As this school year draws to close and students pick next year’s classes, one of the most important choices they’ll face is what math class to take. Whether preparing for a ninth-grade placement test or debating between AP Stats and AP Calculus, budding artists and engineers alike worry how their math class will affect their college prospects. Just Equations, a nonprofit devoted to examining the role of math in educational equity, partnered with the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) in 2022 to study how high school math pathways impact college admissions. They surveyed admissions officers at 1,250 four-year institutions and conducted in-depth interviews with deans/directors of admissions at 15 of them. Their key findings, summarized in the list below, shed light on how the senior-year math course has become—for better or worse—a gatekeeper of selective college admissions.
- For many admissions officers, calculus “carries prestige and a presumption of intelligence…At Wesleyan University, for example, 79% of the fall 2021 entering class had completed math through calculus, about four times the most recently documented national calculus attainment rate.”
- “When asked to name which advanced high school math courses carry the most weight for admissions, 75% of admissions professionals named AP Calculus, and 79% agreed with the statement, ‘Students who have taken calculus are more likely to succeed in college.’”
- One admissions professional interviewed in the study noted, “Calculus is an easy answer to a complicated question. Institutions are looking for a simple gatekeeper. We are looking for ways to determine excellent and extraordinary students.”
Interest groups like Just Equations and state educational systems are advocating for emphasis on other math courses including statistics, quantitative reasoning, mathematical modeling, and data science—all more relevant in today’s data-rich, technology-fueled world and applicable to a broader swath of majors from social sciences to computer sciences. But until these courses are recognized and rewarded in admissions at the elite private institutions that exert outsize influence on high school curricular choices, math sequences will largely remain a march to (and beyond) calculus.
College Private Counseling
Develop an organized and effective application strategy that leverages your academic and extracurricular experience to stand out.
At Top Tier Admissions we develop personalized road maps to help our students aiming for top schools; by maximizing their course rigor, they can ideally reach AP-level calculus by junior year and submit their exam score with college applications as objective evidence of subject mastery. The most competitive STEM-focused students are expected to apply with a score of 5 in AP Calculus BC and often have post-calculus coursework like multivariable calculus and linear algebra on their transcripts. With this in mind, it’s even more critical to push ahead in math if you are STEM-inclined. But even for non-STEM students, calculus attainment continues to be a distinguishing factor. Will you be on track?
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MATH ACCELERATION: CLEARING THE CALCULUS BAR
Here are some of our top tips to accelerate in math and clear the calculus bar in admissions.
TTA TOP TIP: Map out your math sequence as early as seventh or eighth grade to see where you’re on track to finish by graduation if you follow your school’s conventional pathway. Since geometry is not foundational to algebra or calculus, it’s possible to double up in math classes and take geometry concurrently with Algebra II in ninth or tenth grade. Schedule a meeting with the math department chair to see what options you have if you wish to reach beyond your prescribed track. Ask about placement tests and engage a tutor or a math program like Art of Problem Solving, Russian School of Mathematics, Khan Academy, or Mathnasium to prepare.
Some high schools are more supportive of math acceleration than others. All will want to see strong grades and hear the student advocate for themselves about why they believe it’s important to push ahead in math. Be prepared to make a case for how a higher math level will help you attain your educational goals. Do some research on admissions requirements for a range of schools: Duke’s Pratt School of engineering, for example, requires calculus, and at Carnegie Mellon, admissions criteria for five of the seven undergraduate schools stipulate that “Advanced mathematics courses are strongly encouraged, especially a course in calculus.”
With math attainment being a key element of the admissions equation, it’s crucial to be informed of your options, plan ahead, and self-advocate to shape your future trajectory.
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Anita holds a BA in Philosophy from Princeton, where she is an alumni class officer and former interviewer, and an MA in English from Middlebury. At Princeton she also contributed her drive and competitiveness to the women’s lacrosse team, winning an NCAA Division I National Championship and three Ivy League Championships while earning national scholar-athlete academic distinction and the Connie McAllister athletic department award for “effort, selfless dedication, enthusiasm and heart.” She brings these qualities to her relationships with students as she helps to bring out the best in them.
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