WPI does not have F grades, so I would say it might be a different decision if my son was going there.
As a professor, I know sometimes it doesn’t take much to go from a B to an F, and the F range is pretty darn wide.
I’d say that first semester success is good, but spring semester freshman year can be quite a wake-up call. I took Calc I after taking Honors Calc in HS, and it was easy. But Calc II was not. I hope that Calc I and Calc II will be “easy” for my son because he is finishing AP Calc BC.
My girl is taking Calc III this summer at our local four-year. She took AP Calc BC as a junior, so she wants to get back in a math mode before plunging into various physics classes this fall.
After reading just how fast paced these classes are, I may advise her to retake the class so as to keep her stress levels in check. I guess when she attends orientation she will discuss this with an advisor. She has to take a Spanish placement test this summer and she has already been assigned a book to read. When school begins they will all be placed into smaller groups to discuss.
The question of using AP credits for advanced class admission is a tough one. Depends on so much more than the score on the test: the course at the college as well as the course itself taken in high school, and just the kid’s personality.
As background, D13 and S15 both took BC calculus as juniors (our HS requires a year of AB calculus before the year of BC so definitely not at the college pace). D13 took linear algebra at CC her senior year but S15 hasn’t taken any math this year. D retook Calc II at ASU and it was easy although still quite a bit of homework. But she did the homework diligently and got a good grade. Meanwhile, her friend with the same hs calc teacher, but for BC as a senior and I’m guessing a 5 on the AP test, went straight to calc III and also did fine albeit with a little more stress having to pick up a topic or two that she had missed in BC calc.
Now we are also facing the same question with DS. He is worried that he didn’t have any math this year but the dean of engineering at OU strongly encouraged going straight to calc III saying too many kids who retake calc II think it will be too easy, don’t do the work, and in the end don’t get a very good grade. I think my DS will be fine retaking calc II because he has very good work habits and would (I think) do the work. And I think he would take the Honors section because it looks like a good prof from online ratings.
On the other hand, DS also wants to start in PhysII because he has had lots of mechanics instruction between Physics B and a double hour Physics C. But PhysII has calcII as a prerequisite so we will have to wait and see if the advisor will let him take Calc II as a co-requisite instead. If not, then I think he will go ahead to CalcIII. Then the question is still whether to do Honors to get the honors credit because Honors sections are pretty limited to the core classes. ugh!!!
Anyway, I think it is always ok for a kid to retake a class they could get AP credit for (if that’s what they want) but I would ask an advisor at the school about taking the credit to enroll for the more advanced class. Their advice won’t necessarily apply to every kid but it’s good to have their take on it.
Oh, and you can usually find some of the exams online. We ordered the book they are using for both Calc II and Calc III so DS can look through it.
And as far as staying with the cohort group, DD found that more of the Honors kids actually went straight to CalcIII so that also depends on the school.
@STEMFamily our children may be in some of the same classes at OU. Daughter is looking at ChemE. Did the Dean say AP Calc BC was good enough prep for Calc III? Even after a senior year’s gap? Daughter '15 went “backward”" and took AP Calc AB this year (it only counted as an elective) just to keep in a math frame of mind.
I will say my personal experience and also observations of my S12’s friends, calc 3 is much much harder than 1 and 2. I think that’s a tough call whether to go right into calc 3.
As far as WPI not giving out F’s, that is irrelevant to our decision. I am mostly concerned with proper placement, a good foundation, and finishing in 4 years
@rhandco Clearly you care very little about the rules of ED. It is evident from your posts. The reason I am repeating my comments from December on this thread is so that OTHER PARENTS can see that what you are doing is wrong.
@rhandco I say again that your continued disrespect of the ED rules is an insult to all of the other parents on this thread.
I agree there is a conceptual leap from Calculus 2 to 3 (single variable to multivariable) but it isn’t always true that the Calculus 3 class is harder. I can’t recall the exact schools, but I have heard cases where calc 2 is treated as a weed-out course and thus intentionally made very difficult. In some of those cases, the advice has been to take the calc 2 credit if possible. You would have to know the culture of the particular school.
^^Yes, I’ve heard from my older son informant that Calc 2 is tougher than 3. He didn’t say it’s intentionally made harder, just that it is naturally harder. I do think that kids shouldn’t be afraid to try, and then to drop down or up in class early in a semester–if they’re organized enough to catch up. The math placement page on my 2015’s school does talk about a try-out period.
Many schools allow a certain number of pass/fail courses for this purpose.
MIT, for example, is pass/fail for the first freshman term to give newbie college kids a chance to stretch themselves and try stuff out “without being overly preoccupied with their grades.”
I found it liberating @twogirls. There was one school I thought a lot about. But, she is so happy with her choice that I feel good about it. I think it’s a great fit so I have no second thoughts.
Your daughter had so many great choices, I can understand that it is hard to give some of them up. I’m sure she will thrive at her new home.
Prom this week; less than 25 days of highschool left. H is now in the “grieving” stage… I dont believe she leaving. I am in the acceptance stage; “grieving”
I can not find the list and when someone post soon I will add D’s name because she will be USF Bull next year.
@Hoosier96 … Here’s the most current list (I think), so add away!!
Butler University: Illinoismom4 S
Carleton College: lhenkin’s S
College of William and Mary: Catmatmc’s D
Cornell University: mdcmom’s S, CD2015’s S, co4usc2016’s S15
Grinnell College: Limner’s D
Ithaca College: momsings S
Juniata College: jmnva06 D
Marywood University: Musictherapymom’s D
MIT: momof2vt S
Murray State University: ILMom13579’s D
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI): rhandco S, Dadinator’s S
Rochester Institute of Technology: kidsrexpensive’s S
Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Honors College: Veggylover’s S
Scripps College: dustypig’s D
Smith College: clubacres’ D
Swarthmore College: PhxRising’s S
Texas A&M University Honors Program: Loganator’s S, Barfly’s S
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Honors Program: bopper’s D2
Truman State University: Wrestlersmom’s S
United States Military Academy (West Point): Bigbossman1’s D
University of Alabama: 2kidsinky’s D
University of Arizona: Maystarmom’s D
University of Georgia: kidsrexpensive’s D
University of Kentucky: Wolverine86’s D2
University of Miami: 4CookieMonster
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor: Wrights1994’s S, a2zgirls D1
University of Michigan - Flint: Wolverine86’s S
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities: giterdone’s S
University of Notre Dame - suzy100’s D
University of Oklahoma: STEMFamily’s S
University of Pittsburgh: amandakayak’s D3
University of Rochester: Elliemom
University of San Francisco: oneofthosemoms S
University of Southern California: MsMommy’s S2, co4usc2016’s D16
University of Tulsa: deborahb’s S
University of Virginia: FCCDAD’s D1
University of Washington - Seattle: LadyArwyn’s D
Vanderbilt University: disneydad’s S
Washington and Lee University: mtrosemom’s D
Wichita State University: albert69
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI): VMT’s D
Butler University: Illinoismom4 S
Carleton College: lhenkin’s S
College of William and Mary: Catmatmc’s D
Cornell University: mdcmom’s S, CD2015’s S, co4usc2016’s S15
Grinnell College: Limner’s D
Ithaca College: momsings S
Juniata College: jmnva06 D
Marywood University: Musictherapymom’s D
MIT: momof2vt S
Murray State University: ILMom13579’s D
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI): rhandco S, Dadinator’s S
Rochester Institute of Technology: kidsrexpensive’s S
Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Honors College: Veggylover’s S
Scripps College: dustypig’s D
Smith College: clubacres’ D
Swarthmore College: PhxRising’s S
Texas A&M University Honors Program: Loganator’s S, Barfly’s S
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Honors Program: bopper’s D2
Truman State University: Wrestlersmom’s S
United States Military Academy (West Point): Bigbossman1’s D
University of Alabama: 2kidsinky’s D
University of Arizona: Maystarmom’s D
University of Georgia: kidsrexpensive’s D
University of Kentucky: Wolverine86’s D2
University of Miami: 4CookieMonster
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor: Wrights1994’s S, a2zgirls D1
University of Michigan - Flint: Wolverine86’s S
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities: giterdone’s S
University of Notre Dame - suzy100’s D
University of Oklahoma: STEMFamily’s S
University of Pittsburgh: amandakayak’s D3
University of Rochester: Elliemom
University of San Francisco: oneofthosemoms S
University of Southern California: MsMommy’s S2, co4usc2016’s D16
University of South Florida: Hoosier96 D
University. of Tulsa: deborahb’s S
University of Virginia: FCCDAD’s D1
University of Washington - Seattle: LadyArwyn’s D
Vanderbilt University: disneydad’s S
Washington and Lee University: mtrosemom’s D
Wichita State University: albert69
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI): VMT’s D
Good morning, everyone! For folks still firmly ensconced in the deck chairs on the USS Indecision, I’ve got a set of music this morning inspired by the best of the Coachella performances I heard on the radio over the weekend. Enjoy!
Busy days here. It is fun but also sad that we’re seriously into the “lasts” now. Last prom coming up, last honors chorus concert last week (but it was All-Eastern, what a way to finish!!!), last jazz band concert, last vocal solo adjudication (this year done in full Man of La Mancha costume!), on and on…I didn’t feel as sad last year with D’14, but then I knew we’d still be going to concerts and games this year. Since S’17 doesn’t do music except privately, this is the end for us in high school music. Sigh.
It’s silly to complain because the two kids are going to be close enough to visit easily, if they have concerts in college. But every new milestone means leaving something behind, and that’s been true since they were babies. I guess we’ve been having to let go, a little at a time, since then. But some letting go is harder than others!
DS is off to visit Cornell today, on his own since we can’t get off work. He’ll be checking out JAM, the Just About Music dorm, and sitting in on a calculus class. Hopefully his sister can meet up with him for lunch at a dining hall. I hope the JAM dorm works out for him so that he can keep his toe in the music scene more easily.
I will add D’s name because she will be USF Bull next year.