Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a B in geometry is fine, and she needs factoring skills from Algebra 1 the most. If she did that well, she should take Alg2/trig intensified. With colleges being test optional, it is important she get to Calculus senior year.

IF she expects a top-tier school in engineering or other prestigious STEM program.
Calculus in high school is not a pre-requisite for success or for admission to a quality 4-year university.

Extracurriculars are not a pre-requisite for admission either, however, having them is helpful. Colleges are interested to see if students have challenged themselves by taking the most rigorous courses available to them. The overwhelming majority of students at competitive colleges have taken calculus in high school.

And most of them choose to retake it in college with all the classmates who didn't take it. No big deal.

Kids who retake calculus in college are in a better position than kids who have never taken it before. College calculus often moves quickly because instructors know many kids have had prior exposure. Kids who haven't had calculus before have to work harder and may not do as well as kids who have already taken it once in high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a B in geometry is fine, and she needs factoring skills from Algebra 1 the most. If she did that well, she should take Alg2/trig intensified. With colleges being test optional, it is important she get to Calculus senior year.

IF she expects a top-tier school in engineering or other prestigious STEM program.
Calculus in high school is not a pre-requisite for success or for admission to a quality 4-year university.

Extracurriculars are not a pre-requisite for admission either, however, having them is helpful. Colleges are interested to see if students have challenged themselves by taking the most rigorous courses available to them. The overwhelming majority of students at competitive colleges have taken calculus in high school.

And most of them choose to retake it in college with all the classmates who didn't take it. No big deal.

Calculus in HS is a catch 22. If your HS offers it you generally need to take it to get into a competitive college.

But most HS Calculus course even the AP courses are watered down in VA high schools so yes it is best to take again in college to have a solid foundation for more advanced math classes if required for the students major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a B in geometry is fine, and she needs factoring skills from Algebra 1 the most. If she did that well, she should take Alg2/trig intensified. With colleges being test optional, it is important she get to Calculus senior year.

IF she expects a top-tier school in engineering or other prestigious STEM program.
Calculus in high school is not a pre-requisite for success or for admission to a quality 4-year university.

Extracurriculars are not a pre-requisite for admission either, however, having them is helpful. Colleges are interested to see if students have challenged themselves by taking the most rigorous courses available to them. The overwhelming majority of students at competitive colleges have taken calculus in high school.

And most of them choose to retake it in college with all the classmates who didn't take it. No big deal.

Yes. Lots of DD's friends took Geometry in the summer before 9th grade so they could take Alg II/Trig in 9th grade. I had never heard about that as a possibility before, but she said it was fairly common. Sounds miserable to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a B in geometry is fine, and she needs factoring skills from Algebra 1 the most. If she did that well, she should take Alg2/trig intensified. With colleges being test optional, it is important she get to Calculus senior year.

IF she expects a top-tier school in engineering or other prestigious STEM program.
Calculus in high school is not a pre-requisite for success or for admission to a quality 4-year university.

Not a pre-requisite for admission, but if your are not taking the most rigorous program offered in math at your HS and want to major in STEM not taking Calculus in HS, it will not make your application stand out.

Is the only way to get to Calculus in HS to take Algebra I by 8th grade? Or is it possible to do it if you only take Algebra I in 9th grade. I was looking at this and it seems like you have to take by 8th. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/MS-Pathways-SY21.pdf. Can you take math classes as electives or over summer school in HS?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting a B in geometry is fine, and she needs factoring skills from Algebra 1 the most. If she did that well, she should take Alg2/trig intensified. With colleges being test optional, it is important she get to Calculus senior year.

IF she expects a top-tier school in engineering or other prestigious STEM program.
Calculus in high school is not a pre-requisite for success or for admission to a quality 4-year university.

Not a pre-requisite for admission, but if your are not taking the most rigorous program offered in math at your HS and want to major in STEM not taking Calculus in HS, it will not make your application stand out.