Please post where your DC is headed and the highest math course taken in HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again, thank you to everyone for posting.

Would be interesting to hear from parents whose kids are humanities focused and took a slower math track and did well with college admissions.

I understand that there is a lot that goes into admissions, and each kids is different. My oldest happens to be a humanities kid and will likely end with high stats and rigor in all the other subjects - but adding on AP Calc junior year I predict would add a lot of extra stress and possibly his first B. My younger kid is different - he will knock out all the math APs no problem, but probably won't have any sort of spike.

I can’t offer an admissions success story, but I will say that my junior sounds very much like your kid, and he’s taking AP Calc AB as a senior. It’s one of five APs he’s taking next year, and he’s a humanities kid, and he will have a balanced and rigorous transcript (2 APs in English, social studies, and science; 1 in math; 1 in foreign language; and two elective APs). He also has very time-consuming ECs. It doesn’t seem worth the stress to push for Calc BC. I can’t imagine this will be the thing that keeps him out of his top choices.

Thank you for this. Our kids do sound very similar...almost down to the number of APs and 5 APs planned for senior year. My kid also has a time-consuming EC that could result in significant awards/recognition if he puts in the time. I think I know the right answer, but it is disappointing to see that it is still a mad race to rack up APs. I thought things had changed since I was in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Calc AB as junior
AP Calc BC as senior
Princeton as CS major

This is atrocious. Must be an athlete (or fake)

???? Those are the most advanced classes offered at most schools. Also, most school districts don’t offer Geometry in 8th grade.

It all depends on what your school offers.

That’s why it’s best not to assume someone’s path is “atrocious.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-calc MIT

sus

ya think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All joking aside re: pre-cal as a senior, can you get in anywhere with that? If so, where?

My kid did it and got into 15 schools out of 17 applications. They are in the 50-150 range in USNWR. Not schools DCUM worships but work for my kid.

I'm so glad to hear that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again, thank you to everyone for posting.

Would be interesting to hear from parents whose kids are humanities focused and took a slower math track and did well with college admissions.

I understand that there is a lot that goes into admissions, and each kids is different. My oldest happens to be a humanities kid and will likely end with high stats and rigor in all the other subjects - but adding on AP Calc junior year I predict would add a lot of extra stress and possibly his first B. My younger kid is different - he will knock out all the math APs no problem, but probably won't have any sort of spike.

I can’t offer an admissions success story, but I will say that my junior sounds very much like your kid, and he’s taking AP Calc AB as a senior. It’s one of five APs he’s taking next year, and he’s a humanities kid, and he will have a balanced and rigorous transcript (2 APs in English, social studies, and science; 1 in math; 1 in foreign language; and two elective APs). He also has very time-consuming ECs. It doesn’t seem worth the stress to push for Calc BC. I can’t imagine this will be the thing that keeps him out of his top choices.

Thank you for this. Our kids do sound very similar...almost down to the number of APs and 5 APs planned for senior year. My kid also has a time-consuming EC that could result in significant awards/recognition if he puts in the time. I think I know the right answer, but it is disappointing to see that it is still a mad race to rack up APs. I thought things had changed since I was in high school.

Glad this was helpful. I will make one suggestion: encourage your kid to take AP Physics 1. My kid was really worried about it since he’s not super-confident in math but has ended up loving it; in fact, he said it has made math make more sense to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-calc MIT

sus

ya think?

Some high schools don’t offer calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Calc AB as junior
AP Calc BC as senior
Princeton as CS major

This is atrocious. Must be an athlete (or fake)

Why? What comes after calc in high school these days? When I graduated, it was the highest level.

At my DC well known west coast private school the highest math offered is BC Calculus which is taken after honors pre calculus in senior year which is not an easy class at their school. (Go to either AB Calc or BC Calc - don’t take both during HS) They do NOT let the kids advance. The only differentiation is honors path starting in middle school and some are only taking Algebra 1 in 9th grade. Every year at least 5% of the class goes on to HYPSM and much more to T20.

As others suggest, colleges probably evaluate students within the context of their school and offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again, thank you to everyone for posting.

Would be interesting to hear from parents whose kids are humanities focused and took a slower math track and did well with college admissions.

I understand that there is a lot that goes into admissions, and each kids is different. My oldest happens to be a humanities kid and will likely end with high stats and rigor in all the other subjects - but adding on AP Calc junior year I predict would add a lot of extra stress and possibly his first B. My younger kid is different - he will knock out all the math APs no problem, but probably won't have any sort of spike.

I can’t offer an admissions success story, but I will say that my junior sounds very much like your kid, and he’s taking AP Calc AB as a senior. It’s one of five APs he’s taking next year, and he’s a humanities kid, and he will have a balanced and rigorous transcript (2 APs in English, social studies, and science; 1 in math; 1 in foreign language; and two elective APs). He also has very time-consuming ECs. It doesn’t seem worth the stress to push for Calc BC. I can’t imagine this will be the thing that keeps him out of his top choices.

Thank you for this. Our kids do sound very similar...almost down to the number of APs and 5 APs planned for senior year. My kid also has a time-consuming EC that could result in significant awards/recognition if he puts in the time. I think I know the right answer, but it is disappointing to see that it is still a mad race to rack up APs. I thought things had changed since I was in high school.

Glad this was helpful. I will make one suggestion: encourage your kid to take AP Physics 1. My kid was really worried about it since he’s not super-confident in math but has ended up loving it; in fact, he said it has made math make more sense to him.

Good to know! Right now AP Physics 1 is scheduled for senior year, and AP Bio junior year. We'll revisit his course planning in a few weeks when he's on summer break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the difference between AB and BC Calculus? Can you chose whether to take AB or BC Calculus at most schools? My DC goes to a private school and I don’t think you can do BC Calculus unless you are on the advanced math track. Confused.

Same here. My kids
My kids' "top" private school heavily gate-keeps calc BC. You really can't take it unless you're in the group of 10 kids who started down the honor math track in 8th grade.
I have one kid on this track and one kid not on it.

It doesn't effect Ivy or other top30 admits. Plenty of top 30 admits this year from our school of kids who maxed out at non-AP calc or calc AB (and even pre-calc).
Every school is not Thomas Jefferson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the difference between AB and BC Calculus? Can you chose whether to take AB or BC Calculus at most schools? My DC goes to a private school and I don’t think you can do BC Calculus unless you are on the advanced math track. Confused.

BC covers about 50% more content than AB. That's why many schools use the latter part of precalculus to begin calculus for BC kids, so they have time to finish everything. That's why schools generally only let kids take BC that were on the advanced track for precalculus.

[Anonymous]

My kid got into 11 out of 12 schools applied to, including one T25, a bunch in the T50-150 range and a couple of well ranked regional universities, without taking Calc at all. DC decided to take AP Stats as a senior instead.

[Anonymous]

AB calc and AP Stats as a senior, going to Wake Forest

Student was on advanced track getting As and recommended for precalc BC after sophomore year but felt she would struggle with pace due to learning differences (ADHD and slow processing), so took AB path instead.

[Anonymous]

AP CALC BC
Notre Dame
Engineering

[Anonymous]

AP Calc AB as a senior - Davidson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All joking aside re: pre-cal as a senior, can you get in anywhere with that? If so, where?

My kid did it and got into 15 schools out of 17 applications. They are in the 50-150 range in USNWR. Not schools DCUM worships but work for my kid.

I know engineering majors who never took calc in HS and yet somehow (sarcasm) manage to become engineers. Outside the Top 25-30 schools, that is how many kids function. And they all go onto college and get degrees, including STEM degrees and succeed in life.