Hello,
So I am scheduled to take Multivariable Calc next year as a junior, but I want to receive the National AP Scholar which requires 8 APs I believe. My school doesn’t offer APs for freshman or sophomores, so I’ve only taken 2 APs. The max amount of APs I can take junior year is 3, but I want to take AP Stat to make it 4. Then, I would only need to self study 2 APs versus 3, which does make a big difference in my opinion.
I don’t really like calculus, but I’ve done better in statistics and have done coursework in epidemiology an such. My grade in calc BC is sub-par as well, but in order to get considered for the class, I need to explain why I want to “take a break” from calc and save it for senior year.
My reasons are currently:
-for stress levels; AP stats comes easier to me than calc
-AP award; get the APs done with earlier
-I’m ready for stat; most students have only taken calc I and I’ve taken 2
But I feel like I need more…can anyone help me think of ways to convince my math teacher and GC that stat would be a better fit for junior year? I would take Multivariable senior year, where only courseload matters and that’s definitely a hard course.
Also, how much does the National AP Scholar matter? Last year we have loads of top school (ivys, MIT, Stanford, UCBerkley, CalTech etc.) and not a single person got the National AP Scholar award.
@LushLillies Having more interest in statistics over calculus is fairly good reason, as well as a subpar performance in Calculus BC.
However I never really found AP awards that meaningful, and I’m struggling to see why one would take AP Stats over a non-AP for the National AP Scholar. It’s a nice title and is probably worth putting on college apps, but the award itself is merely a certificate…
For your third reason, AP Stats does not involve or require calculus, even though statistics as a field uses it a lot. But I found some things (E.g. how to compute least squares) easier to understand with a calculus background.
Makes sense. For the record, I got AP Scholar with Distinction, but not National.
I’m definitely more into stats and I think it’ll be helpful for when I’m choosing a major and choosing college programs. I want to do clinical research and conduct studies which does require stats a lot as you have to analyze your data, but I want to make sure I actually enjoy stats before I choose a major that uses a lot of it.
Plus, I thought about it and I would forget Multivariable and have to retake it in college if I took it junior year. Maybe that’ll help sway my calc teacher? That I want to challenge myself a lot in college and not have to take refresher courses? Since tons of people retake calc in college and I want to say that he’d be such a good teacher that I would pass the placement with flying colors if I actually remembered the content (he’s actually a really good teacher, but he gets mad easily)…
Well, I guess the National AP Scholar doesn’t matter if you’re lopsided or really good at an EC, but I’m definitely one of those “well-rounded” people who need some more factors that’ll make me stand out. I think National AP Scholar will make me stand out (in my school) since nobody gets the award…and AP Stats isn’t an “easy class” and not a junior class either.