This is all going to be very school dependent. But in general, the suburban public schools tend to be much stronger with math and science. Not a lot - if any - Sidwell, GDS, and NCS students are accepted to schools like MIT or any significant engineering program anywhere. They are not competitive.

But for other students, go for the highest available math at the high school. For a good school like Georgia Tech or Stanford, if the high school offers BC or MV, you should plan on taking it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

You bunch are arguing over nothing. "Dozens per year" out of 700-2000 students at 1-3 schools is the same as "basically zero". You're all throwing around arbitrary numbers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS now has an option for Algebra 1 honors in 6th grade for a cohort of students. Better to take this “hardest” math path with possible lower grades, vs stronger grades but will be behind some peers? Which do colleges prefer? Realize this is ridiculous question since only in sixth grade, but have to make a choice.

There are 2000 colleges and universities in the US. Many of them will be happy to take a kid that isn’t on the most rigorous math pathway and/or doesn’t have perfect grades.

"Most rigorous pathway" means "honors" not accelerating years ahead.

Something to ask before committing to this pathway if you are unsure how successful your kid will be with it: does the grades for 6-8th grade high school level math classes go on high school transcript and get configured in their high school GPA? Different districts handle this differently. Some don’t count it, some do but you can petition to remove it, some do put you can retake for better grade at any point. And some, like ours, put it on transcript and configure it in GPA and it is there to stay. You cannot have it removed with petition or even if you retake that class in high school. Now- that may not matter to colleges from a GPA point of view since they will likely reconfigure with just 9-12 grades. But it could have impact on their class ranking- again if that would matter to you

It 100% does not matter at all what math class they reach.
If you are in an easier class you have free time to challenge yourself to go beyond the basics or pursue a different subject.

What matters if the student challenges themselves to learn and achieve as much as they healthily can.

Take highest available as your school. If that is Calc BC take that, if MvC take that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about this path for a stem major?

Algebra 1 honors - grade 7
Geometry honors - grade 8
Algebra 2 honors - grade 9
AP pre- calculus BC - grade 10
AP Calculus BC or AP statistics - grade 11
multi variable calculus linear algebra - grade 12

You need calc. You can’t skip calc and take AP stats junior yr instead then try to take MCV as a senior. If you want AP stats, then take it concurrently with calc

A stem major would have multiple STEM DE/AP classes per year. My kid is taking MV calc, AP physics C and AP stats this yr.

Must take Calc BC prior to MV!

Anonymous wrote:Which is better Calculus AB or BC? Both are not needed, correct?

BC is more advanced than AB

Anonymous wrote:How about this path for a stem major?

Algebra 1 honors - grade 7
Geometry honors - grade 8
Algebra 2 honors - grade 9
AP pre- calculus BC - grade 10
AP Calculus BC or AP statistics - grade 11
multi variable calculus linear algebra - grade 12

You need calc. You can’t skip calc and take AP stats junior yr instead then try to take MCV as a senior. If you want AP stats, then take it concurrently with calc

Anonymous wrote:Which is better Calculus AB or BC? Both are not needed, correct?

Depends on the school and their schedule. My teen had to take both, but they were ahead enough that they also were able to take MVC in 12th

Anonymous wrote:My kid got into an Ivy (international relations) with highest math AP Calc AB.

He was on the accelerated public middle school math track (all As/perfect sol score) but when he switched to private- the placement put him in honors geometry freshmen year. MS algebra sucked. The middle school fast track math classes were not comprehensive.

The track to put your kid is the one he learns best in and will build the strongest foundation to build upon. More isn’t necessarily better in the long run.

+1 Agree. For various reasons our DC was placed on a not typical math pathway from being new to the district. It felt really risky not to push him into the accelerated track. Well, high school went by with less stressful math, and he was able to focus on other subjects and ECs. He was admitted early to HYP with AP Stats as his highest math. Humanities major.

Take the harder math and get a tutor OP.

My kid got into an Ivy (international relations) with highest math AP Calc AB.

He was on the accelerated public middle school math track (all As/perfect sol score) but when he switched to private- the placement put him in honors geometry freshmen year. MS algebra sucked. The middle school fast track math classes were not comprehensive.

The track to put your kid is the one he learns best in and will build the strongest foundation to build upon. More isn’t necessarily better in the long run.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

Agree with you PP. That previous poster is most certainly NOT from NYC. NYS Regents aren't allowed until 8th grade; hence, it's there are zero students taking Calc sophomore year if they're in a NYC public school. That's the long and short of it. But yeah tons of DMV (or god only knows from where) folks want to opine how NYC magnet public schools work.

NP: Exactly - I guess the only possible exception is if a kid went to a Speyer for K-8 or one of the few other schools where they push the kids ahead, so they enter the SHSAT school ahead. Otherwise, it is almost impossible. I know some NYC middle schools are letting kids take Geometry early (since it can be done in tandem with Algebra) but that still doesn't get you to Calc in 10th. And the kids from the SHSAT schools do incredibly well with college, math/science research, and any other metric.

Meanwhile the DMV crowd thinks they are all that and their kids are smarter than NYC SHSAT kids because they take math a year or two earlier. They live in a fantasy land and a bubble. I'm sure their kids are plenty bright but their attitude is weird.

No, but our kids who take something like AP Calc BC, AP Phys Mechanics, AP Chem sophomore year and gets 5's on the exams demonstrates the raw intellectual horsepower that colleges love. Don't denigrate students because they are good students. It makes you look petty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If from a decently resourced public school, AP Calc BC by sophomore year is recommended. Many of the replies are from private school parents who are ignorant of the gate-keeping of public school students to Ivies. A public school student at a middle or upper-middle class high school has to be 10X the scholar a private school student has to be.

The majority of Princeton's non-hooked students took math above Calculus BC. At MIT, more than 50% of unhooked public school students had math higher than BC.

I am fairly sure that basically zero kids at Stuy, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, etc. do calc as sophomores, and I don't think many even do it as a junior. And they do fine with college acceptances and once they get to college.

Colleges want kids who do the best with what is offered. So the schools don't need to offer these things to keep up with each other. Parents are being bamboozled. But the damage is done and it isn't being changed. So now you are forced to do it. Which is dumb.

Wrong. Dozens take it each year. So your "fairly sure" basically meant you were guessing.

Not sure why you are so angry about this. Especially since you are wrong. My kid was accepted to one of these schools and almost attended (chose to go to private). I have toured all three and know many kids at all three. There are some who do it as a junior. But not a huge number. And they are not necessarily the students with the best college outcomes.

But you sit in your exurban DMV house with the minivan in the driveway and tell me how NYC schools work.

Agree with you PP. That previous poster is most certainly NOT from NYC. NYS Regents aren't allowed until 8th grade; hence, it's there are zero students taking Calc sophomore year if they're in a NYC public school. That's the long and short of it. But yeah tons of DMV (or god only knows from where) folks want to opine how NYC magnet public schools work.

NP: Exactly - I guess the only possible exception is if a kid went to a Speyer for K-8 or one of the few other schools where they push the kids ahead, so they enter the SHSAT school ahead. Otherwise, it is almost impossible. I know some NYC middle schools are letting kids take Geometry early (since it can be done in tandem with Algebra) but that still doesn't get you to Calc in 10th. And the kids from the SHSAT schools do incredibly well with college, math/science research, and any other metric.

Meanwhile the DMV crowd thinks they are all that and their kids are smarter than NYC SHSAT kids because they take math a year or two earlier. They live in a fantasy land and a bubble. I'm sure their kids are plenty bright but their attitude is weird.

The Ivy acceptance rate for Stuy blows TJ out of the water ... and has been that way since the 90s ... sorry DMV TJ parents!