Wordsworthian

Hello everyone,

I'm currently finishing up my sophomore year of high school. This year, I took Pre-Cal, but I really struggled with it (C-). I've never been drawn to math or ever really particularly "good" at it, but this year was, so far, the worst.

What I'd like to know is whether or not taking AP Calculus is imperative to my chance of getting admitted into Brown? I don't like excuses, but I'm a strong humanities student and have excelled in both Language Arts and History throughout my entire school life. I plan to major in Modern Culture and Media Studies, as well as Comparative Literature. Regarding my potential math course (HS), I was considering taking AP Stats, but I'm afraid that Brown will see this as risk aversion, which it is really.

I know that Brown wants students who go out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves academically, but this year wasn't so great for me, grade-wise. I'm currently at a 3.4 unweighted GPA (only core classes/foreign languages calculated. sports and whatnot were withdrawn in my calculation). I became too comfortable this past year, but I plan to fix that. I know what I want now and I've established a motivation that I've never really had before. That being said, it'd be ideal for me to raise my GPA to around a 3.7 or a 3.8.

The fact of the matter is this: I'm afraid that AP Calculus may inhibit my academic growth. I believe that if I don't get a decent grade, it'd hurt my chances of getting admitted significantly, as I can't afford another C if I want to reach that 3.8. Though I'm aware Brown has a holistic admissions process, I'd be comforted by the fact that I at least have, you know, "the average GPA".

Thanks in advance!

T26E4

Word: the fact is the applicant pool will be populated by thousands and thousands of students who are taking all the most rigorous courses and excelling in them -- future humanities majors or not.

If you truly want to make yourself a viable candidate for uber-selective schools like Brown, may I suggest some math tutoring?

Certainly, I'm not implying that the world will end if you aren't a Brown student in a few years -- you're certainly demonstrating a level of academic potential that should serve you well... but just not at a college w/the selectivity levels such as Brown. Good luck to you.

SereneSilver

True^, but Math 9 and Math 10 are some of the most populated classes which either means that a lot of people are re-taking Calc 1 and 2 or they simply didn't in high school. Taking every AP possible simply for the sake of working admissions isn't very Brown-like either.

It's a fine line between challenging yourself and doing things simply because some committee expects you to.

MyaSavesTheWorld

I can relate to this. I hate history. My school offers AP US and AP Euro. I took neither because it's not my thing. I got into Brown just fine. Pursue what you are passionate about. The beauty of Brown is that you'll never have to take another Math class if you don't want to. Don't feel obligated to take AP Calc if math isn't your thing. I truly believe that Brown looks far beyond the academic aspect. Put time in extracurricular activities and do something meaningful. Take the classes that are right for you.