Being behind in a class
So my sister, who's in 9th grade, is in Algebra I. She took pre- algebra in 8th grade while most people took Algebra that time. So now, the typical 9th grader is in geometry while she's in Algebra I. Her math isn't bad ( I've seen her tests and quizzes and she has maintained an A for the whole year). She has the option of taking summer school and paying a whopping $600 for both semesters of geometry. So she really regrets not taking Algebra I in 8th grade. The main worry that she told me about is that if she doesn't take summer school, and just stays behind in a math course for the rest of her high school years, that colleges won't like it and have a less chance of accepting her. My advice was to just ask the counselor about this.
What do you guys know, or have experience, in being behind in a course? Is it true that if one is behind in a course, it won't look good on their academic record, etc? Or do colleges just don't really care (even I have my doubts on that lol)? It's a big dilemma for her and since I can't really help, I'm looking to basil... thanks!
Edit: oh, and she also considered taking the credit by exam for geometry. The upside is that she won't have to pay any money, and if she passes, she won't have to take geometry next year. The downside...is that she will have to learn a whole school year's worth of geometry in a month without any teachers, and still manage to get at least a 90 on the two 50 question tests (50 questions for each semester). I would offer to tutor her, but I have some plans for the summer. I advised her not to choose this choice because of how risky it is... I mean, you have to get at LEAST a 90 to pass. She even said that she could probably manage to get an 85 on the test, but most likely not a 90.
Oh, and, our parents aren't totally aware of the fact that she's behind in a math course...so my sister is trying to sneak by on this and hope our parents don't realize it lol. Tbh, our parents would probably freak.
12 Comments • Newest first
thanks, everyone! Lol I showed my sister this and she's pretty relieved.
if her major is not heavily reliant on math, doing all of that is unnecessary in my opinion. assuming her major is not related to math, she is worrying too much.
Well, if she is going to major in art, then she really doesn't need any high math. Unless you are really an math/engineering major, math
is just extra heartache. But if she can, she should try to take it in high school as an ap(so summer classes). Also being behind in math after
high school is nothing since you pick your classes at your own pace. For the most part my college(UMBC) looks on GPA/SAT/ACT so if she
is an A student and does decent on a SAT then she should be fine at most colleges.
TBH the basics of geometry aren't that hard. It's all a bunch of theorems, proofs, and shapes. The one that took me down was circles. Man that was hard.
Then again, I was in an honors class and I really didn't pay attention much.
If she really wants to catch up, study ahead little by little. Don't have to go all out, but skimming through 1 chapter per week can get you somewhere.
My cousin is going to do this too. I'm gonna tutor him so he passes.
Also, keep in mind that the school can't replace 2 semesters of geometry for 4 weeks of summer school. It's just not possible. So she may not have to learn much. The key is not to learn a lot, but to learn fast because you're probably going through 1 chapter in a couple of days. And the average is 12 chapters per book.
unless you're really dedicated, condensing a year of math (no matter how bleh it may be) can really put you in a position where you struggle to keep up always.
It's definitely do-able though. Just be prepared to work harder.
As an alternative she could buy a geometry textbook (+ answers) (can cost a lot but is still less than 600) and power through that. If she looks at/does a majority of the practice problems she can get pretty far.
Check with your school what online courses, if any, they accept. I took Alg II over the summer online at BYU Independent
Study for only about $150 per semester (for $300 total). If you're in the Bay Area, it's highly likely that a school near you
will offer math courses for credit (and not just to makeup a D/F grade) if you dig around enough.
I'm pretty sure precal is the requirement for all American colleges so just be less Asian and relax.
I was in a similar situation. I was able to entirely skip Math Analysis and went straight into Calculus AB/BC. In my opinion, it depends entirely on the college she plans to attend (of course as she is still a freshman she doesn't really have to think about it) however, most upper tier college only give credit if you score a 4/5 on the AP exams. Being ahead 1 course obviously has its merits (in terms of more credits. etc) but from experience I don't really think it matters too much. Even though I've taken 2 semesters of Calculus, my major (Pharmacy) requires that I re-take STEM courses at the designated college. AP credit is entirely ignored for these classes.
I have a friend who did Algebra 1 in 9th grade as it's the recommended degree plan (Algebra 1 > Geometry > Algebra 2 > Precalculus) for Texas and he's on a full ride scholarship to OU for pre law. Granted he's in the top 20 but he's been doing well in the Pre-AP classes for those subjects so it looks good.
Unless you're going into a degree that's heavy on math (such as engineering/computer science who would rather you take AP Calculus AB/BC), colleges don't seem to mind whether or not your highest math is Precalculus, Calculus 1, or even Statistics.
[quote=NonSonoFronz]Take as much math as you can in high school. Seriously.
My high school went up to Calc III and Differential Equations and I completely regret not taking a math class over the summer so I could take those classes.
If I would have done that then I could have completely avoided math in college and it's literally the bane of my existence.
Also, it probably would look bad if she was applying for a STEM major. If she's not going into STEM though, then it probably won't matter.[/quote]
wow, you got pretty far in math. My sister is really into art, so chances are, she's going to look for a path in that direction, but she still wants to get into a decent school.
@fun2killu the summer class? Her high school offers geometry summer class for $600.
is she taking the math classes at her local community college?
if so, that's really expensive. Classes at my local CC are $25-50 per unit.
Take as much math as you can in high school. Seriously.
My high school went up to Calc III and Differential Equations and I completely regret not taking a math class over the summer so I could take those classes.
If I would have done that then I could have completely avoided math in college and it's literally the bane of my existence.
Also, it probably would look bad if she was applying for a STEM major. If she's not going into STEM though, then it probably won't matter.