How many people actually take multivariable calc in high school?

illiriks
Thu, 23 Jan 2014 08:29:05 +0000

A lot do at my school, which is full of crazy STEM people who are forcing things they don’t do. They go to NC State University nearby and take MVC and Differential Equations as a yearlong course, sometimes as juniors or even sophomores. Then, they wind up incapable of writing anything or performing critical thought outside of math because they think math is the only thing that actually matters. For example, our valedictorian (who took MVC/DiffEq as well as higher math courses, even) got a 36 on the ACT but a 7 on the essay section. I’d say do it, and it is impressive, but I’d much rather have, say, AP English and Economics than Calc 3 and DiffEq because the former shows better well-roundedness. Besides, most schools don’t offer the courses, and adcoms may not even know they were offered at your school, thus not counting against you.