quirkily

Is it possible to take Calc BC and Multivariable Calculus at the same time?

At the same time, No.

cooljoe

Oh well...I just wanted to catch up to those guys who took Calc BC as freshmen or even lower grades...(sigh)

Anyway, would a math course, or any course for that matter, at a local university (not community college) be more or less prestigious compared to a Stanford EPGY course, for example? How much do they cost? Rice University is only a 20-minute drive for me.

marite

Cooljoe:

Are you a high school sophomore thinking of taking BC as a junior? You don't need to worry about catching up with kids who took BC as freshmen. Colleges know that BC-Calc is the highest level of math that is expected of high schools (some do offer higher-level math, but they are a tiny minority of schools).

If you wish to study more math while still in high school, by all means explore different options. But don't do it just to impress adcoms. A 20-minute drive may be very feasible or it might interfere with the rest of your high school schedule too much to be practicable. Distance learning, however, offers a great deal more flexibility. You could consider using the UT-Austin distance learning courses and hiring a tutor to go over the materials with you. It would not go on your transcript, but you would be keeping your math skills honed.

cooljoe

No actually, I'm a freshman thinking of taking BC as a sophomore. I'm doing this because I don't want to be bored my last 2 years of high school and atrophy my math skills. The valedictorian at my school, who got into Yale and Princeton, basically forgot calculus by the time he graduated.

So EPGY grades are not shown on your transcript?

marite

EPGY grades would be shown on your transcript only if your high school recognized the course. In this case, there is a good chance that your high school would be willing to pay for it. EPGY has an individual and a school program. In the individual program, you pay for online-EPGY tutoring. In the school program, the school provides the tutor; hence the lower cost to the school.

If you take community college or university classes, you may have to take them on top of your high school classes unless your high school agrees to have them count and substitute for one of the high school classes you would normally take. But you can request a transcript to colleges when you apply on top of your high school transcript. My S took a bunch of college courses and sent both types of transcripts.

cooljoe

Since I will probably be the only student in the school's history to ever even take an EPGY course, will I have to pay for it and do it individually, or will the school still offer to pay off some of the cost?

marite

Cooljoe:

This is something to take up with your school. Each school has different policies. Your school might have an arrangement with local community colleges or even universities in which case EPGY may not be necessary.
Several local high schools (in different districts) have arrangements for their students to take courses at the Harvard Extension School (evening classes), so it does not make sense for them to offer distance-learning classes. But the situation may be quite different in your part of the country. Talk to your GC.

over30

Do a little research starting with these sites.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Edu...oice/texas.cfm

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Edu...ice.cfm#_ftn12

http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=207

From this website, which says Texas colleges will waive tuition and fees if you are dual-enrolled for high school and college credit: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/educ/HSStateLeg.htm

During the past four years, 14 states passed legislation to create or expand their dual enroll*ment programs and partnerships with postsecondary institutions. Six states addressed the costs of dual enrollment programs. In Mississippi and Missouri, loans would be provided to students to cover the costs. In Oklahoma, high school students are entitled to receive a tuition waiver of up to 6 credit hours per semester. In Tennessee, lottery proceeds are used to establish dual enrollment grants that cover the costs of college credits for eligible high school students. In Texas, higher education institutions are now permitted to waive tuition and fees for students who are enrolled in courses for which they will receive both high school and college credit. Wisconsin legislated that school districts must pay for tuition, fees, books and other necessary supplies; however, if a student fails or does not complete the course, the student must reimburse the school district

Eagle79

Cooljoe,

As Marite says, it depends upon the school. You may want to ask yours. If I remember correctly the EPGY program does qualify for Title 1 grants (whatever those are). You can also apply to Stanford for financial aid to see if you can get a tuition reduction.

At a minimum ask your school if they can negotiate a discount for you.

cooljoe

Okay, everyone thanks so much!

Sly Si

EPGY courses, as I understand it, are very similar to Stanford courses, although I'm not sure they're quite at the same level. So if a Stanford education is worth the money, EPGY is a huge bargain.

I took Number Theory and Modern Algebra and found them to be extremely good courses.

You might also want to look into Art of Problem Solving courses. They'll teach you some very interesting non-traditional math and expose you to amazingly talented peers and instructors.

cooljoe

I definitely will look into AoPS.