There's a lot more to life than UVA.

Don't be so sure she will get into a great college. The competition is brutal. Unless your kid got B's in middle school Alg/geom AND got into a selective school dont be so quick to bash others.

So true. Would you believe that 96% of the accepted early action students for Georgia Tech 2020 has taken AP Calculus? Also most have taken "at least" 10 college level AP courses.

Please provide a link to both statistics. (The 96% and the "at least 10" APs)

Yes, please do. I seriously doubt this is true. And, even if it is true, GA Tech is, last I checked, a top rated STEM university. It's hardly a typical college/university, nor even a typical elite one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, because I have always wondered. I can see how some amount of Algebra and geometry is useful the real world. Basic chemistry, biOlogy & physics I get. World history and English? Okay, sure. But unless you are in very specialized engineering, math or physics wtf do you do with Calculus in real life? Because I have a graduate degree and a pretty successful professional job, and can honestly say I have not thought about any Calculus concept ever since I walked out of my second semester calculus final exam. If college admissions weren't in play, I would never encourage anyone but a hardcore STEM kid to take AP Calc over AP stats (which can be very useful in the real world) or discrete math (also useful). So why is the FCPS gold standard for a bright, college bound kid now Calc BC plus a semester of Multivariable-- with the Calculus troll saying they need more? Is there is some inherent value to Calculus for the 95% of people who don't think high level engineering or theoretical physics is their thing that I've just been missing out on my whole life? Otherwise-- why???

Beats me... I have a BSN, MS and PhD in Nursing from UMd, Georgetown and UCSF respectively and I've never took a single calculus class in my life. Stats yes, tons of stats but as the System CNO of one of the ten largest healthcare systems in the country, I'm a consumer and supporter of research, not a direct producer. I don't get the frenzy either. I honestly think it's for bragging rights. My son took Algebra in 8th and he's at Stanford, all A's and applying to MDX school. DD has great difficulty with math and took Algebra in 9th. In spite of this egregious deficiency, she's planning to go to college to major in nursing so we're fairly optimistic she won't be waiting tables at ihop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, because I have always wondered. I can see how some amount of Algebra and geometry is useful the real world. Basic chemistry, biOlogy & physics I get. World history and English? Okay, sure. But unless you are in very specialized engineering, math or physics wtf do you do with Calculus in real life? Because I have a graduate degree and a pretty successful professional job, and can honestly say I have not thought about any Calculus concept ever since I walked out of my second semester calculus final exam. If college admissions weren't in play, I would never encourage anyone but a hardcore STEM kid to take AP Calc over AP stats (which can be very useful in the real world) or discrete math (also useful). So why is the FCPS gold standard for a bright, college bound kid now Calc BC plus a semester of Multivariable-- with the Calculus troll saying they need more? Is there is some inherent value to Calculus for the 95% of people who don't think high level engineering or theoretical physics is their thing that I've just been missing out on my whole life? Otherwise-- why???

Beats me... I have a BSN, MS and PhD in Nursing from UMd, Georgetown and UCSF respectively and I've never took a single calculus class in my life. Stats yes, tons of stats but as the System CNO of one of the ten largest healthcare systems in the country, I'm a consumer and supporter of research, not a direct producer. I don't get the frenzy either. I honestly think it's for bragging rights. My son took Algebra in 8th and he's at Stanford, all A's and applying to MDX school. DD has great difficulty with math and took Algebra in 9th. In spite of this egregious deficiency, she's planning to go to college to major in nursing so we're fairly optimistic she won't be waiting tables at ihop.

Med, not MDX. What an odd auto correct ?