Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the kid's next class is Alg 2, having successfully completed Geometry, she should absolutely continue on that path.

The part people are rolling their eyes over is connecting that generally wise decision to optimizing chances for a "top 30" college for an 8th grader.

OP - tell her she is a strong student who needs to continue to take math at her level, regardless of what field or discipline she may pursue later. You have control over her course selection for a while longer.

Just please leave any college admissions rationale out of the discussion. You could, however, have her research the reasons to learn calculus -- the skills taught and applicability to various fields, STEM and non-STEM.

I don't see what is wrong with this.

Getting into a top 30 college has never been more competitive than it is now.

You need to plan ahead! You actually need to get all As in the hardest course load available to you. And even then it'll be a crap shoot for the ivies and other elite top 20 schools.

Sure if you want a kid with an anxiety disorder and seeing a psychiatrist (where they will see many of their friends in the waiting room) kick off the college admissions process with your 13 yo.

Or you encourage your kid to take the hardest classes (that they can handle) so they can learn as much as they can and keep challenging themselves. And enroll them on the Calculus math track.

Once settled into high school, the competition and frenzy will start. But if you set a 'top 30' as a goal for a kid to focus on for 4-5 years, knowing full well that it is a crapshoot, you are doing parenting wrong.

It's not necessarily that you're setting top 30 as a goal. It's that you don't want to eliminate top 30 as being an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t just an admissions question. Calculus is routinely used in economics, statistics, finance, data science, and some quantitative fields within the social sciences. Math teacher is just wrong.

Raise your hand if you use calculus in your job! Crickets, I'm sure, for most of us. Yeah, I took calculus as a senior in high school - big whoop. Never ever used it again. None of my highly educated family members/friends all with good jobs use it either. Admittedly, we are not in STEM fields (but this jibes with the middle school teachers take).

The point isn't whether calculus is actually useful (for the vase majority of people it isn't) The point is that competitive colleges for right or wrong expect that kids take it in HS. By choosing not to take it, a kid is shutting a door. They are eliminating even the possibility of attending a well-regarded university. Most of us who have kids who are very good students in middle school, don't want to see our kids close that door.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the kid's next class is Alg 2, having successfully completed Geometry, she should absolutely continue on that path.

The part people are rolling their eyes over is connecting that generally wise decision to optimizing chances for a "top 30" college for an 8th grader.

OP - tell her she is a strong student who needs to continue to take math at her level, regardless of what field or discipline she may pursue later. You have control over her course selection for a while longer.

Just please leave any college admissions rationale out of the discussion. You could, however, have her research the reasons to learn calculus -- the skills taught and applicability to various fields, STEM and non-STEM.

I don't see what is wrong with this.

Getting into a top 30 college has never been more competitive than it is now.

You need to plan ahead! You actually need to get all As in the hardest course load available to you. And even then it'll be a crap shoot for the ivies and other elite top 20 schools.

Because DCUM is hypersensitive about any parent who heaven forbid, expresses any sort of desire to have their kid attend a top school.

Anonymous wrote:I did not take calc in HS back in 1989. Wasn't 'on track' to do so. Did All Geo, Al 2, PreCalc. HS didn't offer it to most.

Took calc in college but almost everyone else had already taken it! I felt behind.

I'd try going fo it as it's gotten so much more expected since then!

Same, I did felt behind without calc but it worked out for me at that time.

But today a much larger percent of college bound students have calc and the course structure has been completely rewritten to support that. E.g. students take algebra younger but it doesn't cover the same topics, many skills are pushed later. A student today who graduates without calc, is showing deficiency, this isn't because calculus is so all important, it's because the high school sequence has been reworked to make calc the culminating experience. Anyway, a humanities student with AP credit, may never take another math class in college which is more valuable to someone who dislikes math than it is to a STEM major. But, yes top schools look for rigor in all core corses and have math requirements once you get there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to take math all four years of high school. If she is on track to take calculus, she should take it.

Yes, but if she bumps down to a lower level she wouldn't be in calculus her senior year. And now she has this idea that that wouldn't hurt her.

Wait, isn't she on track to take BC Calc as a junior now? Algebra 2 in 9, Precalc in 10, Calculus 11?

Yes. The point is she now thinks she doesn't have to continue this track and can bump down and take the easier math classes because of college advise that her 8th grade math teacher gave her.

But, she'll still get to Calc by 12th if she slows the pace. If she's doing well and likes math, sure keep up the pace, but if she's finding it to be too much, Calc by 12th is fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the kid's next class is Alg 2, having successfully completed Geometry, she should absolutely continue on that path.

The part people are rolling their eyes over is connecting that generally wise decision to optimizing chances for a "top 30" college for an 8th grader.

OP - tell her she is a strong student who needs to continue to take math at her level, regardless of what field or discipline she may pursue later. You have control over her course selection for a while longer.

Just please leave any college admissions rationale out of the discussion. You could, however, have her research the reasons to learn calculus -- the skills taught and applicability to various fields, STEM and non-STEM.

I don't see what is wrong with this.

Getting into a top 30 college has never been more competitive than it is now.

You need to plan ahead! You actually need to get all As in the hardest course load available to you. And even then it'll be a crap shoot for the ivies and other elite top 20 schools.

Sure if you want a kid with an anxiety disorder and seeing a psychiatrist (where they will see many of their friends in the waiting room) kick off the college admissions process with your 13 yo.

Or you encourage your kid to take the hardest classes (that they can handle) so they can learn as much as they can and keep challenging themselves. And enroll them on the Calculus math track.

Once settled into high school, the competition and frenzy will start. But if you set a 'top 30' as a goal for a kid to focus on for 4-5 years, knowing full well that it is a crapshoot, you are doing parenting wrong.

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t just an admissions question. Calculus is routinely used in economics, statistics, finance, data science, and some quantitative fields within the social sciences. Math teacher is just wrong.

Raise your hand if you use calculus in your job! Crickets, I'm sure, for most of us. Yeah, I took calculus as a senior in high school - big whoop. Never ever used it again. None of my highly educated family members/friends all with good jobs use it either. Admittedly, we are not in STEM fields (but this jibes with the middle school teachers take).

Anonymous wrote:If the kid's next class is Alg 2, having successfully completed Geometry, she should absolutely continue on that path.

The part people are rolling their eyes over is connecting that generally wise decision to optimizing chances for a "top 30" college for an 8th grader.

OP - tell her she is a strong student who needs to continue to take math at her level, regardless of what field or discipline she may pursue later. You have control over her course selection for a while longer.

Just please leave any college admissions rationale out of the discussion. You could, however, have her research the reasons to learn calculus -- the skills taught and applicability to various fields, STEM and non-STEM.

I don't see what is wrong with this.

Getting into a top 30 college has never been more competitive than it is now.

You need to plan ahead! You actually need to get all As in the hardest course load available to you. And even then it'll be a crap shoot for the ivies and other elite top 20 schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]8th grade math teachers have no idea what highly selective colleges are looking for and should stay out of the college counseling business

[/b]


This is what I'm thinking. My nephew's 8th grade math teacher told the class that colleges don't like to see too many AP classes because that way they can't get as much money out of you.

8th grade *band* teacher.

Top 30 college in this competitive market?

Yes absolutely.

You need to show that you took the hardest course load available to you (and that you aced it all if you want to get into a top 20).

Anonymous[b wrote:]8th grade math teachers have no idea what highly selective colleges are looking for and should stay out of the college counseling business

[/b]


This is what I'm thinking. My nephew's 8th grade math teacher told the class that colleges don't like to see too many AP classes because that way they can't get as much money out of you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to take math all four years of high school. If she is on track to take calculus, she should take it.

Yes, but if she bumps down to a lower level she wouldn't be in calculus her senior year. And now she has this idea that that wouldn't hurt her.

Wait, isn't she on track to take BC Calc as a junior now? Algebra 2 in 9, Precalc in 10, Calculus 11?

Yes. The point is she now thinks she doesn't have to continue this track and can bump down and take the easier math classes because of college advise that her 8th grade math teacher gave her.

Anonymous wrote:If calculus is offered at her school, it will hurt her if she doesn’t take it. When the answer about whether she took the most challenging course load offered is answered, it will be a ding.

+1

8th grade math teachers have no idea what highly selective colleges are looking for and should stay out of the college counseling business

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She needs to take math all four years of high school. If she is on track to take calculus, she should take it.

Yes, but if she bumps down to a lower level she wouldn't be in calculus her senior year. And now she has this idea that that wouldn't hurt her.

Wait, isn't she on track to take BC Calc as a junior now? Algebra 2 in 9, Precalc in 10, Calculus 11?