Calculus vs. Pre Calc vs other senior level maths

cbasalt1

cbasalt1

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I am currently a junior in high school. I am currently wondering what to do as far as maths for this next and upcoming semesters.

First of all, this past semester I took a Pre Calc class that was at our local community college. This gives me a 5 in my GPA for an A.

More important than my GPA however, is probably my academic readiness regarding the academy. I have a couple of options as far as what Math courses to take.

1. I could take the second part of my Pre-Calc class. The class I took this semester was a Pre Calc. ALGEBRA1 and the other part of the class is Pre Calc. TRIG
2. Another option I have is to skip the trig part, try to figure things out, and then jump into the college Calc. 1 next year.
3. I could also take both the Pre Calc. TRIG and then spring of my semester year Calc. 1. This intense workload however could result in my first B, bringing down my GPA.

What should I do regarding these classes?

In other words, is it worth the extra effort to get a fully-fledged Calculus class under my belt?

Thanks
 
Maybe I am reading your post wrong, but it sounds like your normal course offering is to take the 2nd part of pre-calc during second semester JR year and then take calc your SR year. Seems like that is the typical math sequence. I wouldn't see any reason to overthink that.
 
cbasulto1 said:
I am currently a junior in high school. I am currently wondering what to do as far as maths for this next and upcoming semesters.

First of all, this past semester I took a Pre Calc class that was at our local community college. This gives me a 5 in my GPA for an A.

More important than my GPA however, is probably my academic readiness regarding the academy. I have a couple of options as far as what Math courses to take.

1. I could take the second part of my Pre-Calc class. The class I took this semester was a Pre Calc. ALGEBRA1 and the other part of the class is Pre Calc. TRIG
2. Another option I have is to skip the trig part, try to figure things out, and then jump into the college Calc. 1 next year.
3. I could also take both the Pre Calc. TRIG and then spring of my semester year Calc. 1. This intense workload however could result in my first B, bringing down my GPA.

What should I do regarding these classes?

In other words, is it worth the extra effort to get a fully-fledged Calculus class under my belt?

Thanks
Click to expand...
A comprehensive recommendation is here:
www.usna.edu

General Advice for Grades 9-12

General Advice for Grades 9-12 page for Admissions at USNA.edu. Updated Fri Apr 11 04:41:43 EDT 2025.
www.usna.edu

Evaluate your options against these recommendations, discuss with your guidance counselor, aim for a viable schedule that challenges your academic and time management skills, balanced with your sports and ECAs. Remember that USNA will see your final grades through next fall, if you update them after winter holiday.

When you apply, the guidance counselor will send a school profile. USNA will know what the hardest courses offered are and will know whether you took them.

USNA looks at everything you bring to the table - courses taken, grades in certain courses, GPA, level of difficulty, school profile, standardized test scores, sports, activities and many other factors. There is no way to tell you how a “B” may influence how your overall application is graded.
 
From an academic standpoint and not a service academy standpoint, take precalc with trig. You will do worse in your future calc classes if you do not know trig. It is a fundamental building block for all math and it will be used in almost every math class in the future.

Also, I know it can be tricky depending on the high school, but can you take a summer class at the college where you're getting dual-enrolled credit? If so, definitely do that and you may be able to do calc 2 (or AP Calc BC) your senior year instead of calc 1 (or AP Calc AB).

In summary, don't skip trig; it will only hurt you in future math classes and potentially lower your future math grade.

Best of luck to you on your future military endeavors!
 
The only time I have ever seen "maths" in print or heard "maths" spoken out load, it was a British thing. Is this becoming a thing in the USA?
I am actually curious.
 
If you take both Pre-calc (Trig) and Calc 1 and only get a B...that should be fine, as it appears your grades are mostly A's. Taking the most challenging math courses you can it probably the best tac for both admissions and preparation for the 4C academic year.
 
THParent said:
The only time I have ever seen "maths" in print or heard "maths" spoken out load, it was a British thing. Is this becoming a thing in the USA?
I am actually curious.
Click to expand...
Had to get used to that. Still have trouble saying "my son read maths & computer science" as opposed to "my son studied math & computer science".
 
@cbasulto1 ,

You are already ahead of schedule. Take @so7 advice. You will still stand out, but will have a firmer math base.

Best of Luck!
 
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All great advice so far. Note that all MIDNs are required to complete up to Calc 3. If engineering major you then move to Diff Eq, if not engineering then another semester of other math. If you had Calc in HS, then you may have the opportunity to "validate" Calc 1 or 2, depending on AP exam score but you must score a 5. There may also be an exam you can take during PS to validate but I do not recall. If you are not ready for Calc then they offer a Pre-Calc class but that will limit your future flexibility on class schedule.

You can search on this forum for advice on validating or not if given the option. My DS was able to validate Calc 1 and it will allow him some flexibility on his class schedule in his upperclassman years.
 
Definitely agree with taking pre-calc with trig. I took that my junior year and it helped a lot. It's safe to say I would be in a lot worse of a spot if I didn't have a good foundation of trig. I took Calc (the IB version) as a senior and ended up not validating anything, but in a way it worked out. I might've been able to validate Calc I and go to Calc II if I went on a study grind for the placement test, but I would have been STRUGGLING in Calc II. I'm glad I'm retaking Calc I, if anything it's helping me build a good base. Now if you're someone who is really looking to validate to free up schedule space for something like double majoring or studying abroad, you might have different priorities. In my experience so far, I think it's perfectly fine to take/retake Calc I in college. Just my thoughts!
 
I am taking calc right now and would definitely suggest taking trig before. It is a necessity for anything in the class with lots of important rules.
 
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