<p>I was just wondering if my particular circumstances are something that even Princeton (or any other Ivy) doesn’t see every day:
I go to a small school, and have been accelerated twice (I’ve skipped two grades) in addition to taking advanced coursework. I took my school’s joke calculus class as a sophomore, when I was 13-14. I self-studied and took AP Calc BC Exam, got a five. Next year I’ll be taking Analytic Geometry and Calculus III and Intro to Ordinary Differential Equations. Im not sure yet, but Senior year I will probably end up taking Abstract Algebra I & II, Advanced Calculus I & II, and I will only be 15-16 that year.
Thus, I will probably complete a substantial portion of undergraduate mathematics by the time I’m sixteen: does anybody know how impressive this really is? i.e., is it just another Princeton applicant with meager chances, or something really impressive even at that elite level?
(Also, just so people know I’m not focusing exclusively on math, Junior year i’ll be taking AP US, AP English Lit, AP Chemistry, and AP Vergil as well as my math courses; just for general information my ACT is 35 and my SAT is 2210.)
Thanks for any responses in advance</p>
<p>That’s extremely advanced and is very impressive. Come senior year, I think you’ll be a strong applicant.</p>
<p>Romulus,</p>
<p>That sounds very impressive to me! You sound similar to my son who also took calculus at 13 and his first physics class at a university at 13. He’ll graduate the normal age so last year and this year, he’s been doing the hardest u/g physics classes at the local state univ. and he studies some graduate level math (dynamical systems and something else) with his online tutor. We didn’t want him leaving home before 18 since he needed time to mature so we’ve had to be creative about finding resources for him to continue his love of math and physics.</p>
<p>Have you done math or physics competitions? These are an excellent way to keep yourself challenged. It’s one thing for my son to study these topics at a college or even graduate level; it’s totally different from competition math and physics where speed, breadth, and other factors heavily weigh into how successful one will be. My son’s been a physics olympiad semi-finalist twice but never made it to the finals. (Will have one more shot this year) So even though he’s doing graduate level physics research, he’s still lacking in areas (he’s never taken formal nuclear or quantum physics, for instance).</p>
<p>There always seems to be plenty to learn in math and physics.</p>
<p>I wish you well, Romulus!</p>
<p>Agree with other posters. My son was similarly advanced in math in high school (AP Calc BC 5 as a freshman) and did Diff Eq, Linear Algebra and other courses to complete his high school career. It’s gotta be impressive to colleges. Do note, however, that math, especially pure math, at Princeton is VERY difficult and most high schoolers may be well advised to repeat some of the post-calculus courses at Princeton - you won’t be bored, trust me!</p>
<p>Princeton12mom,</p>
<p>Do you know if Princeton has placement exams for all the math and physics courses beyond AP level? As with your son and the OP, my son’s had all the usual courses (linear alg, calc I-III, both lower and upper division dif. equ., stats, etc) and it would be good if they had placement exams to see what students have mastered and what they need to repeat. Is this something students work out with specific departments once they’re on campus?</p>
<p>It’s impressive, but honestly, Princeton sees more impressive. Multiple-time IMO gold medalists who will be taking graduate courses their first semester apply to Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. I don’t mean to discourage you but just a heads up.</p>
<p>Yanks,</p>
<p>The really odd thing, though, is that there apparently are some profs at Princeton who don’t want to see kids come in that advanced. It was probably 2 years ago that I had contact with a specific physics prof who felt that my son being so advanced in physics would make it hard for him to fit in. I was rather turned off by his comments but fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the prevalent opinion and my son thinks Princeton is a superb school and I agree.</p>
<p>Check out this re: math placement at Princeton … [Mathematics</a> Department - Princeton University - Undergraduate Homepage](<a href=“http://www.math.princeton.edu/undergraduate/]Mathematics”>Undergraduate Program | Math)</p>
<p>I also think that it is entirely appropriate for your son, if matriculating at Princeton, to contact the respective department heads to ask about placement given your son’s background.</p>
<p>@ Romulus - It’s great that you’re going beyond what’s typically available to pursue what you enjoy. As a math major myself (unofficially; I’m a rising sophomore), I’ll try to help out. I took multivariable and ODE’s as a junior, and linear and an intro abstract algebra course as a senior, and what I found was that my linear course wasn’t rigorous enough to sustain me in upper level courses (even though I took it through Stanford EPGY), so I ended up taking 215 freshman fall and 217-218 freshman spring, all of which challenged me despite my exposure to linear and multi. </p>
<p>I would definitely advise that you take linear algebra before abstract, just because linear is so much more necessary for everything. And even though the courses you take may not necessarily place you out of classes (especially if they aren’t proof-based), they do demonstrate aptitude and potential for learning higher math, which can definitely bolster your application. Your coursework will definitely stand out, though it’s not going to put you head and shoulders above all the other potential math majors. There were several freshmen - maybe 8 or so - in your kind of situation (lots of advanced math that may or may not have been what they needed to thrive in departmentals) who were advise to take 322 in the fall so they could figure out where to go in the analysis sequence by spring. Most ended up taking 218 in the spring along with something else like graph theory or topology.</p>
<p>@sbjdorlo - We don’t really have placement tests in math, but there is one in physics, and it’s not impossible for a freshman to test into death mech. We have advisors from the math department who talk to freshmen about past coursework and may ask about certain concepts, though.</p>
<p>sbjdorlo: I have not tried competitions in the past, but i did hear of them this Summer and would definitely like to pursue them if i can find the time.</p>
<p>Yanks: I understand that, but how many given IMO multiple gold medalists are there any given year? there couldnt be more than 5 in America, and internationally speaking I guess there could be 10ish more. These kids definitely have a spot in Princeton and MIT and the like (at least I think so, if not admission really is impossible). What I’m wondering about is whether or not my particular coursework makes me much more desirable than say a highschooler taking 10ish APs and maybe calc 3 senior year.</p>
<p>FighttheTide: Thanks for the recommendation for linear algebra, thats what I was originally considering instead of intro to oridinary diffs, but I’m also considering an engineering major and was told that the latter would get me much farther in the field than linear algebra.</p>
<p>Romulus, of course your math background will be impressive when you apply to college. It won’t necessarily be unique, though, because people like you – there aren’t hundreds of them every year, but there may be a couple dozen – tend to apply to only a few places with really strong math departments and a tradition of really strong undergraduate math. Princeton, yes, and also Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Chicago, Berkeley.</p>
<p>None of those colleges is going to take EVERYONE like you who applies, and all of them are going to accept weaker math students, too, who may have other things to recommend them. I think you have a great chance to get into one or more of those schools (assuming the grades in the rest of your courses are at least decent), but you can’t count on any particular one. Also, work on learning how to write a great essay, and on making certain you have at least one non-math teacher who will support you with a good recommendation. Don’t assume that your math ability alone will be enough!</p>
<p>I think this is a little less impressive than 15+ APs because anyone can be one dimensional. I had the option of taking BC Calc soph year but said “no,” because I wanted a chance to fully develop my lower level skills and experiment with other aspects of education. </p>
<p>People like this often lose touch with reality.</p>
<p>SheepGetKilled - I understand where youre coming from, but don’t you think saying people who decide to authoritatively major in one area often fall prey to mental illness is a little extreme? Additionally, while I think that 15+ APs is mighty impressive in its own right, I tend to think that highschool students completing significantly advanced portions of undergraduate coursework in one area can be more impressive than those who take many filler APs (like Human Geography, Enviromental Science, Psychology, Economics (Now, mind you, I say this only based on hearsay; these classes may be legitimate. From what I hear though, any gifted student with alot of time could easily selfstudy them for 5s)).</p>