My daughter is a freshman. Her classes are…
AP World History
Honors Bio
Honors English
Honors PreCalculus
Honors Bio
Honors Spanish 3
She will be taking the SAT Math 2 Subject test and SAT this summer. She is hoping to major in Engineering at a very competitive school
She is scheduled to take her sophomore year…
AP US History
AP physics
AP Calculus
Honors Literature
Honors Chemistry
Honors Spanish 4
Is this an appropriate schedule for someone hoping to go to a top engineering school (taking into account grades and test scores), or is there a better path for her to take?
Beyond that, is there a local college where she can take multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations after she completes AP calculus (presumably BC) in 10th grade, since she may not want to go without any math for two years (11th-12th grade)?
SHe’ll take AP Calculus BC her junior year. Then, she mentioned that she would take AP Statistics. Her school does have a multivariable calculus class, but it is not AP or honor and my daughter doesn’t think anyone takes it. (She is the only freshman taking prcalculus as a freshman
Her schedule is more than adequate. My son, an ORM, got into multiple top 10 engineering programs with a schedule that was a year behind your daughter’s. Her schedule won’t be the reason if she doesn’t get into her choice of programs.
How is she doing in precalculus? How did she do in trigonometry and when did she take it?
In my experience, if a student is very strong in trig and precalculus (solid A or A+) then calculus is relatively straightforward. If a student struggles in trig and/or precalculus then calculus can be tough.
She is young to take calculus and as such I think that having a solid grasp of the material is more important than being ahead of her classmates in terms of what she is taking. Algebra and calculus are going to be important for an engineering major.
Her school allowed her to teach herself Algebra2 in 3 months and then take tests to exempt her from taking Algebra 2 She has the highest grade in her class in Precalculus (99%) She finds it very easy.
She is not taking this aggressive approach in order to be ahead of her classmates. She truly loves learning and was very bored in her previous math classes.
“She has the highest grade in her class in Precalculus (99%)”
Exactly what I got in precalculus, and I found calculus quite easy. It sounds like she is solidly on track.
She will probably find calculus over two years to be very easy, and will probably find AP statistics to be very easy.
Do any of you have any thoughts regarding AP Physics her sophomore year then taking AP physics C her junior year, vs. taking it her junior year and senior year?
She’s planning to take AP Physics 1 (or 1 and 2) sophomore year, then, not C? She’ll be fine; my bright but not super mathy kid is in Physics 1 and Algebra II as a sophomore and is doing fine.
Taking them back to back isn’t necessary.
AP Physics 1, followed by AP Physics C
I thought it was best to take physics 1 before physics c. Is this not the case?
I had a schedule very similar to your daughters. Took AP Calc BC junior year. Found it very easy. Senior year rather than take our schools multi class in conjunction with the local cc I took AP stats. AP stats was a joke but also was really nice to take. I ended up at a top engineering school that has an 11% acceptance rate. Schools really only expect up to AP Calc and you won’t be disadvantaged not taking anything higher though it doesn’t hurt.
I agree that taking Physics 1 before Physics C is a good plan, unless the normal progression at your school would be non-AP physics followed by 1 or C.
Our school offers on-level, 1, 2, and C-Mechanics each as full-year classes, and does not offer C-E&M. Suggested progression is on-level followed by 1, or 1 followed by 2, or 1 followed by C, depending on math background / personal interest.
For a prospective engineering major, some kind of physics in high school is recommended as a prerequisite for taking calculus-based physics in college.
Getting advanced placement in physics is much less reliable than for some other subjects. For a prospective engineering major considering AP physics courses, only the C exams have a chance of giving advanced placement (since the 1 and 2 exams are for non-calculus-based physics), but many colleges do not allow advanced placement for the C exams due to lower mathematical intensity (particularly for E&M, which commonly has multivariable calculus as a corequisite in college) and topic coverage (there topics covered in the first and second calculus-based physics courses may include some not present in the AP physics C courses).
So the choices are:
a. Take high school physics for a brief overview at the high school level (should be sufficient prerequisite for physics in college).
b. Take AP physics 1 and 2 for a somewhat more in-depth non-calculus-based overview of the range of physics topics (no advanced placement should be expected in college).
c. Take whatever sequence allows taking AP physics C courses/exams to try for advanced placement in physics, but understanding that it is not given at many colleges.
d. Take calculus-based physics at a local college to try for advanced placement in physics.
Note: the SAT subject test in physics is best taken after a high school physics course covering the full range of topics, or after both AP physics 1 and 2. Some colleges or their engineering divisions want to see SAT subject tests including math and a science.
My DS took a similar math path (he got in Caltech and Stanford intended major Chem E). He took AP Calc BC in Junior year, then for senior year instead of taking AP Stats, he took Differential Equations at a CC. By taking AP stats and getting A in it, her GPA will go up, but colleges look at the rigor of the curriculum, so taking DE at a CC would be a better choice. When his underclassman friend asked for his advice about math path he told them don’t take AP Stats.
BTW I hope she’ll ace her PSAT in her Junior year and will become NMSF, even though the title doesn’t add much to her college app, most of, if not all of her competitors will be NMSF and/or NMF.
I don’t see any Electives, is the Spanish class elective? Other than Spanish she’s not taking any elective? Highly selective colleges don’t want students who only study and show no interest in other things. My son took many electives which helped him to reflect his experiences in his essays. If she loves Math, she should consider tutoring her peers at school. Colleges want to see students who give back to their own school. Join NHS or leadership club and start a math tutoring session. Join in Mathlete club (if there isn’t one create the club) and participate in a competition. There are so many things she can do outside of the classes. Good luck.
@Engineer9 Also what’s her plan for this summer? 2018 Mid term election is coming up and it’s a great time to volunteer for a local politician’s campaign or Voter Registration Drive. She will gain a lot by talking to total strangers and if she mentors new volunteers, she’ll learn leadership skills.
Yikes, that’s a brutal schedule! If she think she can handle it, I’d say go for it, but to be taking 3 AP courses in her sophomore year is going to really test her. I did that my senior year, and absolutely suffered. Either way it goes, taking APP1 should give her a good feel of how Physics will be in college. It might not be calculus based like a college course, but the concepts remain the same.