February 2024
To calculus or not to calculus, maybe statistics. That is the question.
Families of high school students often feel pressured to decide in the here and now, which level of math their student should be taking if interested in Engineering or Business in college. School Counselors meet annually with colleges from across the country to flesh this out even more. Some colleges elaborate on their website, while others inform upon inquiry. Some nationally recognized colleges state that they want students to complete the highest level of mathematics their school has to offer. This is done to not penalize students whose high school does not offer calculus or statistics. College’s love seeing a rigorous high school transcript, but not at the expense of C’s and D’s at the end. An old driver’s education phrase of, ‘don’t overdrive your headlights’ fits well here. You know your math strengths and be sure to talk to your math teachers and your school counselor for their input.
Other colleges specifically state that students must have calculus in high school before enrolling in their colleges-Vanderbilt University is one of them. In order to earn college credit (equivalency), Vanderbilt expects students to complete at least AP Calculus AB and score a 5 on the exam.
In the graduating high school class of 2021, only 19% of them took calculus in high school, however those numbers are higher for students attending a selective college (Inside Higher Ed, 2022). Some students do not feel prepared to take AP Calculus, so enrolling at least in pre-calculus or AP statistics can be an alternative for some colleges. Since 2021, Stanford University’s website states that ‘any’ rigorous preparation in fundamental math skills, which lumps calculus, statistics, and data together ‘welcomes’ those (Inside Higher Ed, 2022).
- Benefits of Precalculus
- You will likely have a higher grade because much of Precalculus is a review from Honors Algebra II.
- You will have the opportunity to solidify those skills, which could be particularly helpful if you need to take Calculus in college.
- Benefits of AP Statistics
- You will have the opportunity to be exposed to statistics topics which will make any college statistics class easier for you.
- If you pass the AP exam (score of 3, 4, or 5) you could test out of a statistics class in college.
- Benefits of AP Calculus
- Setting yourself up for greater success in college that has a calculus sequence. Some colleges permit you to place out (see Vanderbilt’s exam requirement above) of the first course, allowing you to start as a freshman the second course in the sequence.
- It serves as a first-semester college calculus course devoted to topics in differential and integral calculus (The College Board, 2024).
Inside Higher Ed. (2022, February 13). Does calculus count for too much in admissions? | Inside Higher Ed. Www.insidehighered.com. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/02/14/does-calculus-count-too-much-admissions
The College Board. (2024). AP Calculus AB – AP Students | College Board. Apstudents.collegeboard.org. https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-calculus-ab
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