Thinking about increasing math course load to be more competitive for college apps

Applying to College
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I feel really behind. current junior taking 3 dual enrollment courses and only 2 high school courses. 3.5UW GPA, 3.7W/4.0

would increasing my course load help me catch up? I can take calc 1 at cc and ask my counselor about doing all APs at my high school next trimester. I can also take a bunch of 1-3 credit online classes at my college to boost my gpa a little bit.

I’m really concerned about my math placement. I don’t think I have a future in STEM since im in algebra 2 as a junior. I was on track to take geometry freshman year but my family moved around and I got placed into algebra 1. still my fault for not doing anything about it..

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I think you should slow down. You don’t want to overburden yourself.

So many/most take six classes but you said trimesters. Are these accelerated?

In the end, and it depends on the colleges you seek, but you need

4 years of English

4 years of math (through pre-calc; you do not want to accelerate on math as it builds so if you accelerate you can fall behind.

3 years of science, with at least two labs - so bio, chem. APEs or Physics are fine.

3 years social science - history, psych, geography, etc.

2 years Foreign language

If you exceed these, it’s great. If you have AP or DE, it’s great. If they’re regular, you’re still fine.

I think you have a future in STEM if you want it - and I don’t think your situation is remotely close to dire but rather the norm. Few overall get to calc.

You needn’t blame yourself because you’re fine. Stay the path.

When you’re ready, you can do a match me and get college suggestions. But you will have options, in STEM, if you want them.

Good luck.

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High school does trimesters, Im enrolled in Accelerated Alg 2 right now.
Thank you for the advice!

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This is exactly what I am thinking also.

This is going to get you into a very good university. I am thinking “very good” on the level of UNH or U.Maine or U.Mass Lowell or U.Mass Boston if you are from my part of the US, or something equivalent closer to where you live. I am not as familiar with universities in Minnesota.

You do not need to take calculus in high school. A very wide range of universities and colleges can teach you calculus very well. If you have completed the prerequisites for calculus while in high school, then your math placement is on track for a very wide range of possible majors, including STEM majors. Even if you are not through the calculus prerequisites in high school, you can take them at community college after high school is over. I did not take any calculus until I got to university, and I still ended up as a math major (and then used calculus many times while on a job). The point is not to rush ahead. The point instead is to understand each course that you are taking, and take classes at a reasonable and measured pace.

I do not understand why you are taking 3 dual enrollment courses. You really can wait until you are in university to take university courses. You are a high school student.

Take it easy. Get good grades. You will get there.

I do not see any reason to do this. Just take the classes that you are ready to take, and get good grades in the classes that you are taking.

Calculus is very heavily dependent on its prerequisites. You need to do well in all of the prerequisites for calculus before you take it. Also, there is a lot in math and engineering and physics that depends upon calculus. This is worth taking the time to learn well. There is no need to take calculus until you arrive as a university student. However, if you are interested in engineering, then you will want to have aced all of the prerequisites for calculus by the time that you get to university, if this is at all possible.

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Anything is possible. If you want to do STEM, it is possible, but it will involve a lot of work. Here is an extreme example of someone who was going to become a poet, and he turned around very late in college and became a Math person: June Huh’s Fields Medal Leads Princeton’s Mathematics Awards | Princeton Alumni Weekly

And there are people going both ways. Here is someone who went the opposite way: Quote by David Hilbert: “Good, he did not have enough imagination to bec...”

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NOT TRUE! You definitely could have a bright future in STEM, even if you take Precalculus & Statistics, senior year, which would be my recommendation. If AP is offered, then take them. It is almost never a good idea to rush math courses by doubling up with calculus, only in rare cases (a 4.0 GPA student with exceptionally high ACT/SAT/PSAT math score). Hold off on taking calculus until first year of college or during the summer before college.

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On of my kids is working in a high STEM profession…and didn’t take calculus until college. We parents did not agree to math acceleration because we felt a strong foundation in math was more important. This kid double majored in bioengineering and biology and took plenty of higher level math courses in college.

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don’t do that unless you have sold pre-calc in HS. please.

You can do STEM in college with only pre-calc in HS. really.

Can you go to MIT? most likely not. Will you go to MIT if you are in linear algebra in HS? most likely not! :rofl: PLENTY of kids take pre-calc as seniors and go on to STEM