Calculus or Prob/Stat for Senior Year in HS...

[amd123]

I'm most likely gonna have to take Calculus in college and well I'm currently signed up for:

Calc I
Organic Chemistry
AP Bio
AP Psychology
AP Spanish V
College Prep English

Organic Chem will be a hard one (the hardest class in my school), calc (also the 2nd hardest class).

Should I take prob and stat...I'm leaning towards Pre-Med/Bio/Chem Major with Minor in business or law or spanish.

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[mathlegend]

Dang your school offers organic chem? Mine just has...plain ol' AP Chem. I'd say calc. It can save you time in college. If you dont use the credits, at least you'll know what its like and probably do better.

 

[amd123]

well i did horribly in precalc with like an 80 avg and i have the same teacher in calc again.

 

[Optimus123]

I would like to point out that calc background sometimes makes people all cocky when they take calculus in college. Like, I came into calculus at a competitive school not knowing a damn thing, and I thought to myself "how can I possibly compete with these people that have taken it already?" Well, I worked hard and they didn't, and I got the 4.0 and many people that had learned it all previously (and forgot like people generally do) really messed up.

You can avoid this of course, but it is something to ponder.

Also, I am an ENGINEERING major, and I have taken calculus many times, and I still forget a lot of it. Learn and not use and forget, learn and not use and forget...it is an evil and endless cycle. You may not benefit that much from taking it early.

 

[mathlegend]

Eh teacher part, I dunno, is it the teacher's fault or yours that you got an average of 80? Of course I'm not in college yet, but I'd think that background would be helpful. Or you can just keep going ahead onto more interesting math

 

[rockaction]

Why would you take organic chemistry at the high school level? It cannot be comparable to college level at all and I can't see it ever helping you. Sounds like a waste of time to me.

 

[FuturaDocta]

They have OCHEM in high school? I would take it. Just study the mcat for that section a lot later. Or, retake in the university.

 

[CScull]

It looks like you've got a pretty tough schedule as it is... I would go with the less tricky one. I know AP Calc AB has given a lot of smart kids at my school trouble...

 

[FuturaDocta]

It looks like you've got a pretty tough schedule as it is... I would go with the less tricky one. I know AP Calc AB has given a lot of smart kids at my school trouble...

I agree. Having a hard schedule as an undergrad is not going to improve your chances to be admitted. It won't improve chances because you would be less likely to maintain a high GPA, which would hinder you. But, if you can do this, that's great. But, they never pay attention to the rigor until after you are interviewing, if they look at your schedule.

Example:

You- have a 3.9 and took biochem and human infectious disease at the same time as a freshman and then you continued at this pace.

Another Applicant- he/she has a 3.9 as well, but they majored in english and don't have much science classes under their belt and actually made a C in one of them their senior year.

I would think that you would be more competitive. But, that's just me.

Now, the likelihood of this happening is very slim. So, my advice is to avoid the low GPA and go with some easier classes your freshman year. If you read my other forums you might understand better. I crashed my freshman year because I took a senior level bio class with ochem (not a good idea).

Plus, you would be more flexible because you wouldn't have to study so much. The only hard classes I am going to put my self through from now on are bio classes, because I think they are interesting. But, now, all I have to study constantly are the bio classes and not spend 8 hours a day in the lib. I can research comfortably a join some campus groups. It is great to be free after such a rigorous schedule.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Go with calc. Stats is a really easy class, while college calc classes tend to be a bit more difficult than they probably should be. Get calc out of the way while your grades don't matter.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

CALC is much more different than pre-cal. Sure some of the basic methods come up but its new concepts you have not yet seen before. I think its pretty managable depending on the time you put into it. First semester of precal i got an 85, 2nd semester i got a 100.

Both semesters of AP calc, 95+, so depending on how much you contribute its up to you, but it can definately be done.

 

[Gallix23]

Also, I am an ENGINEERING major, and I have taken calculus many times, and I still forget a lot of it. Learn and not use and forget, learn and not use and forget...it is an evil and endless cycle. You may not benefit that much from taking it early.

But unless you are actually going into a field that will utilize it, like engineering, it doesn't matter if you forget everything you learned about calculus after getting a good grade in the class because it will never be used in the real world. Taking it as a senior in HS, getting a solid background, then taking it freshman year in college is probably the best in terms of getting a good grade and getting the requirement out of the way.

 

[Silverman780]

AP Bio
AP Psychology
AP Spanish V
College Prep English

Sounds like a TON of reading just to let you know

College Prep English for me was writing 121 and a reading class. IT was a ton of reading and writing each night.

 

[sumstorm]

Just a thought, but I took calc based stats in college (along with calc based physics) and having a solid grounding in calc entering college really improved my ability to take those classes. It also enabled me to take the stats course freshman year, which opened up some signficant research opportunities.