<p>First of all, I don’t know where to put it, but I guess I could be categorized in this section.
I’m currently an exchange student in the US, and I plan to apply to US colleges when I graduate. I plan to major in Economics or Actuarial Science.
I’m currently a senior here, but I have to repeat my 12th grade in my home country.
I need your help to decide on my Math course.</p>
<p>Here are my options:
I’m currently taking Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry here, and I’m planning to self-study AP Statistics. FST is like reviewing materials for me because I’ve learned most of it last year, but it’s gonna pretty useful in my 12th grade
Or
Change into Pre-Calc but I don’t think I will self-study AP Statistics if I actually change my class. They said Calculus will be very useful, but I don’t think I’ll take AP Calculus because I will have to be excused from class from time to time due to my status as an exchange student.</p>
<p>How is Pre-Calc different from Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry? The latter almost sounds like a syllabus for a traditional pre-calc course…</p>
<p>American colleges care a great deal about calculus. If you can take it, I would highly encourage you to do so. If the only obstacle are your potential absences, discuss the issue with the calculus teacher and see what he says. When I was an exchange student at an American high school, varsity athletes were periodically missing class for games and such and it didn’t seem like a big deal.</p>
<p>Yes, I took AP Calculus while I was in the US. Turned out to be my favorite class all year. It also had a few practical benefits: I got a privileged position on the math team and it made the transition back to my high school at home much easier. (I “skipped” the year that I spent in the US and missed half a year of calculus math-wise.)</p>
<p>FST vs Pre-Calc is probably not going to make a difference college admission wise.</p>