Hello, I am a biochem/Chem major with strong ECs in the sciences but will have only completed AP Pre-Calc senior year. Applying to LAC and a couple UCs. Do I need to explain why I am not in accelerated math on my application in the “additional information” section? UW GPA 3.9, Weighted 4.2, 8 AP classes, 2 dual enrollment. The reason has to do with ADHD challenges in my middle school and then not knowing I could have doubled up on math Sophomore year. (Counselor didn’t help) Do I need to explain this in applications for more competitive schools?
Congrats on a great accomplishments.
You do not need to explain this. In fact, most haven’t accelerated.
As long as you apply to a school you know you will get into and you can afford, you will be fine.
But there is no reason to explain why you took the classes intended for someone with your grade.
Best of luck to you in your pursuit.
If you want more help, you can do a chance me or match me.
Best of luck to you.
Pomona College explicitly recommends high school calculus for prospective STEM majors. You may want to consider replacing Pomona with an alternate LAC.
Oh, I didn’t see the tags.
Oxy may come down to budget. All five listed may not be attainable. Hard to say. Is there an SAT?
But yes, other publics (either WUE if there’s a budget issue like Nevada Reno - or any like an ASU/U of Arizona if you want to be close to home) and then for LACs, you might want a Willamette / Lewis & Clark type) if you want to stay out West added.
The five tags are hefty - with Oxy likely the easiest to get into and may come down to what the OP can pay - but it’s not an easy entry. A test score would help.
The UC minimum Math requirements is up to Algebra 2 and a 4th year of Math is strongly recommended so you do exceed the minimum requirements and fulfill the 4th year recommendation. I would not explain.
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Pomona does says that “these are not admission requirements, but recommendations for the best preparation for Pomona’s curriculum.”
The molecular biology major at Pomona requires calculus 1 and calculus 2 (but also at least one math or statistics course taken in college, so those with AP calculus BC and AP statistics credit take calculus 3). The chemistry major at Pomona does not specify math requirements, but at least one of the required chemistry courses lists calculus 2 as a prerequisite. So students without any calculus at all need to take calculus 1 and 2 for these majors.
“Students often select a major in their second or third year at Pomona. Once a major is formally declared, students may be required to select a major advisor.”
So just as @Shelby_Balik noted yesterday that Williams has classes even under Calc and has Calc 1 classes, Pomona will too. So the pre reqs can be done on campus.
We don’t have a full picture of OP but I don’t think they are disqualified anywhere. Doesn’t mean they will be admitted though.
This is a strong recommendation for admission. Pomona grants credit for AP scores of “4” and “5” but only grants a maximum of two Advanced Standing credits applied to the 32 credits needed for graduation. For prospective STEM majors, admissions may prefer a student who took high school calculus but didn’t score a “4” or “5” or didn’t sit for the exam over a student without any previous calculus experience.
I’m sticking to my original recommendation for SandTiger.
I agree they need more schools. Even Oxy isn’t an easy in. They definitely need a wider list as I showed in post 4. What we don’t know is if they have geographic or cost limitations.
Pomona is a reach even if you have the recommended courses.
If you apply to Pomona, I would. Is Pomona currently your top choice? Are you planning to apply ED or EA to any particular schools?
Yes, ED to Pomona. RD to others. Other schools on the list that are matches include UW, WWU, Whitman.
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My question is about applications to the most competitive schools. I have others that are more likely/matches like WWU, Whitman, UW.
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Consider completing a Chance Me/Match Me template with additional stats & information if you want targeted advice & comments from the CC experts. You are considering other LACs & universities which is great.
Why ? It’s excuse making IMHO if from the student. The OP’s record is the record.
The counselor should put if given a formal diagnosis from a medical team. I mean, if a student wrote that, everyone would and schools may eliminate them for bending the truth. If the counselor didn’t, then they didn’t. The student can ask them to amend or send a second note.
The record is the record. ADHD is real and I’m glad the student was diagnosed but I think it’s the wrong way to go - self reporting.
That you have Whitman and WWU is great. Willamette is a top producer of Chem PhDs per capita if not on your list. If you’re willing to go farther, Allegheny, Hendrix and Kalamazoo are too. K has a flexible curriculum too.
You may not be after a PhD but it’s a good hint toward professors who might be good mentors or nurturing.
Good luck.
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I agree. This type of sensitive information belongs in the counselor recommendation and should never be self-reported by the applicant.
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@SandTiger Not only would no one expect you to double up on math, they wouldn’t want you to.
Math builds.
You took the appropriate classes - for you.
That’s all that matters.
There’s no issue here. Statistically you are unlikely to get into Pomona but that’d be the case even with Calc.
Apply and you’ll see. Don’t make medical proclamations. Don’t justify
Put forth your best app and you’ll see what happens.
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I agree with other responses. You do not have anything to explain. There are lots of reasons why a student might not have jumped ahead in math. Given your number of APs and DE classes it does look like you have good rigor in other areas and overall.
And this is important also. It is better to have a solid understanding of each level of math rather than to jump ahead. What you are learning this year in math you are likely to need next year and the year after.
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Also, in most cases, math acceleration or not was decided while the student was in middle school or even earlier.
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I agree you could consider asking your counselor to (briefly) mention the ADHD issue.
I also think you could consider having a Math teacher write a recommendation, basically just to confirm you are a very strong Math student who is likely to do well in college Calc 1 and 2 classes.
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From the perspective of someone who works in higher ed: I would not explain the math acceleration issue at all but especially would not have the counselor mention the ADHD issue. There are a ton of reasons why students may not have accelerated math in middle school (in addition to the school sometimes gatekeeping those courses from students, parents also sometimes make the choice for students against what the school has recommended, or the student at the time didn’t feel they wanted to do it, etc.) Pointing out that your school (or your parents, or yourself) had doubts in your ability to handle higher level math due to ADHD just creates doubt in your application. Your transcript shows that you completed the regular math sequence and excelled in those courses and also challenged yourself with higher level classes where you could. IMO, an explanation that mentions a diagnosis is only necessary when explaining away repeating a class or poor grades, etc. Admissions officers know that middle schoolers are often limited by the rules or recommendations their schools have on math acceleration. You controlled what you could control by excelling in your coursework and challenging yourself as much as you could. Let your transcript speak for itself and don’t place doubt in the admission readers’ minds by drawing attention to anything other than your great grades.
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