<p>Hi I am just starting high school and I think I would like to be an engineer of some sort when I finish school. I was told that to be an engineer, a lot of math is required, but im only in regular math. I don’t think I would get accepted into the college i want to go to because im not in any advanced math classes. Help?</p>
<p>Was your math placement for 9th grade based on something? The recommendation of your middle school, perhaps? Or placement testing?</p>
<p>The process of changing levels in math class always starts (and ends) within your high school. Start by talking to your teacher. But not on the first day of school! More like at the end of the first quarter.</p>
<p>You may be in the appropriate level math class for you. (Obviously, I don’t know you, so I wouldn’t know.) If so, that still doesn’t necessarily close off any occupation to you. Or you might be a suitable candidate for moving up. If so, you’ll be able to make your case better once you have a track record in your high school and the support if your math teacher.</p>
<p>Ace your current class (Algebra?) to show you can do the work and talk to your teacher and the administration toward the end of the year when you have proven yourself. My daughter was able to take Honors Alg II after getting an A in Alg I, but it depends on the school policies. Just keep taking a math course each year, regardless and aim for top grades.</p>
<p>I am going into algerbra 1 in 9th grade. Thanks guys for replying! I think if I get above a 95 average in the first quarter, I will talk to my guidance counselor about moving up into geometry 1, the accelerated class</p>
<p>You can still become an engineer staying on your current math track. Changing mid-year is tough because you will always be playing catch up, and in case you didn’t know you are probably at least 2 years behind the best maths kids in your school; it doesn’t make sense to kill yourself trying to reconnect with that track ( and possibly destroy your GPA too). If you really want to move up look into summer school at a local community college or through an accredited homeschooling program. You can blast through Geometry in 8 weeks and start your soph. Year in Alg. 2</p>
<p>If you really want to accelerate, take geometry over the summer or with Alg I or Alg II. That will set you up to take Pre-calc Junior year. And AP Calc senior year.</p>
<p>Otherwise, it’s no big deal. Just as long as you’ve finished Pre-calc by the time you’re done with highschool. As it’s meant to prepare you for Calculus I in college.</p>
<p>So being in regular math in all of high school will not effect my chances of getting into the college i want?</p>
<p>We didn’t quite say that.</p>
<p>If you want to go to MIT, well…frankly, yes, it would. But there are lots and lots of universities and colleges that would accept you for engineering if you’re ready to take calculus when you get to college.</p>
<p>RE: your post #5, above. You absolutely cannot skip out of Algebra I into a later math class. You need to know some algebra to do what we teach in high-school geometry, and even though Algebra II begins with a quick review of Algebra I topics, you really need to know Algebra I and some geometry in order to do what we teach in Algebra II. During the school year, you might be able to get moved to a higher level (e.g., honors) of the same course.</p>
<p>You might, however, be able to study over the summer and get a grade level ahead in high school, as teskeyben suggested.</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant to refer to your post #4, Jake. But it’s too late to edit my last post now.</p>
<p>Many schools allow you to take Geometry and Algebra II at the same time. Ask your counselor if it’s possible for you to take both your sophomore year. Then you will have Pre-Calc your junior year and Calculus your senior year. It’ll get you on the accelerated track, but it avoids the problem of switching mid-year or trying to cram a year long class into a summer.</p>
<p>ditto Bailey.</p>
<p>My daughter took Algebra I and geometry in 9th grade. the two topics have no overlap so it’s not bad to take then at the same time. Her friend took Algebra II and geometry concurrently in 10th grade. I would say he had a harder time with that than my daughter (they have similar math abilities).</p>
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<p>You are on track to be ready for calculus 1 as a frosh in college, based on this sequence:</p>
<p>9th: algebra 1
10th: geometry
11th: algebra 2
12th: trigonometry / precalculus
college frosh: calculus</p>
<p>This is sufficient for engineering at almost all colleges except for a few super-selective schools (Caltech, Harvey Mudd, WUStL, Princeton).</p>
<p>You could try to move into the honors versions of the above high school courses for a more rigorous schedule. If you feel that you must try to get a grade level ahead so that you reach calculus in high school, doubling up on geometry and algebra 2 in 10th grade is the most likely way to do it.</p>
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<p>Seriously? They do in my class! I could see letting a good student take Geometry and Algebra II at the same time, but I definitely want my geometry students to be very comfortable with basic algebra and simplifying radicals.</p>
<p>Sikorsky,</p>
<p>You’re probably right. </p>
<p>That was what she was told. but she had a strong pre-algebra/algebra background. When I tested her before the year started, I found that she already knew the first three quarters of algebra I. In other words, I held her back because she had shown a weakness and I didn’t feel she could go a year without algebra and move into Algebra II successfully. And that’s what happened: 98s the first three quarters and then a 90 the last quarter.</p>
<p>She was pretty steady at 92-95 all year in geometry.</p>
<p>Sikorsky - I didn’t even take Algebra I (neither did the 12-13 others on the same math track as me). I took Pre-Algebra in 7th, Geometry in 8th, Algebra II in 9th. We had a week long Algebra Crash Course , and everybody did fine in Geometry (Algebra II was a different story, though - most of us struggled in that). </p>
<p>So if we could handle Geometry with only a 10 hour crash course, I would think a strong math student could handle Geometry and Algebra I concurrently. But like I originally suggested, I think Geometry/Algebra II is a better combination for the vast majority of students wanting to double up.</p>
<p>I think you should do Geometry and Alg 2 together.</p>
<p>DO NOT TAKE ALGEBRA 2 ONLINE OR A SUMMER COURSE.</p>
<p>I, with my middle school, took Alg 2 online with no Alg 1 experience. I got a 90 but I learned the scratch down basics and it didnt live up to the HS Honors class. I am retaking the test before I enter HS and I know the material NOW. It was a horrible experience and I don’t recommend taking anything online unless you have previous knowledge of the course.</p>
<p>Actually don’t take ANY COURSE online, especially with Aventa Learning… I don’t know about other online courses</p>
<p>Many students at my D’s school tested out geometry after taking a summer course online. My D did not test out anything, but she took all accelerated Math classes. Finally she will hit AP Calc BC in senior. A few of her friend took Calc BC in Junior. There is also a sophomore in her pre-Calc class in Junior too.</p>