Which Looks Better--Calc, Stats, or Computer Science?

Sally_Rubenstone
Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:42:10 +0000

Sally: I read your response and noticed that you advised Calc for the most selective/competitive universities…but how does one decide where that cut-off is? Our public school math track gets the average kid in math to only pre-calc as a senior…Does that automatically exclude a certain level of university? (and I know that top 20 wants calc, but I guess I am asking where does that end? top 50?)

Your destiny around here is basically sealed in middle school based on this…



I agree, Rodney, that sometimes one’s fate can seem sealed by grade 8. But, as some other CC members have noted, there are ways that a student can climb to a higher math track even after starting out on a more middling route.

The more selective schools—those that admit anywhere from 10% or less of their applicants up to about 50% or so (these are just ballpark figures)–do tend to look for applicants who have taken the “Most Demanding” classes offered at their high school (or at least a “Very Demanding” courseload), and students who don’t take calculus where it’s available may not be on the “Most Demanding” turf. However, admissions is usually a holistic process, and admission officials look at the big picture. For instance, if a student has a rising record but started off somewhat slowly, admission committees will understand that the cumulative GPA and class rank suffered, and they will also assume that this student wasn’t in the top-shelf classes early on and thus may not have been able to get into calculus or other classes with prerequisites.

At the vast majority of colleges—and even at the hyper-selective ones—a transcript without calculus is definitely not a deal-breaker. (Yes, some tech schools and/or majors do expect it, but these are in the minority.) The initial “Ask the Dean” query that launched this discussion asked which “looked better” on a transcript … calculus vs. statistics or computer science. Most admission officials would answer “calculus” but that’s not the same as saying it’s a must!