Reply to Benefits of taking Algebra 1 in 6th grade

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don’t believe taking post Calculus BC math matters for admissions, and I say it as the parent of a kid who will need to find something past differential equations in high school.

The only tangible benefit of acceleration is ability to take calculus based physics early, and having a solid math framework in place. Many others do well without. [/quote]

Whether or not it makes a difference,  admissions at preferred colleges is a competitive selection process. [b]All else being equal[/b], completing math courses beyond Calc BC can only enhance an application, not diminish it.
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Think about what goes into “all else:” GPA, SAT, APs, extracurriculars, coursework, jobs, volunteering, essays, athletics, first generation etc.

You simply can’t have “all else being equal”, and all these factors are more important than the most advanced math class the student took. It’s not going to diminish an application, it may help a bit on the coursework rigor, but not if the grades have Bs among them.

That’s why you have kids with Multivariable being rejected from UMD and other state schools. [/quote]

No one is arguing that you should take math beyond BC calculus if you can't handle it.  Presumably, a student who does well in BC calculus will go on to do well in more advanced math courses.  But to say it's all worthless for college admissions is just wrong.  I'll go with the college counselors have said rather than someone on this board trying to convince me or other parents of something that inherently doesn't make sense.  [/quote]

Nobody is saying they are worthless. If you took Algebra in 6th or 7th Colleges recommend you keep taking math during high school and often that means taking MV, DE, LA.

Upthread were links from MIT and Caltech, arguably the best stem schools in the country. They don’t mention anything about past BC classes.

Weirdly enough they say “we recommend that you pursue at least some challenging courses in areas like English, history, economics, music, and/or foreign languages”.

Shocking how they seem to value English over Multivariable!

But sure, discard what these colleges say, and go with your gut feeling and what your college counselor said. So far you haven’t shown a shred of evidence to support your assertion.
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MIT wants it all.  Unhooked kids need the GPA, APs across multiple domains, high SAT scores, impressive ECs, community service, and awards.  MIT could fill their math and physics department many times over with kids who have stellar applications and took the top math and science courses available at their school.  [b]Do you really think that they're going to admit an unhooked TJ kid into their math or physics department who topped out at BC Calc and AP Physics C?[/b]  It's also worth pointing out that earlier math and physics are going to give a kid a better chance at USAMO or USAPhO qualification, and the top few kids in the very highest math and physics classes will likely get extremely strong letters of recommendation.  If your kid is likely to be one of the top kids in the school, the earlier math can only help the kid get into a school like MIT.

No school is going to specifically require post AP calc classes, because so many schools don't provide them.  That's a completely different situation than a kid who has easy access to the classes but either wasn't smart enough or wasn't motivated enough to take them.  AOs compare kids to other kids at the same school.  If they have a lot of kids who have stellar applications plus multivariable, etc., then not having the multivariable looks worse.  [/quote]

Yes. Read the MIT admissions blog, they admit plenty of people that “only” took Calculus and Physics C. They still offer single variable calculus courses. Meanwhile plenty of kids who took all the dual enrollment math don’t make it.

You don’t need to go to math or physics Olympiad to be admitted, it’s not like this is the pinnacle of academics in high school.[/quote]

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